LORD 1 18 INTRODUCTION:

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1 The LORD is God, Follow Him 1 Kings 18 INTRODUCTION: Welcome, open your Bibles to 1 Kings 18, prayer Previously on Lost Picking up where we left off at the end of Chapter 17: o Setting: 9 th Century BC, northern Kingdom of Israel, capital of Samaria (MAP) o King is Ahab: 7th King of Israel after the kingdom divided 1 Kings 16:30 33: And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. o Baal: god of heavens (rain, thunder, lightening) and fertility; Baal worship had become the religion of the upper class and monarchy Nothing benign about Baal worship; it wasn t neutral or harmless; it was an evil imposter and threat to God s people and his sovereignty; sometimes resulted in the sacrifice of children and definitely resulted in the persecution of God s prophets and drew the people away from obedience to God. o Elijah: has been in hiding in Zarephath, a city on the Mediterranean cost to the north in Phoencia (modern day Lebanon). Ahab has been looking all over Israel and beyond to find him. Elijah is a wanted man...#1 on Israel s Most Wanted List, his face plastered in post offices throughout Israel. Why? 3 years of drought: o Elijah prayed for the drought at the beginning of Chapter 17: Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word. o Based on: Deut. 11:16 17: Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; 17 then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you. The story: o Before I begin, I want to state the obvious: this is one of the greatest narratives in the Bible and on my own I m not worthy to preach it. So, relying on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, I m going to humbly let the Word of God speak and not get in the way of his truth. I will tell the story as the Bible tells it, make a few comments along the way, and hopefully bring out some points to help us understand how this great story points to Christ and how we are to live in light of God s sovereignty, justice and grace. o This is one of those stories you wish they would make into a movie, but I don t think even J.J. Abrams could do it justice. So let s listen to his Word, his story and ask for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes, our minds and our hearts to understand and be changed by it. THEMES: 2 Kings: In this corner we have a futile, failed king Ahab (with Jezebel as his trainer) and his tag team partner Baal. And a the other corner we have the perfect King, the Lord God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the one and only Savior of the world, the Good Shepherd, and the prophet Elijah. At least Rocky had a fighting chance with Apollo. As we will see this won't be much of a match at all. 2 Prayers (of Elijah): one for God to accept the sacrifice and show his power and preeminence, and the second for Him to provide for his people one for justice and the other for grace and mercy. 2 Results...Justice & Mercy: God (being rich in mercy...) is going to step in via Elijah and confirm his covenant, rebuke idol worship, and display his kingly power, his justice, his sovereignty and his mercy. The Lord will show the people who is God and Elijah will prove himself to be God s true prophet and mediator.

2 Main Point: See and Know the Lord is God and Follow Him as Your Eternal King the true, perfect, and powerful Sovereign who loves and leads his people with mercy and justice forever. Do not follow and worship substitutes and idols that are fake and futile and will fail. OUTLINE: 1. Heed the Words of the King's True Prophet (18:1 16). 2. Recognize the King's Rivals and See Their Futility (18:17 29). 3. Behold the King's Power. (18:30 38) 4. Submit to the King s Authority. (18:39 40) 5. Look for and Live in the King's Reigning Grace. (18:41 46) 1. Heed the Words of the King's True Prophet (18:1 16). Listen to and follow the words of the Lord s authentic ambassadors, apostles, emissaries those genuine representatives of God that speak his Word on his behalf. 1 After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth. 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly, 4 and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals. 6 So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself. 7 And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, Is it you, my lord Elijah? 8 And he answered him, It is I. Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 9 And he said, How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, He is not here, he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. 11 And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 12 And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth. 13 Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD s prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, Go, tell your lord, Behold, Elijah is here ; and he will kill me. 15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah The Lord Sends Elijah Back to Ahab to End the Drought. (Background & Context) (1) Drought for 3 years, people are suffering, and the famine in the land was particularly severe in the capital, Samaria. People and animals are starving to death under the nose of Ahab who as king was responsible for caring for his people. But he wasn t. Ahab was far more interested in taking care of his own animals and feeding the prophets of idols than worshipping the one true God and caring for his sheep. As the drought went on for 3 years Ahab bowed down to idols and let his people starve. Elijah was determined to see the promises of God come to pass and for the people of Israel to repent. Elijah had a passionate concern to see righteousness reign among God s people and he so he prayed for drought even though he knew it would result in suffering. Elijah a wanted man in Israel. Ahab and Jezebel are irate at Elijah, and Jezebel is systematically exterminating prophets of God while Ahab is searching the land for the troublemaker Elijah. Jezebel s goal wasn t just to promote idol worship but to also do away with those that promoted worship of one true God. Her plan included killing off the Lord s prophets (18:4), and so Obadiah, aware of her strategy, had hidden 100 prophets of the Lord in caves and was supplying them with food and water surely a challenging task in light of the drought and Jezebel s persecution. God decreed an end to the drought (V. 1). God wasn t required to do this but in his sovereign grace, he chose to. In order for the rains to come, however, Elijah must go present himself to Ahab. But before this meeting takes place, we meet Obadiah, a faithful man of God who worked for King Ahab.

