August 5 God Alone

1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." 

AS we ended our study of Ezekiel yesterday, I'd like to pause a moment to remind you of the journey we began as we started Ezekiel. It was about May 1 when I indicated we would study “5 E's” of the Bible. Although there are others "E's" we could include, the ones I will focus on are Ezekiel, Elijah, Elisha, Esther and Ephesians. The overall purpose is to show you how God used the ministries of these 3 Prophets, of Esther and of the Apostle Paul to teach us of sin's penalty and salvation's glory.

            Now we go to the Prophet Elijah. The "jah" of Elijah is short for Yahweh, referring to God's supreme existence. Our word "Lord" has similar meaning as we name God with a word that reminds us he is our all-in-all, the "I AM" as he declared to Moses in Exodus 3.

            Elijah ministered 250 years before Ezekiel. In the power of God, he spoke into the lives of Ahab and Jezebel, husband and wife. They ruled Israel, the Northern Kingdom from 874-853 BC. We see what Elijah was up against in Ahab, who is described in 1 Kings 16:30-32 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.

            As every king of Israel, Ahab ignored God's commands regarding God's commands for worship and marriage. Ahab, sadly, was a liar and a thief, the kind of shepherd that destroys his sheep as Jesus describes in John 10. Evil ruled Ahab; yet, God mercifully sent Elijah to speak into Ahab's sin and call him to repentance.

            To punish Ahab's and Israel's evil, the Lord sends Elijah to proclaim drought upon the land. Needless to say, Elijah becomes Ahab's enemy. At the outset of his ministry, Elijah's life is in jeopardy. We'll see how God cares for his Prophet. We'll see God's glory come forth in the power of Elijah to proclaim Yahweh alone is the true eternal God. He alone is Lord, worthy to be worshiped.

Prayer: Lord God, you are Almighty, the eternal God, who cares for our every need. Keep our hearts tuned to worship only you. In Jesus' name, amen.