1 Kings 20:1

1 Kings 20:1 says, And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.  Benhadad, king of Syria, and thirty-two other kings united and with horses and chariots besieged Samaria.  This was a large force with a lot of armament, and sometimes today Christians are confronted with large and powerful forces united against them.  Verse two adds, And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,  Benhadad sent a message to Ahab while he had him surrounded.  Benhadad was in the position of power from earthly terms, and Ahab did not have God's protection since he had started worshipping other gods.  We cannot be Christians in name only and still expect God to protect us from evil forces in the world.  Verse three continues, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.  Benhadad told Ahab that he was taking all of Ahab's silver, gold, wives, and children, or everything he had of value in other words.  Satan today is attempting to take everything of value that we have, starting with our immortal soul.  Of course, everything we have in this lifetime will one day be gone, so we should never value any earthly thing above our relationship with God.  Verse four states, And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.  Ahab consented to Benhadad's taking everything and called him his lord.  We as followers of Christ should never consent to allowing anyone to take away the things of God in our life and we certainly should never acknowledge anyone else as our Lord.  Verse five adds, And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;  Benhadad sent a second message to Ahab saying that he knew that Ahab had agreed to give him all that he asked.  Satan is never going to be satisfied with everything we have unless he claims our soul as well.  Verse six continues, Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.  Benhadad said he was going to send servants tomorrow to search the houses of the people in Samaria and take everything that they saw and wanted.  As just stated, if we begin to give in to the power of Satan, one day he will take all that we have, or we will lose it when Jesus Christ returns.  Verse seven declares, Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.  Ahab called the elders of the land and told them that he had done everything Benhadad had commanded, and he still wanted more.  If we begin to give in to the power of Satan, he will never be satisfied until he has it all.  Verse eight adds, And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.  The elders told Ahab not to listen to Benhadad and not to give him everything he demanded.  We need someone today to tell us to take a stand against Satan and his forces of evil and not to just give in.  Hopefully, as Christians we will tell others the same thing.  Verse nine continues, Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.  Ahab told the messenger to go back and tell him that he would agree to what Benhadad had originally requested, but he wasn't going to comply with the new request.  We need to be willing to stand up to evil in this world before we give in and lose everything.  Verse ten says, And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.  Benhadad swore by his gods that he was going to totally destroy Samaria and if he didn't that the gods should destroy him.  Of course, since they weren't real gods, the oath was really useless.  Verse eleven adds, And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.  Ahab told Benhadad that he shouldn't boast until what he said had been accomplished.  Satan and his forces may boast about how powerful they are, but one day they will find out how wrong they were. 

