1 Kings 18:1-19

18:1 | In an agrarian society, this three-and-a-half year drought would have been an especially dire situation (Luke 4:25; James 5:17).

18:2 | Elijah stepped up in a culture marked by spiritual infidelity, spiritual immorality, spiritual idolatry, and spiritual indifference among God’s people.

18:3 | The name Obadiah means “Servant of Yahweh.” This Obadiah was probably not the one who authored the biblical book by that name. In any case, he was a godly man and an official in Ahab’s court.

18:17-18 | Ahab called Elijah troubler of Israel, blaming the drought on him. The irony, of course, is that Ahab was the true cause of Israel’s trouble because he had brought idolatry into the land.

18:19 | Three different mountains are prominent in Elijah’s life: Mount Carmel, Mount Horeb, and in the NT, Mount Tabor, the presumed Mount of Transfiguration. Mount Carmel, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, long held significance for both worshipers of Yahweh and worshipers of Baal. Commentator Paul House has observed: “What better place to decide who is God, what prophets tell the truth, and which leaders benefit or harm the people.”