Elijah, God's Prophet Of Courage
1 Kings 17--2 Kings 2
From our previous lessons we know that Israel had been divided into two separate nations, one being Judah and the other the 10 tribes now called Israel.
Israel had departed from the Living God, Jehovah and had turned to idolatry.
Because of God's mercy and God's grace, He is still God of the second chance and the God of opportunity.
The word "repent" would not be necessary in any language if it were not for the fact that God knows that we are all only sinners who can only be saved by God's grace.
The Grace of God still means---"God's Riches At Christ's Expense".
God needed a man who was willing to boldly stand up a government that promoted idol worship and God sent the prophet Elijah.
The name Elijah means "my God is Jehovah"!
If you are a believer in the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ then your name is also Elijah but only if you possess one more thing.
Elijah had courage!
Courage in the believer is much more than the bravery of the average man.
Courage is the quality of the mind that allows a believer to encounter dangers and difficulties because they already know the truth of God and know they have eternal life.
Biblical courage is showing that you are strong in the Lord!
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
It takes courage to overcome the lies of Satan but the rewards are worth the pain of abuse.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Courage to the believer is opposite from the cowardice of the unbeliever!
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
It can be said that Elijah was the most dramatic person in all of history, second only to Jesus Christ.
Elijah was a man of action. Elijah did not take the time to write things down for us because he was a man that things were written about!
Elijah appeared on the scene and in much less than a lifetime Elijah just as quickly disappears!
Long after Elijah disappeared, the Jews have been continually expecting him to return, to again stand up the the falseness of this world.
The Bible says this will actually take place but Elijah will not return in his personal capacity, Elijah will return in his spiritual capacity.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Many believed that John the Baptist was actually the second coming of Elijah. but John himself said this was not true.
Luk 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luk 1:14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
Luk 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
Luk 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
Luk 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
John informed the world that he was not that Elijah.
Joh 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
Joh 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
Joh 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Joh 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
Joh 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
John the Baptist was also a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.
Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
John the Baptist did preach in the same power of Elijah but there was another who also preached in the power of Elijah and his name was Jesus.
Mat 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And it is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who says that Elijah will certainly return again to this Earth.
Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
Israel was suffering from a drought of the Word of God, so God decided Israel should also suffer from a drought of life giving water.
We first meet Elijah as he delivers his first message to the government of Israel.
*****1Ki 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
Elijah was from Tishbi a city of very few people and he had relocated to Gilead. Gilead was a mountainous region north of Samaria but east of the River Jordan and was known as a good place to raise cattle.
Num 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
It is not mentioned in the Books of Kings, but Elijah had prayed before he entered into this work of the Lord.
Jas 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
What should we immediately notice about Elijah?
He was just a man subject to the same passions as we are!
What should we remember about God's prophets?
Deu 18:21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
Deu 18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Elijah had not prayed for Israel not to receive rain!
Elijah was stating the pure facts!
If Israel would not return from their evil ways they would face the judgement of God. There had been no rain or even dew already for 6 months and Elijah said this would last for another 3 years unless God saw a change and Elijah would then become an "intercessor" for the people of Israel.
Rom 11:2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Rom 11:3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
All the kings of Israel since Jeroboam had attempted to kill or remove all of God's prophets and had destroyed the places for true worship and Elijah was well aware of all these things.
What are the facts?
Israel had turned to Baal worship along the worship of many other false man-made idols.
Baal was supposedly the storm god and the god of good crops.
For the words of God's prophet's to be true, then Baal would have to be a complete failure as a god and he was!
Elijah had just proposed a direct challenge to the god of Ahab and the god of Jezebel.
Elijah would not have been a true prophet of God if he had stayed and asked God to bless these people, so God sent Elijah away until the proof of Elijah's words were seen.
*****1Ki 17:2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
1Ki 17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
We must realize that God tells us up front that our future home is in Heaven once we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Up until that time, God will only lead us through this life one day at a time!
Our prayers should center on, "Lord what next step should I take" and once that step is revealed we must take that one step while trusting in the Lord to show us how to take that next step in our walk with the Lord.
After Elijah had revealed his message from God, it was time for Elijah to remove himself and allow God to do what He had said He would do.
We will never be able to confront this sinful generation, until we have spent some personal time with God!
Notice this drought was to last 3 and 1/2 years.
The ministry of Jesus and the teaching of the Apostles was 3 and 1/2 years.
The time the Apostle Paul spent in the wilderness alone with God was 3 and 1/2 years.
I believe we can see that each child of God should spend some time alone with God before we can begin our own ministries and we all have a ministry and by example, 3 and 1/2 years would seem to be a reasonable time.
