THE FIRE OF THE LORD GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Then the fire of The Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”  1 Kings 18:38 (KJV)

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The word of The Lord came to the prophet Elijah saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”  There was a severe famine in Samaria.  King Ahab sent Obadiah, who was over his household, to search the country for water. (1 Kings 18:1-6)  Along the way, Obadiah met Elijah who told him to go and tell Ahab that he was here and wants to meet with him.  Obadiah though that Elijah was setting him up to get him killed by saying that he was here and then he would not show up. (1 Kings 18:7-15)  He did go to Ahab as Elijah requested and Ahab and Elijah did meet.  When they met, Ahab called Elijah the troubler of Israel.  Elijah told him that he was the cause of Israel’s troubles because he had abandoned The Lord God and followed Baal.  Elijah requested to speak to all of Israel including the 450 prophets of Baal.  Elijah told the people to get two bulls, one for the prophets of Baal and one for him.  Each bull was to be cut into pieces, laid upon pieces of wood, and offered as a sacrifice but no fire was to be put to them.  They were each to call upon their God to consume the sacrifice with fire. (1 Kings 18:20-26)  The prophets of Baal took their bull, prepared it, and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon but there was no answer. (1 Kings 18:27-29)  Elijah then took twelve stones and built an altar.  He dug a trench around the altar, placed pieces of wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces and laid them upon the altar.  Then he ordered the people to fill four jars with water and pour them upon the offering and the wood.  He asked them to do that a second and a third time until the trench around the altar was filled with water.  Then Elijah prayed to God and fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust around it, and all of the water in the trench. (1 Kings 18:30-38)  When the people saw this, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God.”  Elijah the ordered them to seize all of the prophets of Baal and slaughtered all 450 of them.  Then he went to the top of Mount Carmel and prayed and God let it rain. (1 Kings 18:39-46)

APPLICATION

Elijah prayed for fire from heaven to prove to the people that The Lord God was in fact the true God.  There was power in his prayer.  We could have that same power today.  If we had faith in The Lord God which was the size of a grain of mustard seed we could move mountains and cast them into the sea. (Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6)  God still answers prayers and He can still perform miracles.  Our problem is that we have such little faith in Him.  We just need to have faith in Him, worship Him, keep His commands, and request things that give Him glory.