Elijah said to Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
Parallel Translations
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Elijah said to Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
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And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
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And Elijah said unto Ahab: 'Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.'
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to 1 Kings 18:41 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Kings 18:1 After many days, Yahweh’s word came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain on the earth.”
- 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
- Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
- Acts 27:34 Therefore I beg you to take some food; for this is for your safety; for not a hair will perish from any of your heads.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Ki 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee…
1Ki 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for [there is] a sound of abundance of rain.
Ver. 41. Get thee up, eat and drink.] One of the Hebrews saith that Ahab had long fasted, that he might obtain rain of God. The chief cause of God’s wrath was now removed; he might therefore rejoice and take his repast.
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For there is a sound of abundance of rain.] We read of Wilfride, bishop of Chichester, that about the year of grace 700 he converted to the faith many pagans in those parts: and a day being appointed for their baptism, they had no sooner received the same, but immediately it rained plentifully, the want whereof had caused a dearth three years before; and that so great, as not only many died daily for hunger, but great numbers joining hand in hand, forty or fifty in a company, threw themselves headlong into the sea. {a}
{a} Godw., Catal, p. 465.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Get thee up from the river, where the king…
Get thee up from the river, where the king and he had been present at the slaughter of Baal’s priests, to thy tent; which probably was pitched on the side of Carmel.
Eat and drink; take comfort, and refresh thyself; for neither the king nor any of the people could have any leisure to eat, being wholly intent upon the decision of the great controversy.
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There is a sound of abundance of rain; the rain is as certainly and speedily coming, as if I did actually see it, or hear the noise which it makes. God’s wrath is now appeased, and thou shalt have no cause to repent of this day’s work.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain Israel being thus far reformed that they had acknowledged…
Israel being thus far reformed that they had acknowledged the Lord to be God, and had consented to the execution of Baal's prophets, that they might not seduce them any more, though this was far short of a thorough reformation, yet it was so far accepted that God thereupon opened the bottles of heaven, and poured out blessings upon his land, that very evening (as it should seem) on which they did this good work, which should have confirmed them in their reformation; see Hag 2:18, Hag 2:19.
I. Elijah sent Ahab to eat and drink, for joy that God had now accepted his works, and that rain was coming; see Ecc 9:7. Ahab had continued fasting all day, either religiously, it being a day of prayer, or for want of leisure, it being a day of great expectation; but now let him eat and rink for, though others perceive no sign of it, Elijah, by faith, hears the sound of abundance of rain, Kg1 18:41. God reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets; and yet, without a revelation, we may foresee that when man's judgments run down like a river God's mercy will. Rain is the river of God, Psa 65:9.
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II. He himself retired to pray (for though God had promised rain, he must ask it, Zac 10:1), and to give thanks for God's answer by fire, now hoping for an answer by water. What he said we are not told; but, 1. He withdrew to a strange place, to the top of Carmel, which was very high and very private. Hence we read of those that hide themselves in the top of Carmel, Amo 9:3. There he would be alone. Those who are called to appear and act in public for God must yet find time to be private with him and keep up their converse with him in solitude. There he set himself, as it were, upon his watch-tower, like the prophet, Hab 2:1. 2. He put himself into a strange posture. He cast himself down on his knees upon the earth, in token of humility, reverence, and importunity, and put his face between his knees (that is, bowed his head so low that it touched his knees), thus abasing himself in the sense of his own meanness now that God had thus honoured him.
III. He ordered his servant to bring him notice as soon as he discerned a cloud arising out of the sea, the Mediterranean Sea, which he had a large prospect of from the top of Carmel. The sailors at this day call it Cape Carmel. Six times his servant goes to the point of the hill and sees nothing, brings no good news to his master; yet Elijah continues praying, will not be diverted so far as to go and see with his own eyes, but still sends his servant to see if he can discover any hopeful cloud, while he keeps his mind close and intent in prayer, and abides by it, as one that has taken up his father Jacob's resolution, I will not let thee go except thou bless me. Note, Though the answer of our fervent and believing supplications may not come quickly, yet we must continue instant in prayer, and not faint nor desist; for at the end it shall speak and not lie.
IV. A little cloud at length appeared, no bigger than a man's hand, which presently overspread the heavens and watered the earth, Kg1 18:44, Kg1 18:45. Great blessings often arise from small beginnings, and showers of plenty from a cloud of a span long. Let us therefore never despise the day of small things, but hope and wait for great things from it. This was not as a morning cloud, which passes away (though Israel's goodness was so), but one that produced a plentiful rain (Psa 68:9), and an earnest of more.
V. Elijah hereupon hastened Ahab home, and attended him himself. Ahab rode in his chariot, at ease and in state, Kg1 18:45. Elijah ran on foot before him. If Ahab had paid the respect to Elijah that he deserved he would have taken him into his chariot, as the eunuch did Philip, that he might honour him before the elders of Israel, and confer with him further about the reformation of the kingdom. But his corruptions got the better of his convictions, and he was glad to get clear of him, as Felix of Paul, when he dismissed him, and adjourned his conference with him to a more convenient season. But, since Ahab invites him not to ride with him, he will run before him (Kg1 18:46) as one of his footmen, that he may not seem to be lifted up with the great honour God had put upon him or to abate in his civil respect to his prince, though he reproved him faithfully. God's ministers should make it appear that, how great soever they look when they deliver God's message, yet they are far from affecting worldly grandeur: let them leave that to the kings of the earth.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And said to his servant,.... Whom some take to…
And said to his servant,.... Whom some take to be the son of the widow of Sarepta, but he must be too young to be employed in such service as this was:
go up now; still higher on Mount Carmel; than where he was, even to the highest point of it:
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look towards the sea: or the west, as the Targum, the Mediterranean sea, which lay to the west of the land of Israel:
and he went up and looked, and he said, there is nothing; there was nothing in the sky, or arising out of the sea, that looked like or foreboded rain:
and he said, go again seven times; till he should see something.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Get up - From the river, where he had…
Get up - From the river, where he had been present at the slaughter of Baal's priests, to thy tent: which probably was pitched on the side of Carmel. Eat, &c. - Take comfort, and refresh thyself: for neither the king, nor any of the people could have leisure to eat, being wholly intent upon the decision of the great controversy. For there is, &c. - The rain is as certainly coming, as if you heard the noise which it makes.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 41. Get thee up, eat and drink] It…
Verse 41. Get thee up, eat and drink] It appears most evidently that Ahab and the prophet were now on good terms, and this is a farther evidence that the slaying of the false prophets was by the king's consent.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Ki 18:41. Get thee up — From the river,…
1Ki 18:41. Get thee up — From the river, (where he had been present at the execution of Baal’s priests,) to thy tent; which probably was pitched on the side of Carmel. Eat, &c. — Take comfort, and refresh thyself: for neither the king nor any of the people could have leisure to eat, being wholly intent upon the decision of the great controversy. For there is a sound of abundance of rain — The rain is as certainly and speedily coming, as if you did actually see it, or hear the noise which it makes.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Get thee up, eat and drink - Ahab had…
Get thee up, eat and drink - Ahab had descended the hill-side with Elijah, and witnessed the slaughter of the priests. Elijah now bade him ascend the hill again, and partake of the feast which was already prepared, and which always followed upon a sacrifice.
There is a sound of abundance of rain - Either the wind, which in the East usually heralds rain, had begun to rise, and sighed through the forests of Carmel - or perhaps the sound was simply in the prophet’s ears, a mysterious intimation to him that the drought was to end, and rain to come that day.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Sound. It will as surely come, as if you…
Sound. It will as surely come, as if you heard it falling. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain THE GREAT STORM, 1Ki_18:41-46.
THE GREAT STORM, 1Ki_18:41-46.
41. Eat and drink — On the mountain, near the place of the contest, probably a great feast was spread, and had been waiting some time the result of the conflict. During the protracted and exciting contest of the day there had been no time and no disposition to partake of food.