What does God do during that time period?
God prepares each of us for the work He has called us to do!
Elijah was not sent to hide from the wrath of Ahab or even Jezebel.
Elijah was sent to God's proving ground to teach Elijah a lesson in truth and patience!
We are never to fear what man can do to us, we are to have a Godly fear of the Lord!
The remembrance of Elijah as true man of God is well documented in the New Testament and we find his named mentioned at least 30 times.
God gave Ahab 3 and 1/2 years to see the truth of God and God caused Elijah to vanish out of the sight of Ahab.
God removed Elijah so Ahab would have no contact with him for this same period!
The brook of Cherith was only a rainy season stream that dumped into the River Jordan but it would always dry up during the dry season.
So what is the truth of Scripture?
David wrote in the Book of Psalms these words:
Psa 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
The truth is that God will always provide for those that serve Him!
*****1Ki 17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
It was God's intention to keep Elijah safe to complete the work he had started.
It was God intentions to keep Elijah fed and watered during all this time.
It was also God's intention for Elijah to grow in the Lord during all this time.
Jer 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
Elijah had not been raised in luxury. Elijah was a man of the wilderness. In fact Elijah did not even dress as most men dressed. If you had ever seen Elijah you would always remember that you had seen him!
2Ki 1:7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?
2Ki 1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
Many depict Elijah as some hairy man wearing leather for his clothes and this could have been true but the Scriptures only say that Elijah was a man of hair.
In the Hebrew this means that Elijah was the owner of hair or that Elijah wore the skins of animals, probably cattle that still had the hair attached to that skin.
This why John the Baptist was associated with Elijah and it was intentional on God's part!
Mar 1:6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
John's message was the same as Elijah's!
Joh 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Just as John was a voice in the work of the Lord, so was Elijah!
This is our only job after we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts, we are to be a voice in the work of the Lord!
God will provide for all those that lend their voice to the work of the Lord and if you notice most Christians will dress differently from the world!
We should also realize that Elijah would have perished by the brook of Cherith if God had not shown him the next step to take.
Our faith must wait on God's plans!
Elijah next went to Zarephath which was located in part of the land that was ruled by the father of Queen Jezebel, which made it the last place that Ahab and Jezebel would think to search for Elijah.
It amazes me how God will many times use our enemies to provide our needs.
There are many great stories and great miracles shown by the Lord during this 3 and 1/2 year period which we do not have space for in this lesson so let's pick up with the end of this period of time.
It was also during this time that Elijah first began training his replacement Elisha.
So, Again Elijah meets Ahab.
*****1Ki 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
1Ki 18:18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
When Elijah had first called on Ahab, Elijah had presented a direct challenge to the false gods of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.
We would be foolish not to look at Ahab's response.
The very first thing all false religions will do, is to blame all the problems of this world on Christians!
Our own President said all Christians are Neanderthal!
The theory Evolution teaches that Neanderthal were just a step in the development of the true human.
In other words our own government considers a Christian to be hung up in the past refusing to accept modern humanism.
In other words Christian beliefs are so far in the past that they cannot comprehend the truth of real human life that exists in our world today.
This is an insult to the truth of the Word of God!
Our own Vice-President said that if not for the antiquated Word of God, Christians could accept the gay lifestyle and abortion as just being the truth of society!
The Muslim blame everything on the Christian and simply strive to remove all Christians from the face of the Earth!
Christians will continue to get the blame for everything even including climate change, which lies only in the hands of God.
Evolution teaches that there has been at least 7 Ice Ages so even evolution teaches of many climate changes over billions of years, years when there where no humans on this earth. So why are they showing such great concern now and blaming it all on humans? It's called money, to make the rich get richer and the poor kept dependant on the rich to survive!
What was Elijah's response?
Now it is not that false religion causes all the problems of this world!
It is the rejecting of the truth of God and God Himself that brings these problems!
What words were spoken to the Apostle Paul as he strived to begin the early church?
Act 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also";
What words were said of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Luk 23:5 And they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirreth up the people", teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.
All that call on the Lord Jesus Christ can be sure of one thing, Christianity will always get the blame for the problems that are in this world!
What is our job?
Our job continues to be, to turn this world upside down!
In the end we will see who has the most truthful message.
So Elijah just said, let's just see who is telling the truth!
*****1Ki 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
We must realize that during the absence of Elijah, Queen Jezebel had searched the entire land trying to find him and she had caught, tortured and murdered as many of God's prophets as she could find in trying to locate Elijah but to no avail.
1Ki 18:13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
A man named Obadiah, not the prophet Obadiah, who was a servant to King Ahab had actually helped to preserve as many of God's prophets and preachers as he could.
