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Reading: 1Kings
16:29-18:15; Psalm 51:10-12; Proverbs 13:4
In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of
Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned
over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Now Ahab the son of
Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were
before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial
thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of
the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.
Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he
had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did
more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the
kings of Israel who were before him. In his days Hiel of Bethel
built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn,
and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according
to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through
Joshua the son of Nun. And Elijah the Tishbite, of the
inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of
Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor
rain these years, except at my word."
Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Get away
from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith,
which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink
from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you
there."
So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he
went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the
Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because
there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD
came to him, saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs
to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there
to provide for you." So he arose and went to Zarephath. And
when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there
gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please
bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink." And as
she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please
bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have
bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a
jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in
and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and
die."
And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have
said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to
me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus
says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used
up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD
sends rain on the earth.'"
So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and
she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour
was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to
the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who
owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious
that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah,
"What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to
me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?"
And he said to her, "Give me your son." So he took him
out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was
staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the
LORD and said, "O LORD my God, have You also brought
tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her
son?" And he stretched himself out on the child three
times, and cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God,
I pray, let this child's soul come back to him." Then the
LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came
back to him, and he revived.
And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper
room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah
said, "See, your son lives!"
Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that you
are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is
the truth." And it came to pass after many days that the
word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying,
"Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the
earth."
So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a
severe famine in Samaria. And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was
in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly.
For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD,
that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them,
fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) And
Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the
springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find
grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not
have to kill any livestock." So they divided the land
between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and
Obadiah went another way by himself.
Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he
recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is that
you, my lord Elijah?" And he answered him, "It is I.
Go, tell your master, 'Elijah is here.' So he said, "How
have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the
hand of Ahab, to kill me? As the LORD your God lives, there is
no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to
hunt for you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an
oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you.
And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is
here"'! And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone
from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place
I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find
you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD
from my youth. Was it not reported to my lord what I did when
Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred
men of the LORD's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with
bread and water? And now you say, 'Go, tell your master,
"Elijah is here."' He will kill me!"
Then Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom
I stand, I will surely present myself to him today."
(1Ki.16:29-18:15)
WORSHIP:
Create in me
a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your
Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. (Ps.51:10-12)
WISDOM:
The soul of a
lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich. (Prov.13:4)
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