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A sound of abundance of rain — Literally, A voice of a splash of rain. The prophet heard it in his inner ear; a prophetic presentiment of sound.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 41–46. The prophecy of rain. Elijah awaits its approach…
41–46. The prophecy of rain. Elijah awaits its approach on Mount Carmel and then goes to Jezreel (Not in Chronicles)
41. Elijah said unto Ahab] The king had been present through all the events of the day, but had been powerless to stay the slaughter of the false prophets. Ahab was overpowered by what he had seen, and Jezebel was not at hand to prompt him to oppose either the prophet or the people.
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Get thee up, eat and drink] There was probably preparation made for the king’s refreshment on the top of Carmel, where the offerings had been made, and the words of the prophet apply to Ahab’s return from the Kishon, which was at a lower level. The expression ‘eat and drink’ has been taken by some to be spoken in mockery or uttered as if to one who was callous even after such a scene of butchery. It would rather seem as if Elijah had not yet despaired of Ahab, and was giving the king, who must have been paralysed by the scene, the best advice for his present need, after the long and tragic day. The words may also imply that now there was no longer any fear of want, for the rain was coming at once. Thus they would form a fit introduction for the announcement which follows.
for there is a [R.V. the] sound of abundance of rain] The expression is definite in the original. The LXX. has a very poetical paraphrase ὅτι φωνὴ τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ ὑετοῦ, ‘for there is the sound of the feet of the rain.’
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (41) Get thee up, eat and drink.—There seems a…
(41) Get thee up, eat and drink.—There seems a touch of scorn in these words. Ahab, remaining passive throughout, had descended to the place of slaughter in the valley, looking on silent—if not unmoved—while the priests, whose worship he had openly or tacitly sanctioned, were slain by hundreds. Now Elijah bade him get up to his palace, taking it for granted that, fresh from that horrible sight, he is yet ready to feast, and rejoice over the approaching removal of the judgment, which alone had told on his shallow nature. The king goes to revel, the prophet to pray.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up It…
And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up It is clear from the word hle that the king had gone clown with the crowd to the Kishon. Curiosity had perhaps impelled him to witness the slaughter which he was powerless to prevent. And no doubt he had been profoundly awed by the portent he had just witnessed, eat and drink It is hardly likely that there was aught of derision in these words. It is extremely probable that the excitement of the ordeal was so intense that the king had barely tasted food all day long. Elijah now bids him eat if he can, after what he has witnessed. There is now, he suggests, no further cause for anxiety or alarm. The people being repentant (vers. 39, 40), and the men who have brought a curse on the land being cut off, the drought can now be abated (cf. 2Sa_21:1, 2Sa_21:6, 2Sa_21:14) The next words assign the reason why he should eat and drink. It is a mistake, however (Ewald, Rawlinson), to suppose that he was bidden to "eat of the feast which always followed a sacrifice," for this was a whole burnt offering and had been entirely consumed (ver. 38). It is probable that the attendants of the king had spread a tent for him upon the plateau, and had brought food for the day along with them; for there is a sound of abundance of rain Heb. for a voice of a noise wOmh; ; cf. hum, an onomatopoetic word of rain. Gesenius and Keil think that the prophet could already hear the sound of the drops of rain, but if so, it was only in spirit (cf. ver. 45). The words may refer to the rise of the wind which so often precedes a storm, but it is more probable that Elijah speaks of signs and intimations understood only by himself. This was the "word" (1Ki_17:1)
Vers. 41-45.
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Effectual Fervent Prayer.
It is pre-eminently in the matter of prayer that Elijah is proposed to us as an example in the New Testament. From the long list of Hebrew saints and worthies he has been selected by St. Jam_5:17, 18 to prove and illustrate the proposition that "the prayer of a righteous man availeth much in its working" (ver. 16, Revised Version). His prayers for drought are not mentioned by our historian, but his prayer for rain may not unreasonably be supposed to be referred to in the account of vers. 42-45. Let us notice its more prominent features.
1. It was the prayer of a righteous man. The prayers of unrighteous men are sometimes heard (Luk_18:14; 2Ch_33:19) but only their prayers for grace and pardon. The intercessions of the wicked for others are of no avail, any more than the prayers of the impenitent for themselves. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me". (Psa_66:18) Common sense teaches that God is not likely to grant the requests of impenitent rebels. "To the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do" with intercession? "Get thee to the prophets of thy father," etc. (2Ki_3:18) "Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen". (Jud_1:10:14) But "he will fulfil the desire of them that fear him". (Psa_145:19)
2. It was the prayer of a man of like passions with us. We are not to think that Elias stood on a pedestal apart from the rest of his kind. He is not pictured to us, as are the heroes of so many biographies, as perfect. We are not sure that that great "day of Carmel" passed without sin. We are quite sure that he betrayed fear and unbelief in his flight, impatience and discontent in the desert. Yet his prayers availed much. Let us, therefore, though compassed about with infirmity, and stained with many sins of ignorance and imperfection, come boldly to the throne of grace.
3. It was fervent. "He prayed with prayer" (proseuch proshuxato), says St. James. His attitude reveals its fervency it was that of complete self abstraction, of intense inward entreaty. We must seek "with all the heart" (Psa_119:2; Jer_24:7) Seeking early (Pro_1:28; Psa_63:1 Psa_78:34; Isa_26:9) does not mean seeking inyouth, but seeking eagerly, intently. Compare the expression, "rising up early," etc. (Jer_7:13 Jer_25:8, 4 26:5 35:15, etc.) Some one has said that there are not many persons who really and truly pray half a dozen times in their lives. We offer up formal or lukewarm petitions, and then marvel that we receive no answers. Prayer must be ejktenhv. (Luk_22:44) It is not that God is hard to persuade; it is that He will have us mean what we say. There is no difficulty with Him. We are straitened in ourselves.
4. It was persevering. He was not daunted by the laconic "nothing" (Heb. not aught) of his servant. "Go again seven times." It is not enough to pray; we must "pray and not faint" (Luk_18:1; Eph_6:18; Col_4:2) We must "diligently seek him". (Heb_11:6) St. Paul besought the Lord thrice, (2Co_12:8) after the example, it is probable, of our Blessed Lord. (Mat_26:44) Compare the example of Abraham (Gen_18:23 sqq.) Daniel prayed three times a. (Dan_6:10) The "seven times" of Elijah means that he will pray until the covenant God hears his petitions (cf. Lev_4:6, 17 8:11 14:16)
1. It was touching God"s kingdom. This is the proper subject for our prayers. (Mat_6:33) We may have doubts whether some of the blessings we would fain crave are good for us, but we always ask "according to his will" when we pray, "Thy kingdom come." Our prayers for rain or fine weather are often selfish. Elijah only desired the drought, only supplicated for rain, as a means of influencing Israel and advancing God"s work. It is partly the selfishness of our prayers which has led men to question the efficacy of all prayer. If men want to have their own way with the elements, or to make God"s power further their private ends, is it strange if He declines to hear them? If we are to "obtain our petitions," we must" ask those things that please him.
2. It was believing. He never doubts the promise of 1Ki_18:1. He has already announced the rain to Ahab, before he prays for it. Similarly our Lord gave thanks at the grave of Lazarus: "I thank thee that thou hast heard me", (Joh_11:41) just as if the dead man had already come to life again. We must ask in faith (Jam_1:6, Jam_1:7; Mat_21:21, Mat_21:22; Mar_9:23) No wonder if God does not hear the petitions of the man who doubts whether God is, or is the rewarder of those who seek Him. Before we pray we should at least be clear that there is One who hears and can help us. Unbelief makes God a liar.
