Title Until the fire goes out
Contents
The content of this text is very famous.
A battle between 850 Baal and Asherah prophets and Elijah took place on Mount Carmel.
In the end, God sent a fire in the center of Elijah's burnt offering, and the idolaters died.
Who was Elijah who took up this amazing work?
1 Kings 17:1 introduces Elijah by saying, “Among those who sojourned in Gilead, Elijah the Tishphite...” The exact location of Tishep is not known enough to be divided among scholars.
It is usually said that the northern part of Gilead is mountainous.
It was an ordinary unknown person in an unknown area, an unknown area.
But his ministry was not ordinary.
Because he was influenced by God and ruled by God.
1 Kings 17:1 “As the LORD, the God of Israel whom I serve, lives…”
Verse 37 says, “Answer me, O LORD! I pray earnestly, “Answer me!” and that prayer is answered immediately.
What did Elijah do to get an immediate answer?
First, there was the restoration of worship.
The content of verses 30-35 in the text is to rebuild the altar of the Lord that has been destroyed, and to build the altar of burnt offerings according to God's ordinances.
Then pour 12 buckets of water around it.
This is worship to God and means restoration.
Worship is offering to God.
To stand before Almighty God as a perfect worshiper before Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins.
If so, you must come before God with the most precious thing.
In this context, water was the most precious thing.
If it had not rained for three and a half years and the whole land was dry, would the king of a nation have gone out to seek water? (1 Kings 18:5)
This precious water was poured into the ditch to overflow.
Verse 35, “And the water ran throughout the altar, and the trenches were filled with water.
Another meaning is that there is nothing impossible for man and nothing that God cannot do.
Now Elijah is fighting a duel with fire coming down from the sky, plus water, not flammable material.
This is Elijah's gag.
Look!
Even if you pour water on it, the power of God will burn it all up!
That's right.
In the end, fire comes down in response.
Verse 38: “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water in the trench.”
Elijah's faith in God was revealed among all the people when the fire came down, and in the midst of God's greatness, idolaters trembled and died in Kishon Creek.
I prayed for the second time.
Verse 36, “When it came to the time of the offering of the evening meal offering, the prophet Elijah came and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I do all these things according to your word.”
Elijah prays.
I prayed, but the content was not for my own comfort and heroism, but to make them know that I am God in Israel, that I am a servant of the Lord, and that I do all things according to your word.
It was a prayer to seek the will of God and the kingdom of God.
We often make the mistake of seeking our will as if it were God's by being too motivated to pray.
Such prayer experiences that the content of prayer is changed to the content that God wants as the answer to such prayer is delayed or the prayer deepens.
Everyone!
Do you want your prayers to be answered?
Seek God's will and go ahead.
Just as God answered Elijah's prayer with fire, He will answer your prayers.
We want the restoration of worship and the knee of prayer in accord with God's will to be in our lives.
Then the scorching flames on Mount Carmel will burn in the hearts and lives of me and all of us today.