And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
Fire had fallen on Mount Carmel, and Elijah was praying at the top while his servant watched the sea seven times for a sign. This verse is the answer arriving: rain at last after three and a half years of drought, and a king driving home through it.
Why the rain came now
The drought had a purpose. One writer explains why it could now end:
The Bible TreasuryThe people suffered drought so that they might learn one thing. The God they slighted was the only source and fountain of all their blessings. Once they had learned it, in God's gracious way, the affliction would stop. God always removes chastening once it has done the work He sent it to do. And the servant who has held to the truth in the face of opponents becomes, in the same measure, a channel of God's mercies to His people.
From a hand-sized cloud to a black sky
Elijah acted on a sign so small it would have convinced nobody else:
Hamilton SmithTo natural sight there was no sign of rain. The sky was clear except for a little cloud no bigger than a man's hand. But faith knew that God was behind the cloud, and when God is working a little goes a long way. A handful of flour and a little oil with God can feed a household for a full year. Five barley loaves and two small fish with God can feed five thousand people. A little cloud with God behind it can cover the whole sky. So while Ahab was getting his chariot ready, "the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain."
Prayer for a promised blessing
Elijah prayed for rain that God had already decided to send. One writer shows this is God's usual way:
W. W. FeredayKnowing that God means to give does not make prayer unnecessary. In Ezekiel 36-37 the Lord declared His purposes of grace for Israel in full. Then He said, "This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them."
That kind of praying is not reserved for prophets:
C. KnappHere we are given the prophet's prayer for others. James draws our attention to it: "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain… Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain" (James 5:17-18). A cloud "like a man's hand" at first soon fills the whole sky: the prayer is answered.
Rain that fell on the guilty too
The same rain that refreshed the people also soaked the king who had led them into idolatry. One writer asks how grace could reach a man like that:
The Bible TreasuryIn 1 Kings 18:44-46, in connection with "the hand," we have the triumph of grace that follows the acceptance of Elijah's burnt offering… "they shall be showers of blessing" (Ezekiel 34:26) — even towards someone like that. Are you surprised at this?… But there is one who can stand between God and man, and lay His hand on both. "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
Two men leaving Carmel
Ahab rides off to Jezreel. Elijah goes down the mountain under another power:
Hamilton Smith"And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel." But "the hand of the LORD was on Elijah." The hand of the Lord was with the man who had been with God on the top of the hill. And when the hand of the Lord is on a man, he will do everything rightly and at the right time. Guided by the Lord, Elijah had stood before the king to rebuke him for his idolatry. Now, still guided by the Lord, he runs before the king to honour and uphold the king's authority in the eyes of the people. Elijah is taught to hold to what is due to God while showing man proper respect. At the right time he will show his fear of God, and at the right time he will honour the king.
Commentators differ about that run. One writer weighs it against Elijah's earlier moves:
W. W. FeredayThe express word of the Lord took Elijah to Cherith, to Zarephath, and twice into Ahab's presence. But the word of the Lord is not mentioned in connection with his run to Jezreel.
Summary
- Judgment first. The drought stayed until the people learned that God alone was the source of their blessing. Chastening ends when it has done its work.
- Prayer next. A promise of rain did not replace praying for rain — God meant to send it, and still waited for Elijah to ask.
- A small sign. A cloud the size of a hand was enough, because God was behind it; a little with God fills the whole sky.
- Rain for everyone. The downpour fell on Ahab as well as on the repentant nation — grace reaching even the man who had caused the ruin.
- Two roads down the mountain. The king rode home to his palace; the prophet went on under the hand of the Lord — the same rain, two very different men.