1. It was humble. "Cast himself down upon the earth." What self abasement before God! And he was heard in that he feared
2. (Heb_5:7) God has respect unto the lowly, and giveth grace to the humble (Jam_4:6; 1Pe_5:5; Psa_9:12 Psa_10:17)
3. It was in the Holy Ghost. (Jud_1:20) This prayer was first inspired. Elijah would never presume to ask either for drought or ram, unless the prayer had been put into his heart. As he mused in the wilds of Gilead over the apostasy of Israel, and vexed his righteous soul with the news of the Baal-worship, he felt constrained to cry to God, as we find His saints constantly doing, to awake, to make bare His arm, to vindicate His outraged honour. And what could he pray for, except, that God would enforce the penalties He had Himself denounced? His prayer for drought is the outcome of his zeal for God"s law, with which God had Himself inspired him. And we, too, are promised supernatural help and guidance in our prayers (Rom_8:26, Rom_8:27; Jud_1:20)
1. It availed much. It opened the windows of heaven. "There was a great rain." It gave life to those who were sitting in flue shadow of death. The earth brought forth her fruit." The desolate land became as Eden. Man and beast drank and lived.
2. It availed immediately. While he was yet speaking, God heard. (Isa_65:24) If that word is ever true, Bis dat qui cito dat, it was true of this occasion. Indeed, the answer almost anticipated the prayer. (1Ki_18:1, 1Ki_18:41) God is more ready to give than we to pray.
Vers. 41-46.
The Sound of Rain.
The fire has fallen upon the sacrifice of Elijah. The people are convinced, renounce Baal, confess Jehovah supreme, and evince their sincerity by slaying the idolatrous priests. Now there is "a sound of abundance of rain.
I THIS WAS THE SOUND OF SALVATION.
1. Rain was salvation to the nation.
(1) Three years and six months of drought brought it to the point of extinction. The heavens were brazen; the earth was scorched. The people were blackened with excessive heat, and worn with want. Their numbers were thinned by death; survivors moved like skeletons on the edges of their graves.
(2) To such the sound of rain is tidings of life. Let it come, and soon, in such a climate as Palestine, vegetation will burst into verdure. There will be "seed for the sower and bread tot the eater.
2. It was a sign of spiritual blessings.
(1) The kingdom of nature was constituted to furnish apt similes of the kingdom of grace. The blooming of the desert after rain is a familiar figure of spiritual revival. (See Isa_35:10)
(2) The descent of rain is a figure of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the receptive soul. (Isa_32:15) Water, a purifier, refresher, vitalizer, fittingly sets forth His energies; and as these are active, so in baptism the element should come upon the person as rain upon the passive earth. (See Act_2:8, Act_2:4, Act_2:17, 32 10:44-48)
3. Revivals have their premonitions.
(1) The sound comes before the rain. It is heard in the branches of trees, and in the waves of seas and lakes. So is a coming revival discerned in the Church by emotion under the word, interest in religious services public and private, and increased evangelistic activity.
(2) This is first heard by the spiritual. Elijah was the first to hear the sound of the coming rain. It begins in the higher heavens before it reaches the earth. Those who are much in prayer have the sensitive ear to hear "afar off." (Compare 2Pe_1:9)
II THE CONDITIONS HAD BEEN FULFILLED.
1. Sin was repented.
(1) The people saw the impotence of Baal. He could not answer for himself. They were now convinced of their folly in submitting to such a delusion. So it must be with every sinner whose eyes are opened.
(2) They destroyed the authors of their delusion. They slew the prophets of Bash Not one escaped. So in the most complete manner must our evil lusts be slain. No power must be left to them to lure us from the truth again.
2. Christ was accepted.
(1) Elijah must show himself to Ahab as a condition of rain (ver. 1). Ahab so far accepted him as to submit to his directions. But Elijah was a type of Christ, without whose revelation of Himself to us we can have no spiritual grace. (See 1Ki_17:1)
(2) Elijah was a type of Christ in his persn. His name (hyla and whyla) is
God Jehovah," or, "Whose God is he," expresses the union of God and man in Christ.
(3) He was a type of Christ also in his office. All prophets were types of the One Great Prophet. Elijah, who was remarkable amongst the number, eminently so.
(4) He, too, united with his office of prophet the functions of the priest. He offered up the sacrifice on Carmel. In this sacrifice the people accepted Jehovah as their covenant God. So must we likewise accept God in Christ. In token of their communion with Jehovah they appear to have feasted on the sacrifices. With the burnt offering there were doubtless peace offerings, for these were usual accompaniments, upon which the worshippers feasted. This was the eating and drinking to which Elijah moved Ahab (ver. 42).
(5) Elijah also was a type of Christ in his character of Intercessor. While Ahab and his people were partaking of the peace-offerings, "Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees." He bowed reverently in prayer with his head towards the ground an attitude still observed in the East. So Christ, in the heights, makes intercession for us.
3. The blessing came.
(1) While Elijah interceded he sent his servant to look for the signs of the coming blessing. In this parable, in which the prophet is still the type of Christ, his servant stands for the Church, whose duty it is to look for the fruits of the Redeemer"s pleadings. Are we thus looking?
(2) The servant went, and went again and again before he witnessed any sign, in which the lesson to us is that while Christ pleads we must never be discouraged, but "hope to the end.
(3) At the seventh time the promise appeared in a cloud as of a man"s hand rising out of the sea, which was to be followed by others in rapid succession until the heavens were "black with clouds and wind," and the thirsty earth was visited with copious showers of refreshing rain. This was prophetic of that seventh time, or "fulness of time," when the hand of God shall act in the sea, or among all nations, and raise that "plentiful shower "which shall refresh His weary inheritance." (Psa_68:9) Meanwhile Elijah sent his servant to Ahab, saying, "Harness the horses, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
(4) Now the parable is changed. Ahab, the king of Israel, after the destruction of the prophets of Baal, riding as in triumph, and attended by the blessings of heaven, is the type of Christ. So Elijah runs before him in the spirit and power of God. The Baptist accordingly came "in the spirit and power of Elias," as the forerunner of Christ, in His first advent, to establish His spiritual kingdom. But Elias, in person, will be His harbinger when He comes again, in the fulness of His blessing, to establish a visible and everlasting kingdom. J.A.M. (Mal_4:5)
Vers. 41-46.
The return of blessing.
I ELIJAH"S ASSURANCE OF GOD"S MERCY. "There is a sound of abundance of rain," but it was only as yet a sound in the prophet"s e ar.
1. The ground of the assurance.
(1) God had promised (per. 1), He would therefore fulfil His word.
(2) The preliminary work which He had sent him to do was accomplished. The people"s heart was turned. Their sin was washed away. The curse would surely, then, be also removed. We build a still mightier trust on God"s consistency. "tie that spared not his own son," etc.
2. The use he made of it. "He said unto Ahab," and through him to all Israel, "Get thee up," etc. The work of the believer is to comfort God"s people, and strengthen their expectation of good.
II HIS PREVAILING WITH GOD.
1. The assurance of Gods mercy does not exclude prayer. "Ahab went up to eat and drink," but "Elijah went up to the top of Carmel." The worldling may expect good and know nothing of supplication; not so with the man of God. Expectation is but encouragement to prayer. The desire that the blessing might come at once and cause the seed of faith to spring up in the people"s hearts, made earnest prayer more necessary to Elijah than the refreshment which his body craved.
2. The utter lowliness of the true worshipper. "He cast himself down upon the earth." His face was hid. The man who stands nearest God is the lowliest of all God"s worshippers.
3. His importunity. He did not cease till his prayer was granted. Again and again was the servant sent till the small cloud was seen.
III HIS ATTEMPT TO PREVAIL WITH MAN.
1. His message to Ahab (Prepare," etc.) showed his care for the king. He was a foe to the sin, but not to the man.
2. He honoured him. He "ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel." The mighty prophet became the erring king"s servant. The ministers of God must seek to win the sinful as well as to smite their sin. Hatred and contempt will neither advance God"s cause nor man"s well being. J.U.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain And Elijah said unto Ahab.
