The Life and Times of Elijah
This Bible Study is divided into six units. You can print out the entire study by printing this page, or click on individual subunits to read them on the screen.
Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6
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Unit # 1: "Who Is This Guy?" (I Kings 16:29- 17:1)
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I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
A. Of all the prophets in ancient Israel, Elijah stands out as a bright light shining in a very dark time.
1. This was the age of Ahab the King of Israel. (874 - 853 BC)
a. Ahab was the seventh king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah:
1.) Jeroboam (931-910 BC) Divided the kingdom by oppression, heavy taxes and forced labor. He was also an idolater.
2.) Nadab (910-909 BC) Followed in his father's footsteps, and his reign was shortened by his murder.
3.) Baasha (909-886 BC) A paranoid mass-murderer...Starting he murdered Nadab and anyone associated with Jeroboam's previous reign. He was also an idolater.
4.) Elah (886-885 BC) While in a drunken stupor, this son of Baasha was murdered by his servant Zimri after two years of rule..."Elah cared not for the Lord."
5.) Zimri (885 BC) After murdering Elah and all his household, Zimri ruled only one week before the people begged Omri the commander of the army, to become king, so Omri laid siege to the city of Zimri, who in desperation committed suicide.
6.) Omri (885-874 BC) While Omri did bring some political stability to Israel, he was not a man of God and became the most evil king Israel had to date. (I Kings 16:25)
b. The darkness over Israel was terrible, but it was about to get worse!
2. Never was a king of Israel more wicked that was Ahab.
a. He married the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon,Jezebel.
b. Jezebel was a devout worshipper of Baal and convinced Ahab also to become a Baal worshipper.
c. Jezebel ruled over Ahab and attempted to bring all of Israel into Baal worship:
1.) She had Ahab construct a temple for Baal in Samaria.
2.) Jezebel had the prophets of Jehovah sought out and slain, with only a remnant preserved in a cave by Obadiah.
B. It was at this dark hour of Israel's history that God raises up the greatest of the Old Testament prophets: Elijah the Tishbite.
1. The name Elijah means: "The Lord is my God."
2. He is raised up by God to confront Ahab, Jezebel and most of all, Baal, the false god of Phoenicia.
3. Elijah is from the city of Tishbe in Gilead.
a. The exact location of Tishbe is unknown.
b. Gilead is the northern trans-Jordan area of Israel.
C. It is always during dark times that God brings forth His heroes.
1. The steel of a person's character is forged on the anvil of one's times and often the darker the times are, the brighter the soul that stands against them shines.
a. Would Abraham Lincoln have been revered had he not found it necessary to steer his nation through the tragedy of civil war?
b. Would Corrie ten Boom have shined as brightly had she not undergone the horror of the Nazi death camps?
c. Would the "regular Joes" of the U.S. Armed Forces have been heroic had it not been for their involvement in World War II?
2. God consistently intervenes in world affairs and in our lives, in the hour of deepest need.
a. Does not God touch us most profoundly in our dark days?
b. Is not God conducting Himself as He always has?
II. ENTER ELIJAH, PROPHET OF GOD:
A. While we do not see the call of Elijah, he none-the-less stands before King Ahab and issues a prophesy that is clearly a message of condemnation:
1.. Reality: God punishes an entire nation for the idolatry of the king.
a. Is this fair? Why? Why not?
b. Have other occurrences of such national judgment taken place at other times in the Scriptures or in world history? Where?
2. Reality: "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years, except by my word."
B. What does this matter-of-fact delivery say about Elijah the man?
1. Was this a risky action to take on his part? What was at stake?
2. Remember who was really ruling Israel...Jezebel, who had put to death the prophets of God and who, undoubtedly, was with him at this moment since she would not permit Ahab to rule without her.
3. Is representing God and His truth risk free today?
C. Elijah was a simple man of God:
1. His clothing was of a crude, country nature:
a. Read II Kings 1:7-8
b. What does this say about the man?
2. Does Elijah remind you of another biblical person in the New Testament?
III. WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS INTRODUCTION TO ELIJAH?
A. God looks for special people at difficult times.
1. Elijah was not found among royalty nor was he found anywhere near the court of Ahab and Jezebel.
a. Rather he is found in the rugged, remote region of Gilead.
b. Of what advantage was this isolation?
2. God was looking for someone who was already going against the "flow" of popular convention.
a. Who stands out like that today?
b. Is this a "dark" time too needing God's people to bring the light?
c. What risks might we be asked to take today?