1Ki 18:4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
If we look closely at those two words "cut-off" we will see that these words come from the Hebrew word "karath" which mean to cut up into pieces or to mutilate, much like someone would fillet a fish!
Jezebel was a very evil and cruel woman and we can see this same type of evilness is performed by that group called ISIS today along with some others who persecute God's people!
Our world is still filled with evil men and women and God says many will get even more evil than these we see today!
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Jezreel was the home of the palace of Ahab and Jezebel and also a place where a temple for Jezebel to worship her own false gods was built.
Mount Carmel was a high place of beauty directly across the valley from Jezreel and in full view of all those in this evil city.
The Mediterranean Sea could also be seen from Mount Carmel.
This was the place God had chosen for Elijah to challenge the false prophets of Israel.
God does not hide the work that He causes to happen from the view of those who are evil!
As we know, Baal was considered to be storm god and the fire god of Jezebel. It was Baal who was worshiped so that there could be fruitful harvest.
There were 450 prophets of Baal.
There were also 400 prophets of the groves that were fed, clothed, and housed at the expense of the government of Israel, according to the command of Jezebel who had absolute control of King Ahab.
We see our own government housing many of the enemies of Christ Jesus today!
That word "groves" means the prophets of Asherah. Remember Asherah was worshiped as the wife of Baal and she supposedly was the goddess of fertility, love, and war!
Baal was worshiped as the Sun god and Asherah as the Moon god!
Elijah had directly challenged the false gods of the government Israel but Elijah also confronted the people of Israel with this challenge.
1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
You see it's not only important to confront the government but the people must also be confronted. It is the people who can eventually do something to cause a new government to be in place!
What did the Apostle Paul say about the Jew that still holds true today?
1Co 1:22 "For the Jews require a sign", and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
It's remarkable that a sign is never asked of false religion but a sign is always required of the truth of God!
These false prophets had tried everything they knew to get a response from these false gods but they had no success!
Why? Because man-made idols are powerless because they are man-made!
Psa 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, "the work of men's hands".
Psa 115:5 They have mouths, but "they speak not": eyes have they, but "they see not":
Psa 115:6 They have ears, but "they hear not": noses have they, but "they smell not":
Psa 115:7 They have hands, but "they handle not": feet have they, but "they walk not": "neither speak they through their throat".
Psa 115:8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
False gods have no power to do anything at all!
So Elijah set about to call on the true God, the Creator of our world.
*****1Ki 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
1Ki 18:32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
Notice Elijah was well aware that all eyes were focused upon him and he was very deliberate in the things he did.
It was Moses who had written the Books of the Law that these Jews were to follow and Moses used 12 stones to build an altar one stone for each tribe of Israel showing that God had intended for them to remain united as one nation.
Joshua had used 12 stones to build a memorial as Israel had crossed Jordan into the Promised Land.
Jesus would later choose 12 disciples showing all of Israel that they were also to be united "in faith" in the Living God.
And the truth of the Church is that all believers are to be united in one faith!
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
That trench was to hold all the water that would be poured over the entire altar.
But as water is a "type" of the Holy Spirit, that trench also represented a healing of new flesh or "new skin" to cover the wounded nation of Israel.
To the Church we are taught by the Word of God that we are not only to be washed in the blood of Jesus, we must be washed in the water of the Holy Spirit and all these things require our "Faith" and only then will come a "new life"!
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
1Jn 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
And the wood then had to be placed in order!
*****1Ki 18:33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
There can be no doubt that this wood placed in specific order then represents a "type" of Jesus Christ.
It was Jesus Christ who was cut to pieces by the "cat-o-nine tails", His body ripped to shreds and then laid on that cross for all the world to see.
It was the Lord Jesus Christ who was then in the control of the Holy Spirit, represented by the water.
It was those two measures of seed that represent the truth of the Gospel, the Gospel Seed!
And it is on Mount Calvary where the Church is tried by fire!
How had Elijah approached the people that day?
1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
If the people of God would just be settled in their beliefs, we could all come together at the foot of the cross where all the people of God stand on level ground.
Even more so today in America we struggle between two opinions when we all have only "one" true Word of God!
And what is the truth of the Gospel?
1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Elijah had very little concern for King Ahab and his government which was actually controlled by Queen Jezebel.
Elijah had no concern for those 850 false priests.
Elijah was concerned only with the people of God!
Notice there were also 12 barrels of water that were poured upon the altar built by Elijah.
According to the laws of Moses, one lamb would be offered in the morning by the high priest in atonement for their souls. Then later that same day another lamb would be offered in the evening sacrifice still in atonement for their souls.
