1Ki 17:1-6 | KingComments | STEP | Now that we have reached the absolute low point of the history of God’s people, the Holy Spirit places the prophet Elijah before our attention. The person and service of Elijah are exceptional. He is one of the greatest personalities in the Old Testament. He is the first man to raise a dead person, he is the only one to go to heaven with fiery chariots and horses. He is “a man with a nature like ours” ( ), but with a tremendous faith. He is also a man of prayer. He lives in a time of the greatest apostacy, a time in which the Word of God is totally rejected by people of God. In that time he stands as a true man of God for the rights of God and bears witness of Him as the living God. He is a man with whom anyone who cares about the welfare of God’s people would like to identify. After all, we too live in a time in which the Word of God has largely been rejected. Not so much in the world, but in professing Christianity. Elijah is a prophet. Prophets are sent by God when His people have deviated from Him. God wants to speak through them to the hearts and consciences of the people. Prophets represent God’s power and bring God’s people into the light of God. They put their finger on the deviation, the sin ( ). Elijah does not do this softly, for he announces drought. He does so because the whole people serve Baal. He comes from Gilead. We could say that in view of the deviation of the people he is a “balm from Gilead” ( ). He denounces their sick condition and offers them a medicine. That medicine is repentance and return to the LORD. Of Elijah – and also of Elisha – we have no Bible book in God’s Word. This we have of many prophets who prophesied to the two tribes, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and so on. We have the prophetic service of the prophets in the two tribes realm in written form in God’s Word because their service also relates to what is still future today. In the two tribes realm there is still a certain interest in God’s Word, and the prophets can refer to that Word in their exhortations. They speak for edification and exhortation and consolation, as still happens today in the church ( ). This is only possible if there are hearts to absorb the Word. Nor do the prophets of the two tribes realm do signs and wonders: for they are for the unbelievers. Therefore Elijah and Elisha do miracles, for they have a message for an unbelieving people. The word Elijah and Elisha speak as prophets does not refer to the near or distant future, as is the case with the writing prophets. Their word is addressed to the heart and conscience of the people in the present circumstances, here and now. It is a word supported by wonder signs. Elijah’s signs are extremely powerful. They are connected to heaven. He has closed heaven once, and opened heaven four times. He closes and opens heaven in relation to rain ( ). He also opens heaven to let fire descend from it, once over the offering ( ) and twice over his enemies ( ). As has already been said, he raised up a dead person ( ). He alone has as a prophet a direct successor in Elisha ( ) and he has a successor in his spirit in John the baptist ( ). The Old Testament closes with his name ( ). He is present, together with Moses, when the Lord Jesus appears on the mountain of glorification ( ). Finally, we recognize him in one of the two witnesses in the end time ( ). Elijah is called “man of God” ( ). In the New Testament we meet the ”man of God” in letters addressed to a person ( ; ). It can be a man, it can also be a woman. The first letter to Timothy refers to the “later times” ( ). Its characteristics are “forbid marriage” and “abstaining from foods” ( ). Under the influence of deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, these characteristics have arisen. Medieval professing Christianity, as it began and continues in roman-catholicism, is its breeding ground. In the second letter to Timothy, the decay has gone even further. There it is about the “last days” ( ). The characteristic of this is that in professing Christianity there are people who appear to be God-fearing, but who lie, for they deny the power thereof ( ). Prophetically, these characteristics are described in the book of Revelation, in the letter to the church in Thyatira ( ). This letter is part of seven letters in which church history is depicted through the centuries. In that letter reference is made to “the woman Jezebel”, so that the parallel with the time of Elijah is beyond doubt. In this way we can say that the history of Elijah teaches us lessons in connection with the history of the church in the dark Middle Ages, a history that remains relevant because it continues until the coming of the Lord Jesus. During that time, testimonies of faith are appreciated in a special way, as we hear from the mouth of the Lord Jesus regarding a faithful remnant in Thyatira ( ). In such times, where truths are so covered, each testimony about Him is of great significance to Him. For Him it is not about great knowledge of the truth, but to live faithfully according to what is known of the truth. We see this in Elijah, in Obadiah, and the one hundred prophets Obadiah has hidden, and the seven thousand who are only seen by God. Yet not every believer in such times is a ‘man of God’. This can only be said of Elijah at that time, and it can only be said now of someone who openly defends God’s rights, while the mass of the professing Christianity does not take them into account and many who do so in secret without showing it openly. Not every believing Israelite is a man of God. Obadiah is not, nor are the seven thousand. It is the same today, that not every believer is a man of God. People who dare to raise their voices in public are few. It is the people who, for example, hold, diametrically opposed to everything else, to the word-for-word, literal inspiration of the Scriptures against everything. This characterizes the man of God in the