19 Sept. 1 Kings 18:41-46

19 Sept.  Elijah prophesies the end of the drought

“Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Now, go, eat and drink, because a heavy rain is coming.’ So King Ahab went to eat and drink.”

“At the same time Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bent down to the ground with his head between his knees. Then Elijah said to his servant, ‘Go and look towards the sea.’ The servant went and looked. ‘I see nothing', he said.”

“Elijah told him to go and look again. This happened seven times. The seventh time, the servant said, ‘I see a small cloud, the size of a human fist, coming from the sea.’”

“Elijah told the servant, ‘Go to Ahab and tell him to get his chariot ready and go home now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him.’”

“After a short time the sky was covered with dark clouds. The wind began to blow, and soon a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel.”

“The LORD gave his power to Elijah, who tightened his clothes around him and ran ahead of King Ahab all the way to Jezreel.”

          (1 Kings 18:41-46)

 

 

With the people recognising the LORD, the God of Israel, as the one true God (and having put the prophets of Baal to death in the valley of the River Kishon), Elijah told King Ahab that the drought would now end. He told Ahab to eat and drink “because a heavy rain is coming.” (1 Kings 18:41)

Elijah then climbed again to the top of Mt Carmel, and instructed his servant to look west out across the Mediterranean Sea. The servant could see no sign of clouds coming in from the sea. Elijah repeated his request until, the seventh time he looked out the servant saw a small cloud on the horizon.

Elijah then instructed his servant to tell Ahab to return to Jezreel before heavy rain bogged down his chariot in the valley of the River Kishon.

Soon a storm blew up. The wind began to blow and heavy rain began to fall. King Ahab set off in his chariot, while the LORD gave Elijah the power to run ahead of the chariot all the way to Jezreel (see 10 on the map on 15 September).

Today, visitors to Mount Carmel can look east across the River Kishon and the Vale of Jezreel, and west towards the Mediterranean Sea from the Carmelite monastery at Daliyet el Carmel. Inside the chapel is a replica of the stone altar that Elijah built to make his sacrifice to God. Above the altar, Elijah is depicted praying beneath a locust bean (carob) tree.

The photo (by Hanay) shows the view looking out towards the Mediterranean Sea from Mount Carmel.

You can read more about Mount Carmel @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/biblejourney2/32-the-divided-kingdom-amp-journey-into-exile/elijah-challenges-the-prophets-of-baal/

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