3 1.2. Enter Obediah ( Servant of Jehovah ), Laboring for the King. (2 6) Obediah had great responsibility in Ahab s court. He was over the household (v. 2) of the King. He essentially was in charge of Ahab s palace (like Alfred in Batman). Living between two worlds, serving well as a civil servant and also being a faithful follower of God. Obediah feared the Lord and took care of his prophets How do we know this? The text specifically says Obediah feared the LORD greatly and that at great risk to himself he was caring for 100 of God s prophets, keeping them hidden in caves and secretly bringing them bread and water. Aside: These prophets were likely not men endowed with the extraordinary gifts of the prophetic office, but who were devoted to the service of God, preaching, praying, praising, etc. Furthermore, this is not the same prophet Obediah who wrote the OT book. Ahab sends him on a wild goose chase to find grass for his animals. How frustrating and insulting that must have been. The drought is dragging on and his people are starving but Ahab is worried about his animals. What kind of king is this? He should be obeying the Lord God, tearing down the high places of idol worship, and caring for his people, but he is actually promoting idol worship and taking care of his animals lest they starve. How messed up can this guy get? Obadiah is looking for water and grass, a satirical jab at Baal, who is supposed to supply water to his worshipers. So Obadiah is more effective than Baal, because he is providing water and bread to the prophets of Yahweh. Obadiah saves prophets, but Ahab saves horses. (Davis, 229) 1.3. Along Comes Elijah. (7 16) Terminator : I ll be back. But Elijah is not wearing black leather and wrap around shades, speaking with an Austrian accent and driving a motorcycle. He s more likely wearing sandals and a smelly cloak, sporting a full beard and riding a donkey. However he was dressed, there was no doubt he was back on the scene. Elijah is the most wanted man in Israel and beyond, and he says to Obediah who was minding his own business, trying to obey they king and find grass for his animals and serve God at the same time: go tell the king I want to talk to him. Obadiah s situation is precarious. Elijah shows up and commands him to summon his master. Obediah sees the prophet s order as sure death. Ahab has made a thorough search for Elijah but has not found him. Yahweh s protection and provision (with the raven and widow, etc) has been quite effective. Obadiah fears Elijah will be whisked off again by the Lord, which will leave the Obediah to suffer the king s wrath. He has already put his life in jeopardy by feeding the persecuted prophets, and now he has to go tell the king Elijah is back and wants to see him? Elijah Comforts Concerned Obediah, telling him he will be there to meet Ahab today. APPLICATION: Obadiah and Elijah provide two examples of how to serve God. Not everyone will be called to formal public ministry like Elijah, in fact most of us will be called to serve as secular saints like Obadiah. One commentator says, Elijah s ministry is more public and confrontational; Obadiah works quietly in a behind the scenes fashion and yet is faithful in the sphere where God placed him. The Bible never tells us that there is only one kind of faithful servant (1 Cor 12:4 6); it never demands that you must be an Elijah clone (Davis 231). Obadiah shows us how one can use their influence and resources to serve God. He had access to provisions and made them available to the persecuted prophets. Those who work in professions that allow them to have good salaries and benefits (like paid vacations) should consider how to use such blessings to advance the kingdom. It may be tempting to think Obadiah was being deceitful, but nothing in the text says that he lied or did anything unethical. He knew about suffering believers, and he used what he had to provide for them. And we can and should do likewise, especially for those bearing a greater burden and risk for the sake of the gospel. Obadiah also teaches us to be courageous. He followed Elijah s instructions at great risk to his own life. The lesson: if you are ever in a position where you have to choose to obey God or man, you must always choose to obey God, even if it might cost you your job or your life (cf. Acts 5:29).

