Through the Bible – Day 126

_1-2For three years no rain fell in Samaria, and there was almost nothing to eat anywhere. The LORD said to Elijah, “Go and meet with King Ahab. I will soon make it rain.” So Elijah went to see Ahab.

_3-4At that time Obadiah was in charge of Ahab's palace, but he faithfully worshipped the LORD. In fact, when Jezebel was trying to kill the LORD's prophets, Obadiah hid a hundred of them in two caves and gave them food and water.

Ahab sent for Obadiah ₅and said, “We have to find something for our horses and mules to eat. If we don't, we will have to kill them. Let's look around every brook and spring in the country for some grass. ₆You go one-way, and I'll go the other.” Then they left in separate directions.

₇As Obadiah was walking along, he met Elijah. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down, and asked, “Elijah, is it really you?”

₈“Yes. Go and tell Ahab I'm here.”

₉Obadiah replied:

₁₅Elijah said, “I'm a servant of the living LORD All-Powerful, and I swear in his name that I will meet with Ahab today.”

₁₆Obadiah left and told Ahab where to find Elijah.

Ahab went to meet Elijah, ₁₇and when he saw him, Ahab shouted, “There you are, the biggest troublemaker in Israel!”

₁₈Elijah answered:

₂₀Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel. ₂₁Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the LORD is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!”

The people did not say a word.

₂₂Then Elijah continued:

“That's a good idea,” everyone agreed.

₂₅Elijah said to Baal's prophets, “There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don't light the fire. Then pray to your god.”

₂₆They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, “Answer us, Baal!” But there was no answer.

₂₇At midday, Elijah began making fun of them. “Pray louder!” he said. “Baal must be a god. Perhaps he's daydreaming or using the toilet or travelling somewhere. Or perhaps he's asleep, and you have to wake him up.”

₂₈The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshipped, ₂₉and they kept it up all afternoon. But there was no answer of any kind.

₃₀Elijah told everyone to gather around him while he repaired the LORD's altar. _31-32Then he used twelve stones to build an altar in honour of the LORD. Each stone stood for one of the tribes of Israel, which was the name the LORD had given to their ancestor Jacob. Elijah dug a ditch around the altar, large enough to hold almost fourteen litres. ₃₃He placed the wood on the altar, then they cut the bull into pieces and laid the meat on the wood.

He told the people, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it over the meat and the wood.” After they did this, ₃₄he told them to do it two more times. They did exactly as he said ₃₅until finally, the water ran down the altar and filled the ditch.

₃₆When it was time for the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed:

₃₈The LORD immediately sent fire, and it burnt up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones. It scorched the ground everywhere around the altar and dried up every drop of water in the ditch. ₃₉When the crowd saw what had happened, they all bowed down and shouted, “The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”

₄₀Just then, Elijah said, “Grab the prophets of Baal! Don't let any of them get away.”

So the people captured the prophets and took them to the River Kishon, where Elijah killed every one of them.

₄₁Elijah told Ahab, “Get something to eat and drink. I hear a heavy rain coming.”

₄₂Ahab left, but Elijah climbed back to the top of Mount Carmel. Then he stooped down with his face almost to the ground ₄₃and said to his servant, “Look towards the sea.”

The servant left. And when he came back, he said, “I looked, but I didn't see anything.” Elijah told him to look seven more times.

₄₄After the seventh time the servant replied, “I see a small cloud coming this way. But it's no bigger than a fist.”

Elijah told him, “Tell Ahab to get his chariot ready and start home now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him.”

_45-46A few minutes later, it got very cloudy and windy, and rain started pouring down. So Elijah wrapped his coat around himself, and the LORD gave him strength to run all the way to Jezreel. Ahab followed him.

₁Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets. ₂She sent a message to Elijah: “You killed my prophets. Now I'm going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don't do it by this time tomorrow.”

₃Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there, ₄then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the LORD, “I've had enough. Just let me die! I'm no better off than my ancestors.” ₅Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep.

Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, “Get up and eat.” ₆Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep.

₇Soon the LORD's angel woke him again and said, “Get up and eat, or else you'll get too tired to travel.” ₈So Elijah sat up and ate and drank.

The food and water made him strong enough to walk forty more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, ₉and he spent the night there in a cave.

While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the LORD asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”

₁₀He answered, “LORD God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

₁₁“Go out and stand on the mountain,” the LORD replied. “I want you to see me when I pass by.”

All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the LORD was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ₁₂Then there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

Finally, there was a gentle breeze, ₁₃and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.

The LORD asked, “Elijah, why are you here?”

₁₄Elijah answered, “LORD God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

₁₅The LORD said:

₁₉Elijah left and found Elisha ploughing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also ploughing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha.

₂₀Elisha stopped ploughing and ran after him. “Let me kiss my parents goodbye, then I'll go with you,” he said.

“You can go,” Elijah said. “But remember what I've done for you.”

₂₁Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plough. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.