Exo 29:41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Exo 29:42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.
Elijah had waited until it was time for this evening sacrifice!
*****1Ki 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
Elijah had done all these things according to the truth of the Scriptures!
Elijah had taken the Word of God as literal!
It was only then that Elijah called on the Lord, not for his own sake but for the peoples sake!
Elijah became an "intercessor" for the children of Israel.
What is the truth?
Elijah will return sometime in the near future to stand in the gap between Israel and our Holy God!
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Then Elijah prayed for all those present, and loud enough for all to hear.
Elijah was not ashamed of the Word of God!
*****1Ki 18:37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
1Ki 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
I fully believe that in His own way, God makes contact with every national leader that have risen to that level.
I believe that God gives them specific instructions in His Word and has made His Word available to each nation and each government on this earth.
BUT, God deals with the ordinary people who are restrained and constrained by those governments because "it is the people of God who can make the necessary changes to those governments", if those people would have enough "faith" to just follow the written Word of God!
And God responded to the prayer of Elijah.
Prayer changes things!
Elijah had confronted the government of Israel that day.
Elijah had challenged all false religions and their leaders to prove their false gods.
Elijah had mocked all false religion because that's what they are, they are false and powerless!
This fire that came down from Heaven attested to the truth of God's prophet!
This fire that came down from Heaven demonstrated the falsehood of Baal the fire god of Jezebel!
Ahab became confused.
Jezebel would fly into a rage when she heard of these things.
But many of the people began to see the truth of idol worship, but it would not last and Elijah soon realized this truth!
*****1Ki 18:39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
What is the truth of our world?
At some point in the life of every individual, God will make Himself known!
And God only requires a short prayer of "Faith" for Him to take His "salvation" action!
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
It is the Lord, He is God!
God requires our "faith" in order to do His work!
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
What was the truth of Elijah, God's prophet?
Just as he had informed Ahab at the first, rain would not come to Israel until he prayed that the Lord would end the drought!
And God's people then began to eliminate those who preached a false religion!
And Ahab ran home to Jezebel to tell her what Elijah had done.
*****1Ki 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
It had been Jezebel who had made pagan worship the national religion of Israel.
And we must not be fooled it is taxpayer money and our own government that is allowing pagan worship in America!
Jezebel herself had seen that most all prophets of God located in Israel had been slaughtered!
It was the government of Israel that was killing God's people!
1Ki 18:13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
Jezebel hated God's prophets and Jezebel became Elijah's darkest and most dangerous enemy!
To be quiet honest, it is our own government has become the greatest enemy to all those Pastors who take a stand on the truth of God!
Jezebel was so deep in her paganism, she could not be moved to believe the truth!
*****1Ki 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
Just when Elijah felt that there would be a great revival in all of Israel, he found out that the entire force of the government of Israel would be seeking his life.
So it is true that for the first time in his life Elijah had a fear for his own life.
But it is also true that Elijah knew revival could not come to Israel at this time and it broke his heart!
We sometimes have a greatest let downs after a sure victory and needless to say when you are up on the mountain, this world will always find a way to knock you down, if you are a true child of God!
Elijah began to trust in his own power to save himself, after all Elijah was only a man with a man's weaknesses.
*****1Ki 19:3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
1Ki 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
Elijah's hope for revival had come to a quick end and Elijah was heartbroken for the people he loved.
Elijah was not a coward we have seen the proof of that.
Elijah was not afraid to die because we see he asked the Lord to take his life.
Elijah was discouraged!
Remember courage is the quality of the mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness.
To be discouraged is to be disheartened, a loss of confidence and dejected.
Elijah felt that if such a great miracle as God had shown to Israel on Mount Carmel could not win the hearts of the people then Israel could not be won back to the Lord.
God says this:
Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Many of God's men have felt that they were alone in the the work of the Lord but we should remember a few things.
This is God's plan of salvation and we just need to be a part of His plan!
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
And these things will not end until God says it's time for them to end!
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God was not through with Elijah!
On the contrary God has great plans for Elijah even beyond the Church age!
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
What will Elijah's job be at that time?
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
It was not Elijah's job to restore Israel because that has always been the Lord's job!
Elijah was just one small part of the plan of God just like we all are!
Jesus preached in all the synagogues and included these things in His message:
Luk 4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
Luk 4:26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Our job is to go where the Lord leads us and respond to the opportunities that He gives us and continue to do good, without getting weary in well doing.
And to take our stand on the Word of God!