B. God's methods are often surprising.
1. God does not bring an army against Ahab, but one solitary and simple man in camel clothing and with plain speech.
a. Does this seem like a logical way to approach a whole government?
b. Why does this approach reveal God's heart for the people of Israel?
2. God looks for those who have an uncompromising loyalty to God.
a. How can you tell if someone has such loyalty?
b. Could it be that YOU are God's chosen instrument to address a current symptom of godlessness?
C. God wants us to stand before Him, first and foremost.
1. Elijah's first words to Ahab reveal his focus: "As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand..." (17:1).
a. Elijah was issuing a declaration in effect rejecting the "kingship" of Ahab and asserting the authority of the Great King.
b. Did Elijah make his statement without fear?
2. What kind of "Ahabs" do you have in your life?
a. Are they external forces in your life or internal appetites that lead us away from the worship of the One true God?
b. What is needed to stand before them and declare the true sovereign in our lives?
c. Would such a declaration be frightening? Can we anticipate an easy time of it even if the Lord is with us
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Unit # 2: "Basic Training At Kerith"
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I. LET'S PICK UP WHERE WE LEFT OFF:
A. Elijah the Tishbite enters the court of Ahab and Jezebel and issues a prophesy:
"As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (I Kings 17:1)
1. First, Elijah is making a prophesy...No rain for years!
2. Secondly, Elijah is speaking God's words, not his own.
3. What are the likely outcomes of this prophesy?
a. Farms will fail! This is an agricultural society.
b. Famine will curse the land.
c. The cult of Baal worship will be severely challenged to provide an answer!
4. The courage to approach this Jehovah-hating couple had to come from God, only a total fool would do such a thing if he were not confident that God would protect him if he is on God's mission.
a. We as a congregation are on God's mission too. Are we also confident of God's protection? Why? Why not?
b. Somehow, in some way, Elijah is able to leave the court unharmed.
5. Having faced Ahab and Jezebel and gotten away with it, what kind of ideas might be running through Elijah's head about what he should do next?
a. "I must be strongly protected, therefore, I'll go into town and speak loud messages of condemnation against Ahab and Jezebel...It might bring about a rebellion and that would be good."
b. "It felt so good to tell that foolish couple off, I think I'll just do it again."
B. But God has a much different idea...Get out of town...Fast!
1. God tells Elijah:
"Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan."
a. The exact location of the Kerith Ravine is not known, but the general region east of the Jordan was probably familiar territory to Elijah.
b. Is God making allowances for the reality that evil will not conform to divine will and Elijah's safekeeping necessitated his rapid departure?
1.) Can you think of other times when biblical people got out of harms way?
2.) Can you think of instances in your own life when departure from one "battle zone" or another was a good choice?
2. Assuming that Elijah knew the area around the Kerith Ravine, he probably also knew it to be a region where survival would be difficult indeed!
a. Have you ever spent time in a desert wilderness? How would you survive without provisions or time to prepare?
b. God provides a miracle for Elijah...Ravens would bring bread and meat and the brook in the ravine would provide water.
II. KERITH: A PLACE OF TRAINING IN TRUST.
A. None of us likes to be dependent on others for our very lives.
1. Have you ever felt a bit uneasy as a passenger in a commercial aircraft?
a. Would you rather be driving your car if time were not a consideration?
b. Have you ever experiences a bad landing and wished you were somewhere where you could do something about your situation other than helplessly watch?
2. Elijah has no other means to survive on his own in this wilderness.
a. His survival is totally out of his control.
b. His necessities are completely taken care of...God is catering!
c. Do you think that made Elijah more at ease or not?
B. Elijah demonstrates his obedience and his trust in God through his obedience.
"So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there."
1. What do you think of Elijah's "retreat"...Everything you need is provided and a daily opportunity to commune with God and one's own thoughts is a reality.
2. Everything seems "hunky dory", except that day-by-day and problem seems to be developing...the brook is slowly, but noticeably becoming smaller and smaller.