last days. In the “last days” ( ) we see an increase of the evil that characterizes the “later times” ( ). “Last days” require complete dedication to the Word as a hallmark of a man of God ( ). Holding on to the inspiration of God’s Word is above all important in such dark times. Then it comes down to holding on to the word of the Lord Jesus’ perseverance ( ), which is only possible if one lives in an intimate personal relationship with God. Such people get to hear that the Lord Jesus will write “the name of My God” on them ( ). The period when the Lord Jesus was on earth is also called “these last days” ( ). This underlines the connection that exists between Elijah and John the baptist, the predecessor of the Lord Jesus. This connection is also evident from their actions. Thus, Elijah testifies in the palace of Ahab, and John in the palace of Herod. Both have experienced the hatred of the wives of these rulers. Both had a breakdown at the end of their service. Therefore it is also said that Elijah and John spiritually spoken are the same person ( ; ). In addition, Elijah is a picture of the Lord Jesus, the Great One sent of God. Christ is the great Witness of God. He has raised up dead. He has blessings for poor Gentiles, just like Elijah, as we see later, when Elijah is in Sidon. He, like Elijah, has brought a sacrifice on a mountain, whereby He Himself is the sacrifice. We see the picture of the Lord Jesus when Elijah stands on Mount Carmel, alone against the power of the enemy, only with his sacrifice. The sacrifice has shown God’s faithfulness to His people. The sacrifice is consumed by the fire of God’s judgment. By this the people are spared and blessings for the people come again. This performance of Elijah, the culmination of his service, is a striking picture of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, where He has born the judgment of the sins of those who are His people. We also see that the Lord Jesus, just like Elijah, spent forty days in the desert. He also called His followers, as Elijah called Elisha. He went to heaven, which also happened to Elijah. If I were allowed to have a favorite in the Old Testament, it would be Elijah. I have great admiration for this man. In himself he is no different from other people ( ). It is even so, that of him as the only Old Testament believer something negative is said in the New Testament. Of all the believers in the Old Testament who are mentioned in the New Testament, only what they have done in faith is mentioned. However, of Elijah also something is mentioned that is not good. Once he pleaded with God against His people. Paul refers to this to show that God will always have a remnant according to God’s gracious choice ( ). What makes him special is that he is a man of prayer and a man of God. He is the one who stands up for God’s rights and asserts them in an environment where they are denied and trampled underfoot. This character and these features make him the appropriate instrument for God to be His prophet. We may learn from him what God is capable of when we are intercessors who recognize him in the full right of his Word. Suddenly he appears on stage, Elijah, the man from Tishbe. It is described without the usual “and the word of the LORD came to …”. We know nothing of his origin, his family, his education. Only the place of origin is given. He will not have appeared here headstrong, but by a command from God. It is clear that he lives in fellowship with God. We know that, before he goes to Ahab, he prayed that God would intervene supernaturally in His people. He did not pray only once, but fervently and persistently, until he is convinced that God will give him what he prayed for. With this he reveals God’s holiness and righteousness. With this conviction he appears before Ahab. He enters the palace of Ahab and courageously speaks his message there. His message is short. His first words are a testimony to God as “the LORD, the God of Israel”. The God of Israel is the LORD, Yahweh , and not Baal. The LORD is also the God who lives. This testimony is necessary in an environment where the living God is excluded. Elijah also says: “Before whom I stand.” This is a beautiful expression. We also hear something similar from the mouth of Abraham, Elisha and Gabriel ( ; ; ). Elijah is aware that he is in the presence of God, that he is with God. Whoever is there can speak His word fearlessly to a mighty man like Ahab, for this great king shrivels in God’s presence to a tiny creature. There is no embarrassment or hesitation in Elijah’s actions or words. He is convinced of the One on behalf of Whom he stands before Ahab here and on behalf of Whom he speaks to Ahab. Elijah then states that God will reveal Himself as the Living by withholding rain from the people. He does not say “thus says the LORD”, but he speaks with the authority of God Himself when he says that there will be no rain but only on his word, that is the word of Elijah. This is not moderation, but faith confidence. Nothing more and nothing less than that power, that conviction of standing in God’s will and passing on His words, is demanded in times of worst decay. God works through this man for the benefit of His people. Is it therefore grace to make such an announcement of drought and thereby of famine? Yes. Elijah knows God’s Word and so he knows God’s thoughts. He has read in God’s Word that there will be drought if the people are unfaithful ( ; ). In his prayer he asked God to live up to this word. He has acted both to withheld rain and to give it ( ). He prayed for it because he is so concerned about the people and so upset about the dishonor done to God. God has made it clear to him to pray on the basis of this word, and he trusts God in His word. For him God is the living God Who only has authority over the rain ( ) and not Baal to whom this authority is attributed by unbelief. He speaks this word so that the people may repent and return to God and His Word.

