Abstract

Upon entrance into Canaan, ancient Israel faced thechallenge of divided loyalty. This was heightened  by the dominant influence of Baal, the Canaanite god of fertility, who was believed to have power over bountiful crops and  multiplying  flocks. Baalism later became a practical religion  for farmers in their quest  for plenty harvest having  been  recognized  as  lord  of  the  earth,  owner  of  the  land,  giver  of  rain,  source  of  grain,  wine,  and  oil. Against covenantal stipulations which bar ancient Israelites from paying allegiance to foreign God’s,  Ahab, his associates and their loyalists compromised through Baal worship. Obsessed by such moral decadence, Elijah, in 1 Kings 17, declared a three and half  years of no rain and dew. Given the Israelite context as an agricultural society, which survives at the mercy of the vagaries of rainfall, the study used the Historical-Grammatical and Contextual Biblical Hermeneutical Approaches. The former examined the historical background and language in relation to the meaning of the text, while the latter engaged the Nigerian social, political, and economic context relative to the socio-economic impact of Israel’s waywardness. Evidently, the absence of rain for three and half years  impacted  the  socio-economic  landscape  adversely.  Vegetation  withered  destroying  food  and  cash  crops giving way to serious hunger and starvation. Sheep and goats which survived on vegetation provided little or no milk for both domestic and commercial purposes. A critical look at the Nigerian socio-economic milieu suggests that although the country is blessed with rich natural resources, poor governance combined with corruption has created among others a weak economy, with a high level unemployment, double digit inflation, ethno-religious and  sectarian  conflict,  corruption  and  dilapidated  infrastructure,  high  and  increasing  level  of  poverty,  rising crime rate, and dwindling educational standards. Toavoid an outright declaration of God’s judgment and a fullblown  drought,  Nigerian  leaders  should  take  seriously  their  oath  and  commitment  to  deliver  the  best  to the populace. The citizens should also do their part insafeguarding the dividends of democracy.