4 2. Recognize the King's Rivals and See Their Futility (18:17 29). Don t trust in Impostors and Idols that don t exist or can t satisfy your soul for eternity. They may provide momentary, temporal pleasure and comfort but they aren t God and can t save you Elijah Not Ahab Takes Control. (17 20) 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, Is it you, you troubler of Israel? 18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel s table. 20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah causes turmoil, but the one who brings the Lord s wrath is Ahab, not Elijah. Ahab accuses Elijah of being a troubler [ʿōkēr] (V. 17) but Elijah retorts by telling Ahab, I have not troubled Israel, you have, and your father s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals (V. 18). He points out Ahab s sins of omission and commission. 1. Sins of omission: abandoned the commandments of the Lord 2. Sins of commission: followed the Baals And remember that the people and king have been told and warned many times by God Himself in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and elsewhere to love the Lord their God only and to not worship idols. Ahab was the troublemaker because he (and Jezebel) flagrantly and repeatedly abandoned and ignored the clear commands of God. And we know from Lev. 11 the drought and suffering wasn t Elijah s fault, it was the king s and people s fault. Elijah was simply the messenger and instrument of God s judgment. Ahab, more than any other person in all of Israel was responsible for the suffering. And yet, Ahab is worried about his animals and worshipping a nature god that has had 3 years to bring rain and has failed. Ahab is the trouble maker and his god is a futile fraud. Elijah takes charge of the whole contest, and Ahab complies with Elijah s every instruction (19 20). After he calls Elijah a troubler in V. 20, Ahab disappears from the narrative until V. 41, and after V. 17 Ahab never speaks again in Chapter 18. Ahab, like we will see with Baal his god (V. 29), falls silent. Furthermore, the prophets of Baal also submissively, even comically, follow Elijah s orders. This scene is incredible incredibly true but it gets better! Elijah is going to settle the question of who is God. Elijah directs Ahab summon the people from all over Israel hundreds, if not thousands, congregated on Mount Carmel. The Carmel range of mountains, 1,742 feet in elevation at its highest point, extends about 30 miles to the southeast of modern day Haifa from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It s a beautiful series of rounded peaks and valleys from which the sea can easily be seen to the west and the normally fertile Jezreel valley to the north and east. (MAP) Geographically prominent location and thus a fit setting for Elijah s contest. Here on Mt. Carmel Baal has home court advantage. This site was selected not because it was a just a great place to watch a fight, but because it was a location of Baal worship and was regarded as the sacred dwelling of Baal. (PICTURE) No doubt Ahab was highly pleased with this suggested site for the contest because it would give Baal s prophets an advantage. Baal has home court advantage at Carmel and his prophets outnumber Elijah: 450 to 1, but Elijah wasn t worred Elijah Demands Decisiveness. (21) 21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. The purpose of what was about to transpire wasn t to put on a show. This is not WWF Smackdown (which isn t just entertainment, but fake) and it s not the UFC Championship. This wasn t going to be a contest at all, but rather an occasion where the Lord God would show who is the true Ultimate, who is the true King, and who is the true God.

5 Elijah rightly demanded the people choose stop limping/wavering (pāsaḥ) between the Lord God and Baal. Stop riding the fence of selfish pragmatism. Why? that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God (37a). Elijah throws down the gauntlet like Moses did, who passionately addressed the golden calf worshiping Israelites, Who is on the LORD s side? Come to me (Ex 32:26); and Joshua who said, Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord choose this day whom you will serve (Josh 24:15). APPLICATION: Don t sit on the fence choose this day whom you will serve. Elijah is saying to them (and us): Get off the fence! Follow the true god! If God is God he must be Lord of your life. He demands your life every bit of it. The multitude gathered on Mt Carmel reflects the postmodern times in which we live. Uncertainty is held up as a virtue. We are told that we cannot know the truth or that we each get to have our own truth. Truth is unknowable or uncertain or relative. Hogwash! We can know the truth because the one true God has revealed it to us in his creation and in his Word just as he revealed Himself and the truth to the Israelites. The question isn t whether there is truth, or whether we can know it enough to believe it. There is and we can! The question is, will we believe and submit? The Psalmist says, The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliver, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge (18:2a). Jesus said, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). That does not sound like uncertainty. There is only one rock, only one God, only one Truth, and only one Way. Elijah challenged his generation to believe this wholeheartedly, with their whole being and not ride the fence of double mindedness. They acknowledged Yahweh, but followed Baal for pragmatic reasons because they believed he worked better and would met their needs better than God. Ultimately