3. What in the world is God up to?
C. Haven't we all sat by the "drying brooks" in our lives?
1. Think of those heroes of the faith who experienced "drying brooks" in their lives:
a. Popularity: John the Baptist
b. Despair: Jeremiah
c. Abandonment: Moses
d. Astonishment: Abraham
2. Other drying brooks:
a. Money d. Other people's extravagance
b. Health e. Friendships
c. Bad Debts
3. Why does God let the "brooks" in our lives dry up before our eyes?
III. LESSONS FOR ELIJAH AND FOR US.
A. Lesson Number One: Elijah needed to learn that the same God who gives water can choose to take water away.
1. God is sovereign and it is His right to be sovereign.
a. The God who gives a spouse, may take that spouse to Himself.
b. The God who gives a business, may end it.
c. The God who give health, may teach us through the loss of health.
2. However, while God will use the losses of live to teach us, He will never abandon us.
a. God was with Elijah even in his moments of deepest despair.
b. Isaiah 49:14-16a
B. Lesson Number Two: The dried-up brook was a direct result of his own prayer.
1. James 5:17a - Elijah had been praying that it would not rain!
2. Be careful what you pray for!
C. Lesson Number Three: We must be willing to be set aside as one to be used by God.
1. F.B. Meyer, Great Men of the Bible: Every Christian who would wield great power with people must win it in some hidden Kireth. We cannot give out unless we have previously taken in...Not one of us can dispense with a Kireth where we may taste the sweets and imbibe the power of a life hidden with Christ and in Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost."
2. When God wants to teach us great lessons, it will usually be at great cost.
D. Lesson Number Four: God's direction includes God's provision.
1. Elijah was obedient to God's command and was provided with all that was required.
2. Have you experienced such provision in your life when you were about His mission?
E. Lesson Number Five: We are to trust God one day at a time.
1. Did you notice, God never told Elijah to take the next step until the previous one was already taken?
2. John R W. Stott: An antidote to worry...
"Worry is a waste - a waste of time, thought and nervous energy. We need to learn to live a day at a time...'Each day has troubles enough of its own.' (Mt. 6:34) So why anticipate them? If we do, we double them. For if our fear does not materialize, we have worried for nothing; if it does materialize, we have worried twice instead of once. In both cases it is foolish: worry doubles trouble."
F. Lesson Number Six: A dried-up brook is often a sign of God's pleasure, not His disappointment, in our walk with Him.
1. Elijah had performed his assigned tasks obediently.
2. He had prayed fervently that God would intervene in Israel's idolatry.
3. He had fearlessly faced Ahab and Jezebel as directed.
4. Now God was further shaping his character by a dried-up brook.
5. I Peter 1:7a - God tempers our faith in the fire!
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Unit # 3: "Advanced Training In Zarephath
(I Kings 17:8-16)
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I. OF BEGINNINGS, ENDINGS, & MILESTONES.
A. How does God use life's experiences?
1. Here is Elijah who's spirit was nourished at the Brook Kerith.
a. Here was a place of safety.
b. Here was a place of communion with God.
c. Here was a place of training in trust.
d. Here was a place of dependence on God alone.
2. Was this the end for Elijah?
a. Was his work as a prophet to dry up like the brook?
b. Or did this experience prepare him for something new?
B. In our own lives, how has God used each of life's experiences?
1. Did we not find that each challenge that we face prepares us for what lies ahead of us?
a. Can you think of examples in your own life where God was carefully crafting our character for the "next step."
b. Is there anybody who does not need a refining process to become the people that God would have us to be?
2. ILLUS: Lutheran Teacher, Army Journalist, DCE, public school principal. Pastor.
II. GOD'S COMMAND COMES TO ELIJAH. (v. 9)
"Then the word of the Lord came to him."
A. First notice: God knew where Elijah was!
1. God hadn't forgotten Elijah with his drying brook and sinking despair!
a. How many times have we become convinced that God has no idea what we're going through?
b. How many times have we determined that God had forgotten us or ignored our plight?
2. Saying: "God whispers to us in our pleasure, but He shouts to us in our pain."
B. Secondly: God knew where Elijah was going!
1. Just because we can't see tomorrow, doesn't mean that God can't.
2. If you're worried about tomorrow, remember that our trust is in One who has already been there and who has promised to go there with us.
III. LET'S LOOK AT THE COMMAND ITSELF...GO TO WHERE? (v. 9)
"Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."
A. Zarephath is enemy territory:
1. This is the land ruled by Jezebel's father Ethbaal.
2. This is the very heart of the pagan worship of Baal which is now infecting Israel.
3. This is a land outside of God's people and the widow is one of these godless pagans.
4. In order to get there, Elijah must also pass through Israel where he is undoubtedly under a death sentence by Ahab/Jezebel.
