3 thoughts

Three thoughts as I head off to my end times conference.
(1)  This from D. Bonhoeffer, relates to the fact that I honestly think, bitterness, unforgiveness, and the resulting damage, is the greatest threat to the church.

40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

Day 34
======
Often we combat our evil thoughts most effectively if we absolutely refuse to
allow them to be verbalized. It is certain that the spirit of
self-justification can only be overcome by the spirit of grace; and it is just
as certain that the individual judgmental thought can be limited and
suppressed by never allowing it to be spoken except as a confession of sin….
Thus it must be a decisive rule of all Christian community life that each
individual is prohibited from talking about another Christian in secret. It is
clear and will be shown in what follows that this prohibition does not include
the word of admonition that is spoken personally to one another. However,
talking about others in secret is not allowed even under the pretense of help
and goodwill. For it is precisely in this guise that the spirit of hatred
between believers always creeps in, seeking to cause trouble.

(2)  This from my facebook page, because my loving God, put it right before me today in my morning devotional.  Very kind of Him.  Today is the day I leave for the once a year gathering with brothers who believe the church is called to go through the tribulation and be a sold-out witness to the Jews and the world.  This scripture speaks of not escaping but going through!

John 12:27,28 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." ... Heading off to my end times conference, because I don't think the church should be wanting "saved from this hour", but "Father, glorify Your name!"

(3)  This scripture came to me twice yesterday, once in writing and once on the radio.

Romans 15:4   For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

SO THAT.. we might have 'endurance' and 'encouragement' and 'hope', none of those words apply to a church that is escaping the tribulation, all of those words apply and give strength to a church that is going through the tribulation out of love for God and one another.

Elijah Bible Study #3 1 Kings 18:22-46

Elijah Bible Study #3
1 Kings 18:22-46

22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people said, “That is a good idea.”
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” 26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made. 27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” 28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed. 33 Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. 34 And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.
Elijah’s Prayer
36 At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.” 40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. 44 It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” 45 In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.    NASB
22-24 Then Elijah said, "I'm the only prophet of God left in Israel; and there are 450 prophets of Baal. Let the Baal prophets bring up two oxen; let them pick one, butcher it, and lay it out on an altar on firewood—but don't ignite it. I'll take the other ox, cut it up, and lay it on the wood. But neither will I light the fire. Then you pray to your gods and I'll pray to God. The god who answers with fire will prove to be, in fact, God."
    All the people agreed: "A good plan—do it!"
 25 Elijah told the Baal prophets, "Choose your ox and prepare it. You go first, you're the majority. Then pray to your god, but don't light the fire."
 26 So they took the ox he had given them, prepared it for the altar, then prayed to Baal. They prayed all morning long, "O Baal, answer us!" But nothing happened—not so much as a whisper of breeze. Desperate, they jumped and stomped on the altar they had made.
 27-28 By noon, Elijah had started making fun of them, taunting, "Call a little louder—he is a god, after all. Maybe he's off meditating somewhere or other, or maybe he's gotten involved in a project, or maybe he's on vacation. You don't suppose he's overslept, do you, and needs to be waked up?" They prayed louder and louder, cutting themselves with swords and knives—a ritual common to them—until they were covered with blood.
 29 This went on until well past noon. They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to make something happen on the altar, but nothing happened—not so much as a whisper, not a flicker of response.
 30-35 Then Elijah told the people, "Enough of that—it's my turn. Gather around." And they gathered. He then put the altar back together for by now it was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob, the same Jacob to whom God had said, "From now on your name is Israel." He built the stones into the altar in honor of God. Then Elijah dug a fairly wide trench around the altar. He laid firewood on the altar, cut up the ox, put it on the wood, and said, "Fill four buckets with water and drench both the ox and the firewood." Then he said, "Do it again," and they did it. Then he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. The altar was drenched and the trench was filled with water.
 36-37 When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, "O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I'm doing what I'm doing under your orders. Answer me, God; O answer me and reveal to this people that you are God, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance."
 38 Immediately the fire of God fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench.
 39 All the people saw it happen and fall on their faces in awed worship, exclaiming, "God is the true God! God is the true God!"
 40 Elijah told them, "Grab the Baal prophets! Don't let one get away!"
    They grabbed them. Elijah had them taken down to the Brook Kishon and they massacred the lot.
 41 Elijah said to Ahab, "Up on your feet! Eat and drink—celebrate! Rain is on the way; I hear it coming."
 42-43 Ahab did it: got up and ate and drank. Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, "On your feet now! Look toward the sea."
    He went, looked, and reported back, "I don't see a thing."
    "Keep looking," said Elijah, "seven times if necessary."
 44 And sure enough, the seventh time he said, "Oh yes, a cloud! But very small, no bigger than someone's hand, rising out of the sea."
    "Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, 'Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.'"
 45-46 Things happened fast. The sky grew black with wind-driven clouds, and then a huge cloudburst of rain, with Ahab hightailing it in his chariot for Jezreel. And God strengthened Elijah mightily. Pulling up his robe and tying it around his waist, Elijah ran in front of Ahab's chariot until they reached Jezreel.    THE MESSAGE

