Elijah Bible Study #2 1 Kings 17:13-18:21

Elijah Bible Study # 2
1 Kings 17:13-18:21


1 Kings 17:13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’” 15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

17 Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” 19 He said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed. 20 He called to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

18:1 Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly; 4 for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.)  5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle.” 6 So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is this you, Elijah my master?” 8 He said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” 9 He said, “What sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death? 10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11 And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ 12 It will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have [g]feared the Lord from my youth. 13 Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid a hundred prophets of the Lord by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? 14 And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me.” 15 Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 He said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals. 19 Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

God or Baal on Mount Carmel

20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.    NASB

1 Kings 17:13-14 Elijah said to her, "Don't worry about a thing. Go ahead and do what you've said. But first make a small biscuit for me and bring it back here. Then go ahead and make a meal from what's left for you and your son. This is the word of the God of Israel: 'The jar of flour will not run out and the bottle of oil will not become empty before God sends rain on the land and ends this drought.'"

 15-16 And she went right off and did it, did just as Elijah asked. And it turned out as he said—daily food for her and her family. The jar of meal didn't run out and the bottle of oil didn't become empty: God's promise fulfilled to the letter, exactly as Elijah had delivered it!

 17 Later on the woman's son became sick. The sickness took a turn for the worse—and then he stopped breathing.

 18 The woman said to Elijah, "Why did you ever show up here in the first place—a holy man barging in, exposing my sins, and killing my son?"

 19-20 Elijah said, "Hand me your son."

    He then took him from her bosom, carried him up to the loft where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he prayed, "O God, my God, why have you brought this terrible thing on this widow who has opened her home to me? Why have you killed her son?"

 21-23 Three times he stretched himself out full-length on the boy, praying with all his might, "God, my God, put breath back into this boy's body!" God listened to Elijah's prayer and put breath back into his body—he was alive! Elijah picked the boy up, carried him downstairs from the loft, and gave him to his mother. "Here's your son," said Elijah, "alive!"

 24 The woman said to Elijah, "I see it all now—you are a holy man. When you speak, God speaks—a true word!"

1 Kings 18:1-2 A long time passed. Then God's word came to Elijah. The drought was now in its third year. The message: "Go and present yourself to Ahab; I'm about to make it rain on the country." Elijah set out to present himself to Ahab. The drought in Samaria at the time was most severe.
 3-4 Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah feared God—he was very devout. Earlier, when Jezebel had tried to kill off all the prophets of God, Obadiah had hidden away a hundred of them in two caves, fifty in a cave, and then supplied them with food and water.

 5-6 Ahab ordered Obadiah, "Go through the country; locate every spring and every stream. Let's see if we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules from dying." So they divided the country between them for the search—Ahab went one way, Obadiah the other.

 7 Obadiah went his way and suddenly there he was—Elijah! Obadiah fell on his knees, bowing in reverence, and exclaimed, "Is it really you—my master Elijah?"

 8 "Yes," said Elijah, "the real me. Now go and tell your boss, 'I've seen Elijah.'"

 9-14 Obadiah said, "But what have I done to deserve this? Ahab will kill me. As surely as your God lives, there isn't a country or kingdom where my master hasn't sent out search parties looking for you. And if they said, 'We can't find him; we've looked high and low,' he would make that country or kingdom swear that you were not to be found. And now you're telling me, 'Go and tell your master Elijah's found!' The minute I leave you the Spirit of God will whisk you away to who knows where. Then when I report to Ahab, you'll have disappeared and Ahab will kill me. And I've served God devoutly since I was a boy! Hasn't anyone told you what I did when Jezebel was out to kill the prophets of God, how I risked my life by hiding a hundred of them, fifty to a cave, and made sure they got food and water? And now you're telling me to draw attention to myself by announcing to my master, 'Elijah's been found.' Why, he'll kill me for sure."

 15 Elijah said, "As surely as God-of-the-Angel-Armies lives, and before whom I take my stand, I'll meet with your master face-to-face this very day."

 16 So Obadiah went straight to Ahab and told him. And Ahab went out to meet Elijah.

 17-19 The moment Ahab saw Elijah he said, "So it's you, old troublemaker!"

    "It's not I who has caused trouble in Israel," said Elijah, "but you and your government—you've dumped God's ways and commands and run off after the local gods, the Baals. Here's what I want you to do: Assemble everyone in Israel at Mount Carmel. And make sure that the special pets of Jezebel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of the local gods, the Baals, and the four hundred prophets of the whore goddess Asherah, are there."

 20 So Ahab summoned everyone in Israel, particularly the prophets, to Mount Carmel.
 21 Elijah challenged the people: "How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it's Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!"