It takes as much courage today to stand for the truth, as it took in the days of Elijah!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
1 Kings 17--2 Kings 2
From our previous lessons we know that Israel had been divided into two separate nations, one being Judah and the other the 10 tribes now called Israel.
Israel had departed from the Living God, Jehovah and had turned to idolatry.
Because of God's mercy and God's grace, He is still God of the second chance and the God of opportunity.
The word "repent" would not be necessary in any language if it were not for the fact that God knows that we are all only sinners who can only be saved by God's grace.
The Grace of God still means---"God's Riches At Christ's Expense".
God needed a man who was willing to boldly stand up a government that promoted idol worship and God sent the prophet Elijah.
The name Elijah means "my God is Jehovah"!
If you are a believer in the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ then your name is also Elijah but only if you possess one more thing.
Elijah had courage!
Courage in the believer is much more than the bravery of the average man.
Courage is the quality of the mind that allows a believer to encounter dangers and difficulties because they already know the truth of God and know they have eternal life.
Biblical courage is showing that you are strong in the Lord!
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
It takes courage to overcome the lies of Satan but the rewards are worth the pain of abuse.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Courage to the believer is opposite from the cowardice of the unbeliever!
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
It can be said that Elijah was the most dramatic person in all of history, second only to Jesus Christ.
Elijah was a man of action. Elijah did not take the time to write things down for us because he was a man that things were written about!
Elijah appeared on the scene and in much less than a lifetime Elijah just as quickly disappears!
Long after Elijah disappeared, the Jews have been continually expecting him to return, to again stand up the the falseness of this world.
The Bible says this will actually take place but Elijah will not return in his personal capacity, Elijah will return in his spiritual capacity.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Many believed that John the Baptist was actually the second coming of Elijah. but John himself said this was not true.
Luk 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luk 1:14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
Luk 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
Luk 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
Luk 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
John informed the world that he was not that Elijah.
Joh 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
Joh 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
Joh 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Joh 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
Joh 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
John the Baptist was also a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.
Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
John the Baptist did preach in the same power of Elijah but there was another who also preached in the power of Elijah and his name was Jesus.
Mat 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Mat 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And it is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who says that Elijah will certainly return again to this Earth.
Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
Israel was suffering from a drought of the Word of God, so God decided Israel should also suffer from a drought of life giving water.
We first meet Elijah as he delivers his first message to the government of Israel.
*****1Ki 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
Elijah was from Tishbi a city of very few people and he had relocated to Gilead. Gilead was a mountainous region north of Samaria but east of the River Jordan and was known as a good place to raise cattle.
Num 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
It is not mentioned in the Books of Kings, but Elijah had prayed before he entered into this work of the Lord.
Jas 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
What should we immediately notice about Elijah?
He was just a man subject to the same passions as we are!
What should we remember about God's prophets?
Deu 18:21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
Deu 18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Elijah had not prayed for Israel not to receive rain!
Elijah was stating the pure facts!
If Israel would not return from their evil ways they would face the judgement of God. There had been no rain or even dew already for 6 months and Elijah said this would last for another 3 years unless God saw a change and Elijah would then become an "intercessor" for the people of Israel.
Rom 11:2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,
Rom 11:3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
All the kings of Israel since Jeroboam had attempted to kill or remove all of God's prophets and had destroyed the places for true worship and Elijah was well aware of all these things.
What are the facts?
Israel had turned to Baal worship along the worship of many other false man-made idols.
Baal was supposedly the storm god and the god of good crops.
For the words of God's prophet's to be true, then Baal would have to be a complete failure as a god and he was!
Elijah had just proposed a direct challenge to the god of Ahab and the god of Jezebel.
Elijah would not have been a true prophet of God if he had stayed and asked God to bless these people, so God sent Elijah away until the proof of Elijah's words were seen.
*****1Ki 17:2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
1Ki 17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
We must realize that God tells us up front that our future home is in Heaven once we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Up until that time, God will only lead us through this life one day at a time!
Our prayers should center on, "Lord what next step should I take" and once that step is revealed we must take that one step while trusting in the Lord to show us how to take that next step in our walk with the Lord.
After Elijah had revealed his message from God, it was time for Elijah to remove himself and allow God to do what He had said He would do.
We will never be able to confront this sinful generation, until we have spent some personal time with God!
Notice this drought was to last 3 and 1/2 years.
The ministry of Jesus and the teaching of the Apostles was 3 and 1/2 years.
The time the Apostle Paul spent in the wilderness alone with God was 3 and 1/2 years.
I believe we can see that each child of God should spend some time alone with God before we can begin our own ministries and we all have a ministry and by example, 3 and 1/2 years would seem to be a reasonable time.