1Ki_18:41-46
And Elijah said unto Ahab.
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The conquest of faith
This passage:--
I. Indicates the bent of a good mans mind. Both Ahab and Elijah went up, but how different their purposes. One went up to eat and drink, the other went up to pray. One event may produce various impressions on different minds. These different impressions indicate the true character of men. The mind of the ungodly man is bent upon pleasure, the mind of the godly man on prayer. We may learn three things respecting a good man from this event.
1. The good man possesses an earnest spirit. Elijah needed rest.
2. The good man possesses a humble spirit. The victory Elijah had achieved produced an amazing influence on the minds of the spectators.
3. The good man possesses a devout spirit. He retired to pray. He cast himself upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.
II. Exemplifies the power of a good mans faith. There are three things about Elijahs conduct that claim our attention.
1. His confidence. There were no indications of the approaching storm. The air was calm, and clear, and cloudless. Elijah had faith in God. He remembered Cherith, Zarephath, and Carmel.
2. His patience. Disappointed once, twice, even six times, he sends again. Elijah knew what God had promised He had power to perform. He waited.
3. His perseverance. Elijah had noted the rustling among the trees, but this did not set aside the necessity of prayer. Elijah prayed, continued in prayer. Dont let us be discouraged in our approaches to God.
III. Records the success of a good mans prayer. God had given one answer to prayer--fire had fallen from heaven and consumed the prepared sacrifice. Elijah prayed again. Continued mercies necessitate repeated supplication. To-days prayer will not do for So-morrows blessing. We know not the nature of Elijahs petition, but we see three advantages accruing therefrom.
1. There is a Visible indication of Gods purposes. Behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a mans hand. Gods children have the earliest intimation of Gods purposes. Like a mans hand. Small beginnings--in literature, science, and religion--often have important and far-reaching results.
2. There is a special warning for the kings preparation. Go, say unto Ahab. Elijah had predicted that rain should come according to his word.
3. There is a direct answer to a particular request. Elijah prayed for rain. The blessing was sent while he sought it. It was a great rain.
IV. Reveals the source of a good mans strength. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah. Remember what Elijah had done! Think of his weariness and hunger, then picture him, outrunning for twenty miles the fleet steed of Ahab. From this superhuman event let us learn two things.
1. That God imparts strength to the good man for the performance of the most arduous duties. The hand of the Lord was on Elijah. Man is a poor fragile thing, but God can gird him with infinite strength. Gods influences touch the body, the mind, the heart.
2. The resources of infinite strength are within the reach of a good man. What God did for Elijah He can do for the Church--individuals. (Preachers Analyst.)
The prayer of faith
On the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and opposite the far-famed town of Acre, on the south side of a beautiful bay, there is a range of mountain-land rising to an elevation of from 1200 to 1500 feet. This range of hills stand out with marked distinctness and forms a very prominent object from the sea and from all the country round about. It is known by the name of Mount Carmel. The view from the summit is very imposing. The tableland on the summit extends inland for some eight or nine miles. It is a locality interesting not simply on its own account, but also from its varied scriptural associations.
I. The prophets prayer. He is bold enough before men, but humble indeed in the presence of God.
1. Look at his posture. He is on his knees with his head bowed downward, so that his forehead touches the ground. This was the attitude assumed in supplication on occasions of special urgency. Standing in prayer was not unusual in ordinary worship (Mar_11:25; Luk_18:13). Attitude in prayer is of small moment in comparison with the spirit of devotion; yet as an outward indication of inward feeling is net altogether unimportant:--
(1) Elijahs attitude was the sign of reverence and humility: reverence is conspicuous in the prayers of the most devout.
(2) Listen to his petition. We hear not indeed the words, but we know the matter of his prayer. The land was desolate and the people ready to perish for lack of rain. Showers of blessing are wanting for the Church! Oh for the spirit of Elijah.
II. The prophets faith.
1. He expected the rain, although as yet there was no sign of its coming, and it had been withheld for more than three years. He says (1Ki_18:41), There is a sound of abundance of rain; but this was as yet only in the word of Gods promise.
2. He continued So expect although the fulfilment of the promise was long delayed. He said to his servant seven times:--Go again. Go again. It will come! God often tries faith and patience by delay.
III. The prophets success. (Homiletic Magazine.)
The rain
I. The object of his faith. To procure rain for the parched land. This was the one object upon which his mind was fixed, and which he was stimulated to seek by the promise of God.
II. The means by which he sought this object. He cast himself down, etc. The attitude of prayer. He might have been tempted to have left God to fulfil His own promise, but He did not. His faith was operative, and led him to pray earnestly for the object upon which it was fixed. True faith will always influence us to labour and to pray for its object.
III. The encouragement he received. A sound of abundance of rain
IV. The discouragement he met with. The servant returned from looking toward the sea and said there is nothing.
V. The perseverance he manifested. Go again seven times.
VI. The success he realised. And it came to pass, in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Perseverance is still rewarded by success, and by it Gods servants still honour Him whom they serve. (Thomas Carr.)
Rain at last
There are certain characteristics in Elijahs prayer which we must notice as we pass, because they should form part of all true prayer.
I. It was based on the promise of God. Gods promises are given, not to restrain, but to incite to prayer. They show the direction in which we may ask, and the extent to which we may expect an answer. They are the mould into which we may pour our fervid spirits without fear. They are the signed cheque, made payable to order, which we must endorse and present for payment. Though the Bible be crowded with golden promises from board to board, yet will they be inoperative until we turn them into prayer. We are content to pray, though we are as ignorant of the philosophy of the modus operandi of prayer, as we are of any natural law. We find it no dreamy reverie or sweet sentimentality, but a practical living force.
II. It was definite. This is where so many prayers fail. They are shot like arrows into the air. They are like letters which require no answer, because they ask for nothing. They are like the firing by artillery in a mimic fight, when only gunpowder is employed. This is why they are so wanting in power and interest.
III. It was earnest. Elijah prayed earnestly. This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle James. It was the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man, which availeth much.
IV. Elijahs prayer was humble. He cast himself down on the ground, and put his face between his knees. We scarcely recognize him, he seems to have lost his identity. Our only plea with God is the merit and blood of our great High Priest. It becomes us to be humble.
V. It was full of expecxtant faith. Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them: and ye shall have them. Faith is the indispensable condition of all true prayer. It is the gift of the Holy Ghost. It thrives by exercise. It grows strong by feeding on the promises: the Word of God is its natural food. It beat strongly in Elijahs heart.
VI. It was very persevering. He said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. How often have we sent the lad of eager desire to scan the horizon!--and how often has he returned with the answer, There is nothing! There is no tear of penitence in those hard eyes. There is no symptom of amendment in that wild life. There is no sign of deliverance in these sore perplexities. There is nothing. And because there is nothing when we have just begun to pray, we leave off praying. We leave the mountain brow. We do not know that Gods answer is even then upon the way. Not so with Elijah. And he said, Go again seven times. Not unfrequently our Father grants our prayer, and labels the answer for us; but He keeps it back, that we may be led on to a point of intensity, which shall bless our spirits for ever, and from which we shall never recede.
VII. And the prayer was abundantly answered. For weeks and months before, the sun had been gathering up from lake and river, from sea and ocean, the drops of mist, drawing them as clouds in coronets of glory around himself; and now the gale was bearing them rapidly towards the thirsty land of Israel. Presently the lad, from his tower of observation, beheld on the horizon a tiny cloud, no bigger than a mans hand, scudding across the sky. No more was needed to convince an Oriental that rain was near. It was, and is, the certain precursor of a sudden hurricane of wind and rain. More things are wrought by prayer than this world wots of. Why should not we learn and practise his secret? It is certainly within the reach of us all. Then we too might bring from heaven spiritual blessings, which should make the parched places of the church and the world rejoice and blossom as the rose. (F. B. Meyer, M. A.)
