1 Kings 18:41

GOD SENT RAIN IN ANSWER TO ELIJAH'S PRAYER

"And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked, and said there is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in a little while, that the heavens were black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel: and the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel."

"Get thee up, eat and drink" (1 Kings 18:41). From this, it is clear that Ahab had witnessed the slaughter of the priests of Baal at the foot of Carmel, and apparently there had been some kind of a reconciliation between Elijah and Ahab, as evidenced by the fact that Elijah had acquired a servant (most probably from Ahab). Elijah might have had high hopes at that moment that Ahab would reverse his apostate behavior. This admonition from Elijah to Ahab was obviously friendly; and Ahab heeded it.

"And he bowed himself down to the earth ... put his face between his knees" (1 Kings 18:42). This was the prophet's posture in prayer. God did not answer his prayer for rain instantly, but Elijah kept on praying, in full faith that God would hear.

"That the rain stop thee not" (1 Kings 18:44). All watercourses would soon be at flood stage.

"And the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah" (1 Kings 18:46). This is a reference to the sudden miraculous endowment of Elijah with the physical ability to run ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to Jezreel. We encountered a number of such supernatural endowments of God's servants in the Book of Judges, as for example, when Samson carried away the gates of the city of Gaza (Judges 16:3). "The nearest point of Carmel is about 17 miles from Jezreel; and Elijah's feat of running that distance ahead of the king's chariot was proof of his Divine inspiration, like the exploits of Samson."[24]

Whatever the hopes of Elijah might have been as he thus conducted Ahab into Jezreel, his euphoria was fated to encounter a shocking reversal. One word with Jezebel, and Ahab reverted to his total apostasy from God.