B. Elijah is to be cared for and fed by a widow:
1. It probably would have been easier for Elijah to hear that he was to take care of the widow. Why?
a. What was the status of a widow in Sidonian society?
b. What was the condition of the agriculturally based society in Sidon?
2. Why do you suppose that God felt that Elijah needed further lessons in humility?
a. In what ways has God taught each of us humility?
b. Is there a pleasant way to learn humility and obedience?
IV. ELIJAH MOVES OUT IN OBEDIENCE AND ENCOUNTERS A WIDOW WITH A STARVING SON. (vv. 10-12)
"So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, 'Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?' As she was going to get it, he called, 'And bring me, please, a piece of bread.' 'As surely as the Lord your God lives,' she replied, 'I don't have any bread - only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, , that we may eat it - and die.'"
A. First, Elijah did what he was commanded to do, despite the dangers involved.
1. Obedience is always rewarded by God.
2. Disobedience always lessens the blessing God intends us to experience.
B. Not only is a widow going to be the provider for Elijah...but a starving widow with a starving son.
1. Now Elijah must past a test of "first impressions".
a. How often have we judged people and their abilities by first impressions....and been dead wrong?
b. What do you suppose Elijah's first impression of his designated "provider" might have been?
c. What kind of alternatives might we have rationalized had we found ourselves in Elijah's sandals?
2. Second test: "The test of physical impossibility".
a. Undoubtedly, the widow's eyes were undoubtedly fixed on the bit of flour and the few drops of oil left in her containers. It was, of course, it would be physically impossible for this small amount of material to feed three people.
b. Sidelight: When the widow says, "As surely as the Lord, your God lives...." What is she really saying?
1.) Is she merely making an accommodation to the obvious Israelite in the crowd?
2.) Is this a genuine expression of previous knowledge of and commitment to the God of Israel?
c. Elijah gives the woman something in which to hope: "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.'"
1.) What would you have done in the widow's place?
2.) Why should this woman believe Elijah?
3.) Why should she "buy" a prophesy from an Israelite God?
4.) Is this a direct affront to Baal in his own "territory'?
3. How can Elijah speak with such confidence in the face of such desperate and obvious need?
a. Is his training at Kireth paying off?
b. He has indeed seen the provision of God first hand and speaks from first hand experience.
c. Can we speak from first had experience of the faithfulness of God in seemingly impossible circumstances?
V. LESSONS ON THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.
A. Lesson # 1: God's leading is often surprising -- don't analyze it!
1. If God tells you to go to your specific Zarephath, then go whether or not it makes sense.
2. If God leads you to stay at the seemingly dry brook, then stay...either way the Lord will provide.
3. Remember, God sees the whole picture and has already been to our future. Trust Him.
B. Lesson # 2: The beginning days are often the hardest -- don't quit!
1. Remember Elijah's "first impression test"...What would he have lost if he'd sought his own solution to the present, seemingly impossible situation?
2. Even Basic Training is the worst at the beginning...it does get to be more manageable!
C. Lesson # 3: God's promises often hinge on obedience -- don't ignore your part!
1. Both for Elijah and the widow, obedience preceded the blessing.
2. Faith and faithful acts makes seeing the miracle possible...not the other way around!
D. Lesson # 4: God's provisions are often just enough -- don't fail to thank Him!
1. Biscuits and water may not be fancy provisions, but they filled empty stomachs and kept a household through a terrible drought.
2. Have you thanked God for the ways He has met your needs...even it the solution provided wasn't up to our "steak & potatoes" expectations?
"Being determined to perfect His saints, He puts His precious metal into His crucible. But He sits by it, and watches it. Love is His thermometer, and marks the exact degree of heat; not one instant's unnecessary pang will He permit; and as soon as the dross is released so that He sees Himself reflected in the fire, the trial ceases."
- Arthur T. Pierson
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I. GREAT FAITH IS A HALLMARK OF GOD'S PEOPLE:
A. Consider the listing in Hebrews 11:
1. "By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous." (v. 4)
2. "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death." (v. 5)
3. "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household." (v. 7)
4. "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going." (v. 8)
5. "By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life." (v. 11)
6. "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;...considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt." (vv. 24, 26)
7. "By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient." (v. 31)
B. Now consider the faith of Elijah the Tishbite:
1. Consider the crucibles through which his faith had endured:
a. A face-off with Ahab and Jezebel.
b. The isolation and dependence of Kireth.
c. The fear and vulnerability of a trip to Zarephath.
d. The humiliation of dependence on a starving widow.
e. All of this was preliminary to that which was about to occur.