    Nobody said a word; nobody made a move.             The Message

      One of the reasons we are studying Elijah is because his life is a picture of the end times church witness for God.  He is standing for God, against an unholy alliance of power politics and religion.  Ahab, as the head of state, and Jezebel, the leader of the false religion, picture the anti-Christ and his false prophet.
   (I am led to make each of these lessons a “stand alone” study, so there will be themes and ideas repeated, in the 5 studies.  I can’t think of any harm in the repetition of truth, but if you would be studying them back-to-back, it may seem a little unnecessary.
   17:13A servant of God, truly led by God may seem very bold, even arrogant at times.  They are so sure of the God that they serve that they ask for others to believe for the impossible.  They look past the facts to the God who can alter the facts anytime He wants to.  They are not intentionally stepping on toes, but it sure does feel like it.
   17:14  Me:   Hey Elijah, you are NOT in Israel!
              Elijah:   I know that is my point, the God of Israel is the God of all, even Zarephath,                   Jezebel’s home town.
   Turns out the drought and the famine was affecting this area too.  And the God who was in charge of it, had chosen to provide for this widow.  Jesus would use this to excite anger in a crowd, during His ministry.  It is an example of how when the Jewish people refused to reach out beyond their borders, God reached out anyway.  Their call was to be a light to the nations, but they (like the church) got to caught up in the blessings and never proclaimed His faithfulness beyond their borders.  
   This provision of the sovereign God, will get you through to the next provision of the sovereign God.  But the amazing thing is, he is asking a gentile to believe this, about an unseen God.
    17:15  Desperation leads to acts of faith.  Really if the prophet is a liar, we only miss one meal, our ‘last’ meal anyway, so “she went and did according to the word of the Lord”, which is exactly the statement of how Elijah lived his life.
     17:16  “And they lived happily ever after”  Nope, the Bible is not that simple, but they were provided for in the midst of a drought, by a miraculous provision day by day, no big jar to look to in the corner, just a little jar with just enough for the next meal, one meal at a time.  Such is the life of faith.
   17:17  Tragedy, unforeseen, terrible, overwhelming crashes into our lives.  The widow and Elijah will display the two responses to tragedy.  “Why God?”  versus  “Now what?”

Quite unexpectedly, in the midst of a period of God’s supply and relative ease and quiet, disaster strikes. The widow’s son is taken sick and actually dies--with the prophet of the living God living right in her home! Elijah had most likely been teaching this lady and her son the truth of God. She, however, like so many people today, may have been more interested in the physical blessings, in the interesting elements of the spiritual nourishment and in the daily miracle than in really getting to know God. The Lord, however, was more concerned that she get to know Him because He was her real need.
J. Hampton Keathley, III
   17:18  The widow launches into a time of sentence blaming Elijah.  His holy living in the midst of this little family has brought conviction on the woman, and since all she knows is a ‘god’ whose favor can be bought or lost, she connects her sin to her sons death and connects it all to the presence of Elijah.

What is the primary good God wants for us? I believe it is Christlikeness. He is committed to transforming our lives into the image and likeness of His Son (Rom. 8:28-29). But due to our proneness to wander, our tendency to live independently of Him and manage our own lives, God must sometimes orchestrate suffering or pain. This is illustrated in the pictures of the Vine Dresser (John 15) and that of a father who disciplines or trains his children (Heb. 12:5f).
In the pictures of the ancient Roman method of threshing grain, one man is always seen stirring up the sheaves while another rides over them in a crude cart equipped with rollers instead of wheels. Sharp stones and rough bits of iron were attached to these cylinders to help separate the husks from the grain. This simple cart was called a tribulum--from which we get our word “tribulation.” When great affliction comes to us, we often think of ourselves as being torn to pieces under the cruel pressures of adverse circumstances. Yet as no thresher ever yoked up his tribulum for the mere purpose of tearing up his sheaves but to disclose the precious grain, or remove the chaff from the grain, so our loving Savior never puts us under the pressure of sorrow and disappointment needlessly.
    17:19  Elijah displays tremendous restraint here, no arguing back, no “the only reason either of you is alive is because of me.”  He just asks for the boy and carries him up to his room.
    17:20  Alone with a corpse and a God, he poses a question.  Is this Your ‘final’ word?  Is the boys life gone for good?  Not hearing a response he ‘goes to work.’
   17:21  Praying, interceeding, putting his life on top of the boy 3 times.
     17:22  The living God, the hearing God, the merciful, prayer-answering God, chooses to put life back into the boy.
    17:23   Elijah carried him up, and now Elijah “brought” him down.  He carried him up lifeless and limp, interceeded to the God of all, and brought him down with the breath of life, that only God can provide, animating the boys life.
     17:24   NOW, the miracle of provision day in and day out was not enough, the widow had to see power over life and death to fully trust and fully believe in Elijah’s God.  That is our ultimate
question, our ultimate fear the thing that is always “out there” in our mind and heart.  When we know, really know that He has conquered death, hell and the grave, we are given great peace.
    18:1   God hid Elijah, but Elijah was not hiding.  Part of the punishment for Israel was a withdraw of the prophet and the prophetic word.  Now that it was time for the showdown, Elijah would be revealed to Ahab, in God’s time, in God’s way.  “I will send rain” is the promise, but first the nation will be prepared by seeing portrayed for them the futility of Baal and the awesomeness of God.
Elijah’s 3 1/2 years in hiding was not wasted.  It serves to remind us that in the process of the larger purpose of God for one’s life, God is always at work to test, train, and prepare us for other things. We need to learn the importance of being faithful in the smaller responsibilities of life. Now three years have passed and it is time for God to make His point to Israel through the prophet. Elijah was a tool being sharpened and fashioned for things to come, but it is no different for us--if we are available to be sharpened and used.
    18:2  Severe -  the word used to describe the famine gives a hint of the pain and problems that were being caused by a lack of rain.
     18:3,4  Obadiah, a faithful servant of God, working ‘high up’ in a corrupt government.  Using his position to preserve life, providing shelter and provision for the persecuted prophets.  If he is caught it would cost him his life, so his is no ‘easy life.’
   18:5  Sadly the king is not looking for God, not repenting and turning in any way from his idol worship, no, his highest goal at this point is “grass.”  The temporary fix, to keep some animals alive, with no thought for why the famine continues or how much longer it may continue.
    18:6   The strategy of splitting up allows Elijah to meet up with Obadiah first.
     18:7   Obadiah, knew the importance of the word of God and ‘honored the prophet as a prophet.’
   18:8  A simple command is given, but in Obadiah’s mind a flood of ‘what if’s?’ comes rushing in and fear follows fast on the trail.  God is in the business of stretching us to become more effective vessels for His purposes. We, however, like to stay within the comfort zones of our little routines, which include our places of work and even our places of spiritual ministry. This was the case with Obadiah but the Lord had other plans for him--just as He has for us. It was God’s plan to use the younger prophet to announce Elijah’s presence to Ahab. Due to the conditions, this was no small challenge.

