A Galvanizing Look At Elijah, God’s Messenger On The Offensive
Lessons From Elijah – part 2
INTRO: Is it no surprise that Elijah meant business for the Lord? He was willing to stand for God no matter what! Are we so inclined?
Last week we examined the scene around Elijah’s appearance in the Word of God. Elijah proclaimed to Ahab that it would not rain, even so much as a wet dew until he proclaimed it would happen. It was the start of a long dry spell.
God sent Elijah first to the brook Cherith and there he was fed by ravens until the brook dried up. Then he was sent to a widow woman and her son to help them by a miracle of a bottomless meal ticket.
We learned these truths last week…
· We cannot expect people to drop their evil attitude at the drop of the hat
· Our ability to pray can be the best resource others around us have.
Today, we look at 1 Kings 18, were we will see some fascinating happenings in Elijah’s life.
It seems that many preachers only bring the harsh reality of a lost and dying world. They seldom seem to offer anything but their own righteousness that is flaunted in the face of unbelievers. Here we see Elijah offering hope for those who were in definite need. Is that not our responsibility today? To offer true hope to those in such need? Hope of a savior that changes lives, that offers new beginnings for all those who will call upon Him!
Word. True, faithful, correct, dependable, real, inspired, etc.
There are those around us if we search them out
It is not contrary to His Word, His nature, and His plan
1 Kings 18:1 And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
1 Kings 18:2 And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
Even though things were difficult – sore/severe famine
Guess who gets blamed – the messenger!
It is here we meet another in Elijah’s life. We see…
1
Kings 18:3-5 3And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor
of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
4For 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.)
5And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of
water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses
and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
Even with great cost
Servant of compassion – 4
Individual of trustworthiness – 5-6
1 Kings 18:6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
Elijah continued serving the Lord when it looked hopeless
1
Kings 18:7-18 7And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him:
and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord
Elijah?
8And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah
is here.
9And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy
servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
10As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom,
whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is
not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found
thee not.
11And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
12And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee,
that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so
when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy
servant fear the LORD from my youth.
13Was 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?
14And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here:
and he shall slay me.
15And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I
stand, I will surely show myself unto him to day.
16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet
Elijah.
17And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto
him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18And 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.
We now see why Elijah had been listening to God (for intelligence information)
Obadiah gets a front row seat – which can be dangerous
Elijah laid the blame of sin on the doer of sin - 18
1
Kings 18:19-24 19Now 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.
20So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the
prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21And 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.
22Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a
prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one
bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and
put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it
on wood, and put no fire under:
24And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name
of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the
people answered and said, It is well spoken.
His God had fed him day by day
His God had fed others along the way
His God had told him what to say
His God would not desert him against all these here today
1
Kings 18:24-29 24And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call
on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.
And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock
for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on
the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it,
and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal,
hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped
upon the altar which was made.
27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said,
Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or
he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with
knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied
until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there
was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
They tried some more, etc.
They failed
1
Kings 18:30-38 30And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me.
And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that
was broken down.
31And 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:
32And 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. [3 gallons]
33And 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.
34And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it
the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it
the third time.
35And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench
also with water.
36And 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.
37Hear 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.
38Then 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.
Come all – 12 stones (12 tribes) - 31
Serve all in His name – for God and His work - 32
Give the Lord His due - 33
Elijah wanted no doubt – a water soaked altar cannot be secretly starting a fire
He is here now to remove sin from our lives
To bring salvation to our hearts
Direction to our lives
God makes good on His promises
1
Kings 18:39-40 39And 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.
40And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one
of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook
Kishon, and slew them there.
1
Kings 18:41-46 41And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink;
for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top
of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between
his knees,
43And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he
went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again
seven times.
44And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold,
there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go
up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain
stop thee not.
45And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black
with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to
Jezreel.
46And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his
loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Ask – even Jesus taught us to ask
God’s abundance of rain can soak us all
Gary Marcum – New Beginnings Church – 081008am