2. In our lives, can we see the pattern of testing and faith?
a. Is it possible to view today as that for which we have been preparing since day one in our lives?
b. In what ways is this comforting? discomforting?
C. Now, in the crucible of Zarephath Elijah must act in faith that God will do something that He has never done before...Raise someone from the dead!
II. LET'S LOOK AT THE CONTEXT OF THIS MIRACLE:
A. I Kings 17:17a says, "Now it came about after these things..."
1. What "things"? (See I, B, 1 a-e above)
2. Don't forget the unrelenting drought!
B. The Widow's son dies.
1. What does this mean for the widow?
2. What spiritual implications might she draw about the death of her son?
3. Once again a "brook" is "drying up" sickness precedes death.
C. Everything had been going fine:
1. They had food, clothing and shelter while others were starving.
2. They had daily, visible evidence that God was personally intervening in their lives in a positive way.
3. One might come to expect that God was going to protect them from all manner of difficulty.
D. Verse 17 - "Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing."
1. The Hebrew word for breath here is neshamah, the same word used in Genesis 2:7, where the Lord created Adam and "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life."
2. When the "breath of life" is gone, you're dead!
III. DEATH COMES TO ZAREPHATH.
A. Who can measure the pain of a child's death?
Joseph Bayly, The Last Thing We Talk About:
"Of all deaths, that of a child is the most unnatural and hardest to bear. In Carl Jung's words, it is 'a period placed before the end of the sentence, sometimes when the sentence is hardly begun. We expect the old to die. The separation is always difficult, but it comes as no surprise. But the child, the youth? Life lies ahead, with its beauty, its wonder, its potential. Death is a cruel thief when it strikes down the young."
B. Here is the widow, having already lost her husband, suffering the devastation of the death of her only son.
1. Future plans, dreams for him and for her are now seemingly gone.
2. Her future support has been destroyed with her son.
3. Her pain is great and she strikes out in anger toward God through His prophet Elijah:
"She said to Elijah, 'What do you have against me, man of God, have you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"
C. What's really being said here?
1. The widow is saying that since Elijah has caused God's attention to be focused on her sin and now she is suffering the punishment for her sinfulness with the death of her son.
a. In what ways do we attempt to hid our sins from God?
b. In what ways to we blame God for the calamity that comes our way?
2. We are not told of the nature of the widow's sin but it is obvious that she feels utterly and hopelessly condemned...She is asking, "Why did the God who promised life bring death instead?" Her answer was her guilt for sin.
D. What is Elijah's reaction?
1. He could have corrected her theological conclusions, but he does not.
a. In times of grief, usually, no one needs to hear more law!
b. There is no clearer statement of the law than death!
2. Elijah says: "Give me your son".
a. Undoubtedly, Elijah is moved with compassion and rather than defend himself against these charges he stand with her in her pain, and bears the weight not only of her dead son, but of her suffering.
b. Verse 19: "'Give me your son,' Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed."
1.) As the widow cradled the boy in her arms, so Elijah now cradles her heart in his hands.
2.) He gets alone with God, to a protected place where he can pour out his heart and search God's mercy.
3.) Elijah is taking the risk of getting deeply and personally involved in her need.
IV. OF FAITH AND PRAYER.
A. Elijah is moved by compassion to pray on behalf of the widow and her son:
"Then he cried out to the Lord, 'O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow AI am staying with, by causing her son to die?"
1. What do you think of this prayer?
a. Who is being blamed for the boy's death?
b. Does God hear the meaning behind a prayer, even if He is falsely accused? What personal comfort do you have from this?
2. Elijah continues: "Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the Lord, 'O Lord my God, let this boy's life return to him.!'"
a. How would you make such a request from God?
1.) It almost as if Elijah is attempting to transfer his life into the boy.
2.) "Take my warmth! Take my energy! Take my breath!"
b. However, it become quite clear that life is not to come from Elijah, only God can grant life.
c. In the face of obvious impossibility, Elijah opts for faith in God.