    18:9  Again just like the widow woman, the simple presence of Elijah brings conviction, in such a manner that the person asks, “What sin have I committed?”
     18:10  Maybe you don’t know, here is a quick update, you are all ten of the ten most wanted!
   18:11,12  I believe God is protecting you, but I have a much harder time believing He is protecting me.  I am going to do this, you will disappear and I will get killed, end of story.

In times of real persecution, serving the Lord can be life threatening, as it was for Obadiah. For most of us, our fears generally fall into three categories: (a) fear of failure, (b) fear of rejection, and (c) fear of loss, i.e., fear we might have to give up something we think we must have to be happy. The cost of this rejection can be anything from being snubbed or having people think we are odd or dumb, to loss of a job, or even one’s way of life.

Fear can paralyze and thus neutralize us. Fear can keep us from venturing out and being available to the Lord. This was what was happening to Obadiah. But we have a mighty God who has promised to stand with us so we can overcome our fears. We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity (fear), but of power and love and discipline (a sound mind).” We need the encouragement of others, as happened here. We need the power of a Spirit-filled, Word-filled life. We need genuine love that is willing to sacrifice for God and others. And we need the discipline of sound mind thinking that counts on the promises and principles of Scripture.

Obadiah’s thinking was undermining his ability to respond to Elijah’s request and need. It shows us how we need to bring every thought into captivity and to think with the perspective of the promises and principles of God’s Word.
    18:13  Obadiah is arguing that since he did a good thing back there and got away with it, he should not have to do this ‘good thing’ because this time he might get killed.   He is being asked to step up to a new level of commitment, and he is resisting it.  He understood that the command of the prophet was the command of God, but he counted what could 'possibly’ be his cost and he wanted to be 'let off.’
    18:14  Obadiah says, I know how this is going to end, with me dead.
     18:15  Elijah makes it clear that this is the timing of God.  It is God’s plan and it will happen today.  It is God’s word.
As believers in Christ and especially as leaders, we need to help others to see the majesty of the Lord and see that our lives are ordered and directed by that same majesty. This illustrates why it is so important for leaders to be models of integrity, men and women who are faithful and stable. One of the signs of decay in a church or in a nation is when the leadership acts as capricious children governed by their own whims and fancies (cf. Isa. 3:4).


    18:16  Argument over, Obadiah submits to the word of the Lord.
     18:17  When man will not accept that his actions are the cause for God’s judgment, he will place the blame on God’s messengers, which is actually God.
Confrontation is rarely painless, never easy, often rejected, and always risky. But in some conditions it is commanded by Scripture, illustrated in Scripture, and often essential to spiritual growth, godliness and biblical change. Of course, confrontation needs to be done according to biblical principles, in a biblical way, for biblical reasons, and out of right motives. We usually avoid it for selfish reasons--out of fear of the consequences to ourselves. Such a response is neither faith nor love. It is cowardice. It is pleasing ourselves rather than acting in faith and love. “Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy” (Pro. 27:5-6).

This directly applies to our times and it is only going to get worse as the end approaches.  Oh how this scene has been repeated throughout history. Whenever people disturb our comfort zones, challenge our opinions, values, and sources of trust with the truth of God’s Word and His calling, we often react in resentment and self-denial. Then, as a protective mechanism, we label them as “troublers” rather than dealing with our own hearts.
    18:18   Elijah can’t ignore this and sets the record straight.  The sins of you and your fathers, have not been repented of, they have been piling up and so the judgment must come, has come.

