God
has accepted the sacrifice for atonement of His peoples' sin by fire,
and the false prophets who had led God's people astray have been
completely destroyed. Elijah had fought spiritual warfare against
the false god and false religion. The Apostle Paul also fought
against false religion. (Galatians 1:6-9) Some
false teachers had come to the Galatians trying to persuade the
believers in Christ that salvation involved not just believing in
Christ, but also being incorporated in the Jewish faith by being
circumcised (5:2),
observing the Law (3:5) and
keeping Jewish holy days (4:10).
The work of salvation on the cross of Jesus Christ is a finished
work.
Nothing has to be added to it. Jesus obeyed all that the Law
required fully and completely once-for-all.
Atonement
has been made. The people have returned to God. The false prophets
have been destroyed. Now the rain of God's blessings will fall. God
had said that He would both stop the rain and bring the rain at
Elijah's word. (1 Kings 17:1) Elijah
must get before God in prayer to ask Him to send the rain.
Elijah
told Ahab to “go, eat and drink, for there is the sound
of a heavy rain.” 1 Kings 18:41
A meal had been prepared for the king! Ahab was to leave the place
of death where the false prophets were killed and go up on the
mountain to eat and drink in celebration of God's victory and
goodness. Elijah heard
the sound of the rain coming in his spirit before he saw
the rain. He told Ahab to celebrate before he actually saw the sign
of rain coming. Elijah had no doubt that God would hear his prayer
and answer it.
Ahab went to celebrate God's goodness in accepting the burnt offering
as atonement for his and the peoples' sin and for the prophesied
rain, but Elijah went up higher with God. He had a more pressing
issue. Elijah will go higher to the top of Mount Carmel where the
Mediterranean Sea is in clear view, get on his face in humility
before God and pray that God will bring the rain at Elijah's word.
Elijah was an intercessor who cried out to God for His erring people.
He interceded for God's altar to be rebuilt and for God's people to
return to Him. He interceded for God to show His glory and power
against the false God. And, Elijah interceded for rain to come and
the drought to be broken. Elijah was a man of prayer. (Jeremiah
33:3; James 5:16) Prayer was
Elijah's springboard. Elijah prayed expectantly and fervently. He would pray as long and as many times as it
took to move the hand of God. Only Elijah's servant was with him on
the mountaintop. (Two in
agreement) Seven times
Elijah prayed and sent his servant to go look to see if there was any
sign of rain. The number 7 symbolizes fullness,
completeness, perfection. Elijah
prayed the prayer of faith as many times as it took to get his
answer. He was persistent in prayer and waiting upon God. Elijah
would not get off his face before God until the rain came. Six
times, Elijah told his servant to go and look to see if there was any
sign of rain coming. Six times the servant came back with the report
that there was nothing. 6 is the number of man. On the seventh time
(the number of
God's fullness and completion),
the servant reported, “A
cloud as small as a man's hand it rising from the sea.” 18:44
The
answer to Elijah's prayer came slowly in a small way.....like a man's
hand. God does not despise small beginnings. There is a spiritual
message in this. The sea represents the sea of humanity. The cloud
represents God's glory and power. Man's hand represents believers in
Jesus who have the Holy Spirit within and will pour out the Spirit
and Truth to others. Elijah and his servant were in a high place
with God. It is through Jesus who came to earth as a Man and is
seated at the right hand of God in the highest place that the rain of
the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all believers. Jesus also
began small. He poured out the Holy Spirit upon the 120 faithful
believers in the Upper Room in Acts who were in one accord
(agreement).
Then came the abundance as this chosen remnant shared and imparted
the knowledge of the Truth and the power of the Holy Spirit to
others. The number 120 represents death
of the flesh and new life in the Spirit. In
the days of Noah, after 120 years, God sent the flood that destroyed
all flesh because of wickedness. In the New Testament, there were
120 obedient, faithful disciples in the Upper Room when new,
spiritual life in the Holy Spirit came. The New Testament is the
reverse of the Old. The Law brought the penalty of death because no
one could live up to its standards, but the Spirit brings eternal,
spiritual life because Jesus met the standards for us. It is the
Spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The Holy Spirit
in mankind will become a torrent in faith-filled, obedient,
persistent, prayerful believers and will reach the whole world.
Elijah
tells Ahab to hitch up his chariot and quickly go down to Jezreel
before the outpouring of rain comes and makes the soil mud which
would prevent Ahab from reaching his destination. We must watch for
mud in our lives that will keep us from reaching our destiny in God.
Sin bogs us down! Ahab's horses and chariots would get stuck in the
mud, just as believers can get stuck in the mud of sin that will keep
us from reaching our purpose and destiny in God. The power of God
(Holy Spirit)
supernaturally
let Elijah overtake the horses and chariots of Ahab. In other words,
Elijah was the forerunner to the king as John the Baptist who came in
the Spirit and power of Elijah was the forerunner to King Jesus. Elijah
tucked his cloak (mantle)
into
his belt and ran ahead with his servant. Again,
two in agreement running the same race. Elijah's
mantle is his prophetic voice and his belt represents the belt of
truth that holds his garment in place away from the dust of the
ground (earthly).
Elijah reached the king's palace in Jezreel before the king! Ahab
had a great man of God before him but never invited Elijah into his
chariot. Similarly, the nation of Israel had a great Man of God –
God Himself – in front of them, but the majority never invited
Jesus into their hearts.
Instead,
Ahab tells his wicked wife Jezebel what had happened to the false
prophets in the Valley of Kishon. Jezebel swears an oath to her
false gods that what happened to her false prophets will happen to
Elijah. (1 Kings
19:1-2)
Satan and his wicked bride always want to silence the Word of God in
His prophets. Jezebel's false gods are powerless over God's prophet.
God will take care of Jezebel. Her oath and words will be turned
back onto her own head. She will reap what she sows. Her end is
death! Jezebel means “Baal exalts” or “Baal is husband to”
or “unchaste.” She represents the harlot (adulterous)
bride. Ahab catered to Jezebel so much that he built her a private
temple where she could worship Baal. She wanted all Israel to
worship Baal also. This is why God does not want believers unequally
yoked (married)
with
unbelievers. An unbeliever can lead us astray away from God and His
ways. We will be tempted to compromise like the Israelites who worshiped both Baal and God.
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