B. God answers Elijah's prayer:
"The Lord heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived." (v. 22)
1. This is the first instance of raising the dead recorded in Scripture.
2. This non-Israelite widow was granted the supreme covenant blessing, the gift of life rescued from the power of death.
3. This blessing came in the person of her son, the only hope for a widow in ancient society.
V. MIRACLE AND THANKSGIVING.
A. Can you just see Elijah picking up the boy with trembling hands and virtually running down the stairs to show the widow what God had done?
1. No smoke and fire...No brass band...No special effects...Just the incredible power of our almighty God!
2. Elijah's words to the widow are simple but joyful: "Look, your son is alive!"
B. The widow responds: "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth."
1. God uses this event to convince the Phoenician widow that His Word was completely reliable.
2. Her confession of faith are the words of a believer!
3. Her confession, sadly, was not echoed in the land of Israel.
VI. LESSONS FROM A MIRACLE OF LIFE:
A. We can demonstrate the faith of Elijah when we demonstrate calmness and contentment in the face of calamity.
1. This does not mean that we don't cry with the suffering or smile in the face of death...It means that our source of strength is demonstrated in our behavior.
2. Finding fault with incorrect theological statements in time of crisis is not appropriate.
B. We can demonstrate gentleness and self-control.
1. When the widow lashed out at Elijah in her grief, he permitted it to go unchallenged.
2. He stood with her and shared her pain.
C. We can demonstrate undiminished faith.
1. When God gave life, Elijah made sure that God got the credit!
2. Our job is always to call attention to God, not to ourselves.
3. Elijah's humility helped him to see something he would not have seen otherwise...the incredible power of God.
D. Widows are everywhere!
1. The broken and the needy are always being brought into our sphere of influence...How will we respond?
2. Will we reprove, correct and admonish the causes that brought them to this plight, or shall we do what Elijah did...comfort them, point them to God who can and will help them and share their discomfort in compassion.
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Unit # 5: The God Who Answers By Fire
(I Kings 18:1-2, 17-40)
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I. WE LIVE IN A "PROVE IT!" SOCIETY.
A. People are always insisting that God should prove His existence before they will acknowledge Him.
1. Missouri is the "Show Me" state...actually a rather negative slogan!
2. People deny the existence of God while all the while looking at the massive evidence of His design...The blind who will not see!
B. God has never been pleased to answer to such incredibly stupid demands, but from time-to-time He pulls back the vail of mystery that He is and gives humanity the merest glimpse of who He is...and we see again that He is awesome!
1. In this lesson, we see one of those divine demonstrations of God.
2. Elijah's life is now rooted in Israel's struggle with idolatry and the mode of demonstrating that struggle is direct confrontation.
C. What events in your life had to be resolved through confrontation rather than quiet acceptance or negotiation?
1. WWII - was not an option, sooner or later we were going to face Hitler.
2. A pastor in Montana who needed to be confronted by his congregation.
II. LET'S LOOK AT THE EVENTS LEADING TO MT. CARMEL.
A. Basic training at Kerith and advanced training at Zeraphath is over and the main event is now at hand.
"After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 'Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.' So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. "Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord." (I Kings 18:1-3)
1. Once again Elijah asks a life-threatening favor of God's man in Ahab's court...Go and tell Ahab that Elijah is here.
a. Obadiah had been a covert believer in Ahab's court and had saved the life of 100 prophets of God.
b. "Prophets" in the sense of those who speak God's Word.
c. Obadiah's fear is that he will make such an announcement and Elijah will not show up and that will bring his immediate death.
2. God's protection of Elijah had been more than adequate.
a. (vv. 9-15) A total search of the nation of Israel and of the neighboring nations had been conducted for Elijah, but he had not been found.
b. Who would have looked in the house of a widow in the land of Baal worship?
B. Now Elijah's faith had been sharpened to face the ultimate showdown with Ahab.
1. All that had preceded what now necessary for the challenge he would face.
2. With his own life on the line, Elijah confronts Ahab.
III. ELIJAH CONFRONTS AHAB.
A. Upon meeting Elijah, Ahab immediately blames him for Israel's suffering through the terrible drought.
1. Ahab is totally unrepentent! He doesn't get it!
a. If you had been an unbeliever and a very specific prophesy had been issued and obviously fulfilled, would you blaim the messenger?
b. How many times in our lives have we blamed the wrong party for our own misdeeds?
"When he saw Elijah, he said to him, 'Is that you, you troubler of Israel?' 'I have not made trouble for Israel,' Elijah replied. 'But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals."
