The other day while reading about Elijah's mountain top confrontation with Ahab and the 450 prophets of Baal, I stumbled over something new. The setting is, of course, at the end of a severe drought. No rain had touched the face of the earth for over three years. Streams had turned into dust. Wells required longer ropes to reach the water. No doubt a kind of rationing of water was in place by necessity. Long baths were out of the question. Crops were mostly memories. Water was short and non existent in some places. Three year droughts change a lot of things about ordinary living.
So, what caused me to stumble was this part which read, " 'Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.' 'Do it again,' he said, and they did it again. 'Do it a third time,' he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench." (I Kings 18:33-35) Now, who takes large jars to a mountain top? Who has that much water to pour on the ground when water is as precious as gold? In the midst of such a severe drought and in such a harsh location there is this surprising abundance of water which is poured on the ground. Such an act of extravagance. It brings to mind the widow who threw her only two coins in the offering and Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with expensive ointment.
On Mt. Carmel water was the extravagant part of the offering being made to God. The thing which had been withheld for three years was one of the holy things being sacrificed. When the water was poured in the trench, some thought it was an act of foolishness and others thought it a waste. But what God knew was that twelve large jars of water was nothing compared to what was coming from a distant cloud that was forming in the sky. Two extravagant gifts were given that day. One was the twelve jars of water from Elijah and the other was the drought ending rain from God.
So, what caused me to stumble was this part which read, " 'Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.' 'Do it again,' he said, and they did it again. 'Do it a third time,' he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench." (I Kings 18:33-35) Now, who takes large jars to a mountain top? Who has that much water to pour on the ground when water is as precious as gold? In the midst of such a severe drought and in such a harsh location there is this surprising abundance of water which is poured on the ground. Such an act of extravagance. It brings to mind the widow who threw her only two coins in the offering and Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with expensive ointment.
On Mt. Carmel water was the extravagant part of the offering being made to God. The thing which had been withheld for three years was one of the holy things being sacrificed. When the water was poured in the trench, some thought it was an act of foolishness and others thought it a waste. But what God knew was that twelve large jars of water was nothing compared to what was coming from a distant cloud that was forming in the sky. Two extravagant gifts were given that day. One was the twelve jars of water from Elijah and the other was the drought ending rain from God.
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