‏ 1 Kings 17:1-6

Introduction

Now that we have reached the absolute low point of the history of God’s people, the Holy Spirit places the prophet Elijah before our attention. The person and service of Elijah are exceptional. He is one of the greatest personalities in the Old Testament. He is the first man to raise a dead person, he is the only one to go to heaven with fiery chariots and horses. He is “a man with a nature like ours” (Jam 5:17a), but with a tremendous faith. He is also a man of prayer.

He lives in a time of the greatest apostacy, a time in which the Word of God is totally rejected by people of God. In that time he stands as a true man of God for the rights of God and bears witness of Him as the living God. He is a man with whom anyone who cares about the welfare of God’s people would like to identify. After all, we too live in a time in which the Word of God has largely been rejected. Not so much in the world, but in professing Christianity.

Elijah is a prophet. Prophets are sent by God when His people have deviated from Him. God wants to speak through them to the hearts and consciences of the people. Prophets represent God’s power and bring God’s people into the light of God. They put their finger on the deviation, the sin (Jn 4:16-19). Elijah does not do this softly, for he announces drought. He does so because the whole people serve Baal. He comes from Gilead. We could say that in view of the deviation of the people he is a “balm from Gilead” (Jer 8:22). He denounces their sick condition and offers them a medicine. That medicine is repentance and return to the LORD.

Of Elijah – and also of Elisha – we have no Bible book in God’s Word. This we have of many prophets who prophesied to the two tribes, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and so on. We have the prophetic service of the prophets in the two tribes realm in written form in God’s Word because their service also relates to what is still future today. In the two tribes realm there is still a certain interest in God’s Word, and the prophets can refer to that Word in their exhortations. They speak for edification and exhortation and consolation, as still happens today in the church (1Cor 14:3). This is only possible if there are hearts to absorb the Word.

Nor do the prophets of the two tribes realm do signs and wonders: for they are for the unbelievers. Therefore Elijah and Elisha do miracles, for they have a message for an unbelieving people.

The word Elijah and Elisha speak as prophets does not refer to the near or distant future, as is the case with the writing prophets. Their word is addressed to the heart and conscience of the people in the present circumstances, here and now. It is a word supported by wonder signs.

Elijah’s signs are extremely powerful. They are connected to heaven. He has closed heaven once, and opened heaven four times. He closes and opens heaven in relation to rain (Jam 5:17-18). He also opens heaven to let fire descend from it, once over the offering (1Kgs 18:36-38) and twice over his enemies (2Kgs 1:8-14). As has already been said, he raised up a dead person (1Kgs 17:21-22).

He alone has as a prophet a direct successor in Elisha (2Kgs 2:1 ; 11-14) and he has a successor in his spirit in John the baptist (Lk 1:17). The Old Testament closes with his name (Mal 4:5-6). He is present, together with Moses, when the Lord Jesus appears on the mountain of glorification (Mt 17:3). Finally, we recognize him in one of the two witnesses in the end time (Rev 11:6).

Elijah is called “man of God” (1Kgs 17:18 ; 24). In the New Testament we meet the ”man of God” in letters addressed to a person (1Tim 6:11; 2Tim 3:17). It can be a man, it can also be a woman. The first letter to Timothy refers to the “later times” (1Tim 4:1). Its characteristics are “forbid marriage” and “abstaining from foods” (1Tim 4:3). Under the influence of deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, these characteristics have arisen. Medieval professing Christianity, as it began and continues in roman-catholicism, is its breeding ground.

In the second letter to Timothy, the decay has gone even further. There it is about the “last days” (2Tim 3:1). The characteristic of this is that in professing Christianity there are people who appear to be God-fearing, but who lie, for they deny the power thereof (2Tim 3:5).

