Day 121 · Part 8: Two Kingdoms
Fire on Mount Carmel
In the Story
In context
Elijah the Tishbite, from Gilead, tells King Ahab there will be no dew or rain “but according to my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Ahab had married Jezebel, the daughter of the king of the Sidonians, and served Baal (16:31). Ravens feed Elijah by the brook Cherith; then the Lord sends him to a widow in Zarephath, a town that belonged to Sidon (17:2–9). Jesus later recalled that Elijah was sent to her rather than to any widow in Israel (Luke 4:25–26).
The Lord sends Elijah back to Ahab “in the third year,” and Ahab calls him “you troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:1, 17); Jesus and James speak of the sky shut for “three years and six months” (Luke 4:25; James 5:17). On Mount Carmel, a ridge that runs down to the Mediterranean Sea, Elijah asks the people, “How long will you waver between the two sides?” (1 Kings 18:19–21). Baal’s prophets call from morning to evening with no answer; Elijah soaks his altar of twelve stones with water, prays, and the Lord’s fire falls (18:26–38). It is a hard reading near the end: Elijah kills the prophets of Baal at the brook Kishon (18:40). Then a cloud “like a man’s hand” brings the rain (18:44–45).
Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for three years and six months. He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
James 5:16–18 · James points to today’s story: Elijah, “a man with a nature like ours,” prayed for no rain and then prayed again, “and the sky gave rain.”
For families
A widow in Zarephath had only a handful of meal and a little oil for herself and her son, yet she baked for Elijah first, and her jars did not run out (1 Kings 17:12–16). When her son grew so sick that no breath was left in him, Elijah prayed for him, brought him down to her and said, “Behold, your son lives” (17:17–23).
The widow shared the last of her flour and oil with a guest. What would your family make for a guest who came to stay?
In the Bible
World English Bible, as published by eBible.org (public domain).
1 Kings 17
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1 Kings 18
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A hymn for today
’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus · words by Louisa M. R. Stead
- 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,Just to take Him at His word;Just to rest upon His promise;Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”RefrainJesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!O for grace to trust Him more!
- O how sweet to trust in Jesus,Just to trust His cleansing blood;Just in simple faith to plunge me'Neath the healing, cleansing flood!RefrainJesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!O for grace to trust Him more!
- Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,Just from sin and self to cease;Just from Jesus simply takingLife, and rest, and joy, and peace.RefrainJesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!O for grace to trust Him more!
- I'm so glad I learned to trust Thee,Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;And I know that Thou art with me,Wilt be with me to the end.RefrainJesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!O for grace to trust Him more!