What does God do during that time period?
God prepares each of us for the work He has called us to do!
Elijah was not sent to hide from the wrath of Ahab or even Jezebel.
Elijah was sent to God's proving ground to teach Elijah a lesson in truth and patience!
We are never to fear what man can do to us, we are to have a Godly fear of the Lord!
The remembrance of Elijah as true man of God is well documented in the New Testament and we find his named mentioned at least 30 times.
God gave Ahab 3 and 1/2 years to see the truth of God and God caused Elijah to vanish out of the sight of Ahab.
God removed Elijah so Ahab would have no contact with him for this same period!
The brook of Cherith was only a rainy season stream that dumped into the River Jordan but it would always dry up during the dry season.
So what is the truth of Scripture?
David wrote in the Book of Psalms these words:
Psa 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
The truth is that God will always provide for those that serve Him!
*****1Ki 17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
It was God's intention to keep Elijah safe to complete the work he had started.
It was God intentions to keep Elijah fed and watered during all this time.
It was also God's intention for Elijah to grow in the Lord during all this time.
Jer 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
Elijah had not been raised in luxury. Elijah was a man of the wilderness. In fact Elijah did not even dress as most men dressed. If you had ever seen Elijah you would always remember that you had seen him!
2Ki 1:7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?
2Ki 1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
Many depict Elijah as some hairy man wearing leather for his clothes and this could have been true but the Scriptures only say that Elijah was a man of hair.
In the Hebrew this means that Elijah was the owner of hair or that Elijah wore the skins of animals, probably cattle that still had the hair attached to that skin.
This why John the Baptist was associated with Elijah and it was intentional on God's part!
Mar 1:6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
John's message was the same as Elijah's!
Joh 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Just as John was a voice in the work of the Lord, so was Elijah!
This is our only job after we accept the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts, we are to be a voice in the work of the Lord!
God will provide for all those that lend their voice to the work of the Lord and if you notice most Christians will dress differently from the world!
We should also realize that Elijah would have perished by the brook of Cherith if God had not shown him the next step to take.
Our faith must wait on God's plans!
Elijah next went to Zarephath which was located in part of the land that was ruled by the father of Queen Jezebel, which made it the last place that Ahab and Jezebel would think to search for Elijah.
It amazes me how God will many times use our enemies to provide our needs.
There are many great stories and great miracles shown by the Lord during this 3 and 1/2 year period which we do not have space for in this lesson so let's pick up with the end of this period of time.
It was also during this time that Elijah first began training his replacement Elisha.
So, Again Elijah meets Ahab.
*****1Ki 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
1Ki 18:18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
When Elijah had first called on Ahab, Elijah had presented a direct challenge to the false gods of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.
We would be foolish not to look at Ahab's response.
The very first thing all false religions will do, is to blame all the problems of this world on Christians!
Our own President said all Christians are Neanderthal!
The theory Evolution teaches that Neanderthal were just a step in the development of the true human.
In other words our own government considers a Christian to be hung up in the past refusing to accept modern humanism.
In other words Christian beliefs are so far in the past that they cannot comprehend the truth of real human life that exists in our world today.
This is an insult to the truth of the Word of God!
Our own Vice-President said that if not for the antiquated Word of God, Christians could accept the gay lifestyle and abortion as just being the truth of society!
The Muslim blame everything on the Christian and simply strive to remove all Christians from the face of the Earth!
Christians will continue to get the blame for everything even including climate change, which lies only in the hands of God.
Evolution teaches that there has been at least 7 Ice Ages so even evolution teaches of many climate changes over billions of years, years when there where no humans on this earth. So why are they showing such great concern now and blaming it all on humans? It's called money, to make the rich get richer and the poor kept dependant on the rich to survive!
What was Elijah's response?
Now it is not that false religion causes all the problems of this world!
It is the rejecting of the truth of God and God Himself that brings these problems!
What words were spoken to the Apostle Paul as he strived to begin the early church?
Act 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also";
What words were said of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Luk 23:5 And they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirreth up the people", teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.
All that call on the Lord Jesus Christ can be sure of one thing, Christianity will always get the blame for the problems that are in this world!
What is our job?
Our job continues to be, to turn this world upside down!
In the end we will see who has the most truthful message.
So Elijah just said, let's just see who is telling the truth!
*****1Ki 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
We must realize that during the absence of Elijah, Queen Jezebel had searched the entire land trying to find him and she had caught, tortured and murdered as many of God's prophets as she could find in trying to locate Elijah but to no avail.
1Ki 18:13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
A man named Obadiah, not the prophet Obadiah, who was a servant to King Ahab had actually helped to preserve as many of God's prophets and preachers as he could.