1 Kings 19:9

1 Kings 19:9 says, And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?  While Elijah was hiding in a cave from fear of Jezebel, God's word came to him again asking him what he was doing there.  We have no record of Elijah asking God what to do about Jezebel's threats, nor do we have any record of God just telling him to go hide.  Sometimes, God may have to ask us what we as followers of Christ are doing, especially if we are hiding in fear of the world.  Verse ten adds, And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.  Elijah began by bragging on himself a little bit.  He said he had been jealous of or faithful to God while everyone but him had deserted God and torn down His altars and killed God's prophets.  I believe he was speaking out of self-pity.  We should never reach the point where we believe we are the only one following God's will, especially if we are hiding out in fear without looking to Him for direction.  Verse eleven continues, And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:  Elijah was told to go and stand on the mountain, and when he did God passed by and a strong wind and an earthquake occurred, tearing the mountain to pieces, but we are told that God was not in the wind or the earthquake.  These were some mighty displays of power, and even though he was there when they occurred, Elijah was not hurt.  We may be looking for mighty displays of power today to prove God is at work in the world, but just because we see them doesn't mean that God is always at work through them.  Verse twelve concludes, And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.  After the earthquake, there was a fire, but God was not in the fire either.  I will state again, God may not always be in great displays of power in the world, though we often attempt to attribute all natural disasters to His judgment.  After the wind was a still, small voice, and this is how God will often speak to us, or at least that is the way He usually speaks to me.  Verse thirteen states, And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?  After all this, Elijah returned to the cave, and God's voice came to him again asking him why he was there.  He had just witnessed mighty displays of God's power, even though he did not find God in them, and he was once again hiding from Jezebel in a cave.  We as Christian often acknowledge the great power of God but still hide away in fear of the world.  Verse fourteen adds, And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.  Elijah repeated what he had said the first time, still not putting his faith in God.  Hopefully, if we are hiding from the world in fear and God asks us what we are doing and we see the proof of His power, we will not return to hiding in fear once more.  Verse fifteen declares, And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:  God told Elijah to return to the wilderness of Damascus and when he got there to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.  We might wonder why God was not working through His chosen people but must remember they had deserted Him.   We need to pray that God doesn't have to work through non-believers today to get His people, those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, to follow Him.  Verse sixteen adds, And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.  Elijah was then told to also anoint Jehu as the king of Israel and Elisha as the prophet in his room or to be Elijah's successor as prophet.  God was not only going to work through Syria, but He was also going to work through Israel, His chosen people, to bring them to repentance.  As Christians, we need to be the one's that God works through today.  Verse seventeen continues, And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.  God said that He was going to work through all three, a king who was not a part of God's chosen people, a king who was, and God's prophet to punish His sinful people.  I believe that God still has that power today, and all we as Christians need to do is put our faith in Him no matter who is in power in the world.  Verse eighteen concludes, Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.  God told Elijah that he was not alone in serving and worshipping God, and neither are we today.  The remnant was small, but it was there.  Verse nineteen says, So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.  Elijah first found Elisha plowing a field and put his mantel on him.  Verse twenty adds, And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?  Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah.  We may have to leave what we have been doing and even the place where we are doing it in order to obey God's calling.  Then, Elisha asked Elijah for permission to go and kiss his parents before he followed Elijah.  When God calls us to do something for Him, we should never allow anything to keep us from following His will, even our parents. God must come above everything else.  Elijah told Elisha to go back again and asked what he had to do with Elisha.  Of course, we know that God had told Elijah to anoint Elisha as his replacement, so he did have something to do with Elisha.  Verse twenty-one continues, And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.  Elisha returned, killed his oxen, and used them to feed the people.  When God calls us, we need to leave everything behind and begin to feed people with the gospel of Christ.  We should not attempt to hang on to the things that we had before but should give everything to God to be used for His purpose.   

1 Kings 19:1

1 Kings 19:1 says, And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.  Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including his killing all the prophets of Baal.  If we had been following a false god, and someone told us about a man of the true God killing all the prophets of the false god, how would we react?  I would think that we might react by accepting the true God, but Jezebel didn't.  Verse two adds, Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.  Jezebel said let the gods kill her if she didn't take Elijah's life by about this time the next day.  She ignored the fact that four-hundred and fifty prophets of those gods had failed to defeat Elijah.  Some people are always going to see themselves as more power than God in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.  Mathew Henry said he wasn't sure why she didn't kill him then or why she warned him unless it was out of s feeling of self-pride or self-importance, but she didn't immediately try to kill him.  There are still too many people today who believe themselves to be more powerful than God.  Verse three adds, And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.  When Elijah heard this, he fled for his life.  He seemed to still not truly trust God to keep him safe, since we are not told that God told him to flee.  He went to Beersheba in Judah and left his servant there.  I am not sure when he acquired a servant, but our status in the world often changes.  We should never run away in fear if we are called on to stand for God.  Verse four states, But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.  Elijah didn't stay in Beersheba but went a day's journey into the wilderness where he sat down under a juniper tree in self-pity.  He told God to just let him die since he was no better than his fathers, or ancestors.  Elijah was running from the death threat of Jezebel to a death request by God's hand.  We as Christians should never run from death threats in the world by asking God to kill us himself, but we should always run to life in Jesus Christ.  We should never allow fear and despair to overcome our faith in God to keep us safe as we do His will in our life.  Verse five adds, And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.  While Elijah was sleeping under the juniper tree, having given up, I believe, an angel came and touched him and told him to get up and eat.  As followers of Christ, if we are ready to give up in despair, I believe the Holy Spirit, Who is much greater than an angel, will touch us and tell us to get up and eat, or go on with our life.  Verse six continues, And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.  When Elijah looked, there was a cake baking in the coals and a cruse of water at his head.  These had been provided by God, and should have revived Elijah's faith, but he ate and lay down again.  If God provides for our needs in times of despair, this should make us want to get up and get busy doing what He has called us to do instead of just staying spiritually asleep.  Verse seven says, And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.   While Elijah was sleeping again, the angel came too him a second time and told him to get up and eat but added that the journey was great for Elijah.  God does not expect His people to be asleep in self-pity, and again, I don't believe the Holy Spirit will just leave us alone if we are.  We will always be called to action for God, and if we are faithful, God will provide for our needs as we do what He has called us to do.  Verse eight adds, And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.  Elijah did as the angel told him to do and ate, and the food sustained him on a forty-day journey to Horeb the mountain of God.  God will always sustain us if we are obeying His call, and we don't have to go to a particular place to meet Him.  As Christians, the Holy Spirit is always with us to equip and empower us. 