When we turn away from following the Lord through fellowship with Him in the Word, we experience what we can call the vacuum action of the soul, or the pursuit of life through our own devices and the substitutes offered in the world around us. When we turn away from a personal relationship with the Lord, from depending on Him through His Word, we naturally turn to what we think will make us happy, secure, and significant. The Bible defines this as vain imaginations or futile speculations of the heart (Rom. 1:21; Eph. 4:17; Jer. 2:4-5).
All false routes to joy, . . . have one thing in common: they represent strategies for living that in some measure we can control. They do not require us to yield our core commitment to dependence. God’s message is consistent: utter dependency is the route to satisfaction.
   18:19   Elijah now commands the king to get the false prophets and gather them for a 'showdown.’  His emphasis on them eating at Jezebel’s table speaks again of the alliance of politics and religion, that enabled the 'religious’ to eat well and prosper.  Power corrupts religion.  It has always puzzled me that the “400 prophets of the Asherah”  are never mentioned as showing up.  Did Jezebel have an idea that this was not going to go well and so kept these back?
  18:20  The king obeys the prophet, this is how it is to be in God’s kingdom.  Nothing and no one is above the word of the Lord.

It would seem reasonable to conclude that both King Ahab and his subjects were expecting Elijah to pray for rain to end the drought. But not so. Neither Ahab nor the people were in any way ready for the blessing of rain. The Lord had them under judgment for neglecting His Word and for their idolatry, which they had as yet failed to acknowledge. There were some serious issues in their lives that had to be faced before God could bless them with rain. How like us! We want God’s blessings without facing our responsibilities concerning our relationship with Him and the need for deep down repentance. Much of Christendom today, departing from the message of the Bible, appeals to this desire for blessing without calling attention to man’s real need as set forth in Scripture.
   18:21  Elijah asks the ultimate question and the people’s silence is deafening.  Had the power of Ahab, scared them.  Did the shear numbers 450 to 1 make them think they should stay silent.  Interestingly, they do not swear allegiance to Baal at this point.  They are silent, waiting to see what will happen.
With the words, “How long” the prophet was asking them what it was going to take to wake them up. How much of God’s discipline would they have to endure before they realized the way of life they’d chosen was not working? Not only had God closed the blessings of heaven, but He was revealing the emptiness and barrenness of the life they had chosen. What was it going to take?

First Kings 18:21, like Matthew 6:19-21, is a challenge concerning heavenly treasure and a call for a radical evaluation of our lifestyle, our sources of trust, our goals in life, and our commitment. Jesus sees earthly and heavenly fortune hunting to be in direct competition. He says, do not lay up earthly treasure, but lay up heavenly treasure. We might prefer it to be a question of both/and whereas He shows us it is an either/or.

The principle of 1 Kings 18:21 and that of Matthew 6:19f means that as long as the idols of this world fascinate us, i.e., the things we think we must have to be happy--money, power, praise, attention--we are going to find life miserable. White writes, “We were created to have one center. To have two is to be miserable and to enjoy neither spiritual things nor material.”

Five fold ministry, not the ultimate goal

Listening to Art Katz this morning and brought to the truth that the restoration of the five-fold ministry is not the ultimate goal.  In fact I have seen and been a part of movements that had that as their goal, and now I see that it was selfish, even self-centered.  The desire to see the restoration, so that, 'church' could be what it was meant to be falls short of God's goal.  The church is to become a witness to the principalities and powers of the air, the church is to be a light in dark times, a refuge for the persecuted, a martyr witness willingly submitted to the will of God.  It is such a subtle deception to be doing something that seems spiritual but ultimately the benefit goes to us.  The restoration of the prophet, apostle was seen as an end in itself, the peak of the mountain.  The wisdom of God involves death and resurrection.  A coming to a place where nothing that we have is adequate to meet the current need and the provision has to come from God.  In a very 'under the radar' way, the attainment of the five-fold gifts is seen as "the answer", the last puzzle piece in God's plan, when in actuality it is simply a tool to equip the saints for the real last puzzle piece, the martyr church, that lays down its life for the brethren.   "Look at me!" the familiar cry of a child who wants to show his parent some accomplishment, is pretty much what I see taking place in most places that are looking for the restoration of the five-fold gifts.  The Olympics are on now and they are a reminder of this, all those hours, all that training, "look at me!", but then what.  In the same way that we have to be aware of the root of our behavior, we need to be aware of what goal we are working towards.  The study of the end times and the role of the church in God's ultimate 'earthly' plan is a valuable part of Bible Study.  By the grace of God may we begin to see it.

Priests

Priests are silent
Priests have no flesh showing
Priests are covered in the blood of sacrifice.

listening to every message I can find on the priesthood
why
God desired a "nation of priests"

there! I will meet with you

a study on Elijah and some sermons by Art katz have me laser focused on times when God said "there"
There I will provide for you
There I will reveal Myself to you
There I will meet with you
Oh God show us where our "there" is, in Your mercy Lord, show us, and make us to obey.