Elijah an example of the true spirit of prayer
I. The place whither Elijah went to seek him. He ascended to the top of Carmel! Here was a privacy remote from every eye, and well calculated to bring his mind into near and dear communion with God, after the public and awful duties in which he had been engaged--duties equally affecting the honour of Jehovah and the welfare of His people.
II. The prayer of Elijah seems to have been offered up in deep humility. He cast himself upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. Lowliness is the very essence of prayer--for what is prayer, except the souls confession of its unworthiness, its rebellion, its vileness, its helplessness, its merit of Gods wrath, arising out of a broken law and a neglect of all the blessings that are centred in Jesus, and that have been offered to and pressed upon its acceptance?
III. The prayer of Elijah is beautifully distinguished by a spirit of deep and settled earnestness. We do not hear a word spoken, nothing that interrupts the souls silent communion with God. We know not that a tear was shed, we know not that a sigh was uttered; yet have we obviously the supplication of one who wrestled with God, under an almost overwhelming sense of the momentous nature of the petition which he asked at Gods hand.
IV. He wrestled with God, as one who would take no denial.
V. Elijah, then, exhibited a full assurance of faith that his petition would be granted.
VI. Elijah exhibited a waiting spirit of supplication.
VII. The supplication of Elijah was distinguished by a watchful state of mind.
VIII. The prayer of Elijah was the pleading of a spirit capable of discovering an answer which common observation could not detect.
IX. The prayer of Elijah was one which served to strengthen him for duty. It did not suffice to send his servant, that Ahab might be warned, and proceed on his way. No, the prophet arose from his station and posture of lowliness on Mount Carmel, in joy and comfort, to do Jehovahs bidding, as Jehovahs prophet. The hand of the Lord was upon Elijah, and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab, to the entrance of Jezreel. (R. P. Buddicom, B. A.)
Persevering prayer
Gods seasons are not at your beck. If the first stroke of the flint doth not bring forth the fire, you must strike again. That is to say, God will hear prayer, but He may not answer it at the time which we in our own minds have appointed; He will reveal Himself to our seeking hearts, but not just when and where we have settled in our own expectations. Hence the need of perseverance and importunity in supplication. In the days of flint and steel and brimstone matches we had to strike and strike again, dozens of times, before we could get a spark to live in the tinder; and we were thankful enough if we succeeded at last. Shall we not be as persevering and hopeful as to heavenly things? We have more certainty of success in this business than we had with our flint and steel, for we have Gods promise at our back. Never let us despair. Gods time for mercy will come; yea, it has come, if our time for believing has arrived. Ask in faith, nothing wavering; but never cease from petitioning because the king delays to reply. Strike the steel again. Make the sparks fly and have your tinder ready: you will get a light before long. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Prayers for fire and for water
The prayer for fire was answered at once; the prayer for water was not. By putting the two instances together we shall see how they explain one another, and what a striking argument for their common probability is established. Notice as the fundamental fact that the prayer for fire was answered instantaneously, and that the prayer for water was not answered until it had been offered seven times.
1. There was an urgency in the one case which there was not in the other. The king was waiting; so were the prophets; so were the people; it is an unprecedented crisis in the history of the nation. In the case of the rain, the prophet was alone; no immediate expectancy on the part of the public was to be answered.
2. We are not to live in the unusual and the exciting, but in the ordinary and regular. It was good for Elijah himself to be taught that he was only a suppliant, not the Lord. God has always been sparing of His exceptional manifestations. Christ was sparing in His miracles: He never did them merely for the sake of doing them.
3. No human imagination would have risked such a conjunction of immediateness and delay as is given in this chapter. Such a contrary act on the part of God is a simple impossibility to the imagination. It amounts to what is called, sometimes foolishly, a discrepancy or contradiction. Yet it is the very law of the mystery of our life! We live it, but dare not imagine it! Great honours are followed by great reverses to keep us sober. Out of this reasoning comes the high probability of the historical and literal truthfulness of the whole narrative. Literary completeness there is none. No attempt is made to satisfy the suggestions of fancy. All tricks of management, all skill in artistic disposal of incident is ignored, and truth is left to attest and vindicate its reality. (J. Parker, D. D.)
The rustling and the rain
The solemn scenes Ahab had just witnessed would, we should think, have made the most flippant thoughtful, and earnest; but Ahab is unmoved. Get thee up, eat and drink, Elijah says to him. That is all he is fit for. He is quite ready for a good banquet; he would be out of his element at a prayer-meeting. In like manner there are some to-day who seem unmoved by any manifestations of Divine power. They pass out of church after listening to a most moving sermon, and merely complain of the length, or criticise the preachers style. Human nature, even when totally unregenerate, often manifests some traits that are noble and genuine. It is seldom so outrageously carnal and callous as Ahab seemed on this occasion. We turn with relief to Elijah. There is a sound of abundance of rain, he had said to Ahab. Perhaps he heard it only with the ear of the spirit by faith. But why should not Elijah also eat and drink? He was exhausted with the labour and strain of the day. Why not be content, now that he has heard the soughing in the trees, and just eat and drink until the rain fall? Because the rustling was not the rain, it was only the precursor of the rain, and a call to prayer. How often we hinder blessing through lack of prayer. We hear the rustling and we take our ease. If we waited without prayer for the fulfilment of the promise, it would seem as if we thought we had a right to the blessing. Once we begin to take our mercies as a matter of course, there is no blessing with them to our souls. So we find two features specially prominent in this prayer of Elijahs--his utter self-abasement before God and his believing perseverance. But why does not the first prayer prevail? It is good that our faith should be tested and our desires proved. It is well, too, that we should be taught our dependence upon God. Perhaps if our prayers were always answered at once we should seem rulers and commanders in the things of God, and forget our subordinate and dependent position. We might even make an idol of prayer, as the Israelites did of the brazen serpent, and look upon our prayers as a charm or divining red, giving us a legal claim upon the bounty of heaven. (F. S. Webster, M. A.)
The coming rain
I. The cause of the famine.
II. The cause of the rain.
1. Primary cause, Gods mercy. He seems to catch beforehand the sound of its footsteps (LXX.). But as the punishment was not brought about without the prophets intervention, so now the rain is to be hastened by his prayers.
2. What we may describe as the instrumental cause was Elijahs fervent supplications. It is the instance of the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availing much. He prayed again, and the heaven gave rain (Jam_5:16-18).
III. Lessons.
1. We learn from this lesson that prayer is of avail with regard to outward things.
2. We see clearly that it must be the prayer of faith, and not of human caprice, which is offered.
3. The lesson also warns us that national sins bring down national chastisements. (W. H. Hutchings, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain .- 1Ki_18:41-46
THE RAIN
.- 1Ki_18:41-46
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"Are there any of the vanities of the nations that can cause rain?"
- Jer_14:22
BUT the terrible excitement of the day was not vet over, nor was the victory completely won. The fire had flashed from heaven, but the long desired rain on which depended the salvation of land and people still showed no signs of falling. And Elijah was pledged to this result. Not until the drought ended could he reach the culmination of his victory over the sun-god of Jezebels worship.
But his faith did not fail him. "Get thee up," he said to Ahab, "eat and drink, for there is a sound of the feet of the rain-storm." Doubtless through all that day of feverish anxiety, neither king nor people, nor prophet had eaten. As for the Prophet, but little sufficed him at any time, and the slaughter of the defeated priests would not prevent either king or people from breaking their long fast. Doubtless the kings tent was pitched on one of the slopes over the plain. But Elijah did not join him. He heard, indeed, with prophetic ear the rush of the coming rain, but he had still to wrestle in prayer with Jehovah for the fulfillment of His promise. So he ascended towards the summit of the promontory where the purple peak of Carmel-still called Jebel Mar Elias ("the hill of Lord Elijah")-overlooks the sea, and there he crouched low on the ground in intense prayer, putting his face between his knees. After his first intensity of supplication had spent itself, he said to his boy attendant, traditionally believed to have been the son of the widow of Zarephath whom he had plucked from death:-"Go up now, look towards the sea."