that is a very self centered theology and God commands us to have a God centered theology. If God is God, and Jesus is the Savior King, then we must submit to Him and surrender every area of our lives to his Lordship. The majority of Israelites were apparently henotheists they worshipped one god without denying the other. They probably didn t deny that God (Yahweh) existed, but with their altars and worship of Baal they were in essence saying: God isn t good enough, he s not enough for us, we need other gods to give us the goodies and take care of us. They were saying God isn t enough for me, I need more so I ll turn to idols to satisfy the desires of my flesh. This is why God s anger burned against them and especially those (Ahab, Jezebel and the prophets) who promoted such lies and led the people astray. Elijah believed in and worshipped one God exclusively. He stood in opposition to the polytheism and henotheism of the day as we should too. There is one God and one salvation. Theology is not a matter of opinion or preference or tolerance, it is a matter of revealed truth. All religions are not equally true. We should heed the warning and words of Elijah and give our entire lives to our Lord and proclaim the one and only truth by which people may be saved Elijah Gives the Ground Rules. (22 25) 22 Then Elijah said to the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God. And all the people answered, It is well spoken. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it. Baal was supposedly a fertility god, the one who sent rain, caused the crops to grow, and provided food for his people. He was the one who supposedly sent fire (lightning) from heaven. The 3½ year drought and famine had been a great embarrassment to the worshipers of Baal, and now his power is going to be put to a final test. APPLICATION: Share Elijah s confidence in God. We should imitate his public boldness when given the opportunity to make a stand for Christ. How often do we fail our Lord by keeping our mouths shut (being introverted is no excuse!) and do nothing when we see people led astray or believe in something that isn t true?

6 2.4. Baal Fails. (26 29) 26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, O Baal, answer us! But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened. 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. After 3 hours of chanting and calling out to Baal, Elijah begins to mock them, playing on their theology of Baal. Sarcastically he suggests that Baal was thinking about other things, or busy (lit., relieving himself), away on a trip (some believed Baal traveled on the Mediterranean Sea and elsewhere), or even sleeping! His point: in comparison to Yahweh who is all knowing and all present and all powerful, Baal is pathetic and powerless. Where is your god now? The prophets of Baal were men of conviction. They genuinely believed in the power and reality of Baal. They spent the whole day calling out to this non existent god, even to the point of cutting themselves and shedding their own blood. To propitiate their god they mutilated their own bodies! But there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention (V. 29). You can believe sincerely in something but that won t make it true. These prophets are passionate and dedicated and even shed their own blood for nothing! After 3 years and hours of fervent chanting and cutting, Baal can do NOTHING! This gives us a model for the futility of ALL man made religion and idols. Every religion and worldview except but Christianity is based on our work and sacrifice, but Christianity is based on the work of another, and his perfect sacrifice. The gospel is unique and salvation is in Christ alone. There is NOTHING we can do to force God to save us and be gracious to us. He is gracious to us in spite of our unworthiness because of the worthiness and sacrifice of his Son. It is not efforts or even our shed blood that saves us, but it is through the shed blood of the true King, and true Son of God that we can be reconciled to God and live in his grace and glory forever. 3. Behold the King's Power (18:30 38). See his Judgment and Wrath Poured Out on One Acceptable Sacrifice. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me. And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be your name, 32 and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it a second time. And they did it a second time. And he said, Do it a third time. And they did it a third time. 35 And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. 36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back. 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench Elijah Prepares and Prays. (30 37) 1. The altar: represents the nation of Israel (all of it). With its twelve stones (V. 31) this rebuilt altar shows us that though the tribes had been divided into two nations they were still one people in God s purpurposes with one Lord and under one covenant. 2. The soaking: show everyone present that the burning of the sacrifice that was to take place was not a natural phenomenon or a trick but would be a true miracle, the result of supernatural power. 3. The miracle: Remember from last week that God often uses miracles, especially in dark times, to confirm the words of his true prophets, and to get people s attention so they will listen to the prophet. And

