Rest or Chaos

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

REST OR CHAOS

1 Kings 18:1-7

18:1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. 4 While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) 5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals." 6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. 7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"

NIV

We are approaching the face-off between Elijah and the four hundred prophets of Baal, but first, we have this prelude to that scene. We know there has been no rain in the land as the word of the LORD was spoken through Elijah, and now it is in the third year of that drought, and famine is now at hand in Samaria. The LORD tells Elijah to present himself to Ahab, and the LORD will send rain on the land. This severe famine in Samaria is due to Ahad committing more evil than anyone before him and building an altar to Baal there. This is where that big confrontation will take place. We are also introduced to Obadiah, a believer in the LORD God Almighty who hid the LORD’s prophets because Jezebel, whom Ahad took as a wife, a worshipper of Baal, was killing the LORD’s prophets. Evil knows no bounds; it finds its way into the hearts and minds of those who have no concern about the LORD, but have taken on false gods to worship. It is always a choice in the hearts of all people as to whom they will serve, God or self. Because both Baal and Asherah are figments of man’s mind, and have no eyes to see, no ears to hear, no mouth to speak, they are false gods with no power whatsoever, although it was possible that Satan used them to display false power to lure people into worshipping them, forsaking the LORD. That is always the plan of the devil. He always wants to draw people away from the LORD. He has no power against those who live in Christ, but he can create illusions and temptations to lure even believers into a slumber, a false reality, so they begin to establish their own rules and regulations they can conform to, thinking they are serving God while only serving self. We cannot be fooled by those illusions or temptations, but must remain in Jesus, hearing only the voice of God and the direction of the Spirit within. Jezebel and Ahab are fine examples of people deceived by evil, the handiwork of the devil. Let us learn this lesson well, learn from Jesus, for he is gentle and humble of heart, and we will find rest for our souls. Evil will never give us rest for our souls; it can only bring us turmoil and chaos.