2. Elijah sets the record straight...the famine is the result of Ahab's unfaithful- ness...not Elijah's prophesy.
a. The old covenant was ignored by Ahab.
b. Putting one's self at odds with God has incredibly serious consequences.
B. A challenge is issued:
"Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mt. Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." (v. 19)
1. Eating as someone's table was an honor accorded to dignitaries.
2. Such was the extent of the spiritual perversion in Israel.
3. Why do you think that Ahab agreed to this challenge rather than simply putting Elijah to death on the spot?
a. Perhaps he wanted the showdown to demonstrate that Baal was truly stronger than the God of Israel.
b. Perhaps he wanted a public setting for the execution of the last and greatest prophet of Israel.
c. Whatever Ahab's reasoning, it was ungodly and self-serving.
IV. THE MAIN EVENT!
"So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, 'How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.' But the people said nothing."
A. HERE IS A GREAT TRUTH: There can not be more than one God, because the existence of the true God makes the existence of another totally impossible!!!
1. How wrong is today's public opinion that equal toleration of all religions is acceptable!
2. This tolerance of falsehood has nearly become a "religion" in itself...Tolerance of all kinds of teachings is the one "orthodoxy" that cannot be violated and those who will not tolerate it are labeled religious fanatics.
a. Let's assess God's view of America's toleration of false gods, and perversions of the true God...What does God think of us?
b. What are the possible consequences of continuing down our current path of toleration of false gods and false doctrine?
B. Elijah sets the stage for the showdown:
"Then Elijah said to them, 'I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but ot set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of he Lord. The god who answers by fire -- he is God.' Then all the people said, What you say is good.'" (vv. 22-24)
1. What reason does Elijah have for confidence with respect to the possible response by Baal?
2. What reason does Elijah have for confidence with respect to the response from God?
C. Baal has his "shot":
"So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. 'O Baal, answer us!' they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them, 'Shout louder!' he said. 'Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.' So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until the blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention." (vv. 26-29)
1. At first Elijah looks on in quiet dignity at the demonstration by Baal's prophets...But by noon he began to comment on the obvious...NO ONE'S LISTENING!
2. The cutting of flesh is still a common way many false religions demonstrate both their faithfulness and their means of manipulating their false deity into action...This practice was strictly forbidden by Mosaic law.
D. Elijah "stacks the deck" against the God of Israel:
"Then Elijah said to all the people, 'Come here to me.' They came to him and he repaired the altar of the Lord which was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, 'Your name shall be Israel.' With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, 'Fill four large jars with watter and pour it on the offering and on the wood.' 'Do it again', he said, and they did it again. 'Do it a third time.' he ordered, and they did it a third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench." (vv. 30-35)
1. Why is Elijah going to such extremes?
2. What is the source of Elijah's confidence? How has his training prepared him for this moment?
E. NOW GOD ANSWERS ELIJAH'S PRAYER:
"At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: 'O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.' Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench." (v. 38) WOW!!!
1. One short, simple prayer in contrast to the frantic, frenzied hours of shouting and God acts with such finality that the people had to be standing in stunned silence as they gapped at the smoldering black creator.
2. Beware of religions that depend on emotional exhaustion! God does not require that of His people.
V. THE JUDGMENT OF THE AFTERMATH.
"When the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, 'The Lord -- he is God! The Lord -- he is God!' Then Elijah commanded them, 'Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!' They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. And Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.' So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 'Go and look toward the sea,' he told his servant. And he went up and looked. 'There is nothing there,' he said.' Seven times Elijah said, 'Go back.' The seventh time the servant reported, 'A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea.' So Elijah said, 'Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' Meanwhile the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel." (vv. 40-45)
A. Why did God delay in sending the rain?
B. Why does God delay in answering some of our prayers and others He answers promptly?
VI. LESSONS FROM THE FIRE.
A. When we are sure of the will of God, we are invincible.
B. Divided allegiance is as wrong as open idolatry.
C. In the final analysis, our most effective tool is the Word and prayer.
D. Never underestimate the power of one life totally dedicated to the Lord.
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Unit #6: "Sure Cure for the Blues"
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I. THE REALITY OF DEPRESSION AFFLICTS US ALL FROM TIME-TO-TIME.
