Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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1 Kings
Book: 1 Kings
Chapter: 18
Overview:
Elijah sends
Ahab notice of his coming.
(1-16) Elijah meets
Ahab.
(17-20) Elijah's trial of the false prophets.
(21-40)
Elijah,
By Prayer, obtains
Rain.
(41-46)
1-16 The severest judgments, of themselves, will not humble or
change the hearts of sinners; nothing, except the
Blood of
Jesus
Christ, can atone for the guilt of
Sin; nothing, except the
sanctifying
Spirit of
God, can purge away its pollution. The
priests and the Levites were gone to
Judah and
Jerusalem, 2Ch
11:13,14, but instead of them
God raised up prophets, who read
and expounded the
Word. They probably were from the schools of
the prophets, first set up
By Samuel. They had not the
Spirit of
Prophecy as
Elijah, but taught the people to keep close to the
God of
Israel. These
Jezebel sought to destroy. The few that
escaped
Death were forced to hide themselves.
God has his
remnant among all sorts, high and low; and that
Faith, fear, and
Love of his name, which are the fruits of the Holy
Spirit, will
be accepted through the
Redeemer. See how wonderfully
God raises
up friends for his ministers and people, for their shelter in
difficult times.
Bread and water were now scarce, yet
Obadiah
will find enough for
God's prophets, to keep them alive.
Ahab's
care was not to lose all the beasts; but he took
No care about
his soul, not to lose that. He took pains to seek
Grass, but
none to seek the favour of
God; fencing against the effect, but
not inquiring how to remove the cause. But it bodes
Well with a
people, when
God calls his ministers to stand forth, and show
themselves. And we may the better endure the
Bread of
affliction, while our eyes see our teachers.
17-20 One may guess how people stand affected to
God,
By
observing how they stand affected to his people and ministers.
It has been the
Lot of the best and most useful men, like
Elijah, to be called and counted the troublers of the land. But
those who cause
God's judgments do the mischief, not he that
foretells them, and warns the nation to repent.
21-40 Many of the people wavered in their
Judgment, and varied
in their practice.
Elijah called upon them to determine whether
Jehovah or
Baal was the self-existent, supreme
God, the Creator,
Governor, and
Judge of the world, and to follow him alone. It is
dangerous to
Halt between the service of
God and the service of
Sin, the dominion of
Christ and the dominion of our lusts. If
Jesus be the only
Saviour, let us cleave to him alone for every
thing; if the
Bible be the
Word of God, let us reverence and
receive the whole of it, and submit our understanding to the
Divine teaching it contains.
Elijah proposed to bring the matter
to a trial.
Baal had all the outward advantages, but the event
encourages all
God's witnesses and advocates never to fear the
Face of
Man. The
God that answers
By Fire, let him be
God: the
Atonement was to be made
By Sacrifice, before the
Judgment could
be removed in
Mercy. The
God therefore that has power to
Pardon
Sin, and to signify it
By consuming the
Sin-Offering, must needs
be the
God that can relieve from the calamity.
God never
required his worshippers to honour him in the manner of the
worshippers of
Baal; but the service of the
Devil, though
sometimes it pleases and pampers the body, yet, in other things,
really is cruel to it, as in envy and drunkenness.
God requires
that we mortify our lusts and corruptions; but bodily penances
and severities are
No pleasure to him. Who has required these
things at your hands? A few words uttered in assured
Faith, and
with fervent
Affection for the
Glory of
God, and
Love to the
souls of men, or thirstings after the
Lord's image and his
favour, form the effectual, fervent
Prayer of the righteous
Man,
which availeth much.
Elijah sought not his own
Glory, but that
of
God, for the good of the people. The people are all agreed,
convinced, and satisfied;
Jehovah, he is the
God. Some, we
Hope,
had their hearts turned, but most of them were convinced only,
not converted. Blessed are they that have not seen what these
saw, yet have believed, and have been wrought upon
By it, more
than they that saw it.
41-46 Israel, being
So far reformed as to acknowledge the
Lord
to be
God, and to consent to the execution of
Baal's prophets,
was
So far accepted, that
God poured out blessing upon the land.
Elijah long continued praying. Though the answer of our fervent
and believing supplications does not come quickly, we must
continue
Earnest in
Prayer, and not faint or give over. A little
Cloud at length appeared, which soon overspread the heavens, and
watered the
Earth. Great blessings often arise from small
beginnings, showers of plenty from a
Cloud of a span long. Let us
never despise the
Day of small things, but
Hope and wait for
great things from it. From what small beginnings have great
matters arisen! It is thus in all the gracious proceedings of
God with the soul. Scarcely to be perceived are the first
workings of his
Spirit in the
Heart, which grow up at last to
the wonder of men, and applause of angels.
Elijah hastened
Ahab
home, and attended him.
God will strengthen his people for every
service to which his
Commandments and
Providence Call them. The
awful displays of Divine
Justice and
Holiness dismay the sinner,
extort confessions, and dispose to outward obedience while the
impression lasts; but the view of these, with
Mercy,
Love, and
Truth in
Christ Jesus, is needful to draw the soul to
self-abasement, trust, and
Love. The Holy
Spirit employs both in
the
Conversion of sinners; when sinners are impressed with
Divine truths, they should be exhorted to set about the duties
to which the
Saviour calls his disciples.