Elijah's Cave

Speaking of caves:

Elijah shows up out of nowhere in 1Kings 17 to tell Ahab, the king of Israel, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." Then the word of God came to Elijah and he left that place.


So what is so significant about this? In my bible it talks about the message Elijah brought to Ahab was in the form of an oath, an oath being the "most solemn form of binding obligation between parties." It goes on to say "In this case it was sanctioned by God, given as his challenge to Baal, who was represented by Ahab. If the Lord withheld the rain, rendering Baal - considered the god of fertility and lord of the rain clouds - powerless, he would be proven the true God and Elijah the true prophet of his word." A SHOWDOWN!

Elijah is called back by the Lord three years later, still no rain anywhere. Elijah walks straight up to Ahab the king of Israel and tells him "'I have not made trouble for Israel,' Elijah replied. 'But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred propets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.'" (1Kings 18:18-19) Jezebel is the kings wife.

What happens next, WOW!!! You read it for yourself. :)

So now Elijah is under a broom tree in the desert praying he may die (1Kings 19:4) "'I have had enough, Lord' he said. 'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.'" Just a minute ago he was one top the mountain, jeering baal and asherah worshipers, summoning the power of his God, our God, and out running chariots of horses from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel! Now he is in the desert wanting to die. Elijah travels in the desert for forty days and nights and spends the night in Horeb, the mountain of God, in a cave.

Will continue this tomorrow....