7 that s what is about to happen. After this they re not only going to realize who God is, they are going to obey his prophet. 4. The (1 st ) prayer: The prophets of Baal prayed for hours and Elijah gets it done in 30 seconds. Why? Because Elijah prayed to the true God, based on his Word and his power. God answered instantly, in contrast to Baal who never answered after hours and probably years of prayer. Principle: Belief should result in submission and faith should result in obedience (James 2:14 26). We see here a pattern: unbelief and apostasy among the people and false prophets and unfaithful kings leading the people astray God through a mediator demonstrates his power and righteousness an acceptable sacrifice is offered that mediator the people believe and repent by faith the people obey God shows his grace in all this God alone gets the glory Where else do we see this? This time it s on a mountain top at Carmel in northern Israel, later it s at the top of Calvary s hill outside of Jerusalem. This time it s with a bull and twelve stones and a broken alter drenched with water and a brave country prophet. Later it s with Jesus, broken and bruised and bleeding, Jesus is both the sacrifice and the mediator. This time it is with unworthy and sinful Israel. Later it is for the bride of Christ, the church, us: unworthy and sinful yet made worthy and righteous through the cross. Execution of the prophets: May bother some people. Was Elijah was being vengeful and petulant? Elijah you won, why rub their faces in it? They are probably embarrassed and probably fearful. Why not let them be? But Elijah knows the word of God, specifically Deut 13, and that according to the law the false prophets had to face judgment. In Deut 13:1 11, Moses tells Israel that false prophets (those who lead the nation away from the covenant God into idolatry) must be punished by death. Pied Pipers will face justice: Story about Pied Piper leading children Hamelin away after he didn t get paid, the children never to return. Some say there might be some truth to that story that s been told and written about many times, and I m not sure if they children ever came home I don t think so. In any case, we have the principle that those who lead people astray into idolatry and heresy will be held more 3.2. God Proves His Power and Accepts the Sacrifice. (38) Fire falls without delay: It consumes the altar and the sacrifice. Elijah has taken the first step in showing the people who is God. Fire was a symbol of the divine presence, of God s purifying and sanctifying power. The fire that comes from heaven symbolizes the judgment that falls on the nation, a judgment that consumes water, as the drought has done (Jordan 1988a, ). Parallels to Sinai: This covenant renewal event runs parallel to the covenant making of Exod Like Moses at Sinai, Elijah sets up an altar of twelve stones (1 Kgs. 18:30 32; Exod. 24:4). In both events, sacrifices are offered and a covenant meal is celebrated (1 Kgs. 18:41; Exod. 24:9 11). And in both events, Yahweh manifests his glory in fire and Israel confesses Yahweh as Lord and king (1 Kgs. 18:39; Exod. 24:7). God is a reconciling God. Because the sacrifice is acceptable, grace is available. But we have a better sacrifice and better grace available to us...in Jesus! Leithart: Carmel anticipates another mountain, a mountain outside Jerusalem, where the fire of God s judgment falls on a substitute Israel, when Jesus, the altar of God, is crucified to save his people. At Carmel, in the third year, Yahweh sends rain that renews the land; and in Jerusalem, on the third day, he raises Jesus from the dead to renew the world. At Carmel, the judgment of God is followed by rain; and at Jerusalem, the one who baptized by fire on the cross ascends to baptize his disciples with the Holy Spirit, pouring out the Spirit like showers from heaven. He does all this to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, to shame the gods of the nations, to show the nations that he is the Lord and that there is no other. 4. Submit to the King s Authority. (18:39 40) Obey His Commands. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God. 40 And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

8 accountable than the followers. Make no mistake these prophets are not innocent. They are guilty of high treason and their punishment has been prescribed. What about now? Should we kill off false prophets? No, but the underlying principle is the same: those that promote that which is contrary to Truth, and to the one and only Gospel will be held accountable. This isn t a minor matter. Speaking about this kind of thing, listen to what Paul says in Gal. 1:6 9: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. Why was Paul so fired up? It was a matter of truth and life and death. Baal and any idol worship, in lieu of and as a substitute for the one true God, will result in death and everlasting separation from God. And believing in and trusting in any other gospel for your salvation and reconciliation to God is futile and will fail you. The judgment for these pied pipers is harsh because the stakes are so high: God s holiness and righteousness and our salvation. The people have seen God put his power on display and they have confessed him as Lord. These prophets must not be allowed to again lead the people astray. APPLICATION: How can we obey King Jesus? Believer: Follow God wholeheartedly. By the power of the Holy Spirit destroy the idols of your heart and mortify the sin that rules in dark corners of your heart. We all too often trust in and let idols dominate our heart for comfort or physical pleasure or other felt needs. We need to recognize those idols and once we do we need to smash them at least in terms as the objects of worship and trust. We must tolerate those fakes and frauds that lead us astray and deceive us into a false