1 Kings 17:1

I. THE GREAT DROUGHT IN ISRAEL 17:1-24

The Ahab-Elijah clash was the epitome of the conflict which had been going on in Israel between king and prophet since the founding of the monarchy. The king had as his primary goals military security, economic expansion and a higher standard of living for his people. The prophets, on the other hand, were concerned first and foremost about fidelity to the Lord. They viewed with suspicion the foreign treaties negotiated by the crown. The indomitable Elijah thundered forth against the flagrant violations of the principles of Sinaiagainst the new mores imported from prosperous Phoenicia. The process of Phoenicianization threatened to destroy the foundations of Israelite society. The crown promoted the process; the prophets opposed it. These antithetical ideals prompted the struggle that is so graphically portrayed in 1 Kings 17 -2 Kings 10.

Ahab's Phoenician queen Jezebel was chief promoter of Phoenicianization in Israel. She could not understand the hesitancy on the part of her husband to deal decisively with his prophetic adversaries. Taking matters into her own hands, this wicked woman launched an all out attack against the prophets. Less stalwart men were forced into hiding. But Elijah would not be intimidated and continued to preach and teach in defiance of the queen. His relentless, vehement, flaming indignation bolstered the courage of the faint-hearted and sent chills up the spine of those who hated him.

In chapter 17 the author traces the movements of Elijah in connection with a great drought which came upon Israel. He presents (1) Elijah before the king (1 Kings 17:1); (2) Elijah at the brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:2-7); and (3) Elijah in the village of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-24).

A. ELIJAH BEFORE THE KING 17:1

TRANSLATION

(1) And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel lives before whom I stand, surely there shall not be dew or rain these years except at my word.

COMMENTS

Whether the name Elijah was the prophet's given name, or whether it was an assumed name, it is most appropriate for this man of God. The very name embodies the credo of this prophet for it means my God is Yahweh.

Elijah hailed from the town of Tishbe[409] in the rugged region of Gilead. Like his great predecessor Moses, the character of Elijah was forged in an unsettled and half-civilized region. Throughout the narrative he is referred to in Kings by his name only, or as the Tishbite. Only once is he called prophet (1 Kings 18:36). Perhaps his reputation was so well established that the designation prophet was regarded as redundant and unnecessary.

[409] Since Byzantine times Tishbe has been identified with al-Istib, eight miles north of the Jabbock. A shrine, mar Elias, (St. Elijah) marks the approximate spot today.

The abrupt way in which Elijah appears on the scene without a word of introduction or explanation is certainly remarkable. Not a word is said about his past relations with the king or the people. Such suddenness is appropriate to the character of this prophet whose comings and goings were unexpected and startling. Someone has said, Elijah comes in with a tempest, and goes out with a whirlwind. His sudden appearances and disappearances gave birth to the belief of some in that age that he was borne hither and you by the Spirit of God (cf. 1 Kings 18:12).

The ministry of Elijah began with a pronouncement of judgment upon wayward Israel. This pronouncement is introduced with an oath formula which is altogether appropriate for that age: As the Lord God of Israel lives. By these words Elijah was asserting that Yahweh, not Baal, was the God of Israel. Furthermore, Yahweh was a living God and not a figment of vain imagination as was Baal. This was the God that Elijah served. Slaves normally stood to wait upon their masters and, therefore, the words before whom I stand serve to identify Elijah as the ambassador or spokesman of the Lord.

The judgment announced by Elijah is one that was threatened by Moses if the people should fall into idolatry (cf. Deuteronomy 11:16-17): Neither dew nor rain would fall in Israel. The two main sources of moisture in Palestine are noted, the regular rains from November to March and the dew which condenses on the mountains of Palestine in the hot season. The latter may be almost as heavy as a drizzle of rain in the higher regions. This penalty would last these years, i.e., an indefinite period. The duration of the drought would depend upon Elijah's word, and Elijah's word depended, of course, upon the repentance of the people (1 Kings 17:1). It was because of the obduracy of the king and the people that the drought[410] lasted so long. The prophets of Baal would not be able to remove the curse though they claimed that their god controlled the elements of nature. Their inability to remove the ban would prove the impotency of their god. Thus the announcement of the drought served a polemical, as well as a judicial function.

[410] Josephus (Ant. VIII, 13.2) quotes Menander as referring to this drought in his account of Ethbaal, king of Tyre, the father-in-law of Ahab.