Prayer in Times of National Apostasy: The Theology of Prayer in the Books of the Kings (Part Three)

The Pattern of Prayer in the Books of the Kings

The thirteen prayers in the Books of the Kings are worthy of study, because they demonstrate the elements of effective prayer. If we want our prayers to be powerful, like the prayers of the ancients, we should observe how they prayed. Seven lessons stand out.

Effective Prayer is Unique from Pagan Prayer

The greatest contrast of prayer is seen in the contest on Mount Carmel. For nearly twelve hours, the prophets of Baal use every technique of paganism in order to receive an answer:

“And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.”

1 Kings 18:26-29

Such techniques are not unique to the iron age. Many people still pray this way, extending the length of their prayers, repeating the same words, praying according to ‘custom,’ and working themselves into a frenzy in an effort to receive some supernatural answer.

Elijah’s prayer is remarkable for its simplicity, brevity, and effectiveness:

“And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”

1 Kings 18:36-38

The contrast between the prayers is obvious. Davis observes that “Jesus makes the same point in Matthew 6:7-9. Pagans pray a certain way because pagans think a certain way (v. 7), but if you know the real God, your Father who knows what you need before you ask him (v. 8), then (v. 9) your praying is different. Then you can pray briefly, simply, comprehensively, as in verses 9b-13” (Davis, 238). Luther echoed the same, arguing that unlike pagan prayer, Christian prayers should be “short and profound.”

Effective Prayer Holds God to His Character

The prayers themselves are robust, resembling legal briefs for the court of heaven. The ancients use their prayers to make an argument before God for the reason why he ought to answer them – and the reasons that are likely to persuade him. Their arguments focus on who he is and what he has already done, rather than on the desperateness of the situation or the desires of the worshipper.

Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance from the Assyrian threat is a perfect example. Like a heavenly lawyer, Hezekiah begins by taking the official diplomatic Assyrian letter and spreading it out before the Lord, as if it were ‘exhibit one’ in the defense. He then prays and says,

“O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.”

2 Kings 19:15-19

This prayer contains a suitable introduction, acknowledging the supremacy of God over all kingdoms and nations. It calls on God to observe the words of the Assyrian king, especially his words of mocking and derision against God. He acknowledges the power of the Assyrian empire, but confesses that their power was given by God. He then presents a short and very simple petition – ‘Save us, please, from his hand’ – followed by another argument: such a course of action will lead to God’s glory being proclaimed through ‘all the kingdoms of the earth.’

God is pleased to answer such prayers, because they come from hearts that care about the same things that he cares about. Biblical worshippers often argue with God, holding him to his character. They urge him to fulfill his word, to demonstrate his character to the world, and to maintain his faithfulness to his people.

Effective Prayer Pleads Promises

If God can be prevailed on using arguments in prayer, then he is especially susceptible to those who plead his own promises. Several prayers in the Books of the Kings use promises that God has already given, urging him to fulfil his own words.

After the contest on Carmel, Elijah prays for rain to come and the famine to end. His prayer is not answered the first time, or the second, or third, or fourth, fifth, or sixth times. Only after seven sessions of prayer does God provide the answer: ‘a little cloud like a man’s hand…rising from the sea.’ Modern worshippers often ask for “God’s will to be done” and then conclude that it was not his will after they have prayed once and seen no change. Elijah, however, is insistent. He refuses to give up. But how could Elijah have known that it was God’s will to end the famine? What is the difference between Elijah’s perseverance and, say, a modern worshipper who begs God for deliverance from terminal cancer? Why is God pleased to answer the one, but deny the other?

The solution is found at the beginning of the narrative. Yahweh appears to Elijah. He tells the prophet to confront Ahab, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” Right there, Elijah received a promise for rain. In fact, he didn’t even need that promise: decades earlier, Solomon had already petitioned God about situations like this. Solomon’s words were essentially a divine promise that Elijah could use: “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance” (1 Kings 8:35-36).

If Elijah has the promise of God, then why is God so slow to answer his prayer? Why must Elijah pray seven times before he receives so much as a hand-sized cloud in response? The solution tells us much about the character of God and the effectiveness of prayer:

We are meant to notice, in this incident, that even though God had already promised to send rain, and was going to do so, he nevertheless waited till Elijah prayed earnestly for it to happen. In the Bible it always seemed to be of real pleasure and value to God to do things for his people on earth, if he could first stir up people to pray for these things. He indeed found such pleasure in answering prayers that he loved even simply to give way to human praying. He even allowed himself at times to be actually pushed into complying with what his people prayed for…”

Readings in 1 Kings, Ronald Wallace, 125

Effective Prayer Demonstrates Humility

The idea of prayer as a spiritual lawsuit, in which the worshipper argues with God in order to persuade him to act, is not how we normally think about prayer. However, it is important to recognize that such prayer – and even the arguments that are used – is always presented humbly. Even Elijah, the preeminent pray-er of ancient Israel, never approaches God with an attitude of smug self-confidence. Prayer is always just that – a request, a petition, a supplication to receive a good gift from the hands of a God who is not required to provide us with anything (even if he does, at times, bind himself by promises).

Solomon exemplifies this in the first prayer in the book. Yahweh appears in a dream, offering the new king a ‘blank check’ for whatever he wants to receive. Even though he could literally ask for anything without explanation, Solomon’s response is dripping with humility:

“You have shown great and steadfast love (chesed) to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love (chesed) and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

1 Kings 3:6-9

Solomon acknowledges God’s chesed (loyal love / mercy) to his ancestor David, admitting that this is the real reason why he is now seated on the throne. Although he could use grandiose titles (such as ‘king of the chosen nation’), Solomon refers to himself as ‘your servant.’ He confesses that he is ‘but a little child,’ and that he does not know ‘how to go out or come in.’ This phrase generally refers to the entirety of one’s actions, so Solomon is admitting that he doesn’t know how to act in such a position. Then, rather than boast about the greatness of his nation, the new king admits that they are a special people, and that leadership over them requires unique talent. Solomon’s prayer indicates that he sees leadership as a form of service – not so much a ‘divine right’ as an awful calling that requires more than any man is capable of.