A. No one is immune to the "down times" of life:
1. Moses: (Numbers 11:15)
2. Jonah: (Jonah 4:3)
3. Paul: (I Corinthians 1:8)
B. We're not immune either!
1. Certainly, there have been times when life hardly seemed worth the struggle.
2. Yet, like the men above, we are still here!
C. Elijah, after experiencing the glorious "high" of Mt. Carmel, is suddenly faced with a life and death situation.
1. Ahab has confessed the massive failure of Mt. Carmel to his domineering wife.
2. Jezebel then issues a death warrant to Elijah. (I Kings 19:2)
D. Why is Elijah afraid?
1. Isn't he still aware of the faithfulness of God to him?
2. Why is it that we, when faced with tragedy, suddenly forget God's faithfulness in our own past?
II. ELIJAH'S DEATH WISH. (I Kings 18:3-5)
A. He ran to Beersheba.
1. Beersheba is the southernmost city in the southern kingdom of Judah.
2. Beersheba wasn't far enough so Elijah leaves his servant there and proceeds to a remote area in the desert.
B. He came to a broom tree and sat down under it.
1. Some have said that this was a Juniper tree.
2. There is still a desert plant called, "Desert Broom" which is large enough to provide some shade.
C. He prays that he might die.
1. Elijah was sitting in the same place we have been when life has turned to catastrophe. We've been under that same Broom Tree!
2. Let's look at five factors that led to Elijah's depression:
a. Elijah was not thinking clearly.
1.) He failed to consider the source of the threat...Jezebel.
a.) An avowed enemy of God who had no authority over God's elect.
b.) He failed to consider that the threat might be a bluff.
2.) He failed to seek God in prayer before running.
b. Elijah separated himself from relationships that strengthen.
1.) Perhaps he did not wish to listen to his servant who may have been second-guessing Elijah's flight.
2.) Our friends keep us looking at a situation with a more objective view...a cool head...an honest assessment.
c. Elijah was caught in the aftermath of a great victory.
1.) Did he "peak" too early?
2.) Everything in Elijah's life had built to Mt. Carmel...now what?
d. Elijah was physically exhausted and emotionally spent.
1.) What happens when all the adrenaline is spent?
2.) How long can anyone "redline" his life without consequences
3.) These are particularly bad times to make life-changing decisions!
e. Elijah had gotten into the tub of self-pity.
1.) "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." (v. 4b)
2.) Who said he had to be better than his ancestors?
3.) He knew he'd blown it when he ran, and now he had failed to live up to his own expectations...hence, despair.
4.) Perfection is quite beyond us...Maybe we just need to give ourselves a break from time-to-time.
III. GOD RESPONDS TO ELIJAH'S IMMEDIATE NEED. (I Kings 19:5-9)
A. God allowed Elijah time to rest.
1. Physical exhaustion disallows clear, objective thinking.
a. Perhaps his body was especially weary after his super-strength performance race with Ahab's chariot!
b. ILLUS: People who've performed super-human acts of strength tell us that afterward they are totally, physically drained.
2. Three times, the Lord permitted Elijah to sleep.
B. God provided for physical nourishment.
1. A well-rested starving person is not in any condition to make clear judgments
2. The Angel of the Lord (Jesus Christ), tends to Elijah's needs.
a. Nursing him to health with sleep and nourishment.
b. Providing a little divine "cook-out".
C. Elijah then seeks another desert retreat center...Mount Horeb/Sinai.
1. Mt. Sinai was always a place of revelation for God's people.
2. It was certainly remote enough not to worry about Jezebel's threats.
3. Forty days and forty nights...Have we seen that number before?
IV. GOD RESPONDS TO ELIJAH'S LONG-TERM NEEDS. (I Kings 18:9b-18)
A. God communicates wisely with Elijah.
1. "What are you doing here Elijah?", God asks.
a. This is a spiritual question.
b. Elijah replies with a recap of his "hopeless" situation.
2. But God does not respond with a contradiction of Elijah's claim, but with an awesome object lesson.
B. In times of trial, God always directs us to seek Him.
1. Most look for God in the spectacular events of life.
2. But most often God speaks with the still, small voice of His creation, His Word and His Sacraments.
3. Usually, the problem is not with God's willingness to speak, but with our inability to listen.
C. God opens a peek at the future to give Elijah hope.
1. No, he is not alone...7,000 faithful Israelites are ready.
2. No, he is not alone...a man named Elisha will help him to shoulder the ministry ahead...What is the value of a good friend?
3. No, he is not alone...God has been, and will continue to be with him!