STUDY THEME: GOD OF GRACE AND GLORY. 9-29-02`
"GOD PROVIDES." 1 KINGS 17:1-24; 19:1-18.
1 KINGS 17:1, 2-4; 19: 9b-10, 11-14, 15-18.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO 1 KINGS 17.
Today’s lesson closes our five-lesson series on "God’s Grace and Glory". It studies the great realities of God’s gracious provision for us in our needs. It is based upon the experience of one of the O.T.’s greatest prophets—Elijah. This great prophet lived about 850 BC and became the classic prophet for ancient Israel. He and Moses would later appear to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Also, John the Baptist would be said by the N.T. writers to be, "Elijah" come back.
God provided for Elijah at a time of extreme physical need but also when he had spiritual and psychological needs. Today we will study how God provided for him and learn lessons on how God can provide for us.
In our day of super stores and the internet where we can get almost anything we need, do we really need for God to provide anything for us? Our society strongly advocates being independent and self-sufficient. Some adults see dependency, even upon God, as a sign of immaturity or weakness. Just how much do people need God? Can and will God provide for me if I depend on Him? Many would probably answer: "I don’t know." This lesson addresses the Life Question: "How does God provide for me? We will explore the Biblical Truth: "God’s provision for His people includes physical sustenance, assurance of His presence, and watch-care over His purpose and plan for His people." The desired Life Impact is to help us depend on God who provides.
1. PLEASE READ 1 KINGS 17:1.
When we study the lives of individuals, we must also study history. We cannot separate people from the context of their times, because the steel of inner character is hammered out on the anvil of time and forged in the context of history. In few lives are the hammer of history and the heat of the fire more evident than in the life of Elijah. Once we see the context of his life, we begin to appreciate the strength of this unique, leathery figure, so ruggedly shaped by God to meet the rigors of his day.
So, let’s learn a little history. For well over 100 years the Israelites had lived under the reign of three kings: Saul, then David and finally his son Solomon; these were great and famous men. Then at the end of Solomon’s life, a civil war broke out in the kingdom that had been united under God’s anointed leadership. This strife resulted in the nation Israel being divided into a northern kingdom, most often called Israel, and a southern kingdom, usually referred to as Judah.
From the beginning of that division until Israel’s captivity, a period of over 200 years, the northern kingdom had 19 monarchs, and all of them were wicked. That environment of evil prevailed in Israel until the Assyrians invaded in 722 BC.
During this period of the northern and southern kingdoms, because of the wickedness of many of the kings, and he apostasy of the Hebrew people, God sent various prophets to call the rulers and the people to repentance. Being a prophet was not an easy calling. Most of the monarchs wanted nothing to do with God’s anointed messengers.
During the reign of King Ahab (869-850 BC), king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, God called Elijah, a prophet, to confront Israel’s worship of Baal. In the previous chronicles of the history of the Northern Kingdom we are never told the names of the wives of the kings. Now, suddenly, we are not only given the name of King Ahab, but are also given the name of the woman he married, Jezebel.
Why make a point of telling us the name and lineage of Ahab’s wife? I believe there are two primary reasons. First, she was the dominant partner in the marriage. Jezebel really ruled the kingdom. Second, she was the one who initiated Baal worship. The actual worship of Baal did not find its way into the hearts of the Israelites until it was introduced by marriage into Israel by Ahab. When Baal worship entered the Kingdom of Israel, the wickedness in the land only increased. In 1 Kings 16:30 we are told, ‘Now Ahab, the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him." I Kings 16: 33 says, "Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him."
It was at this time in history, we are introduced to the Tishbite prophet from Tishbeh, in Gilead. My friend who was raised far out in the country says with a smile, "When I was boy, we had to go toward town to hunt." This sounds like Elijah who came out of this insignificant place---out of nowhere—to make such a significant contribution to God’s plan for His people that he became one of Israel’s most famous heroes: He became a legend. The name Elijah, means "The Lord is God."
In 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah suddenly appeared, unannounced before King Ahab to announce the three years of drought. Right from the get-go he is "in the kings face." His words sound so matter of fact, but keep in mind he is shaking his fist in the devil’s face. "Baal, or no Baal", Elijah says, "you’re not getting any rain." Several lasting lessons emerge from Elijah’s example.
2. PLEASE READ 1 KINGS 17: 2-4.
After Elijah’s encounter with Ahab, God immediately sent him away to a place of isolation, hidden from everyone where he would not only be protected from physical danger, but would also be better prepared for a greater mission. Some of you who spent time in "boot camp" may see some similarities here. God had things that would prepare Elijah for an encounter that might destroy a less obedient, less committed, and less prepared servant. For the godly hero to be useful as an instrument of significance in the Lord’s hand, he must be humbled and forced to trust God.