1 Kings 18:40

1 Kings 18:40 says, And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.  Elijah told them to take the prophets of Baal and not let any escape and they brought them down to the brook of Keshon and he killed them there.  Not only had Baal, their god, failed to bring rain, but he failed to save them as well.  Even if people are successful in life today following other gods, these gods will never be able to save them, and one day they will be sent away into everlasting destruction, no matter how long their life here on earth may be.  Verse forty-one adds, And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.  Elijah then told Ahab to get up and eat, because he heard the sound of an abundance of rain.  We are not told that anyone else heard this, but Elijah did so by faith.  Even if others do not see or hear evidence of God's promises to us being fulfilled, by faith we should.  Verse forty-two continues, So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,  Ahab listened to Elijah and went to eat and drink, but Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel and humbled himself before God.  He did not stand up in pride for having defeated all the prophets of Baal who were against him.  When we have a greet spiritual victory in life, we should never become filled with pride but should always humble ourselves before God.  If we are awaiting the fulfillment of God's promises, we should still wait in humbleness.  Verse forty-three states, And 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.  Elijah told his servant to go and look toward the sea for the rain clouds, and he came back and told Elijah there was nothing to see.  Seven times Elijah told his servant to go and look.  We might have given up after four or five times with no evidence of God fulfilling His promise, but we never should give up until it is fulfilled or until we die.  Either way, we must continue to act out of faith even if we never see the result.  Verse forty-four adds, And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.  The seventh time, the servant came back and told Elijah he saw a cloud about the size of a man's hand.  This still wasn't much visible sign of the coming of the rain, but Elijah told his servant to go and tell Ahab to get in his chariot and go home while he could because a great rain was coming.  Matthew Herny says that Ahab rode in his chariot while Elijah walked instead of Ahab showing honor to Elijah by allowing him to ride.  Of course, Elijah was not doing this for his honor but for God's honor.  Those that we witness to may never show their appreciation to us, but that is okay, because we do not witness for our honor, but for God's honor.  Verse forty-five continues, And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.  While Ahab was still on his way, the skies darkened, the wind blew, and there was a great rain.  God's promise to withhold the rain had come pass, and now His promise to restore the rain was being fulfilled, both as had been prophesied by Elijah.  Some people still might have written this off to coincidence, but both happened just as Elijah prophesied that they would.  People today will still attempt to credit the work of God to anything but God.  Verse forty-six concludes, And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.  We are told that God's hand was on Elijah, and he ran before Ahab, who was in a chariot, all the way to entrance to Jezreel.  We can be certain that as followers of Christ that God's hand will always be on us, and we can do whatever He calls us to do if we remain faithful to Him.

1 Kings 18:31

1 Kings 18:31 says, And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:  Elijah took twelve stones to represent all the tribes of Israel and not just the number of those in the divided kingdom.  We are all a part of the kingdom of God as followers of Christ and should never view ourselves as a divided kingdom.  Even if we are from different countries, we are all an equal part of God's kingdom as Christians, and the same applies to different denominations.  Verse thirty-two adds, 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 measures of seed.  Elijah then built an altar to God with the stones and dug a deep trench around it.  Since the stones represented the tribes of Israel, they were now united in becoming a part of the altar of God to be used to make sacrifices and bring honor to Him.  We as Christians are to be used to bring sacrifices and honor to God.  Verse thirty-three continues, And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.  After Elijah killed the bullock and cut it in pieces for the sacrifice, he told the people there to fill four barrels of water and throw it on the sacrifice.  This hadn't been done to the sacrifice to Baal, and his prophets still had not been able to get him to send fire and consume the sacrifice.  We can always expect God to do even more than any false God can ever hope to.  Verse thirty-four states, And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.  Elijah then told them to do this a second and a third time and they did.  I have to believe that Elijah was doing this under the direction of God and not to just show off.  We need to make certain that we never just start showing of as Christians and presuming on the power of God, but we must always do what He calls us to do for His honor and glory and not for our own.  Verse thirty-five adds, And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.  The water was running about the sacrifice, but Elijah filled the trench as well.  It was thoroughly soaked and therefore would be even harder to be burned.  God will always be able to do whatever He needs to do to prove His power if we are only willing to look to Him by faith.  Verse thirty-six continues, And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.  At the time of the evening sacrifices, Elijah asked God to show that He was the God of Israel and that Elijah had done these things by God's word or command.  Whatever we do as Christians if we are going to be successful spiritually, we must do by God's command and for His glory and not our own.  Verse thirty-seven concludes, Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Elijah again asked God to hear him and show the people of Israel that He alone was God and was calling them back to Himself.  We have no indication that Elijah went through any elaborate rituals or theatrics, but He simply called on God.  We need to always keep the focus on God when we gather together to worship Him.  Verse thirty-eight declares, Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.  God sent fire that consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones of the altar, the dust, and licked up the water as well.  God heard Elijah and answered him in a mighty way, and He will always hear His people today when they call on Him.  I believe that He will also answer in the best way possible.  Verse thirty-nine adds. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.  When the people saw what had happened, the fell down with their faces to the ground and proclaimed that the Lord was God, and they repeated the statement.  God did something even greater when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, and we as Christians should always come to Him in an attitude of humbleness.