Verse 22 - The other prophets were hidden away, on this day the only one publicly proclaiming the God of Israel is Elijah.  450 to 1, proving once again, the majority is not automatically right.

Verse 23 - The choice of oxen as the test, will serve the additional purpose of being a sacrifice for the sins of the people when God ‘torches’ it.  His wrath against an idolatrous nation must be poured out, either on the people or the bull.  No doubt satan could have sent fire, but God did not permit it.
Three times Elijah mentions putting no fire under the sacrifice (twice in vs. 23 and once in vs. 25). So What’s the Point? God does not ask us to give Him a hand with the impossible. Sometimes we are guilty deforming God into our own little helpless idol who must be helped along by the fires we build under Him to consume our sacrifice. Does this mean we are to sit by and do nothing? Of course not! Elijah repaired the altar and the sacrifice and he did it according to the principles of the Word. But he put no fire under the sacrifice.

Verse 24 - The test consisted of an answer “by fire.” Elijah declared, “The God that answers by fire, He is God.” But why fire? Baal was worshipped as the Lord of Fire, the Lord of the Sun. Some even worshipped him by passing their children through the fire (2 Kgs. 16:3). So the failure of Baal to bring down fire would demonstrate the fallacy of their beliefs about Baal. In Scripture, fire is used symbolically to communicate certain spiritual principles according to the contexts:

Satan, as the deceiver, is powerful and can bring some answers to man’s prayers, but only under the permissive will of God, and never to man’s true blessing or benefit. He undoubtedly had the power to bring fire from heaven in answer to the ravings of the Baal priests just as the magicians in Egypt were able to counterfeit some of the miracles performed by Moses, but here, God’s sovereignty overruled in order to make the issue clear. So today, people can find some semblance of joy and peace in false religions and in the details of life, money, power, and position, but they will always fall short of true and lasting peace. This only comes through faith in the Savior and through intimate fellowship with Him.  In the end times God will permit false miracles to be done by the false prophet to attest to the anti-Christ, we need to be aware of this.  Many will be deceived by the display of power, but will not discern the source of the power.

Verse 25 - Elijah lets them go first, because he knows his time is God’s time, the time of the evening sacrifice, the time of Jesus’ death, 3pm.

Verse 26 - 9am to 12 noon, a whole lot of nothing.  Much yelling and calling but no answer,
not even a spark or a tiny bit of smoke.

Verse 27 - 3 hours of listening to this causes sarcasm to rise up in Elijah.  “Maybe he is in the bathroom!”

Verse 28 - Cutting themselves and causing themselves pain, to gain the favor of their false God.  Such displays cause us to be grateful for a God who sacrificed His Son for us, any suffering we go through He is with us.  He is redeeming it.

Verse 29 - No voice, no answer.  Makes us grateful to the God who is the Word, speaking to us, encouraging us.

Verse 30 -  The repair of the altar, is always the first step.  Whether Israel was starting over on the building of the temple or Elijah was preparing the ‘test’, the altar is repaired first.  And the altar wasn’t just broken down it had been torn down.  Evil forces are not content to wait on time to wear down the house of worship, they want to destroy it.  The altar is God’s choice as the means which we come to Him in worship.

 One of the words used for offering a sacrifice in the Old Testament was qarab. It meant “to come near, approach, draw near,” and then, “to offer, bring.” Another word used, alah, meant literally, “to go up, ascend, climb.” The ascent of the smoke of the sacrifice symbolized access to God through a sacrifice that satisfied God’s holiness in anticipation of the substitutionary death of His Son.

