[Dana McNeely] Love in a Time of Drought

Have you ever told your child, “Stop that right now or you’re grounded!” Or “Get your homework done before dinner or no TV.” If these sound familiar, you may have practiced Tough Love. There are always consequences, aren’t there?

Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” ~ 1 Kings 17:1 NLT

DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN 

When the prophet Elijah appeared on the scene, the northern kingdom of Israel had grown worse than the most disobedient child you can imagine. They no longer worshiped Yahweh, the one true God, but many gods. Their king, Ahab, had married Jezebel, a pagan princess from the city of Tyre. As queen of Israel, she’d convinced her husband to build two temples to the Ba’als, the false gods of the Canaanites. 

Those gods promised fertile harvests and encouraged followers to participate in drunken fertility rites. Ba’al worship became popular throughout the land while Yahweh worship all but ended. Queen Jezebel was killing all the prophets of Yahweh she could hunt down, so prophets and believers kept a low profile.

REAPING THE CONSEQUENCES

Except for one prophet, an in-your-face kind of guy. Elijah strode into the presence of King Ahab, perhaps into the very temple of the rain god, and announced there would be no more rain until his say so.

Bold words from a mere shepherd. And they didn’t fall on friendly ears. Israel had already suffered six months of drought when harvest ended and expected “the early rains” to soften the ground for planting. King Ahab was surrounded by protective palace guards who could silence Elijah with a sword stroke. But God sent Elijah for a purpose.

DROUGHT

Like a good father, God laid out clear rules for his children. When Israel flagrantly ignored those rules, the Lord allowed the people to reap the consequences. The long drought devastated the rural community that depended upon rain for crops and herds. Tough love. Yet, God had warned them.

“Be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and worship other gods. If you do the Lord will shut up the sky and hold back the rain and the ground will fail to produce its harvests.” ~ Deuteronomy 11:16, 17 (NLT)

THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE

God is love, but love wears many faces. It may be gentle or stern, just or merciful. The Lord, our father and shepherd, won’t allow his children to keep walking a path that leads away from Him, a path that leads to our destruction. He calls us back. He turns us around. We may need tough love. But how much better to listen to his voice, to seek the blessings he promises to those who love and serve him.

“If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. ” ~ Deut. 11:13-14 (NLT)

The Blessings of Obedience. -@dana_mcneely.com Share on X

Thoughts ~

• Was God unkind to send a drought that brought Israel to its knees?
• Do you find relevance for your life in reading the Old Testament?
• Not every hardship that comes our way is a result of sin, but have you ever experienced God’s tough love? Afterwards, did you also find His blessing?