The youth went up, and gazed out long and intently, for he well knew that if rain came it would sweep inland from the waters of the Mediterranean, and to an experienced eye the signals of coming storm are patent long before they are noticed by others. But all was as it had been for so many weary and dreadful months. The sea a sheet of unruffled gold glared under the setting sun, which still sank through an unclouded sky. Can we not imagine the accent of misgiving and disappointment with which he brought back the one word:-"Nothing."
Once more the Prophet bowed his face between his knees in prayer, and sent the youth; and again, and yet again, seven times. And each time had come to him the chilling answer, "Nothing." But the seventh time he called out from the mountain summit his joyous cry: "Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a mans hand."
And now, indeed, Elijah knew that his triumph was completed. He bade his servant fly with winged speed to Ahab, and tell him to make ready his chariot at once, lest the burst of the coming rain should flood the river and the road, and prevent him from getting over the rough ground which lay between him and his palace at Jezreel.
Then the blessed storm burst on the parched soil with a sense of infinite refreshfulness which only an Eastern in a thirsty land can fully comprehend. And Ahab mounted his chariot. He had not driven far before the heaven, which had for so long been like brass over an iron globe, was one black mass of clouds driven by the wind, and the drenching rain poured down in sheets. And through the storm the chariot swept, and Elijah girded up his loins, and, filled with a Divine impulse of exultation, ran before it, keeping pace with the kings steeds for all those fifteen miles, even after the overwhelming strain of all he had gone through, apparently without food, that day. And as through the rifts of rain the king saw his wild dark figure outrunning his swift steeds, and seeming "to dilate and conspire" with the rushing storm, can we wonder that the tears of remorse and gratitude streamed down his face?
The chariot reached Jezreel and at the city gate. Elijah stopped. Like his antitype, the great forerunner, Elijah was a voice in the wilderness; like his Lord that was to be, he loved not cities. The instinct of the Bedawin kept him far from the abodes of men, and his home was never among them. He needed no roof to shelter him, nor change of raiment. The hollows of Mount Gilboa were his sufficient resting place, and he could find a sleeping place in the caves near its abundant Eastern spring. Nor was he secure of safety. He knew in spite of his superhuman victory, that a dark hour awaited Ahab when he would have to tell Jezebel that the people had repudiated her idol, and that Elijah had slain her four hundred and fifty priests. He knew "that axe-like edge unturnable" which always smote and feared not. Ahab was but as plastic clay in the strong hands of his queen, and for her there existed neither mystery nor miracle except in the worship of the insulted Baal. Was not Baal, she said, the real sender of the rain, on whose priests this fanatic from rude Gilead had wrought his dreadful sacrifice? Oh that she could have been for one hour on Carmel in the place of her vacillating and easily daunted husband! For was she not convinced, and did not the pagan historian afterwards relate, that the ending of the drought was due to the prayers and sacrifices, not of Elijah, but of her own father who was Baals priest and king?
Yet, for all her spirit of defiance, we can hardly doubt that the feelings of Jezebel towards Elijah had much of dread mingled with her hatred. She must have felt towards him much as Mary Queen of Scots felt towards John Knox-of whom she said that she feared his prayers more than an army of one hundred thousand men.
"May we really venture," asks Canon Cheyne, "to look out for answer to prayer? Did not Elijah live in the heroic ages of faith? No; God still works miracles. Take an instance from the early history of Christian Europe. You know the terror excited by the Huns, who in the sixth century after Christ penetrated into the very heart of Christian France. Already they had occupied the suburbs of Orleans, and the people who were incapable of bearing arms lay prostrate in prayer. The governor sent a messenger to observe from the ramparts. Twice he looked in vain, but the third time he reported a small cloud on the horizon."
"It is the aid of God," cried the Bishop of Orleans. It was the dust raised by the advancing squadrons of Christian troops.
A much nearer parallel, and that a very remarkable one, may be quoted. It records-and the fact itself, explain it how men will, seems to be unquestionable-how a storm of rain came to answer the prayer of a good leader of the Evangelical Revival-Grimshaw, rector of Haworth. Distressed at the horrible immoralities introduced among his parishoners by some local races, and wholly failing to get them stopped, he went to the racecourse, and, flinging himself on his knees in an agony of supplication, entreated God to interpose and save his people from their moral danger. He had scarcely ceased his prayer when down rushed a storm of rain so violent as to turn the racecourse into a swamp, and render the projected races a matter of impossibility.
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain 1Ki_18:41. Sound of abundance of rain—The cause of the…
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.—
1Ki_18:41. Sound of abundance of rain—The cause of the curse of drought being now removed, the blessing came quick.
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1Ki_18:42. Cast himself down upon the earth—Betook himself to prayer. This kept him from becoming elate, and indicated his deep concern for the mercy of God to come upon the stricken land.
1Ki_18:46. Hand of the Lord—Supernatural energy, and a Divine ecstacy. Entrance of Jezreel—Where Ahab had a summer palace (1Ki_21:1).—W. H. J.
HOMILETICS OF 1Ki_18:41-46
SUGGESTIVE PHASES OF THE PRAYING SPIRIT
I. It is quick to perceive the indications of coming blessing (1Ki_18:41). “There is a sound of abundance of rain.” To the keen, sensitive ears of the prophet, the splash of the long-wished for rain was already falling on the parched soil, and roaring along the hitherto empty torrent beds. He heard in reality, or by anticipation, the gentle wind sighing through the forest of Carmel, and waving the tree tops which have been poetically spoken of as so many bell summoning this lone worshipper to prayer: and in the East the wind is the precursor of the approaching shower. A certain Polish Jew, whose great musical genius raised him to eminence and wealth, had become so familiar with the different kinds of wood of which he made his flutes and reeds when in the capacity of a poor shepherd, that he knew every tree of the forest by the peculiarity of its sound. So, long practice in prayer sharpens every sensibility of the soul, and familiarizes it with the faintest indications, unheard by other ears, of the nearness and character of advancing benedictions.
II. It seeks retirement (1Ki_18:42). “Elijah went up to the top of Carmel.” Leaving Ahab to take his meal at the place where the sacrifice had been consumed, the prophet ascended not quite to the highest elevation, as appears from his words to his servant (1Ki_18:43), but to a point little below the highest, whence the sea was not visible. He needed to retire only a short distance to the West, and there, on the slope just below the summit, sequestered by bushes and trees, such as are still to be found there, he could pour out his heart to God in secret. Devotion needs times of quietness and solitude in order to store up spiritual strength for the bustle and conflict of life. How often is it said of the great prophet of mankind that “he went up into a mountain apart to pray!” And all who would catch his spirit and tone, in however humble a degree, must seek it in private communion (Mat_6:6).
III. It has ever some special subject for personal supplication. Elijah had prayed before that it might not rain, and a prolonged period of drought and famine was the answer. But now the great burden of his prayer was for the rain that had been so long withheld (Jas_5:17-18).
1. This supplication was intensely earnest. “He cast himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees” (1Ki_18:42), by this unusual attitude indicating the extraordinary intensity of his prayer. The highest results of prayer can be attained only by fervent, agonising efforts. The greatness of the blessing sought stimulates the urgency of the petitioner.
