Holy Spirit,
pour out upon us
wisdom and understanding,
that, being taught by you in Holy Scripture,
our hearts and minds may be opened to receive
all that leads to life and holiness.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
We will get to see a lot of Ahab. He is the benchmark for judging wickedness among kings. Jeroboam son of Nebat made the golden calves at Dan and Bethel, but the author of Kings chose to spend a lot of time on Ahab.
Elijah goes to Zarephath, which is outside of Israel and Judah and in the middle of Baal worship country. Baal gets a lot of mention, so you may find this note from the English Standard Version Study Bible helpful: "In Canaanite religion, Baal had authority over rain and fertility. The absence of rain meant the absence of Baal, who must periodically submit to the god of death Mot (during the dry season), only to be revived at a later date and once again water the earth (during the rainy season). This cyclical and polytheistic view of reality is the focus of Elijah’s challenges. Elijah worships a single God who lives and yet, while living, can deny both dew and rain to the land. The Lord, not Baal, brings fertility; and the Lord’s presence in judgment, not his absence in death, leads to infertility." Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (632). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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