While at the Brook Cherith, Elijah will be "cut down to size" as the Lord used that uncomfortable situation to force him to trust Him for each day’s needs. In 1 Kings 17: 1 the writer describes Elijah as simply "Elijah the Tishbite. But in Vs. 24, as a result of his trying experiences at Cherith, he is addressed as "a man of God." In between Vs. 1 and Vs. 24 is what I like to call Elijah’s "boot camp" experience.
In Vs. 2-4 God told Elijah exactly where he was to go, what he was to do when he got there; he was to hide: get alone; get out of the limelight. Get away from all those things that satisfy your human pride and go live by the brook; Elijah did exactly as he was told by God. Sure enough the ravens brought the prophet bread and meat in the mornings and again in the evenings. God always supplies all his servant’s needs to carry out His will as long as they are obedient to Him.
The Lord is the Sovereign Ruler of the world. He created everything and He would now summon His creation to care for His refugee-prophet. Water still ran in the brook despite the drought. God’s people can depend on His presence with them and can trust Him to accomplish his overall plan, including their individual purpose in that plan, as they rely on Him.
PLEASE TURN NOW TO 1 KINGS 19.
Elijah was in a rough spot; a life-threatening spot. The brook had dried up. Had God forgotten His faithful servant? Two lessons come to mind as I consider this segment of Elijah’s life.
First, the God who gives water can also withhold water. I know that when the brook dries up, two things are certain: (1.) God is still alive and well! And (2) He knows what He’s doing! In Isaiah 49:14-16 God says, "
The second lesson that comes at this moment in Elijah’s life is that the "dried up brook was the result of Elijah’s own prayer". James wrote in James 5: 17, "
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months." Elijah was living the result of his own prayer. This is all a part of being "cut down" to sizeAt the Brook Cherith God was teaching that first, "we must be as willing to be set aside as we are to be used." –this is the value of the hidden life. Second: "God’s direction includes God’s provision." God says, "Go to the brook. I will provide." Third: "We have to learn to trust God one day at a time." Fourth: "A dried up brook is often a sign of God’s pleasure, not disappointment in your life." Remember, even Jesus our Lord, the sinless Son of God, had to pass through the anguish of Gethsemane. God will invade us, reduce us, break us, and crush us, so that we will become the people He intends us to be. Elijah emerged from Cherish; as a deeper man of God. All this happened because he was "cut down to size" by a brook that dried up.
The contest with the prophets of Baal was the central feature of 1 Kings 18. After three-and-one-half years of drought Elijah prayed for rain, and the rains came. Elijah met with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. There, God proved to everyone present that He, not Baal, was God by sending down fire to consume Elijah’s offering. He felt the Lord had clearly show that He alone was God. Elijah had focused his hopes on this event. He expected it to signal the downfall of the evil system of Jezebel and her followers. Yet when he ran down the mountain, he heard that Jezebel had threatened to kill him by the next day. When Jezebel heard what happened on Mt. Carmel and that Elijah had killed her Baal prophets, she threatened to kill Elijah.
Elijah was no coward, but this news shattered his confidence: and he ran for his life. He went all the way from the northern part of Palestine to Beersheba, 100 miles south of Jezebel’s palace. Then he traveled for 40 days and nights 150 miles farther south into the Sinai Desert to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. (Sinai). Twice on that journey God fed Elijah bread and water through His angel. That food gave Elijah physical strength to reach Horeb.
God began to provide what Elijah needed to deal with his fear, doubts, discouragement, and defeat. After spending the night in a cave, the word of the Lord came to him. In that word God said, "
what are you doing here, Elijah?" God then began dealing with Elijah’s fears and discouragement. When he left Jezreel, there is no indication that the word of the Lord told him to flee. Up until then the Lord had guided him. However Elijah allowed fear and a sense of failure to cause him to flee from Jezebel all the way to Horeb.Vs. 10 records Elijah’s long answer, which was basically, an attempt to justify his actions in running away. His words reveal how he viewed others, himself, and God at this spiritually low point in his life. He was very disappointed and angry with the people of Israel. He had such high hopes for them. On Mt. Carmel they at first were unwilling to commit themselves, but after the Lord sent the fire from heaven, they enthusiastically declared that the Lord was God. But after he received Jezebel’s threat, Elijah realized that the people would not stand against the evil queen or risk themselves for the Lord and His prophet. Thus he accused the people (not just Jezebel and her fanatical followers) of forsaking the Lord’s covenant, throwing down His altars, and slaying his prophets.
The disgruntled prophet saw himself as the only one who was faithful to the Lord. His vision at this point was egocentric and filled with self-pity. The word jealous refers to ardent service for the Lord. He added, "
I, even I only, am left." The prophet had a distorted view of others and himself. Nothing explicit is said of God, but what is implied in the words "and they seek my life, to take it away?" Don’t these words imply that he no longer trusted God to take care of him?
In Vs. 11 God’s purpose was to reveal His presence anew to His prophet. Therefore, God instructed Elijah to do what he had instructed Moses to do years earlier in Exodus 33:12-23. God showed Moses His glory to convince Moses that His presence would be with him. God revealed His presence to Elijah so he would know God still had work for him to do.
