Elijah the Weatherman

When Elijah the Tishbite  steps onto the scene, he doesn’t step into a vacuum.  The religious and political panorama is already in place – Israel’s history has been marked by steady decline and deflection from following the Lord, the God of Abraham, Moses and David.

This, of course, doesn't indicate that the Lord has changed. He is still as real and as present, as true to His word as He always has been. It’s just that His people choose to ignore Him, stop listening to His voice, busying themselves with micromanaging the gods they can manipulate and control..

When Jeroboam introduced the religion of convenience and gave a full-fledged endorsement to the substitute worship, people ate it up.  

By the time king Ahab came on the scene, the false religion was a booming business. His marriage to Jezebel, the Sidonian king’s daughter, opened the door to a thriving market of imported gods. There are prophets galore announcing messages of peace and prosperity everyone likes to hear.

Until Elijah knocks on the king’s door and brings this arid thunderbolt statement.

The LORD, the God of Israel is alive. 

He is not dead. He is not asleep.  He has not changed. He is alive. He rules. Just because you ignore Him, cranking out idols according to your fancy, doesn't change the fact that He is here.

I stand before Him.

I am His servant. He sent me. I didn't come to you on my own initiative. Even though I stand before you o King, more importantly I stand before the King of Kings and God of Gods.

 And, by the way, there will be no rain until I say so. No. Rain. Not a single drop.

From that day on, for the next three and a half years, when the Israelites tuned into the Weather Channel, it was the replay of the same message.

No rain. No. Rain.  Nope. Not again. Sorry, no rain in the forecast.