Elijah Bible Study 1Kings 17:1-12

The Life of Elijah
Bible Study #1
1 Kings 17:1-12

Elijah Predicts Drought
17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. 7 It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.”                NASB

1 Kings 17
 1 And then this happened: Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab: "As surely as God lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought—not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise."
 2-4 God then told Elijah, "Get out of here, and fast. Head east and hide out at the Kerith Ravine on the other side of the Jordan River. You can drink fresh water from the brook; I've ordered the ravens to feed you."
 5-6 Elijah obeyed God's orders. He went and camped in the Kerith canyon on the other side of the Jordan. And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook.
 7-9 Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then God spoke to him: "Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I've instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you."
 10-11 So he got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the entrance of the village he met a woman, a widow, gathering firewood. He asked her, "Please, would you bring me a little water in a jug? I need a drink." As she went to get it, he called out, "And while you're at it, would you bring me something to eat?"
 12 She said, "I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don't have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we'll die."  The Message

Before we get started I will acknowledge the help of 3 men who have all passed on.
J. Hampton Keathley, III   -  His notes on  Elijah are quoted throughout.
A.W. Pink - His book, “The Life of Elijah” I will have read it twice by the time we are done.
Art Katz - His sermons on Elijah and prophecy, sparked my interest.

Daniels description of the people who trust God in the end time darkness applies to Elijah also.
Daniel 11:32 By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

God’s patience had been misinterpreted by Israel and Elijah’s mission was to reveal God.
 Psalm 50:21, “These things you have done, and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you, I will reprove you, and state (the case) in order before your eyes.”

Elijah would have had access to Deuteronomy and its warnings.
Deut. 11:11 “But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, 12 a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.

13 “It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, 14 that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil. 15 He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. 16 Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. 17 Or the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit; and you will perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

18 “You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19 You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.”

  1 Kings 19:10 He said, “ I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
The word translated ‘zealous’ is also translated jealous or passionate.  Here we have a look into Elijah’s heart to find his motivation.  He would have had the first 5 books of the Bible at his disposal, and would have been aware of the warning contained in Deuteronomy.  His was not some dreamed up mission, but a declaration of the sure word of God, and with mercy attached, because it was “not yet" that they would be taken out of the land as captives of a conquering army, even though that was also part of the scripture threatening drought.  Moral delinquency and spiritual apostasy is worse than physical calamity and suffering, because their weight is eternal.  Desperate diseases call for drastic measures.
Elijah is one of the prominent figures in the Word of God. His significance is evidenced by over 20 direct references to him in the New Testament, and by his appearance in the transfiguration of the Lord with Moses, the great Law giver.  No background is given on him, and His sentence is clear and hard.  No rain or dew, in this hot climate the dew was important and for it to be withheld too is even more severe.  The emphasis on the fact that Jehovah is the living God of Israel is important.  It is a contrast with lifeless Baal who was “brought in” by Jezebel.

Since the kingdom was split Israel’s kings had consistently chosen the wrong path.
Not only were these kings evil, but there was a continuous decline. Scripture indicates that the next king was worse than his father. There was continual spiritual and moral erosion, much as we have seen in our nation.

With the rise of Ahab in the time of Elijah, things had reached an all time low. Fifty-eight years had passed since the division of the kingdom. Seven kings had reigned and all were evil. All were idolatrous, but with Ahab idolatry reached an all-time high even to the point of seeking to stamp out the worship of Yahweh altogether. How? Why? Ahab married Jezebel, the famed princess from Tyre, daughter of Ethbaal, King of Tyre. Again, following the poor examples that preceded him, his aim was to seal a pact with Phoenicia for profitable political reasons. His trust was in his own schemes rather than in the Lord. The weak Ahab allowed Jezebel to introduce the worship of the satanic and idolatrous cult of Baal-Melqart into Israel. The worship of Baal, a Canaanite deity, had been observed by Israelites in the days of the Judges and before the establishment of the kingdom. David rid the land of this dirge, but now it was resurrected on a new scale, larger than ever, and this was done by the government, the king.

Jezebel did not want Baalism to coexist with the worship of Yahweh. She wanted to completely stamp out the worship of God. This is precisely the way Satan and his world system works. People are often broad-minded with the varying religions and philosophical ideas of the world, but never with the truth.

The Ras Shamrah text, an important archaeological find, praises Baal as the god who has power over rain, wind, clouds, and therefore over fertility. Baal was also worshiped as the weather god, the god of storm, of rain and good crops.

We don’t know, are not given, Elijah’s ‘resume’, his background is not considered.
By contrast, it seems people always want to know, “Who are you?” “Who is he or she?” People can look at their accomplishments, as Nebuchadnezzar did (Dan. 4:30), and proudly credit them to their own brilliance. On the other hand, as Moses did at the call of God (Ex. 3:11), we often tend to think despairingly, “Who am I?” In each case, this kind of thinking puts the focus on us, rather than on the sovereign LORD upon whom we are totally dependent and who is always able to do super abundantly above all that we are able to ask or even think.
Elijah is the Hebrew Eliyahu that means “My God is Yahweh.”

