| God or Man I Kings 17:1-7 11-16-08 There are many lessons that we can learn from reading the Old Testament and we find such a lesson in the Scripture which we read this morning. Elijah was a person just like you and I. There were times when he had his mountain top experiences, and there were times when he was down in the valley. Times when he became greatly discouraged, times when he was ready to give up. And still, God wonderfully used this man because, and this is the key, he was willing to obey. Writing in the New Testament, James says concerning Elijah in Chapter 5, verse 17-18, “Elijah was a man subject to like passion 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, and he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." Elijah did not live in the best times. You and I are not living in the best of times right now. At this particular time, Israel had forgotten everything it had ever known about God, and Ahab, one of the most wicked men that ever lived, was King of the northern kingdom. The Bible says, "That he did evil in the sight of the Lord above and all that were before him.” Added to his wickedness was the fact that he was married to a wicked woman, Jezebel, who was a great promoter of Idol worshipping. No wonder, it is said of Ahab, that he did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the Kings of Israel before him. Now it was at the time of such wickedness that Elijah appeared. Most of the believers had gone into hiding. Sad to say, but sometimes I think that most of them have gone into hiding today. In earlier generations the Israelites had known God and had witness His miracles, but now the religious life of many was corrupt. Isn’t that true today? Still, no matter how bad a situation might be, God is NEVER without His men. Elijah was God’s man for this time. We are living in a very similar situation. There was a time in our country when the Church had a strong voice, and people heeded God’s Word. Now, moral standards are at their lowest, and what was once considered sinful and wicked is now acceptable. But thank God for believers who are standing firm, even as Elijah stood firm in his day. Those who take a strong stand for God usually find it to be a very lonely position at times. In fact, the believers who stood for God in Elijah’s day were so quiet that Elijah began to feel sorry for himself and said, "I, even I, only am left." God had to remind Elijah in his discouragement that there were still 7,000 people in Israel who had NOT bowed down to false gods. Elijah probably felt like he was the only one left because most of these believers were not vocal in taking a stand for the Lord. And so it is today. There are a great many people who will never speak up for the Lord, and thus other believers, and the people they come into contact with, will never know how they stand with our Blessed Lord. People, we need to be vocal concerning our convictions. During the time of Ahab’s wickedness God had a tremendous task for Elijah. It is important to notice that God did not choose a man who was considered to be a super-natural hero. The Bible emphasized that Elijah was a man like you and I. But Elijah had something going for him that many do not. God was able to use Elijah because Elijah’s faith in God resulted in OBEDIENCE. Do you suppose that could be the reason that some are not being used by God today? Many will say that they believe in the Lord, but when it comes to obeying Him, well that’s another story. God always works on the principle of faith and obedience. He’s looking today for those who will dare to believe, for those who will take Him at His Word, and those who will be obedient to His Word. The Bible tells us, "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." We do not need to know every detail ahead of time, but we do need to be available, we need to be willing to do His will, and we need to trust Him completely. And you know what? As we seek to do the Lord’s work we will find, that like Elijah, there are others who in their own way, are also seeking to serve and to honor our Lord. The first time the Bible introduces Elijah to us is in I Kings 17:1. There is no long introduction to what a great man he was, rather, he is described as “Elijah, the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead." No doubt Elijah had been spending a considerable amount of time with God, but nothing is mentioned concerning that. Elijah came before Ahab, the most wicked king that ever walked upon the earth, and he boldly stated, "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years, but according to my word." Now Elijah is not so naive that he did not know about Ahab and Jezebel, and their wickedness. He knew the danger of coming before Ahab with a message of God. People, the message of God is not pleasing to everyone. Elijah never wavered. He was carrying out God’s will and he KNEW that God was with him. People, when we are carrying out the will of God we can have the assurance that God is with us. And when we know that God is with us, that makes all the difference in the World. It was obvious to Ahab where Elijah stood. Although Elijah was standing before this wicked King, he made it clear that he was also standing not only before God, but with God. People, we are going to one day stand before God. Today we need to stand with God. We have no idea what was going through Ahab’s mind at this time. There is no record. We read that the Lord spoke to Elijah and told him to go and hide himself by the brook of Cherith that was before Jordan. Now it was the Word of the Lord that came to Elijah. Friends, we have the written Word today, and it is so important that we go often to the Word in order to know His will. God told this prophet what would take place, and it shall be, "that thou shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.: Notice the word, ’there.” God’s plan for Elijah was definite. He has a particular place where Elijah was to go. If we will heed God’s Word closely, and if we will be sensitive to that still small voice, we too can be confident that God will guide us as to the details that are essential in carrying out His will. The important thing is that we recognize God’s will. You see, God’s will might be completely different than our own. Verse 5 says "So he went." It was not necessary for God to explain every detail to Elijah before he would obey God’s commands. God’s orders to Elijah were contrary to all logic, and still Elijah knew that if God willed to do something it would come to pass. The text goes on to say Elijah, did according to the Word of the Lord, for he went and dwelt by the brook that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook. Provisions for Elijah’s nourishment were clearly of God. God caused the ravens to come to this one place at just the right time to bring him the food that he needed. Had he gone to some other place, he would have missed the food. So often people will miss the spiritual food that God has for them by not being in His house at the appointed time. The water, however, was not to last for in verse 7 we read, "And it came to pass after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.” Listen, God did not make a mistake in sending Elijah to this place. He had a very important lesson to teach Elijah. When God brings judgment upon unbelievers, the believers living at the same time, in the same area are also going to suffer. Such difficulties, however, are used in the believers lives to make them stronger in the Lord. God’s purpose is that believers be conformed to the image of His Son. Let each of us seek to follow God, even as Elijah did. And regardless of what might come to pass, may we seek to serve Him and to honor Him, and like Elijah, may we obey Him. |
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