1 King 18:25

1 Kings 18:25 says, And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.  Elijah told the prophets of Baal that they could go first since there were many of them who represented Baal and Elijah alone represented God.  He told them to kill and dress one bullock and put it on the altar, but to not build a fire under it.  They were then, all four-hundred and fifty of them to call on their god to provide the fire.  Elijah was given them more than an equal opportunity to prove that their god was real since all of them were included and not just one.  We should always be fair in our treatment of other people, but no matter how many stand against God and us, our God will always be more powerful and He is the One Who empowers us.  Verse twenty-six adds, And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.  The prophets of Baal did as Elijah asked and killed the bullock and then called on Baal to hear them from morning until noon, but there was no voice to answer them, so the leapt upon the altar.  False gods will always be powerless to answer anyone when they are trying to prove themselves more powerful than God, because they only exist in the minds of those who follow them.  We as Christians serve the only God that is real.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.  Elijah who stood alone against the four-hundred and fifty prophets of Baal began to mock them.  He said maybe Baal was busy talking, pursuing someone, away on a journey, or asleep and needed to be awakened.  We don't really need to mock those who believe in other gods, but we can also be certain that our God will never at any time be unavailable if we call on Him, and there's always will be unavailable.  Verse twenty-eight states, And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.  The prophets of Baal began to cry louder and even began to cut themselves as was their manner and blood gushed out of them.  We are not call on to shed our blood for God, but His Son Jesus Christ shed His blood for us instead.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.  They spent the rest of the day calling on Baal, but there was never an answer.  Sadly, people today will spend their whole life calling on false gods and even attempting to discredit or disprove the existence of God, and they will never get an answer to their cries.  Verse thirty continues, And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.  Elijah then called on the people to come close to him, and when they did, he repaired the altar of God that had been broken down.  We should always call on people to come to us to hear the gospel, and then we should share it with them.  At times, people may attempt to destroy places dedicated to the worship of God, and if they do, we need to boldly do all that we can to rebuild them. 

