Confrontation on
He said, "O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac
and
This
proclaimed Yahweh as the God of the covenants and promises addressed to the
nation
First, when he addressed God as Yahweh,
he was:
(1) Relying and counting on God as "I Am," the eternal, immutable, and independent God of the universe with whom all things were possible.
(2) He was relying on God as the
One who revealed Himself to the nation through Moses and the Law, and who had
redeemed His chosen people for a three-fold purpose:
(a) to be the custodians of the Word;
(b) to be the channel for Messiah, the Savior
of the world; and
(c) to be a light and a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:3; Ex.
19:4-6; Deut. 4:6-8; Rom. 3:2; 9:4-6).
Second, when he addressed God as the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and
(1) God would not forsake His people;
(2) they
were to be a nation of priests to the nations of God's salvation in the coming
Messiah;
(3) they were to avoid
idolatry at all costs;
(4) for obedience there would
be blessing but for disobedience there would be cursing or the cycles of
discipline as spelled out in Deuteronomy 28-29 and Leviticus 26;
(5) and
they were to be a people of the Word of God.
This was to be their daily diet that they might remember the mighty
works which He had done. In other words,
Elijah's prayer was motivated and directed by the principles and promises of
Scripture. [as
all prayer should be]
He said, "Let it be known." Elijah had four concerns and each of them
concerned the glory of God and the well being of His people. Here are four great things we need to see and
know.
1. "That Thou art God in
2. "That I am Thy servant." This statement shows us:
(a) Elijah wanted the people to see that not only was Yahweh real, but
he (Elijah) was real also.
(b) Also he wanted them to see the truth of God which he held and
believed and which had transformed his life.
This truth had brought the power of God into his life.
3. "That I have done all these things at Thy Word."
People must
come to see that the issues of life revolve around adherence to the divine
Revelation.
4. "That Thou hast turned their heart back again."
Elijah
sought no credit for the results of this miracle. It was all the work of the grace and power of
God (1 Cor. 3:5-7;
The Brevity of His Prayer
In these verses we see the power of God manifested from heaven to do two things. First, we see men and women turning back to the Lord. We see revival, restoration, and repentance.
Second, we see people become bold enough to defy Jezebel and execute the Baal prophets.
We need to
refuse to be like the world, or to go along with its ideas, patterns, and
schemes that are so clearly contrary to Scripture.
It appears
Ahab goes up to eat and drink totally unappreciative of the grace of God. He is a picture of hardened insensitivity
from years of rejecting the Lord.
Application: This obvious contrast is a warning to all of us.
One man [Ahab] is occupied with himself and his own plans. While Elijah is occupied with the Lord and His promises.
The basis
for Elijah's actions was, of course, the promise God made to him in 18:1. But why pray?
If He knows
and He cares and He has promised to meet all our need according to His riches
in glory, then why pray? I believe the
answer lies in two very simple principles of the Word.
1.
Prayer is the believer's tool of faith that God has
sovereignly chosen to translate His promises into results. God not only ordains the end, i.e., the rain,
but He also ordains the means of making the promise a reality, prayer. The second principle flows out of the first.
2.
Prayer is also one of the means God uses to draw us to Himself and to conform us to His will.
Prayer is
the hand of faith that reaches out and grasps the promises of God. It is one of the instruments God uses to mold
us into His image and purposes.
Perhaps
there is an analogy here that comes out of the meaning of the name of this
mountain where the contest occurred and where Elijah prayed for the rain that
would bring fruitfulness to the land.
This simply
shows us Elijah prayed earnestly or fervently as noted in (James
It's not the
posture that counts. It's our attitude,
our motives, our faith, and the nature of the prayer according to the will of
God that counts.
This scene
provides a second contrast of persons.
Seven is the
number of completion or perfection in Scripture.
It simply
teaches us what perseverance and unwavering faith accomplishes.
Because he
was standing confidently on what God had promised! Elijah knew God's will from God's direct
promise to him.
Let me make four
suggestions that might be of help.
1. Be sure your prayer
is grounded in the Word. This gives
confidence.
2. Be
sure your prayer is not made from wrong motives, but directed by solid biblical
principles. Rest in the intercessory
ministry of the Holy Spirit who always prays according to the will of God (Rom.
3. Keep on asking, looking, and
knocking in a faith that rests in God's care, love, and timing (Matt.
7:7-8).
4. Above all, ask the Lord to
teach you what He wants you to learn as well as to do through you during this
period of waiting.
In Elijah's
reaction we see the expectation of the faith and of a man grounded in and
believing the Word of God.