1 Kings 18:33b-35
“Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
Before Elijah prayed and called down the fire of God from heaven, he did a very strange thing. He drenched the whole altar and sacrifice in water. Three times he ordered for water pots filled with water to be poured on the sacrifice on the altar. The water was so much it run all around the altar, the trench around the altar was also filled.
Considering the nation was experiencing a severe drought, water was such a scarce and precious commodity, Elijah had lots of it poured on the altar. Furthermore, considering that the challenge was to see which God would answer by fire, Elijah seems like he is making it harder for this to happen.
One of the things that water is likened to is the Bible, is the word of God.
Ephesians 5:26
….to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word,
With that in mind, think about the picture being painted here. The entire sacrifice and altar was drenched in the WORD. You and me who are living sacrifices should live our lives always drenched in the word of God. God told Joshua that the book of the law should not depart from his mouth. He was to meditate on it day and night and be careful to do all that is written in it.
The words of Jesus are Spirit and life, and remember that Jesus is also the word. Revival is about bringing back to life that which was dead. As believers, if we are to stay alive and live effectively as God’s ambassadors, then we must always remain drenched in the word of God. It is through the word of God that we get to know God and his ways, it is through this word that we are washed and transformed by the renewing of our minds.
If we are to experience revival and live life the way God wants us to, then we must stay in the word and become more like Christ, who is the word.
Reflections
If you are drenched in the word, then all that should come out of you is the word. How much word comes out of you in your daily conversations?
We use water to wash ourselves daily, do you get into the word to wash yourself daily?
The altar the wood and the sacrifice were all drenched and the trench around it as well. What does that mean to you?
