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 SERIES BUILDER
The Elijah Chronicles: The Rainmaker There is a drought in this land, but God can make it rain.
We would like to think we are beyond these concerns, but we know there is a drought in our land
—
a spiritual drought.
1 Kings 18 is set in the nation of Israel during a time of terrible drought and famine. The people were in a beaten down and powerless state. They had seen so much hunger and death that it was hard for them to recognize a fresh alternative in the face of Ahab's power. There was little faith, and what there was of it was hiding in the caves. The worship of Yahweh was virtually extinct, until one man, Elijah, stood and challenged the people's lethargy. This text describes a true power encounter. God rests his credibility upon his ability to outperform the prophets of Baal. Plot
Exposition (vv. 1 Kings 18:1-35) God says it is time for him to send rain. Elijah meets Obadiah, the one faithful man in Israel, who seems afraid of Ahab's power. Elijah expresses tremendous confidence. His faith has been tested (chapter 1 Kings 18:17), and he is now prepared to challenge the prophets of Baal to a showdown. Crisis (vv. 1 Kings 18:36-37) Elijah lines up against 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. He stand before the people of Israel and challenges them to make up their minds. They are to commit themselves one way or the other. The people, however, seem incapable of making a decision. Elijah prays courageously, describing this as a test of God's authority. Resolution (vv. 1 Kings 18:38-45) The prophets of Baal are not able to get a response from Baal, who was supposed to be " the weather God. " On the other hand, Yahweh sends fire. Elijah kills the prophets, and announces the coming of the rain. He prays seven times, and God sends the rainclouds, which drench the earth with the long-awaited rain. Conclusion (vv. 1 Kings 18:46) The challenge won, Elijah (miraculously) runs the 17 miles back to Jezreel in triumph ahead of the chariots of Ahab. Characters
Protagonists — Elijah and Yahweh Elijah stands in for Yahweh himself as his prophet. Having just witnessed God's power in raising the widow's son (chapter 1 Kings 17), his confidence in the Word of the Lord is soaring. Antagonists — Ahab and the prophets of Baal There is a kind of tragicomic powerlessness evident. While the prophets incite fear, they have no power. While they exercise control, they have no authority. Foil — Obadiah Obadiah shows himself willing to take risks for Yahweh in the household of Ahab. He feels the risk, sensing the vindictive and horrible anger of the king. Still, he knows whom he serves. Sermon Core
Big Idea: Only God can make it rain. The sermon needs to help listeners identify with the experience of the people of Israel, who are discouraged by years of drought and hardship. We resemble them if the God of our fathers becomes a distant memory while we are caught up in the struggle to empower ourselves and live independently. That is a fool's game. Those who try that game find themselves beaten down and discouraged. Only God can make it rain. Sermon Plot
First Move: Tell the Story Tagline: No rain means no life. Image: To evoke some of the desperation people feel in times of drought, describe a real-life drought experience. I chose to use Wallace Stegner's description of the Dust Bowl droughts (circa 1917) in southern Saskatchewan (found in his memoir Wolf Willow): There was a whole folklore of water. People said a man had to make a dipperful go as far as it would. You boiled sweet corn, say. Instead of throwing the water out, you washed the dishes in it. Then you washed your hands in it a few times. Then you strained it through a cloth into the radiator of your car, and if your car should break down, you didn't just leave the water to evaporate in its gullet, but drained it out to water the sweet peas. Story: The people of Israel were dry and lifeless, depleted by the drought God had brought upon the land. Baal, the god of sun and rain, had disappointed them. Yet when Elijah challenges them to make their choice, they feel paralyzed (v. 1 Kings 18:21). Elijah stimulates their distant memory of the God of their fathers, but he is just one scrawny prophet standing up against 950 prophets of Baal and Asherah, not to mention the power structure of Ahab's palace. But when the prophets of Baal prove their futility and the God of Elijah responds with such drama and power, they are awakened from their stupor. They bow before Yahweh, and God makes it rain. Second Move: Make the Point Tagline: Only God can make it rain. Image: John Grisham wrote a book called, The Rainmaker, about an insurance lawyer, powerful enough to fix any case, make any deal, and secure any solution for the company. The lawyer projects an illusion of power, that we humans are capable of great acts of power in this world, but only God can make it rain. Point: This story addresses some of the most elemental aspects of life in the universe: fire and rain. Just as Jesus could speak a word to quiet the storm, Elijah can call on Yahweh God, who can produce fire or rain on demand by his Word. Elijah's challenge was blasphemy against Baal, who was supposed to be the god in charge of the sun and the rain. We discover instead that only God is sovereign over the world he has created. Only God has power to achieve the things we need in this world. Third Move: Engage the Problem Tagline: There's a drought in this land. Image: I remember an old Donald Duck comic strip in which Donald went up in an airplane built by his inventor uncle with the desire to throw seed into the clouds to make it rain. My son recently saw a documentary on television that was exploring whether such a thing could really happen. The results so far have not been entirely encouraging. With all of our science and technology we still can't make it rain. Problem: We would like to think that we are more sophisticated than the people in this Bible account, that our sources of power are less primitive than the appeal to lightning bolts from heaven. Is Elijah relevant? We have all heard stories told by missionaries about power encounters in the heart of the jungle, but this is not where we live. We would like to think we are beyond these concerns, but we know in our hearts that there is a drought in our land — a spiritual drought, a desperate dryness. We also remember the faith of our fathers, but it seems like a long time ago, and it is hard to see the relevance of anything so traditional. Fourth Move: Imagine the Difference Tagline: Let God rain on you. Image: In the 1956 movie, The Rainmaker, Kathryn Hepburn plays the daughter of an old farmer in a time of drought. She has lost hope for the future. There is no one who will understand her and no one to love. Burt Lancaster, plays a con man who promises to make it rain for the small sum of $100. Though he has never made it rain before, it rains this time — a miracle of sorts. The bigger miracle, however, is not the rain that falls from the sky but the rain that falls from Kathryn Hepburn's eyes. He has brought her hope and brought her love. She can see her future, and it warms her heart. Difference: Can we let God rain his love and blessing in our hearts? Can we let him soften up our crustiness and bring a fresh vitality into our lives? Elijah calls us to " get off the fence " and choose whom we will serve. We ought to choose now to serve the creator God — the only one who can make it rain. He will shower blessing in our lives. 1 of 1
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