1Ki 18:4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
If we look closely at those two words "cut-off" we will see that these words come from the Hebrew word "karath" which mean to cut up into pieces or to mutilate, much like someone would fillet a fish!
Jezebel was a very evil and cruel woman and we can see this same type of evilness is performed by that group called ISIS today along with some others who persecute God's people!
Our world is still filled with evil men and women and God says many will get even more evil than these we see today!
2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Jezreel was the home of the palace of Ahab and Jezebel and also a place where a temple for Jezebel to worship her own false gods was built.
Mount Carmel was a high place of beauty directly across the valley from Jezreel and in full view of all those in this evil city.
The Mediterranean Sea could also be seen from Mount Carmel.
This was the place God had chosen for Elijah to challenge the false prophets of Israel.
God does not hide the work that He causes to happen from the view of those who are evil!
As we know, Baal was considered to be storm god and the fire god of Jezebel. It was Baal who was worshiped so that there could be fruitful harvest.
There were 450 prophets of Baal.
There were also 400 prophets of the groves that were fed, clothed, and housed at the expense of the government of Israel, according to the command of Jezebel who had absolute control of King Ahab.
We see our own government housing many of the enemies of Christ Jesus today!
That word "groves" means the prophets of Asherah. Remember Asherah was worshiped as the wife of Baal and she supposedly was the goddess of fertility, love, and war!
Baal was worshiped as the Sun god and Asherah as the Moon god!
Elijah had directly challenged the false gods of the government Israel but Elijah also confronted the people of Israel with this challenge.
1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
You see it's not only important to confront the government but the people must also be confronted. It is the people who can eventually do something to cause a new government to be in place!
What did the Apostle Paul say about the Jew that still holds true today?
1Co 1:22 "For the Jews require a sign", and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
It's remarkable that a sign is never asked of false religion but a sign is always required of the truth of God!
These false prophets had tried everything they knew to get a response from these false gods but they had no success!
Why? Because man-made idols are powerless because they are man-made!
Psa 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold, "the work of men's hands".
Psa 115:5 They have mouths, but "they speak not": eyes have they, but "they see not":
Psa 115:6 They have ears, but "they hear not": noses have they, but "they smell not":
Psa 115:7 They have hands, but "they handle not": feet have they, but "they walk not": "neither speak they through their throat".
Psa 115:8 They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
False gods have no power to do anything at all!
So Elijah set about to call on the true God, the Creator of our world.
*****1Ki 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
1Ki 18:32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
Notice Elijah was well aware that all eyes were focused upon him and he was very deliberate in the things he did.
It was Moses who had written the Books of the Law that these Jews were to follow and Moses used 12 stones to build an altar one stone for each tribe of Israel showing that God had intended for them to remain united as one nation.
Joshua had used 12 stones to build a memorial as Israel had crossed Jordan into the Promised Land.
Jesus would later choose 12 disciples showing all of Israel that they were also to be united "in faith" in the Living God.
And the truth of the Church is that all believers are to be united in one faith!
Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
That trench was to hold all the water that would be poured over the entire altar.
But as water is a "type" of the Holy Spirit, that trench also represented a healing of new flesh or "new skin" to cover the wounded nation of Israel.
To the Church we are taught by the Word of God that we are not only to be washed in the blood of Jesus, we must be washed in the water of the Holy Spirit and all these things require our "Faith" and only then will come a "new life"!
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jn 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
1Jn 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
And the wood then had to be placed in order!
*****1Ki 18:33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
There can be no doubt that this wood placed in specific order then represents a "type" of Jesus Christ.
It was Jesus Christ who was cut to pieces by the "cat-o-nine tails", His body ripped to shreds and then laid on that cross for all the world to see.
It was the Lord Jesus Christ who was then in the control of the Holy Spirit, represented by the water.
It was those two measures of seed that represent the truth of the Gospel, the Gospel Seed!
And it is on Mount Calvary where the Church is tried by fire!
How had Elijah approached the people that day?
1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
If the people of God would just be settled in their beliefs, we could all come together at the foot of the cross where all the people of God stand on level ground.
Even more so today in America we struggle between two opinions when we all have only "one" true Word of God!
And what is the truth of the Gospel?
1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Elijah had very little concern for King Ahab and his government which was actually controlled by Queen Jezebel.
Elijah had no concern for those 850 false priests.
Elijah was concerned only with the people of God!
Notice there were also 12 barrels of water that were poured upon the altar built by Elijah.
According to the laws of Moses, one lamb would be offered in the morning by the high priest in atonement for their souls. Then later that same day another lamb would be offered in the evening sacrifice still in atonement for their souls.