For God to hear our prayer, we need to repair or correct those things in our lives that hinder fellowship with Him. Please review the following important passages: Compare Isaiah 59:1f; Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 28:9; Matthew 5:23-24; 1 Peter 3:7; with 1 John 1:9; Psalm 32:1f; 51:1f; and Proverbs 28:13.

verse 31 - Note also how Elijah repaired the altar--he used 12 stones. Why 12? Elijah was addressing the northern kingdom of ten tribes. After Solomon, the kingdom had been divided into the southern kingdom of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, and the northern kingdom of the remaining ten tribes. This demonstrated God had never accepted this division. One of the things that always hinders the impact of God’s people in the world is disunity. God wants His people united and working together. This is clear in John 17.

verse 32 - “in the name of the Lord”  An altar dedicated to the true God, the almighty God, the Lord of Hosts.

Verse 33 - Again doing everything as God directed him to do it.

Verse 34 - 12 pitchers of water, 12 ‘watered down’ tribes of Israel.

Verse 35 - Water the ‘enemy’ of fire, on the sacrifice, around the sacrifice, everywhere, making the situation even more impossible.

Verse 36 - When he addressed God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, he was specifically thinking and praying in the light of the covenants and promises and the principles that related to Israel such as: (a) God would not forsake His people; (b) they were to be a nation of priests to the nations of God’s salvation in the coming Messiah; (c) they were to avoid idolatry at all costs; (d) for obedience there would be blessing but for disobedience there would be cursing or the cycles of discipline as spelled out in Deuteronomy 28-29 and Leviticus 26; and (e) they were to be a people of the Word of God. This was to be their daily diet that they might remember the mighty works which He had done. In other words, Elijah’s prayer was motivated and directed by the principles and promises of Scripture.

Verse 37 - “That Thou hast turned their heart back again.” Elijah sought no credit for the results of this miracle. It was all the work of the grace and power of God (1 Cor. 3:5-7; 15:10). Grace! Grace! Grace! Elijah wanted the people to have their confidence not in him, a mere man, but in the Lord and His Word which Elijah followed (1 Cor. 2:1-5). Also, Elijah wanted people to realize something of God’s love and mercy: that without God’s grace that had pursued them like the hound of heaven, they would have proceeded deeper and deeper into sin and the judgment they so richly deserved.

Verse 38 - The stones, representing the 12 tribes, the dust representing man.  When God’s fire comes all that is of us is consumed and then to Him goes all the glory.  The fire is obviously supernatural because it moves from the top to the bottom.

Verse 39 - Elijah name means the Lord is God, and the people shouted it.

Verse 40 - The most dangerous people in a society are people who claim to speak for God but are false, so now is the time to eliminate them.

Verse 41 - Would Ahab be executed at this time too, no.  Mercy is extended to this king again.  Only the spiritual man, relying on the promise of God, could
“hear” the sound that Elijah is talking about.

Verse 42 - The contrast is obvious again, Ahab, goes off to fill his belly and Elijah goes off to pray, for an end to the drought.  He had the promise of God, but still he prays.

Verse 43 - Go and look, would 6 “no” answers be enough to discourage us, to make us quit.  How often do we stop at 6 when the answer is coming at 7.

Verse 44 - Don’t despise the small beginnings, when God starts it, it will finish and it will finish strong.  Get going Ahab, the river that you crossed to get here will be un-crossable soon.
This scene provides a second contrast of persons. It shows that Elijah prayed in faith, expectantly. He prayed believing God’s specific promises and with perseverance he continued in prayer, never fainting, wavering or doubting. “Seven times” he told the servant to return. Seven is the number of completion or perfection in Scripture. It is not a magical number. It simply teaches us what perseverance and unwavering faith accomplishes. It is designed to teach the principle of Luke 18:1, “that at all times they (men) ought to pray and not to lose heart.” The need is to keep going until we see evidence of an answer. Elijah wasn’t saying he’d quit after seven.

Another contrast of persons is seen in the servant who kept running back and forth, up and down the mountain to Elijah while Elijah remained steadfast in prayer. The servant is like many believers who pray a few minutes, look out the window and think, “just like I thought, nothing.” Then they try something else and when that doesn’t work, they try a little more prayer. But to pray like that is to be like the double-minded man of James 1:5 who asks, doubts, wavers, asks, then doubts and so on. Elijah did not doubt even after six negative reports. He continued to pray. Why? Because he was standing confidently on what God had promised! Elijah knew God’s will from God’s direct promise.

Have you ever been like this servant? Have you found yourself running back and forth, almost frantic because God didn’t seem to be listening? Well, I certainly have faced that in my own life and I suspect you have too. Let me make four suggestions that can help.

(1) Be sure your prayer is grounded in the Word. This gives confidence.

(2) Be sure your prayer is not from carnal or wrong motives, but directed by biblical principles. Rest in the intercessory ministry of the Holy Spirit who always prays according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27).