1 Kings 18:17

1 Kings 18:17 say, And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?  Ahab saw Elijah and asked him if he was the one that troubled Israel.  The answer was really no, but that Ahab himself and the people worshipping false gods were the cause of the troubles that Israel was having.  People always have liked to blame Christians for the problems in the world and probably always will instead of looking at themselves and their sins as the source of the problems.  Verse nineteen adds, And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.  Elijah told Ahab as was just discussed that he and his father's house were the problem because of their forsaking God's commandments and worshipping Baal.  This could have been a dangerous thing to say, but Elijah was faithful in declaring God's word, as we must be as followers of Christ today.  Verse nineteen continues, Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.  Elijah told Ahab to gather all the people of Israel at Mount Carmel, and to bring the four-hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of the groves who sat at Jezebel's table.  They had certainly created enough false prophets while attempting to kill all the prophets of God at the same time.  We as Christians may be seriously outnumbered, but we will never be outpowered.  Elijah was not afraid of Ahab or all his false prophets because he was where God had sent him.  If we are where God wants us to be, we should never be afraid no matter how much we might be outnumbered.  Verse twenty states, So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.  Ahab did as Elijah asked.  I believe he did this because he didn't think Elijah was any threat to the false prophets or to himself.  He had faith in the wrong things, as do many people today.  Verse twenty-one adds, And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.  Elijah asked the people how long they were going to be torn between two opinions about who God was.  He said if God was God, follow Him and if Baal was god, follow him.  They could not claim to do both.  We have to make the same decision today.  Either God is God, or something else is.  Elijah said once they decided that they should  follow the one Who was the real God, and there is only One.  Verse twenty-two continues, Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.  Elijah said that he alone stood as a prophet of God against four-hundred fifty prophets of Baal.  If we ever believe that we are outnumbered as Christians, we should just look back at Elijah.  In spite of being greatly outnumbered, he stood faithful to God.  Verse twenty-three declares, Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:  Elijah proposed a test to see who the real God was.  They were to take two bullocks and the prophets of Baal were to choose one to be sacrificed to their god and Elijah would use the other to be sacrificed to his God.  They were to cut the bullocks up and put them on the wood for the sacrifice, but they weren't to set it on fire.  Elijah was to do the same with the other bullock.  There was no way they could claim foul play.  Still, Christians today are often accused of cheating when they stand firm for God in any contest.  Verse twenty-four adds, And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.  Elijah then said that they were to call on their gods and He would call on his God to send down fire to consume the sacrifice, and to let the one Who answered be God, and the people agreed.  Ultimately today we have to choose who our God is, and there is really only One Who is the true God.

1 Kings 18:7

1 Kings 18:7 says, And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?  While he was out looking for water, Obadiah met Elijah and recognized him.  If we are out in the world today looking for whatever, we will encounter Jesus Christ at some point and we must recognize Him, and once we do, if we acknowledge Him as our personal Savior and Lord, we will be forever His.  Verse eight adds, And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.  Elijah acknowledged to Obadiah that he was indeed Elijah and told him to go tell Ahab that he was there.  As is many times was the case when people went to the leaders with news they might or might not have wanted to hear, this could have been dangerous to Obadiah and Elijah without God's protection.  We must never let the fear of the powers of the world keep us from doing what God has called us to do.  Verse nine continues, And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?  Obadiah was afraid to go and tell Ahab that he knew where Elijah was.  He asked what sin he had committed that would cause Elijah to go to Ahab with this news and be killed.  Obadiah had to recognize that Elijah was a prophet of God and that should have given him the faith to do what Eliah asked him to do without fear.  We should never be afraid to do what God asks us to do, no matter how He gets the message to us.  Verse ten continues, As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.  Obadiah said that Ahab had diligently searched for Elijah everywhere, and when people said they couldn't find him, he had them take an oath to this fact.  Matthew Henry says that Ahab wasn't looking for Elijah to kill him, but to get him to reverse the curse of the drought.  It would seem that Ahab, though he was worshipping other god's, still believed in the power of the true God, but he did not repent and ask forgiveness.  Recognizing that God exists is not enough to save us.  We must repent and accept Jesus Christ personally as our Savior and Lord in order to be saved.  Verse eleven states, And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.  Obadiah said that now Elijah wanted him to go and tell Ahab that he knew where Elijah was.  No matter how sinful or powerful they may be, we must always be willing to go to whomever God sends us to and share the good news, and Eljah was sending Obadiah under God's direction.  Verse twelve adds, And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth.  Obadiah said as soon as he went and told Ahab that he knew where Elijah was that the Spirit of the Lord would send him elsewhere and when Elijah could not be found that Ahab would kill him for the report.  As followers of Christ, we should never allow fear to determine whether or not we witness for Jesus Christ.  We need to tell people that He is here and that they can find Him if they will only look by faith.  Verse thirteen continues, Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?  Obadiah asked Elijah had he not heard that Obadiah had hidden a hundred prophets when Jezebel had ordered their death.  We may have done good things for God, but that doesn't mean that we should no longer do what He is calling us to do even if it puts us in danger.  Verse fourteen declares, And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.  Obadiah said that if he went to Ahab and told him that Elijah was here and then he couldn't be found that Ahab would kill him.  If Obadiah recognized that Elijah was acting under the direction of God, he should not have been afraid to share the news with Ahab.  If we are open to the direction of the Holy Spirit, we should never be afraid to do what is asked of us as Christians, even if we believe that it could be dangerous.  Verse fifteen adds, And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.  Elijah took an oath to God that he would show himself to Ahab before the day was over.  Of course, Obadiah would still need to put his faith in Elijah's word, and I believe more importantly in God Himself.  People may swear to God that they are going to do something and then not do it, but if we are followers of Christ, I believe that the Holy Spirit will always let us know whether to believe them or not.  Verse sixteen continues, So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.  Obadiah did as Elijah asked and told Ahab where Elijah was, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.  As we witness today, we can only tell people where Jesus Christ is and then it is up to them whether or not they come to meet Him. 