Prophetically, these characteristics are described in the book of Revelation, in the letter to the church in Thyatira (Rev 2:18-29). This letter is part of seven letters in which church history is depicted through the centuries. In that letter reference is made to “the woman Jezebel”, so that the parallel with the time of Elijah is beyond doubt. In this way we can say that the history of Elijah teaches us lessons in connection with the history of the church in the dark Middle Ages, a history that remains relevant because it continues until the coming of the Lord Jesus.

During that time, testimonies of faith are appreciated in a special way, as we hear from the mouth of the Lord Jesus regarding a faithful remnant in Thyatira (Rev 2:19). In such times, where truths are so covered, each testimony about Him is of great significance to Him. For Him it is not about great knowledge of the truth, but to live faithfully according to what is known of the truth. We see this in Elijah, in Obadiah, and the one hundred prophets Obadiah has hidden, and the seven thousand who are only seen by God.

Yet not every believer in such times is a ‘man of God’. This can only be said of Elijah at that time, and it can only be said now of someone who openly defends God’s rights, while the mass of the professing Christianity does not take them into account and many who do so in secret without showing it openly. Not every believing Israelite is a man of God. Obadiah is not, nor are the seven thousand. It is the same today, that not every believer is a man of God.

People who dare to raise their voices in public are few. It is the people who, for example, hold, diametrically opposed to everything else, to the word-for-word, literal inspiration of the Scriptures against everything. This characterizes the man of God in the last days. In the “last days” (2Tim 3:1-5) we see an increase of the evil that characterizes the “later times” (1Tim 4:1-5).

“Last days” require complete dedication to the Word as a hallmark of a man of God (2Tim 3:16-17). Holding on to the inspiration of God’s Word is above all important in such dark times. Then it comes down to holding on to the word of the Lord Jesus’ perseverance (Rev 3:10-11), which is only possible if one lives in an intimate personal relationship with God. Such people get to hear that the Lord Jesus will write “the name of My God” on them (Rev 3:12).

The period when the Lord Jesus was on earth is also called “these last days” (Heb 1:2). This underlines the connection that exists between Elijah and John the baptist, the predecessor of the Lord Jesus. This connection is also evident from their actions. Thus, Elijah testifies in the palace of Ahab, and John in the palace of Herod. Both have experienced the hatred of the wives of these rulers. Both had a breakdown at the end of their service. Therefore it is also said that Elijah and John spiritually spoken are the same person (Lk 1:17a; Mt 11:13-14).

In addition, Elijah is a picture of the Lord Jesus, the Great One sent of God. Christ is the great Witness of God. He has raised up dead. He has blessings for poor Gentiles, just like Elijah, as we see later, when Elijah is in Sidon. He, like Elijah, has brought a sacrifice on a mountain, whereby He Himself is the sacrifice.

We see the picture of the Lord Jesus when Elijah stands on Mount Carmel, alone against the power of the enemy, only with his sacrifice. The sacrifice has shown God’s faithfulness to His people. The sacrifice is consumed by the fire of God’s judgment. By this the people are spared and blessings for the people come again. This performance of Elijah, the culmination of his service, is a striking picture of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, where He has born the judgment of the sins of those who are His people.

We also see that the Lord Jesus, just like Elijah, spent forty days in the desert. He also called His followers, as Elijah called Elisha. He went to heaven, which also happened to Elijah.

If I were allowed to have a favorite in the Old Testament, it would be Elijah. I have great admiration for this man. In himself he is no different from other people (Jam 5:17a). It is even so, that of him as the only Old Testament believer something negative is said in the New Testament. Of all the believers in the Old Testament who are mentioned in the New Testament, only what they have done in faith is mentioned. However, of Elijah also something is mentioned that is not good. Once he pleaded with God against His people. Paul refers to this to show that God will always have a remnant according to God’s gracious choice (Rom 11:2-5).

What makes him special is that he is a man of prayer and a man of God. He is the one who stands up for God’s rights and asserts them in an environment where they are denied and trampled underfoot. This character and these features make him the appropriate instrument for God to be His prophet. We may learn from him what God is capable of when we are intercessors who recognize him in the full right of his Word.

Elijah Appears Before Ahab

Suddenly he appears on stage, Elijah, the man from Tishbe. It is described without the usual “and the word of the LORD came to …”. We know nothing of his origin, his family, his education. Only the place of origin is given. He will not have appeared here headstrong, but by a command from God. It is clear that he lives in fellowship with God.

