1 Kings 18

Bible Passage:  1 Kings 18

The Bible’s introduction of Elijah in yesterday’s chapter was by all means, sudden. The major event in today’s chapter is also immediate. The unexpectedness comes as a awesome triumph as what we witness is a spectacular display of God’s Almightiness.

God’s Work & God’s Worker

It is without a doubt that the work of God requires a worker who employs himself/herself in tandem with the will of God. In other words, the servant of God must seek and know the heart of God in order to accomplish the things of God. We see this clearly in the examples of Abraham, Moses, and David. The three have been variously addressed by God as “a friend”, “a most faithful servant”, and “one after the heart of God”, respectively.

Elijah the prophet presents us with a similar point – he was a true man of God, seeking to do the holy will of the Lord. Whether was it in knowing when the Lord would make declarations of prophecy to him (1 Kings 18:1), in the matter of invoking God’s holy, fiery presence (1 Kings 18:36-38), or in the event of publishing the good news of impending rain (1 Kings 18:41-44), Elijah was a faithful servant.

In chapter 18, Elijah was on a roll; he was at an apex in his faith. In sporting parlance, we might say that he was on-form, scoring goal after goal of faith. Being attuned to the heart of God was important because the completion of the two miracles here had a direct link to accomplishing the will of the Heavenly Father “on earth as it is in heaven”.

If this sounds far fetched, we might consider how the kings preceding Ahab were already sadly wicked whereas Ahab merely raised the bar for a new standard of unrighteousness and abominable corruption in Israel. While we would expect kings to lead the country by proper policy and righteous, religious ruling, the depraved kings of Northern Israel were more interested in politicking and murdering to gain power. This was definitely not pleasing to God as we note how the Bible describes the reigns of the various kings from Nadab to Omri in a negative light.

The man of God, Elijah, was not a king. Yet his role as the prophet of God was important during those times of unfaithfulness and lawlessness. In a time where God’s laws were disregarded, the servant of God kept faith in the righteous Judge. He was a faithful servant, doing the will of his master. This alone justifies why God would work so mightily through him, sending down heavenly fire to consume the sacrifice.

This chapter proclaims the Omnipotence of God more than anything else. YHWH was magnified and the hearts of confused Israel was left awestruck by the grand spectacle. First the fire, then the rain: both natural elements that Israel took for granted, became signs to testify of God once again.

Let us tremble and be aware likewise. For we live in times of faithlessness and unrighteousness, and the route to confusion is all too easily trod. We serve a God who gives us grace. In serving, let us be servants who consider the will of God above all else. We must serve God with “reverence and godly fear” (Heb 12:28), because our God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:29). Rather than being consumed for being ungodly, let this fire testify to our faithful selves and our faithful deeds (cf. 1 Cor 3:12-15).

Let us glorify the name of our God Almighty!