1 Kings 18:1

 1 Kings 18:1 says,  And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.  In the third year of the drought, God's word again came to Elijah.  All Elijah could do was wait for God to once again tell him what to do, and at times all we can do is wait for God's word to tell us where to go and what to do next.  While waiting, we also must be faithful in doing what He last told us to do.  Verse two adds, And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.  Elijah did as God told him to do and went to speak to Ahab.  There was a great famine in Samaria at that time due to the drought.  God's judgment was causing problems for Ahab and the people of Israel.  Though I don't believe that all natural disasters are caused by God, I do believe that at times He has and does use them to punish the sins of people in an attempt to get them to turn to Him in faith.  Verse three continues, And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly:  Ahab called on Obadiah, a man that greatly feared God, at that time.  At this time, all prophets of God were being persecuted by Jezebel as we will see, but Obadiah was faithful to God.  If days of persecution come, will we be faithful to God?  If we have truly put our faith in Jesus Christ, the answer should always be yes.  Verse four states, For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)  As stated, Jezebel had cut off, or killed, the prophets of God, but Obadiah hid a hundred prophets in caves, fifty in each of two caves.  He also provided them with food and water.  This would have been quite an undertaking during a drought and a famine, so I believe that God was enabling Obediah to do this.  Sometimes, circumstances may not be ideal for us to do what we know that God is calling us to do, but I believe that we need to simply always act by faith and God will provide for us to be able to do what He calls us to do.  Verse five adds, And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.  Ahab commissioned Obadiah to go throughout the land and look for water so that they might be able to save some of the horses and mules.  Matthew Henry says it was strange that a man such as Obadiah would be serving in Ahab's household and even stranger that Ahab would put his trust in him, a man who was faithful to God.  Even those who profess to not believe in God will often prefer Christians to be in places of service where honesty and integrity are important.  If a Christian is placed in such a role, he or she must continue to be faithful to God and never use the trust placed in them for their own gain.  Verse six continues, So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.  The task of finding water was divided equally between Ahab and Obadiah, one going in one direction and the other in the other direction.  Ahab was at least willing to go himself and look for water, but he was also willing to allow Obediah to do the same.  I believe that Ahab was very desperate by this point, but he still didn't repent of his idolatry and return to worshiping God.  People may become desperate today because of a lack of fulfillment in life, even if they are not physically in need, but still be unwilling to turn to God for help. 

1 Kings 17:17

1 Kings 17:17 says, And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.  The son of the woman who had helped Elijah became sick and died in spite of all she had done for Elijah.  Just because we are doing good things for God doesn't mean that we are exempt from troubles and heartbreak in life.  Verse eighteen adds, And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?  The widow woman immediately blamed Elijah for her son's death and asked if he had come to remind her of her sins and kill her son as a penalty.  We may immediately blame God or people of the church if bad things happen to us today and we are not a Christian, but as Christians, we should never do so.  We can also be certain that God will never punish others for our sins, nor us for theirs.  Verse nineteen continues, And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.  Elijah did not get angry at her accusation, but simply told her to give him her son, and he took him to the loft where he stayed and laid on him on his own bed.  If we as followers of Christ are accused of false things, we should not get angry but should act in such a way that we may bring restoration with God to those who are accusing us.  Those who are lost and are our enemies especially need salvation that can come only through Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty declares, And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?  Elijah himself questioned God by asking if He had brought evil on the widow by slaying her son.  If we believe that every death is the result of God's action, then we would have to conclude that He had.  Of course, knowing the rest of the story, we might say that God did it to show His power over death and lead the woman to a personal relationship with Him.  I personally don't believe that God is directly responsible for every death nor that He needs to show His power in order to get people to accept Him as their Savior and Lord.  He did this for all time with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we can either accept or reject that fact.  Verse twenty-one continues, And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.  Elijah stretched himself over the son three times calling on God to let the let the boy's soul return to him, or to live again.  It is our soul that really makes us alive and not the physical body.  Once our soul leaves our body, it is only the body that dies, and our soul lives on forever, either in heaven or hell.  Also, it really wasn't necessary for Elijah to stretch himself out over the boy, but all he really had to do was call on God by faith in Him.  There are no acts that we must perform in order to gain everlasting life, but all we have to do is call out to God by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-two states, And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.  God heard Elijah and the boy's soul came to him again and he lived.  Of course, this was just a physical resurrection, and the boy would one day die once more.  The important resurrection is the spiritual resurrection that we have through putting our faith in Jesus Christ, and when we do, we will live forever with God, even if this old body dies.  Verse twenty-three adds, And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.  Elijah brought her son to the woman again and told her to see that he was alive.  This was good news for her, but it is not nearly as good as the news that we need to be sharing with the world today, and that is that by faith in Jesus Christ we are spiritually alive forever to live with Him.  Verse twenty-four continues, And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.  The woman said that by her son being raised from the dead that she knew that Elijah was a man of God and spoke the truth.  Once we accept that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again to defeat sin and death, we can know the truth of God.  Until we do, we will never accept His word as truth. 