We know that, before he goes to Ahab, he prayed that God would intervene supernaturally in His people. He did not pray only once, but fervently and persistently, until he is convinced that God will give him what he prayed for. With this he reveals God’s holiness and righteousness. With this conviction he appears before Ahab.

He enters the palace of Ahab and courageously speaks his message there. His message is short. His first words are a testimony to God as “the LORD, the God of Israel”. The God of Israel is the LORD, Yahweh, and not Baal. The LORD is also the God who lives. This testimony is necessary in an environment where the living God is excluded. Elijah also says: “Before whom I stand.” This is a beautiful expression. We also hear something similar from the mouth of Abraham, Elisha and Gabriel (Gen 24:40; 2Kgs 3:14; Lk 1:19).

Elijah is aware that he is in the presence of God, that he is with God. Whoever is there can speak His word fearlessly to a mighty man like Ahab, for this great king shrivels in God’s presence to a tiny creature. There is no embarrassment or hesitation in Elijah’s actions or words. He is convinced of the One on behalf of Whom he stands before Ahab here and on behalf of Whom he speaks to Ahab.

Elijah then states that God will reveal Himself as the Living by withholding rain from the people. He does not say “thus says the LORD”, but he speaks with the authority of God Himself when he says that there will be no rain but only on his word, that is the word of Elijah. This is not moderation, but faith confidence. Nothing more and nothing less than that power, that conviction of standing in God’s will and passing on His words, is demanded in times of worst decay.

God works through this man for the benefit of His people. Is it therefore grace to make such an announcement of drought and thereby of famine? Yes. Elijah knows God’s Word and so he knows God’s thoughts. He has read in God’s Word that there will be drought if the people are unfaithful (Lev 26:18-19; Deu 11:16-17 ; Deu 28:23-24). In his prayer he asked God to live up to this word. He has acted both to withheld rain and to give it (Jam 5:17b-18).

He prayed for it because he is so concerned about the people and so upset about the dishonor done to God. God has made it clear to him to pray on the basis of this word, and he trusts God in His word. For him God is the living God Who only has authority over the rain (Jer 14:22) and not Baal to whom this authority is attributed by unbelief. He speaks this word so that the people may repent and return to God and His Word.

Elijah by the Brook Cherith

Elijah disappears from the stage as suddenly as he appeared on it. After the bringing of his message the word of the LORD comes to him. He must hide in a place where God will take care of him. It doesn’t seem that he hides from Ahab right away. It is conceivable that Ahab will not look for him until later, when the effect of his prayer becomes clear. Elijah obeys and goes to the place God has told him. In the retreat God forms His servant.

Public performance exposes the servant to the danger of self-elevation. With God in secret he has none but God. Here he learns to see himself in God’s presence and he learns Who God is to him. There is “a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecc 3:7b). For Elijah, now the time has come to be silent, until the next designation from God comes to speak again. It is a time of further preparation for his service in public which we see in the next chapter, when he stands before the whole people. Other servants have also known such a period. We see it with Moses, David, John the baptist, Paul and also with the Lord Jesus.

The LORD provides Elijah with bread and meat by means of unclean birds, ravens, and water from the brook. The prophet Obadiah, as we see in the next chapter, provides a hundred prophets of the LORD with bread and water (1Kgs 18:4). Ravens do not take care of their young, but God maintains them (Psa 147:9; Job 38:41). In His sovereignty, however, He uses the ravens for others (cf. Psa 50:11). Thus He always has means at His disposal to provide His own with what they need, even if those means act against their nature. The way in which God takes care of Elijah is also a disgrace to Israel. Apparently there is no one in Israel who wants to take care of the prophet.

The bread and meat that the ravens bring him speak of the Lord Jesus. He is “the bread of life” (Jn 6:35). The Lord Jesus also says of the “bread” the following: “And the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (Jn 6:51b). In John 6 He presents Himself as the food that is the means to deliver us from all that is under death. If we live out of Him, we become free from it. We can learn this from what Elijah is experiencing here.

Three times Elijah has experienced the special provisions of God’s care for his sustenance: here at the brook Cherith through the ravens, further on in this chapter with the widow through the flour and oil which do not run out and in 1 Kings 19 where the Angel of the LORD gives him a bread cake and water (1Kgs 19:5-8).