Elijah found King Ahab sitting off by himself still as a statue, staring into nothing, and his face coated in confusion. Ahab wondered, “What just happened? How could it have happened?” His feud with Elijah had ended suddenly in a phenomenon of fire and blood. His army of prophets failed to rouse their Bah-al god, while from the sky Yehovah answered Elijah with a spectacle never before seen. The king was defeated, but it was a strange loss that left him groping for his next move. Elijah had proved himself to be the real deal, and Yehovah proved himself to be the true God. Would Ahab now have to switch gods? Reform his rule over Israel? Defy his wife Jezebel?
Elijah’s voice broke his trance. “Ahab,” he called to him, “Go up higher, get something to eat and drink. There’s a sound of thundershowers coming our way.”