2. This supplication was persevering (1Ki_18:43). “Go again seven times.” There was spiritual discipline here. Delaying is not denying. The blessing is withheld, partly to certify the fact that it comes from God, to show the necessity of hourly dependence, and to teach that, whatever apparent difficulties there may be in the way, “men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Six times the messenger returned with the disappointing intelligence, “There is nothing”; but the Tishbite’s faith was undaunted; he had unswerving confidence in the prayer hearing God. Though he had the definite promise of God that rain should be sent (1Ki_18:1), and had caught with prophetic instinct the precursive sign of its coming (1Ki_18:41), yet he continued pleading with unabated earnestness. Persevering prayer wins the victory.
IV. It is privileged to witness substantial answers to prayer (1Ki_18:44-45). “A speck at length darkens the distant heavens.
Comes a vapour from the margin, blackening over heath and holt,
Cramming all the blast before it, in its breast a thunderbolt.
It is the first that has been seen for three years and a half. It is abundantly visible in a sky which too clear, like a too beautiful cheek, tells there is surely something wrong. It rises higher and higher—it becomes broader and broader—it moves with amazing celerity. The glow of the sunset is lost in gloom. Long raven wings are extended all over the hill. The banks of the Kishon put on a ghastlier hue. It breaks; and there, amid a hoarse thanksgiving murmur from the forest around, rains down the grateful deluge—token that the prayers of the bent prophet have been graciously heard, and that his victory over Baal is now, in fire and water, visibly complete.” Few of God’s praying people but can refer to some period in their history when their prayers were answered with overwhelming copiousness.
V. It is the best preparation for active and important service (1Ki_18:46). Divinely directed and divinely upheld, Elijah, instead of resting after the excitement and fatigues of the day, girded up his loins, and ran in advance of the king’s chariot, which was no doubt driven at speed, the entire distance of at least sixteen miles to the entrance of Jezreel. He thus showed himself ready to countenance and uphold the irresolute monarch, if he would turn from his evil courses, and proceed to carry out the religious reformation which the events of the day had inaugurated (Speaker’s Comm.). The stern and fiery-spirited prophet was, after all, a faithful and obedient subject; though severe in matters of religion, he was constitutional and loyal in matters of state. His aim was, not to injure king or people, but to defend and restore the worship of the God of Israel. Praying and working must never be disjoined. The best work is done by him who prays the best.
LESSONS:—
1. Some characters would have no greatness at all if it were not for their spirit of prayer.
2. Prayer should not be less, but more, earnest because of the evident approach of the answer.
3. Prayer is absolutely essential for efficiency in all Christian work.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ki_18:41-46. The rain. In this incident Elijah reaches the great crisis of his life. It was to him a time of suspense and anxiety. He would wonder whether God would now hear him by sending rain, as He had recently done by sending fire. If God should answer him this time, then his great work would be accomplished, and he should experience the joy of success. It was for this hour he had been living during the last few years. This was to be the crowning point of his life—that point in which the past and the future meet—when his soul would be filled with anxiety and concern as to the issue. Such were the feelings with which Elijah for the second time ascended Carmel to seek the manifestation of God’s presence and power. Notice—
I. The object of his faith. To procure rain for the parched land Let us learn from his example to keep a clearly defined object before our faith. With regard to God—His fatherhood, His mercy and love, His nearness to us and readiness to help: with regard to our life—the conquering of sinful temper or passion, the increase of holiness and devotedness to God: with regard to our work—in the family, in the Sunday school class, in the pulpit.
II. The means by which he sought this object. The attitude of prayer. He might have been tempted to have left God to fulfil His own promise, but he did not. His faith was operative, and led him to pray earnestly. True faith will always influence us to labour and pray for its object. III The encouragement he received. “A sound of abundance of rain.” This was an indication of God’s nearness to him, and a token that his prayer would be answered. This sound, in all likelihood, was heard only by himself. And so is it ever with the man who has strong faith in God, and who lives in close union and intimate fellowship with Him. He has visions of God unseen by others. It is by such tokens that he is sustained and stimulated in the work God has given him to do.
IV. The discouragement he met with. “There is nothing.” He hoped for intelligence of the clouds rising and bearing in their bosoms the plentiful showers; but there was no sign of them. The discouragement came to Elijah from the servant and the circumstances of the case; not from God—from Him he received encouragement and stimulus. Like the prophet, we receive discouragement every day from men and from circumstances. From men and things we receive constant disappointment; but from God we receive no disappointment—He never fails.
V. The perseverance he manifested. “Go again seven times.” Many a one would have grown weary on being told by the servant two or three times, “There is nothing.” But Elijah was not to be turned aside from his object by having to wait. He continues to watch and pray. While doing so he was the object of conflicting influences, of a discouraging and encouraging character; but by the assistance of the latter he was enabled to overcome the former, and to persevere. Like him we are exposed to the two classes of influences, but we are encouraged to persevere.
VI. The success realized. “There was a great rain.” Though he had to wait, yet God heard him. Who can imagine the feeling of joy that would rush into the prophet’s heart as he received the answer to his prayer? His character as a true prophet would be established, and God would be honoured by the steadfastness and perseverance of His servant.—The Study and Pulpit.
1Ki_18:41-42. Wretched man! He was no more touched by the great, heart searching events of the day, than if he had witnessed an interesting but very long play, after which refreshment is most welcome, and food tastes well. Yet where are not such Ahab souls to be found? Ah! woe to you who permit the strongest evidences, the most powerful appeals to conscience, and the most touching works of God, to glide before you like a magic-lantern before your eyes: you enjoy it a little, perhaps, but you bring home from the churches and meetings nothing except some complaints over the long divine service, or some matter for lively conversation or self-satisfied criticism, and a good appetite for the meal that now follows, and a gay looking forward to the pleasures and enjoyment which the evening of the Sabbath day will bring you. Who has greater cause than Ahab to seek solitude, fall down upon his knees and say, God be merciful to me, and blot out my sins after Thy great mercy, and make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us (Psa_51:3; Psa_90:15). But of all this, not a word. The rain alone was of importance to him, not the Lord and His mercy. How many like-minded ones in our day!—Krummacher.
1Ki_18:41. The sensitiveness of faith.
1. Is on the alert for answers to prayer.
2. Is conscious of the nearness of great blessings.
3. Prepares the soul for the reception and use of heavenly visitations.
4. Gives additional urgency to prayer.
—No ears but Elijah’s could as yet perceive a sound of rain: the clouds were not yet gathered, the vapours were not yet risen, yet Elijah hears that which shall be. Those that are of God’s counsel can discern either favours or judgments afar off. The slack apprehensions of carnal hearts make them hard to believe that as future which the quick and refined senses of the faithful perceive as present.—Bp. Hall.
—Glad and grateful must that moment have been to the many thousands of Israel, when the gasping earth that had for three long years suffered in dumb agony, drank in the refreshing flood of God; when the true church, who had beheld in that sky of brass and these furrows of iron the visible tokens of the Divine curse, now witnessed the heavens unfolding their black, inky scroll, with the joyful tidings that the curse was removed! Can we participate in this joy in a loftier spiritual sense? Do we see the curse of sin taken away; God propitiated; and from the rain with which He is filling the pools, are we drawing all needful supplies for our parched souls? If we are drooping and desponding; if our cry is, “My flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is”; we again echo Elijah’s words, “Get thee up, for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” Our privileges are many. The spirit of God is ever and anon moving “on the tops of the mulberry trees.” The small clouds have been rising, and copious showers have fallen. Go, get thee, like Elijah, get thee to the oratory, pray that the cloud may spread, that it may stretch across the heavens!—Macduff.
1Ki_18:42-43. Elijah praying. We propose to consider the conduct of Elijah as suggestive of important lessons to the people of God in reference to a subject which claims their utmost solicitude, namely, the descent of spiritual blessing, the coming of a gracious rain upon the church and the world. Mark—I. The circumstances by which Elijah’s prayer is distinguished.