There, in a mountain near Mt. Sinai, Elijah experienced several powerful and awesome acts of nature common to the mountains. He went through a great and powerful wind and an earthquake, but God was not in either one. Though the storm shook the mighty mountains, Elijah did not experience the presence of God. God’s presence does not require cataclysmic events.
After the wind and the earthquake, God sent a fire and a gentle whisper. God may have used he lightning from the storm to start the fire. But Elijah did not sense God’s presence in the fire. But the gentle whisper was wonderfully different. God had already revealed His presence through the ministry of the angel who fed Elijah. He had already spoken to Elijah in the cave. Now He spoke to him in a whisper.
God obviously was trying to teach something to the discouraged prophet. In effect He was saying to Elijah: "Let me be God. I’ve been doing his for a long time, and I know what I’m doing. I may not do things the way you want or expect. Let Me do things my way, and in my own time and method. You expected evil to be destroyed in one day with fire from heaven, but evil must be destroyed within the human heart where it resides. "
My word is still your mighty sword." We prefer quick fixes to problems, but God must defeat evil in His own way and in His own time.Overall, Vs. 9b-14 represent an attempt by God to reassure the prophet of His abiding presence. He was present, not always as Elijah expected or desired, but He was present nonetheless
5. PLEASE READ 1 KINGS 19: 15-18.
In Vs. 10 Elijah seems to have thought that his ministry and life were over. Leaving his servant behind in Vs. 3 is one clue to his feeling about his ministry. At the foot of the juniper tree in Vs. 4, he asked God to take his life. At Mt. Horeb, he twice said that the people were intent on killing him. Like many of God’s servants during times of discouragement, Elijah felt that God had nothing left for him to do.
This is a deadly attitude to faithful service. Of course, at some point each servant’s ministry and life comes to an end; however, we ought to leave that in God’s hand and not make assumptions of our own. We need to be ready to live and serve as long as the Lord allows, and we need to be ready to go to be with Him when He calls.
In Vs. 15-16 God reissued Elijah’s call to serve Him as His prophet. If the prophet thought he had failed, he learned God had not failed. If he thought Jezebel had ended his ministry, he learned she had not ended God’s ministry. However irresponsible or wrong fleeing from danger and praying to die was, God was giving Elijah another chance to serve Him and carry out His ultimate plans.
God showed that He still had work for Elijah to do. In Vs. 15 God told Elijah to "
go back the way you came." Then He gave Elijah three specific tasks. Elijah was to go into the foreign land of Syria and anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. He also was to anoint Jehu to be king over Israel. Finally, and most important, he was to anoint Elisha to be prophet in Elijah’s place. The account of Elijah’s anointing of Elisha is recorded in Vs. 19-21. All three of these people were to play key roles in God’s judgment on Ahab and Jezebel and their family. Vs. 17 makes this plain "And it shall come to pass, that him that escapes the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay."In Vs. 18 the Lord’s final words at Mount Horeb were designed to deal with Elijah’s self-pity and sense of being the only one who was faithful to God. The Lord told the prophet that he was wrong about being the only one left. Seven thousand others had not bowed unto Baal. The word "left" refers to a faithful remnant who were true to the Lord. Wouldn’t it have been great for Elijah to have spent some time with some of these? Then he would not have felt so alone in his service to the Lord. Believers are always a part of a vast host of people who love and serve the Lord. This is one of the main purposes for the church and its Bible study classes. Through being together, praying together, and studying God’s Word together, each person’s faith is strengthened. Believers who try to go it alone often feel over-whelmed by the vast number of unbelievers.
The words of Vs. 15-18 were designed to renew Elijah’s sense of purpose. He had a purpose within the larger purpose of the Lord. He could not do the tasks of others, but he was accountable for doing what God called him to do.
Vs. 19 says, "So Elijah went from Mt. Horeb" and began doing what God commanded. The grace and mercy of God provided Elijah with food for his physical needs, a sense of God’s presence for his spiritual needs, and a purpose for living for his mental and emotional needs. Truly, God is a God who provides.
A number of years ago Vance Havner spoke to a pastor’s conference. He used the word resign in three different ways to show three options for people who serve the Lord. He said that people can resign in the sense of giving up. People can continue to serve but resign themselves to do so reluctantly. Or people can "re-sign" their commitment to Serve. That is, they can renew their commitment to serve the Lord in His strength for as long as He gives us time and strength to do so. I pray that each of you may re-sign your commitment to serve the Lord and add others to the number.
NEXT SUNDAY WE BEGIN A NEW STUDY THEME, "COVENANTS OF GRACE." WE WILL SPEND OCTOBER LOOKING AT FOUR KEY O.T. COVENANTS INITIATED BY GOD. FROM GENESIS 9 WE BEGIN WITH "COVENANTING TO LIFE." THE COVENANT GOD MADE WITH NOAH. A.V. DAUGHERTY 9-29-02.