Exo 29:41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Exo 29:42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.
Elijah had waited until it was time for this evening sacrifice!
*****1Ki 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
Elijah had done all these things according to the truth of the Scriptures!
Elijah had taken the Word of God as literal!
It was only then that Elijah called on the Lord, not for his own sake but for the peoples sake!
Elijah became an "intercessor" for the children of Israel.
What is the truth?
Elijah will return sometime in the near future to stand in the gap between Israel and our Holy God!
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Then Elijah prayed for all those present, and loud enough for all to hear.
Elijah was not ashamed of the Word of God!
*****1Ki 18:37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
1Ki 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
I fully believe that in His own way, God makes contact with every national leader that have risen to that level.
I believe that God gives them specific instructions in His Word and has made His Word available to each nation and each government on this earth.
BUT, God deals with the ordinary people who are restrained and constrained by those governments because "it is the people of God who can make the necessary changes to those governments", if those people would have enough "faith" to just follow the written Word of God!
And God responded to the prayer of Elijah.
Prayer changes things!
Elijah had confronted the government of Israel that day.
Elijah had challenged all false religions and their leaders to prove their false gods.
Elijah had mocked all false religion because that's what they are, they are false and powerless!
This fire that came down from Heaven attested to the truth of God's prophet!
This fire that came down from Heaven demonstrated the falsehood of Baal the fire god of Jezebel!
Ahab became confused.
Jezebel would fly into a rage when she heard of these things.
But many of the people began to see the truth of idol worship, but it would not last and Elijah soon realized this truth!
*****1Ki 18:39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
What is the truth of our world?
At some point in the life of every individual, God will make Himself known!
And God only requires a short prayer of "Faith" for Him to take His "salvation" action!
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
It is the Lord, He is God!
God requires our "faith" in order to do His work!
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
What was the truth of Elijah, God's prophet?
Just as he had informed Ahab at the first, rain would not come to Israel until he prayed that the Lord would end the drought!
And God's people then began to eliminate those who preached a false religion!
And Ahab ran home to Jezebel to tell her what Elijah had done.
*****1Ki 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
It had been Jezebel who had made pagan worship the national religion of Israel.
And we must not be fooled it is taxpayer money and our own government that is allowing pagan worship in America!
Jezebel herself had seen that most all prophets of God located in Israel had been slaughtered!
It was the government of Israel that was killing God's people!
1Ki 18:13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
Jezebel hated God's prophets and Jezebel became Elijah's darkest and most dangerous enemy!
To be quiet honest, it is our own government has become the greatest enemy to all those Pastors who take a stand on the truth of God!
Jezebel was so deep in her paganism, she could not be moved to believe the truth!
*****1Ki 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
Just when Elijah felt that there would be a great revival in all of Israel, he found out that the entire force of the government of Israel would be seeking his life.
So it is true that for the first time in his life Elijah had a fear for his own life.
But it is also true that Elijah knew revival could not come to Israel at this time and it broke his heart!
We sometimes have a greatest let downs after a sure victory and needless to say when you are up on the mountain, this world will always find a way to knock you down, if you are a true child of God!
Elijah began to trust in his own power to save himself, after all Elijah was only a man with a man's weaknesses.
*****1Ki 19:3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
1Ki 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
Elijah's hope for revival had come to a quick end and Elijah was heartbroken for the people he loved.
Elijah was not a coward we have seen the proof of that.
Elijah was not afraid to die because we see he asked the Lord to take his life.
Elijah was discouraged!
Remember courage is the quality of the mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness.
To be discouraged is to be disheartened, a loss of confidence and dejected.
Elijah felt that if such a great miracle as God had shown to Israel on Mount Carmel could not win the hearts of the people then Israel could not be won back to the Lord.
God says this:
Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Many of God's men have felt that they were alone in the the work of the Lord but we should remember a few things.
This is God's plan of salvation and we just need to be a part of His plan!
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
And these things will not end until God says it's time for them to end!
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God was not through with Elijah!
On the contrary God has great plans for Elijah even beyond the Church age!
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
What will Elijah's job be at that time?
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
It was not Elijah's job to restore Israel because that has always been the Lord's job!
Elijah was just one small part of the plan of God just like we all are!
Jesus preached in all the synagogues and included these things in His message:
Luk 4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
Luk 4:26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Our job is to go where the Lord leads us and respond to the opportunities that He gives us and continue to do good, without getting weary in well doing.
And to take our stand on the Word of God!
It takes as much courage today to stand for the truth, as it took in the days of Elijah!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