sense of security. Puritan John Owen: When we realize a constant enemy of the soul abides within us, what diligence and watchfulness we should have! How woeful is the sloth and negligence then of so many who live blind and asleep to this reality of sin. There is an exceeding efficacy and power in the indwelling sin of believers, for it constantly inclines itself towards evil. We need to be awake, then, if our hearts would know the ways of God. Our enemy is not only upon us, as it was with Samson, but it is also in us. Unbeliever: Believe, Repent, Confess and Follow God wholeheartedly. Repentance is a gift of God, and if God gives a gift of repentance it is because he has already decided to show mercy to his people (Leithart). God has shown mercy to his people through the sacrifice of his son. Jesus suffered the death you should have and his sacrifice was acceptable. What is your response? Confess the He is Lord and follow him in faithfulness. 5. Look for and Live in the King's Reigning Grace. (18:41 46) 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain. 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again, seven times. 44 And at the seventh time he said, Behold, a little cloud like a man s hand is rising from the sea. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. 46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. Elijah prays again this time for grace and mercy according to the promise of God. Let it rain: Rains normally came from the west off the Mediterranean Sea, so Elijah instructed his servant to look in that direction. God answered Elijah s petition as he persevered in prayer. At first the rain cloud was small (like a man s hand), but soon the whole sky grew black and heavy rain descended. The torrent evidently overtook Ahab as he rode in his chariot to Jezreel, his winter capital about midway between Mount Carmel and Samaria. Elijah overtook him, running approx miles (depending where exactly he started) with divinely given energy. (MAP) Friday afternoon: dark clouds, wind and heavy rain. Maybe you had to drive in it or you just watched it from your window. I doubt you ran 20 miles in it, downhill, cross country, barefoot or in sandals with your cloak tucked in

9 The rain is a metaphor for God s blessing: an example of the multitude of blessings we receive every day, and a foretaste of the grace we will enjoy in his presence for ever. How easily can we abandon the God who loves us and saved us. How quickly, like the church at Ephesus, can we abandon our first love (Rev. 2:4), and how prone we are to miss the blessings we have and take them for granted. Let us not take any good thing, all of which are from God s hand, for granted, but rather thank him and bless his name for being gracious to us. And let us see them as a foretaste of a new creation, a new heavens and a new earth and our resurrection to come, and for the great. APPLICATION: Run in the grace of God, toward the glory of God. This can be very hard to do. It s hard when you or your spouse is out of a job, or when you or someone you love is sick or hurt, or right after you ve been in a car wreck. Or when someone or has hurt you. It may even feel impossible when you find yourself having to live through what seems to be too much sin and suffering, too much death and disappointment. But take heart my friends and stay thirsty for the grace of God. This life can be hard but He will not forsake us or leave us. James Taylor s Fire and Rain: Won't you look down on me, Jesus. You've got to help me make a stand. You've just got to see me through another day. My body's aching and my time is at hand. And I won't make it any other way. Solomon s Prayer in 1 Kings 8: 57 The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. Isa. 40:28 31: 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. We have a King who suffered for us. He is with us in our suffering and He has suffered for us and for his glory. Our Lord Jesus knows suffering well and his sacrifice was sufficient. And because of that we can know God and be encouraged and we can look forward to that day when He will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Rev. 21:4). Elijah prayed for rain and enjoyed the simple grace of feeling it fall on his face as he sprinted those many miles to Jezreel. How good that must have felt! Yes he still had work to do. Yes Jezebel still wanted to kill him now more than ever. Yes he would get depressed and discouraged. But right then and right there, how good God s grace must have felt as he ran. And we can experience that too, everyday. We can experience and be grateful to God for simple, everyday grace. But more than that, and more than that for Elijah, we can look forward to that day when will join our Savior and enjoy his glorious presence. One day, on that day, we will stand before Jesus and see his glory. I can t wait for that day. And in the meantime, I want to feel and know the grace of God and be certain of his presence in my heart as I run the race. The Lord is God let s follow Him. Let s follow Him up the hill to Calvary. And from there let s follow him into eternity. CONCLUSION: 1. Heed the Words of the King's True Prophet listen to his faithful and truthful ambassadors. 2. Recognize the King's Rivals and See Their Futility don t trust in idols for what only God can provide. 3. Behold the King's Power, his justice, his righteousness poured out on the one acceptable sacrifice, Jesus who suffered in our place 4. Submit to the King s Authority follow him in faithful obedience 5. Look for and Live in the King's Reigning Grace recognize it now and anticipate eternity