Elijah

June 12

1 Kings 17:1-7

Not a drop!

After the death of King Solomon, his kingdom was divided and ruled by two kings. Jeroboam ruled the ten tribes of Israel in the North, while Rehoboam the son of Solomon, ruled Judah’s two tribes in the South.

After a number of kings had come and gone, Ahab became king of Israel. He sinned even more than the kings before him and married a wicked woman named Jezebel. Ahab and Jezebel worshipped the heathen god Baal.

Elijah, a prophet of God, said to King Ahab, “In the name of the living God of Israel, I tell you that there will be no dew or rain for the next few years.”

Then the Lord told Elijah to go east and hide near the brook Kerith. “You can drink from this brook,” the Lord said, “and I have commanded ravens to bring you food.”

Elijah obeyed the Lord and went to the brook. There, the ravens brought Elijah bread and meat every morning and every evening.

Can one leader cause everyone to suffer?

We have many examples of how one person—a powerful leader—can cause much suffering and hardship in a country. Many of the great wars have been started by the decision of a single person, and thousands of people have been killed because of the stubbornness and greed of one person. King Ahab’s sin caused many to follow his bad example of idolatry and this brought on a drought and much suffering.

In some cases, the people themselves chose their leader—not knowing how he would turn out. We should remember to pray for our leaders so that they will let God lead them (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

Verse for today

Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this. Jeremiah 14:22