1. The place to which he resorted. He “went up to the top of Carmel.” It was a place of privacy, retirement, seclusion. Hence we read of those who did “hide themselves in the top of Carmel” (Amo_9:3). It is by secret prayer manifestations of power and blessing are secured, and revivals ushered in. “Come! my people! enter into thy chambers, and shut thy door about thee!” “Enter into thy closet,” &c. (Mat_6:6).
2. The attitude he assumed. “He cast himself down upon the earth,” &c. Indicative of reverence, humility, fervour. Our prayers should be thus distinguished. Think of the majesty of the Being we address; the disparity existing between ourselves and Him; the infinite importance of the blessings sought (Isa_6:3; Gen_19:27; Exo_3:5).
3. The faith which he exercised. That for which Elijah prayed, God had promised (1Ki_18:1). The promise of God is faith’s warrant. Prayer is the condition, the promise, the encouragement (Eze_30:3-7). Elijah believed God; hence he “said to his servant, Go up now, and look toward the sea,” whence clouds and vapours usually arise. Oh! how unlike Elijah have we frequently been! How does his conduct proclaim, “Have faith in God.”
4. The perseverance he manifested. Six times he sent his servant up the hill, and he sees nothing, brings no good news to his master; yet Elijah continues praying. Like his father Jacob, his conduct says, “I will not let thee go unless Thou bless me.” (See 1Ki_17:21; Psa_80:5-7; Psa_90:13-16.) Delays are not denials. “Though the vision tarry, wait for it.” Send your prayers up the hill of Zion, not seven times, but seventy times seven. Though the cloud cannot be seen, the promise can.
“Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees,
And looks to that alone.”
II. The success with which Elijah’s prayer was crowned.
1. And it came to pass at the seventh time (44, 45). The cloud was small at first; but it was the precursor of “a great rain.”
2. Every succeeding age has supplied examples equally remarkable. The disciples in the “upper room”; Cornelius at Cæsarea; Paul and Silas at Philippi; Peter in prison, &c.
3. Other instances besides those which the inspired record supplies—e.g., the Reformation of the sixteenth century; the Wesleys at Oxford; the Revival in America and Ireland in 1857; personal history. You prayed till you could praise—the blessing came, &c. III. The encouragement which Elijah’s servant, and that of past ages, supplies to the church of the present day. Seen in the unchangeable character of God. “I am the Lord, I change not.” What He was to Elijah on Mount Carmel, He is to us.
2. The unalterable efficacy of prayer. It is still the way of approach, the medium of success, the hand which moves the arm which moves the world.
3. The immutability of God’s promises. The great rain which is to precede the world’s harvest is the subject of explicit promise (see Isa_44:3; Joe_2:29; Psa_72:6-8; Num_14:21).—The Lay Preacher.
1Ki_18:42. The worldly and the religions spirit—a contrast.
1. The worldly spirit finds relief in festivity; the religious spirit in prayer.
2. The worldly spirit is but temporarily affected by the most imposing spectacles of divine power; the religious spirit bows in reverence and humility before God.
3. The worldly spirit is more intent in looking for temporal results; the religious spirit for spiritual reformation.
1Ki_18:43-44. All that while is the prophet in his prayers, neither is any whit undaunted with that delay. Hope holds up the head of our holy desires, and perseverance crowns it. If we receive not an answer to our suits at the sixth motion, we may not be out of countenance, but must try the seventh. At last a little cloud arises out of the sea—a handbreadth. So many, so fervent prayers cannot but pull water out of heaven as well as fire: those sighs reflect upon the earth, and from the earth reflect upon heaven, from heaven rebound upon the sea, and raise vapours up thence to heaven again. If we find that our prayers are heard for the substance, we may not cavil at the quantity. From how small beginnings have great matters arisen! It is no otherwise in all the gracious proceedings of God with the soul. Scarce sensible are these first works of His spirit in the heart which grow up at last to the wonder of men and applause of angels.—Bp. Hall.
1Ki_18:43. “There is nothing.” A common verdict.
1. Of the world concerning the church. 2. Of the church concerning the world.
3. Of the disappointed worshipper concerning idolatry.
4. Of the baffled inquirer concerning infidelity.
5. Of the surfeited votary concerning pleasure.
—Oftentimes we look in vain, and yet see nothing of the comfort of the Lord, nothing of His help and salvation. He leaves us awhile prostrated in dust and misery, does not at once, hearkening and comforting, raise us up, but appears as if the voice of our crying reached Him not. But if we do not lose our confidence in Him, if we re double our prayers and entreaties, He will not let us be ashamed (Isa_49:23). He will comfort, help, and hearken to us at His own, the best time. A man must not weary of prayer, even though it appears to him useless (Jer_18:1; Col_4:2; Eph_6:1).—Menken.
—“Go again seven times.” Here was an act of faith on Elijah’s part, and on that of his servant, and also a prophecy. The cloud, which promised the long expected rain, appeared at the seventh time. The walls of Jericho fell down after they had been compassed seven times, on the seventh day (Jos_6:15-20). Naaman was cleansed after he had washed seven times (2Ki_5:14). There are seventy-seven generations from Adam to Christ.—Wordsworth.
1Ki_18:44-45. All the merciful works of God seem small and unimportant in the beginning, but thence they are seen to be nobler and greater in the end. Let the man rejoice who sees even so much as a little cloud of divine mercy and peace arising upon the horizon of his life! The time approaches when this cloud will cover his whole heaven. When the hour strikes, help comes in with mighty power; and, to put thy mistrust to shame, it must come unexpectedly.—Lange.
1Ki_18:44. “There ariseth a little cloud like a man’s hand.” The gradual development of the greatest good.
1. In the world of nature.
2. In the world of mind.
3. In the spiritual sphere.
4. In the aggregate of national life.
5. In the conversion of the world to Christianity.
1Ki_18:46. Divine strength.
1. Increases the capacity for physical endurance.
2. Makes us willing to occupy the humblest position to gain over the morally weak.
3. Prepares us for future obedience and service.
—The picture of the fleet runner is suggestive to the Christian of many profitable thoughts, and chiefly of this, that loyalty to God is simply “running in the way of His commandments.” And with this let nothing interfere. Let us run in the right spirit, stripped of every encumbrance, with concentration of purpose, in humble reliance on God. Elijah-like, in the way, His strength and support shall never be wanting; for, “the hand of the Lord” shall be on us; and then, in the end, we shall have, what at least at Jezreel Elijah had not, the chaplet of glory to crown our brow. There is an old eastern tale of the swift Persian Shatirs. To one his sovereign had promised the hand of a princess if he accomplished in running a certain feat. Girt as tightly as possible, when to stoop was death, he ran for miles like a gazelle in front of the royal train. Alarmed at his success, and fearing the promise would have to be kept, the monarch dropped his whip; but, scarce pausing in his progress, the adroit, skilful runner picked it up with his foot. Next the monarch dropped his ring, and finding that that he could not recover with his foot, the runner exclaimed, “O King, you have broken your word, but I am true to the last”—stooped to the ground, picked up the ring with his finger, gave a deep groan of pain, fell down, and expired. But with God and the runner in the Christian race there is no deceit. He who has said, “So run that ye may obtain,” will confer the mark of the high calling of God on the humblest who reaches the goal at the last.—Howat.
—Elijah, a true shepherd, he goes after the lost sheep, and leaves them not when he sees the wolf coming; but the Lord, who is neither weary nor faint, giveth power and strength to the faint, and to them that have no might, so that no way is too far, no toil too heavy.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 there is the sound of much rain
there is the sound of much rain
"it sounds like it is going to rain a lot"
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bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees
This describes a posture used for praying.
translationWords
Ahab
Carmel
bow
earth
face
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 18:41-45 The servant . . . saw a little…
18:41-45 The servant . . . saw a little cloud on the horizon that appeared to be the size of a hand. Yet it heralded the approach of a terrific rainstorm.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.