When confronted with the judgment of God on his nation what was King Ahab’s answer? I believe it is significant that Scripture is silent here. Why? Perhaps because it demonstrates how the promises and warnings of God’s Word always take precedence over man’s response or opinions. God’s Word is true regardless of how people respond or react.

Elijah obeyed the Lord and then was given the ‘next step.’  God does not grant fresh revelations until there has been a compliance with those already received.  God leads His servants step by step, rarely laying out the grand plan.  By contrast, disobedience to the truth has the opposite effect. It hardens our hearts and closes our ears, killing our capacity to hear and respond to the work and ministry God wants to call us to (cf. Mark 6:52; Heb. 3:7-15; 5:11; Ps. 40:6-7). People often complain about how hard it is to know God’s leading. The problem is not God’s leading--He is always ready to lead us. The problem is our listening, and too often, our listening is colored by false expectations and selfish motives. We want the Lord to answer in our way. We want God’s blessing on our will rather than seeking His will. We tend to make up our list of what we would like to do with our lives, even as it pertains to serving the Lord. We then present that to the Lord for His approval.

This next step makes no sense by our own reasoning.  Now would have been a good time for a “preaching tour."  Going town by town, preaching repentance.  No, God’s way is the opposite.  He withdraws His word and in doing so expresses an even greater judgment than the drought.  This going away into seclusion could also have the purpose of reminding Elijah that he was only an instrument in the hand of God, nothing more, nothing less.  God gives only a brook, not a river and feeds him by the use of an unclean animal.  He shows His sovereignty over the birds and also provides the water, the water comes by natural means, the food by supernatural.  His trust is not in the brook or the ravens but the God who gave the sure word of promise.  

“We are to get alone with God, first to just know and love Him, to develop our dependence on Him, and then to bring order and strength to our inner life. We are to do this to bring God’s control over every area of our lives: our motivations, what moves us, the things that pull us to conform or to compete, our perspective of life, why we are here and what are we seeking, our priorities and values, the use of our time, talents, treasures, and truth, and our thought processes (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Getting alone with God is not optional. If we want true spiritual success it is fundamental. It’s a key part of God’s plan by which our lives are first strengthened by the underground spiritual streams of life in Christ and then changed and cut into the ravine that God wants to use to make us a channel for pouring out the blessings of the Savior on others.”        J. Hampton Keathley, III

 When the brook dries up.  
James 1:2-4 says:  Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

What’s the problem we face in suffering? We are often more interested in our comfort and pleasure than with genuine, spiritual growth and maturity. We want a carefree life rather than a life with character. We may think we are okay and mature enough just as we are, but the Lord knows better. We want maturity without the pain, but real growth requires pain.
Are you perplexed about certain things in your life? Then ask, what is the Lord seeking to teach me? Ask “How is the Lord wanting to use this in my life or in some else’s life?” Ask “Is God trying to change some of my values and priorities, or reveal some of my false sources of trust?” Pray and think!
The next words of verse 8 are “the word of the Lord came to him, saying.” Let’s note a couple of things: First, Elijah did not move until there was communion with God. He waited until he had direction from the Lord--He moved at the Word of the Lord. For Elijah, this was direct revelation, but the principle is God leads and directs us through His Word (which for us is the Bible), and through our communion with Him in Scripture. Of course, the Lord uses other things to give us direction such as open and closed doors, and our own abilities, talents, burdens and interests. He never leads us, however, contrary to the principles and directives of Scripture. Second, this reminds us just how important it is for us to commune with God in His Word so we can know the Word and use it for every decision we face. We can be sure somewhere in Scripture there will be principles that apply.


Isaiah 28:16  “therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
    a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
    ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’”  We contrive ways of getting out of our difficulties, we are far too full of our own plans and devisings, then we ask God to prosper, what we planned.  One book said this was a 75 mile journey across the desert, to Jezebel’s home country!  Implicit trust and unreserved submission is what is required of us.
First, God would provide for Elijah through a woman. While women in Israel had a higher position and status than among their Gentile neighbors, this was highly irregular, for it was the man’s place to provide for women. Second, this was a Gentile woman, a woman outside the circle of God’s own people. In fact, she was from the pagan nation of the Sidonians (or Phoenicians) who, at that time, represented the forces arrayed against God’s kingdom. Third, she was a poor, destitute, depressed widow facing starvation. She wasn’t exactly the kind of person you would go to for support, but she was the person whom God had chosen to be Elijah’s support and the instrument of God’s glory. He didn’t know her plight as yet, but he would soon find out and his response is remarkable.

Note her words in verse 12, “as the Lord your God lives.” This suggests she must have recognized Elijah as a prophet of Israel, perhaps by his dress (cf. 2 Kings 1:8). But Yahweh was not her God and she wasn’t all that sure about the honesty of Elijah or the reality of his God (cf. vs. 17:24). She needed to see the testimony of Elijah’s life as well as the power of God.

