In Bible days, God used any of four basic ways to punish the idolatry of his people. These are famine, pestilence, war, and captivity. In the days of Ahab, He used famine. In all cases of divine judgment, the goal had always been to bring the people to repentance. In our text, God chose to apply a break on the famine that had ravaged the land. There was no evidence that anything had changed significantly since famine was imposed. By the time Elijah returned, there were still 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who were being fed at Jezebel’s table. If there were that many false prophets, it only shows that idolatry was still rife in the land.

God is always ready to extend mercy to the wayward, but He expects that they don’t continue in their foolish and wicked ways. We must never take the mercy of God for a license to continue in wrongdoing.

So, why did God relent in judgment? Firstly, there must have been people in the mode of Obadiah in the land. They feared and served God. For their sakes, God may have tempered judgment with mercy. Secondly, the anger of the Lord may have abated. In Psalm 30:5, it is noted that the anger of God is for a moment. It is His mercy that endures forever. God is always ready to extend mercy to the wayward, but He expects that they don’t continue in their foolish and wicked ways. We must never take the mercy of God for a license to continue in wrongdoing.