Since the reign of Jeroboam, the Northern Kingdom of Israel has been on a steady decline until becoming in complete rebellion and rejection of God. Each king becomes a little more wicked than the previous one until Ahab arrives, and Ahab made Baal worship the central feature of Israel! 1 Kings 16:33 says, “Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”
It was time for a prophet! That is, the Lord had a word for Ahab, and he would send his man to deliver it! Ahab would hate Elijah, but always fear him as well. Elijah’s presence and pronouncements meant that Baal was nonexistent and the Lord God was the one true, all-powerful God. That truth did not fit with Ahab’s plans!
It was time for a prophet! That is, the Lord would clear the cloudy religious fog that unbelieving leaders had created. Not only would Elijah confront Ahab, he would also confront 450 prophets of Baal. It was the classic showdown. The prophets of Baal danced, screamed, and cut themselves for Baal to show himself; he didn’t. Elijah calls upon the Lord, and the Lord sends fire from heaven! The results are the slaying of the false prophets and the people crying, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God! (18:39)”
It was time for a prophet! That is, although the nation as a whole had turned from the Lord, the Lord had kept a remnant of believers, 7,000 to be exact, and they needed godly leadership.
When it looks from all outward appearances that all is lost, remember God is still at work. In his time, he will bring about his purposes!
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