Romans Bible Study #46 Romans 16:25-27 Attribute of God - Wisdom

Romans Bible Study #46
Romans 16:25-27
Attribute of God - Wisdom

16:25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, 26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith; 27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.
NASB

25-26All of our praise rises to the One who is strong enough to make you strong, exactly as preached in Jesus Christ, precisely as revealed in the mystery kept secret for so long but now an open book through the prophetic Scriptures. All the nations of the world can now know the truth and be brought into obedient belief, carrying out the orders of God, who got all this started, down to the very last letter.
 27All our praise is focused through Jesus on this incomparably wise God! Yes!  The Message

25  God is able to ‘establish’ you, other translations say, strengthen you.  We need to be given strength.  This walk requires strength, that we do not possess.  Admitting that we do not possess it is a first step in getting it.  When we are weak, then we are strong.  The commandments are too hard, and our flesh is too weak, ‘God help us,’ is our cry.  “We cannot, You can,” is our hope.
26  Our obedience is the ‘obedience of faith.’  The strength and ability to obey, comes from outside of us, from God, accessed by faith.  There is no ‘boasting’ in our accomplishments, when we obey, He gets all the glory.
27  In this doxology and the one at the end of chapter 11, wise and wisdom are foremost on the mind of the apostle as what he wants to praise, so the rest of the study is an in depth look at the attribute of God known as wisdom.

  Piper pointed out that since wisdom is an attribute of God it is infinite, like He is.  So nothing can be added to God that would make Him more wise, He already has all the information, all the possibilities all the angles figured out.  Nothing can go into God’s mind that did not come out of His mind already.  His wisdom cannot be increased.  Everything comes out of His mind so nothing that goes back into it will increase it because it was already there.  God always know in every situation the perfect, best, greatest end that should come out of the situation.  He takes all of the trillions of relevant factors into account and He knows how to accomplish His purpose.
Piper looked at two out-workings of this infinite wisdom, His infinite wisdom in the way that He saves sinners, (chapters 1-8) and His infinite wisdom in the working out His covenant with Israel, (chapters 9-11).
           The way of saving sinners shatters the ground of all human pride.  A weak crucified God goes against the power that some want.  The way of knowing God, through faith, shatters the ground of humans pride in wanting to come to God because we are so wise and we ‘figured it out.’
1 Cor. 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the [o]message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
The greatest negative goal in the way of saving sinners is to break the back of human pride.
The greatest positive goal in the way of saving sinners is to have an assembly of people who boast only in the Lord.  Not our mind, or our programs.
     His infinite wisdom in how He keeps covenant with Israel.  God re-affirms His promises to Israel over and over in the Old Testament.  In reality in Paul’s day, the majority were rejecting Christ.  God saves the Gentiles and grafts them into the tree, a partial hardening is on Israel, while this is happening and the Gentiles are to understand that when the Jews see the the Gentiles have been shown such mercy by ‘their’ God, they are jealous and return to Him.
Romans 11:30 For just as you (gentiles) once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their (Jewish) disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

Now we move on to an amazing section on the wisdom of God, from an amazing book by Stephen Charnock.   Wisdom consists in acting for a right end, observing all the circumstances for action, willing and acting according to the right reason and judgment.  The essential wisdom of God is the essence of God, the personal wisdom of God, is the Son of God.  Wisdom is the property of God alone, He is the “only wise.” Wisdom among men is gained by age and experience, furthered by instructions and exercise; but he wisdom of God is His nature.
“It is a foolish thing, therefore, to question that which we cannot comprehend;  we should adore it instead of disputing against it; and take it for granted, that God would not order anything, were it not agreeable to the sovereignty of His wisdom, as well as that of His will.”
Proverbs 21:30 “There is no wisdom and no understanding
And no counsel against the Lord.”  He compasseth His ends by those actions of men and devils, wherein they think to cross him; they shoot at their own mark and hit His.  Lucifer’s plot, by divine wisdom, fulfilled God’s purpose against Lucifer’s mind.
As He is the cause of all things, so He hath the highest wisdom for the ordering of all things.
In creation, the fact that the sun, the earth, the oceans, the plants, are all working together harmoniously for an end that they do not know or understand speaks of the wisdom of the Creator.  This wisdom shows up in the variety of the creatures, their beauty, their fitness for use and the subordination of one creature to another.  All of these different kinds of trees and plants and flowers out of one earth.  All of these different kinds of characters and features and voices and statures of people in human society.  The seasons, the seas, the clouds the winds, the various parts of the human body, broken down into systems that all are inter-dependent and working together speak of wisdom.
God’s wisdom is seen in the bounding of sin.  Psalm 76:10 “For the wrath of man shall praise You;  With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself.”
God’s wisdom is seen in the bringing glory of Himself out of sin.  It takes more skill to make a lovely piece of workmanship with ill-conditioned tools, than with instruments naturally fitted for the work; it is no such great wonder for a limner to draw an exact piece with a fit pencil and suitable colors, as to begin and perfect a beautiful work with a straw and water, things improper for such a design.  The wisdom of God is more admirable and astonishing than if a man were able to rear a vast palace by fire, whose nature is to consume combustible matter not to erect a building.  To make things serviceable contrary to their own nature, is a wisdom peculiar to the Creator of Nature.  God’s making us of devils, for the glory of His name, and the good of His people, is a more amazing piece of wisdom than His goodness in employing the blessed angels in His work.  
The sins and corruptions remaining in the heart of man, God orders for good; and there are good effects by the direction of His wisdom and grace, as the soul respects God.  God brings forth a sensibleness of the necessity of dependence on Him.  The mother may let the newly walking child slip, that he may know who supports him and may not be too venturous and confident in his own strength.  God leaves sometimes the brightest souls in eclipse to manifest that their holiness, and the preservation of it, depend upon the darting out of His beams upon them.  Our continuing sins remind us of the preciousness of the blood of Christ.
A fall into one sin is often a prevention of more which lay in wait for us/ as the fall of a small body into an ambush prevents the design of the enemy upon a greater.
  God’s wisdom appears in judgments in the suiting them to the qualities of person, and nature of sins.  Jer. 18:11 So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds.”’  Isaiah 31: 2
“Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster
And does not retract His words,
But will arise against the house of evildoers
And against the help of the workers of iniquity.”
  These are ‘out-of-the-box’ verses that stretch us to see a God so big and so  wise that the calamity that He brings is perfectly suited to offense committed.  Many will come to God’s rescue and say, “He does not bring disaster."  They are wrong, the Bible says so.  The Babel builders designed an indissoluble union, and God brings upon them an unintelligible confusion.
God’s wisdom makes death the way to life and shame and suffering the path to glory.