God is pleased with Solomon’s request, loading him with the extra blessings of riches and honor. It’s a valuable lesson for modern worshippers: God has a ‘tender spot’ for those who come to him in humility. God wants people to know, both how sovereign he is, and how merciful he can be. Those who come in humility have already learned the first lesson; they are ideal candidates to learn the second.

Effective Prayer Is Fervent

While hiding away in the town of Zarephath, Elijah’s hostess, a poor widow woman, experiences the death of her son. She comes to the prophet in despair, bearing an accusation: “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”

Elijah’s response demonstrates tenderness, fervency, even in the middle of brokenness: “And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again.””

Such a prayer is not accusatory against God, but it is open, honest, heartfelt, and raw. It does not hide the pain and misery that God’s people endure. God is not against honest prayers, and this is why Elijah’s prayer is raw. Even though it is short, we can sense the misery that it contains.

Indeed, this is exactly how God wants us to respond in the moments of heartbreak: to join with his iron-age worshippers by expressing our heart’s woes. Davis points out,

Note how he picks up the widow’s distress from verse 18, turns it into prayer, and pleads from her point of view. Do we ever pray like that? Do we place ourselves in the position of other people and plead their anguish before God for them? In such situations we may think we need to formulate a response, to hazard an explanation to the person in distress. No, you don’t have to have an answer; you have a throne to approach.”

1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly, Dale Ralph Davis, 221

Effective Prayer is Supported by Righteous Living

Although God is often pleased to listen to many types of people, those who obey him are notable for their effective prayers. Elijah is the preeminent example. This is supported by the words of James, who pointed to the prophet and said that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Leithart explains the obedience of Elijah:

“Elijah is a man of powerful prayer because he is a righteous man: Yahweh commands, and Elijah obeys. The writer of 1-2 Kings reinforces this point by the way he records Elijah’s obedience, using a ‘command-compliance’ structure (Davis 2002, 223). Yahweh says, ‘Go away…and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan’ (1 Kgs 17:3). Elijah’s obedience is described in almost identical language: ‘So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan’ (17:5). Then the Lord says, ‘Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold I have commanded a widow there to provide for you’ (17:9). Elijah’s obedience is again recorded in almost identical language: ‘So he arise and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow’ (17:10). Elijah’s obedience is letter perfect, and as a result his prayers are effective…”

Leithart, 130

Leithart then continues, showing how effective Elijah’s prayers are as a result:

“Elijah’s righteousness is manifested in his strict and exact obedience to the word of Yahweh. That rhythm is established early in the passage, but at the end of the passage is an astonishing reversal. Elijah speaks to Yahweh, ‘Let the child’s life return to him’ (1 Kgs. 17:21). Then the punch line: ‘Yahweh heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived’ (17:22). When Yahweh says X, Elijah does X. Now, when Elijah says Y, Yahweh does Y. The command-compliance pattern is reversed, for the Lord’s answer to Elijah’s prayer is stated in the same words as Elijah’s prayer. There can be only one way to put this in the context: Yahweh heeds the voice of Elijah; Elijah commands, and Yahweh responds.”

Leithart, 130-131

Such an idea is not antithetical to the New Testament. Jesus urges his followers to be reconciled prior to worship (Matthew 5:23-24), and Peter encourages husbands to live righteously so that their prayers will not be hindered (1 Peter 3:7).

Effective Prayer is Available to Sinners

Although infidels are not frequent pray-ers to Yahweh, even they are able to receive a hearing at his throne. Two wicked kings receive mercy because of prayer, even when – remarkably – they persist in a lifestyle of disobedience.

Jeroboam I is famous for leading the rebellious northern tribes, and he institutes a new cult in Israel that centers on bull-worship. When confronted by an unnamed ‘man of God’ for his idolatry (1 Kings 13), he responds with anything but humility. He points his hand at the prophet and commands his lackeys to arrest him. Instantly, his hand ‘dries up’ so that he cannot pull it back in. Recognizing his fault, Jeroboam asks the prophet to pray for him, and his hand is restored. However, his temporary recognition of his fault is not enough to change his lifestyle. He persists in his evil way, and his dynasty is cursed by God.

After a long career of iniquity, Ahab finally comes to his senses when he is rebuked by Elijah. Moments earlier, Ahab was rejoicing to receive a new vineyard, thanks to his wife Jezebel’s slander and murder of a righteous man. Confronted by the prophet and condemned to judgment, Ahab “tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly” (1 Kings 21:27). His repentance brings immediate mercy, and Yahweh says to Elijah, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house” (1 Kings 21:29). Just as with Jeroboam, Ahab’s repentance is only temporary; in the final event of his life, Ahab will go to battle in defiance of God’s word and will imprison the righteous prophet Zedekiah.

Yahweh is the God of over-abounding grace. His character delights to show mercy at the slightest sign of humility. Even his condemnation of sinners, in this life, can be appealed to his mercy. Those who know Yahweh understand that this is his ‘weakness’ – he is over-eager to show grace. God isn’t like most of us, worried about getting duped or turning people into bums who expect free stuff. If anything, he errs in the opposite direction: people can walk all over him and often still receive mercy when they ask it, just like Ahab and Jeroboam.