Word of Encouragement (05/23/2024)
And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." (1 Kings 18:36-37)
Having addressed God as “LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,” Elijah proceeds to pray to God. He petitioned God to answer him twice (v. 37). He didn’t spell it out but we know what he was asking for: he was asking God to send down fire from heaven and consume the sacrifice despite all the water that was poured out on it. This was only a means, of course. He wanted this demonstration of God’s existence and power so that the people of Israel might know “that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word..., and that you have turned their hearts back.”
That was all Elijah had to do. Soon after he prayed, “the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (v. 38). What a stark contrast. The prophets of Baal, 450 of them(!), spent almost the whole day crying out to their God. Despite their loud prayers and self-mutilation, there was no response from their god all day long. But when Elijah uttered these simple words, the fire of the Lord came down from heaven and consumed not only the burnt offering but also the altar and the water that was poured out on it.
When the people witnessed this impressive sight, “they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God’” (v. 39). Elijah’s prayer was answered right away. The people could not deny that the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel was the true God. As they acknowledged this truth, Elijah ordered the prophets of Baal to be seized and slaughtered at the brook Kishon.
Thomas Watson suggests that the water that was poured out on the altar represented the corruption of our hearts. If so, we can see that the setup—the altar made with twelves stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob (v. 31) and the water poured on it three times—was a visual representation of the Israelites’ spiritual condition. The water poured out on the altar three times showed how much they were corrupted by sin, rebellion, and unbelief. They could not offer proper sacrifice of worship apart from the fire from heaven (i.e., the Holy Spirit). Elijah’s prayer was to have what happened to the altar happen to the people of Israel. This prayer was ultimately answered when Jesus Christ came and poured out the Holy Spirit after His death, resurrection, and ascension. May the Spirit of sanctification burn away all the water of corruption and help us to live as a living sacrifice!