Charnock has to spend time looking at God’s wisdom in redemption also.  The wisdom of God satisfies the demands of justice in punishing, and the pleas of mercy in pardoning.  The Word made flesh.  God manifested in the flesh, a mystery too great for our minds but the perfect answer to the offense of sin against God.  As the bush was united to the fire, yet was not hurt by the flame, nor converted into fire, there remained a difference between the bush and the fire, yet the properties of the fire shined in the bush, so theat the whole bush seemed to be on fire.
Had He not been man, He could not have filled our place in suffering; and could He otherwise have suffered, His sufferings had not been applicable to us; and had He not been God, His sufferings had not been meritoriously and fruitfully applicable.  Had not His blood been the blood of God, it had been of as little advantage as the blood of and ordinary man, or the blood of the legal sacrifices.   Nothing less than God could have satisfied God for the injury done by man.  He had therefore a nature to be compassionate to us and victorious for us.  Jesus performed the law perfectly, but voluntarily took the full punishment as if He had not obeyed.  Could we imagine being healed by stripes, purified by blood, crowned by a cross, comforted by sorrows, made rich by poverty?
His wisdom restores us in a way contrary to the way that we fell; we chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, now we must deny our own understanding, and submit to faith.

Wisdom shows itself in perfect timing, Passover when Jesus was crucified was a feast that gathered Jews from all over and at Pentecost when the message of Jesus needed to be cast far and wide, people from all over were there to hear the apostles testimony of Jesus, ‘each in their own language,’ so that they could then go back and broadcast it in whatever area they were living.
 Wisdom is magnified when it chooses such vessels as us to display its power.  The weaker the means which attain the end, the greater the skill of the conductor of them.
The wisdom of God allows Him to bear with things that seem to cross His purposes.  Because He know the whole affair that is going on and He has the power to attain the end that He proposes to Himself.  This infinite wisdom, gives Him an infinite patience in seeing it all ‘work out.’
   That this wisdom is available to us, infallible and infinite, is a thing that draws out worship in our hearts. Why do we choose to ‘guide’ ourselves.   “Lean not on your own understanding.”  Peter refuses to let Christ wash his feet, he makes himself the judge of the rightness of what Jesus has set out to do...mistake!  Philosophers who make their reason the supreme judge of Divine revelation, are not accepting that they are below God in wisdom in every way.  Our goal in this Bible Study has always been to “let the Word change us.”  Murmuring and impatience are most prevalent when we have lost sight of the Wisdom of God.  Nothing is done by Him too soon or too slow.  In His light we see light.
2nd Chronicles 20:12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”  James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
God always chooses what is best for His glory, and what is best for His creatures, either in regard to themselves, or as they stand in relation to Him, or to others, as parts of the world.
Psalm 47:4 “He chooses our inheritance for us,”
God would not be infinitely wise if the reason of all His acts were obvious to our shallowness.  When the whole design is revealed there is an admirable connection of justice and mercy, love and wisdom, which before would have appeared absurd to the muddied reason of man!

circumstances are not God (unmarried)

Very late in the Act of the Apostles, a snake latches on to “prisoner Paul’s” hand and the natives of the island, say, “see he is deserving of death, that is why the snake bit him.”, but then he lives and they change their minds and worship him as a god... wrong again.   Circumstances happen in life, right now, you are not married.  Many can look and judge and say, “i know why it is because”... and you may even be doing that with yourself  -- DON’T!   In an instant of time God can change circumstances, we should never use them to judge ourselves or others.

Who you are does not change based on circumstances, period.