1 Kings 17:8-16, (17-24)

“The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord.” (1 Kings 17:16)

We have lacked a prophet to address the house of Omri, but now a prophet bursts onto the scene with a vengeance. His announcement of doom on this house will, however, be delayed until 1 Kings 21:21–24. His first task is to tackle the problem of the Baal-worship that Ahab has introduced into Israel (16:31–32), so as to demonstrate beyond all doubt that Baal is no more a god in any real sense than Jeroboam’s calves are. Chapter 17 provides the context in which the climactic demonstration of this truth will take place (18:16–40): the divinely ordained drought of 17:1. It also prepares us for the demonstration by showing us that it is the LORD, and not Baal (nor any other “god”), who controls both life and death, both fertility and infertility. It is thus the LORD, and not any other, who is God—as Elijah’s name (Hb. ʾēlîyāhû , “the LORD is God”) itself proclaims.

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