1Ki 18:43-44 | KingComments | STEP | After the fire comes the rain. Ahab is the first to be told that rain is approaching. Nothing is said about him during the whole event on the Carmel. He has followed the whole spectacle. He has been silent all the time. Elijah did not speak to him, but now speaks to him. He instructs Ahab to go home to eat and drink; after all, that is the only thing he is interested in. He also does not need to be present at the effect of Elijah’s prayer for rain. When Ahab, the leader of God’s people, is on his way to his coveted meal, the man of God, the lover of God’s people, goes up the mountain to pray. Elijah has prayed that it will not rain unless at his word ( ). That time is now come. God has said that He will give rain again ( ). This is what Elijah believes, and he already hears the sound of it ( ). We could say that Elijah did not have to pray. But this is not how the man of God talks. He knows that God wants to be prayed to and that God wants to use the prayer of His servant to give rain and blessing. Although He has announced it, He gives it on the basis of prayer and in connection with the sacrifice. In fact, Elijah had to pray seven times. In public a short prayer was sufficient to bring down fire from heaven. In secret a sevenfold prayer is needed to let the rain come. It is not only about prayer, but about persistent and faithful prayer. There is spiritual exercise connected to this. Elijah also uses his servant. He gives him a nice task. The servant may look forward to the answering of the prayer. He may go and look to the west, over the sea, to see if there are any clouds coming. Every time he obeys and is exercised in the same way. God gladly fulfills His promises in answer to the prayers of His own. So rain and blessing comes again upon the people of God. We may pray for rain. Rain is the rain of heaven and represents the activity of the Spirit in the teaching of God’s Word ( ). In Egypt there is also water, but that is brought over the land by human effort ( ). We long for the rain of heaven, the doctrine from the heavenly source. We may have a place around the altar of twelve stones, but we may also receive the doctrine that drips like rain. We must also pray for this and look forward to the answer. Many want to eat and drink with Ahab, but only a few want to pray with Elijah. It starts with a cloud as small as a man’s hand, but what grows into a sky full of clouds with rain. Elijah commands Ahab to be fast, because otherwise the ground will be so marshy that he will not advance. While Ahab rushes away, Elijah is even faster and outruns Ahab. We can assume that he is enabled to do this by the power of the Spirit. It is a spiritual enthusiasm because of God’s work that he was allowed to do. With this action Elijah’s public service more or less ends. He still acts as a prophet, but the actual goal of his mission has been achieved. Through his service, the people have returned to God, at least in their confession.

‏ 1 Kings 18:43-44

The Rain Is Coming

After the fire comes the rain. Ahab is the first to be told that rain is approaching. Nothing is said about him during the whole event on the Carmel. He has followed the whole spectacle. He has been silent all the time. Elijah did not speak to him, but now speaks to him. He instructs Ahab to go home to eat and drink; after all, that is the only thing he is interested in. He also does not need to be present at the effect of Elijah’s prayer for rain.

When Ahab, the leader of God’s people, is on his way to his coveted meal, the man of God, the lover of God’s people, goes up the mountain to pray. Elijah has prayed that it will not rain unless at his word (1Kgs 17:1). That time is now come. God has said that He will give rain again (1Kgs 18:1). This is what Elijah believes, and he already hears the sound of it (1Kgs 18:41). We could say that Elijah did not have to pray. But this is not how the man of God talks. He knows that God wants to be prayed to and that God wants to use the prayer of His servant to give rain and blessing. Although He has announced it, He gives it on the basis of prayer and in connection with the sacrifice.

In fact, Elijah had to pray seven times. In public a short prayer was sufficient to bring down fire from heaven. In secret a sevenfold prayer is needed to let the rain come. It is not only about prayer, but about persistent and faithful prayer. There is spiritual exercise connected to this. Elijah also uses his servant. He gives him a nice task. The servant may look forward to the answering of the prayer. He may go and look to the west, over the sea, to see if there are any clouds coming. Every time he obeys and is exercised in the same way. God gladly fulfills His promises in answer to the prayers of His own. So rain and blessing comes again upon the people of God.

We may pray for rain. Rain is the rain of heaven and represents the activity of the Spirit in the teaching of God’s Word (Deu 32:2). In Egypt there is also water, but that is brought over the land by human effort (Deu 11:10). We long for the rain of heaven, the doctrine from the heavenly source. We may have a place around the altar of twelve stones, but we may also receive the doctrine that drips like rain. We must also pray for this and look forward to the answer. Many want to eat and drink with Ahab, but only a few want to pray with Elijah. It starts with a cloud as small as a man’s hand, but what grows into a sky full of clouds with rain.

Elijah commands Ahab to be fast, because otherwise the ground will be so marshy that he will not advance. While Ahab rushes away, Elijah is even faster and outruns Ahab. We can assume that he is enabled to do this by the power of the Spirit. It is a spiritual enthusiasm because of God’s work that he was allowed to do.

With this action Elijah’s public service more or less ends. He still acts as a prophet, but the actual goal of his mission has been achieved. Through his service, the people have returned to God, at least in their confession.