1 Kings 17:8

1 Kings 17:8 says, And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, When the brook dried up, God's word came to Elijah once more.  God will never leave us without our being provided for if we continue to put our faith in Him.  If things begin to seem hopeless, we simply need to listen for God to tells us what to do next.  Verse nine adds, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.  God told Elijah to go to Zarephath in Zidon and stay there, because God had commanded a widow woman to provide for him.  Widow women usually didn't have a lot, so it might seem strange that God would use a widow woman to provide for Elijah, but it really wasn't her, but God Himself, that was going to provide not only for Elijah, but for the widow woman and her son as well.  Sometimes, we may believe that we aren't capable of helping others, but if God calls us to do so, He will also make a way for us to do it. Verse ten continues, So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.  Elijah obeyed God's command, went to Zarephath, and saw a widow woman gathering sticks and asked her to get him some water.  Since he had run out of water, this would have been an important thing to him, even before getting food.  We as Christians always have the Living Water available to us, and if we are feeling down and defeated, we need to return to the Living Water again to be refreshed and renewed.  Verse eleven states, And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.  While the widow woman was going to get Elijah some water, he asked her to bring him a morsel of bread as well.  He may have done this to see if she was the one God had sent him to, since as yet we see no indication that either had acknowledged that God had put them together.  We at times may not be totally certain that we are exactly where God wants us to be, but we must still continue in faith as we seek clarification that we are.  Verse twelve adds, And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.  The woman said that she didn't have enough meal to make a cake, but only a handful of meal and a small amount of oil to make a what she could so she and her son could eat it and die.  From what she said, we can assume that either God had not told her that He was going to use her to provide for Elijah, and therefore for herself and her son, or she hadn't believed Him.  She was ready to give up.  Even when we as followers of Christ are feeling that things are desperate in our own situation, if we are faithful to God, He will always meet our needs and may use us to help someone else at the same time as well.  Verse thirteen continues, And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.  Elijah told her not to fear, but to go and first make a little cake for him and then make one for her son and her.  We might see this as Elijah being selfish, but I believe that he was seeing if she was willing to put others first and trust that she and her son would still be provided for.  We always need to act in faith, even if it means putting the needs of others above our own needs when we ourselves seem to be without much reason to hope.  Verse fourteen declares, For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.  Elijah then shared some good news with her.  God had said that she would not run out of meal and oil until He sent rain upon the earth.  She still had to put her faith in Elijah telling her the truth.  We are told to go and share the gospel with everyone, and no matter how hopeless their life may be, if they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, they should never again be without hope.  Verse fifteen adds, And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.  She did as Elijah had asked her to do, and she, her son, and Elijah ate for many days from the nearly empty barrel of meal and cruise of oil.  We are not told that the barrel of meal and cruise of oil were suddenly full.  Living by faith in God is a day by day calling.  We may not always see for sure that He is going to meet our needs in the future, but we must put our faith in the fact that He will and live our life accordingly.  Verse sixteen continues, And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.  Since she and Elijah were faithful in doing what God had told them to do, He was faithful in doing what He had told Elijah He would do.  They never ran out of meal and oil.  The key to living a successful life spiritually is always going to be putting our faith in God and doing what He calls us to do, no matter what may be happening in our life at the time.