(3) Keep on asking, looking, and knocking in a faith that rests in God’s fatherly care, love, and timing (Matt. 7:7-8).

(4) Above all, ask the Lord to teach you what He wants to do in you and through you during this period of waiting.

If prayer is so important, why is it so many believers are continually halted in their prayer life? Well, it’s no accident. It is the result of satanic scheming plus our own natural tendencies. Satan doesn’t mind if we witness near as much as he minds if we pray because he knows it is far more important to talk to God about people, than to talk to people about God. It’s when we start talking to God about people that our witnessing becomes most effective.

The same applies to studying the Word, teaching it to others, or Christian activity. If Satan can keep believers off their knees, and keep us running up and down the various mountains of our lives, very little of the Word will really take hold. Instead spiritual pride will develop and the activity will become just busy activity, but ineffective. Prayer is a very important dimension in the life of every believer. May the Lord enable us to keep the dimension of the power of prayer in focus.

Verse 45 - Heavy rain, when the answer comes it comes strong and sure.  The sacrifice has been accepted, the long awaited rain can now come.

Verse 46 - Samson was given the strength of God and made the strongest man ever.  Here Elijah is given the speed of God and made the fastest man ever.  Ahab wouldn’t give him a ride, but he would arrive first nevertheless, and when Jezebel saw Elijah coming first any thought that maybe the rain had come in answer to a pray to Baal would be removed.

Remember (Zakar)

(I get to teach this Wed. and this has been banging around in my head for awhile, so I asked some friends for help and looked up some teachings and put this together.  May it draw us closer to the true God.)
Remember

Our goal is to study this word as it is used in the Bible.  From there we’ll look at how this knowledge can make us and our prayers more and more like Jesus.  Finally how does this concept apply to communion.

We may often think of memory as a purely mental faculty involving the retention of information. But when we examine the biblical concept of remembrance, we will see that ``remembering'' in the Bible usually leads to or results from purposeful action. We will also see that remembrance is an integral part of worship and of the function of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.
Remember, is an action verb.  The first usage in scripture is always the most important.
The story of Noah is the back drop for the first time, remember appears in scripture.
Genesis 8:1  But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.
When the Bible speaks of God remembering it is speaking of an action.  In this case the remembering leads to a wind from God that speeds up the drying process and causes the waters of the flood to subside.
The next two  occurrences are still in the flood story and speak of God seeing the rainbow and remembering His covenant never to have a world-wide flood again.  So in these cases the remembering is tied to restraining an action.
The next usage is a good reminder of the power of intercession.
Genesis 19:29
So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.
God remembered Abraham and saves Lot.  Our intercession can be used to bring God’s active hand into the lives of people we care about.  In fact the angels actually grab Lot and family and pull them out of the city.  Genesis 19:16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the Lord was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.
Next God remembers and a barren womb brings forth life.
Genesis 30:22
Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.
 Joseph is the boy who came forth an important and pivotal character in the book of Genesis.
Exodus 2:24
``God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.''
In this case, God's remembering His covenant leads to His active intervention to rescue Israel from slavery.

The word remember (Hebrew - zakar) also appears prominently in the prayers recorded in the Bible. People like Moses (Exod. 32:13), Samson (Judges 16:28), Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:3), Nehemiah (Neh. 13:14, 22, 29, 31), Jeremiah (Jer. 15:15; Lam. 5:1), and Habakkuk (Hab. 3:2) pray that God will remember them and the rest of His people. Such prayers call upon God not just to be cognizant of their existence, but in addition to take action on their behalf.

We know how you have acted in the past God, and you are unchanging so we cry out, “Do it again!"  Rescue, show mercy, rebuild, empower, give us hope.  The hope is in knowing that God will act again! And in the meantime, your job is to go on in faithful obedience to what he has already shown you — however long ago that may have been.

One of the ways God shows us He remembers us, is by giving us some sort of sign that helps us through a time of suffering.   This is an area that is often so personal that few talk about it.  People who have lost a husband or wife, a son or daughter, a job, their health — people who are going through a great flood and sometimes are tempted to feel abandoned — they tell of some small but meaningful thing God has done to assure them that what they are enduring is not mere chance but rather part of the wise and loving plan of God.   (Anyone like to share.)

How does this understanding of “remember” affect our prayers and how do we answer the call to “remember the poor?”

Luke 23:42
And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”  
The thief on the cross understood this principle.  He understood that if Jesus would remember him, it would be more than a nice memory in His head, it would result in an action, that would forever change his eternal destiny.

Remember is combined with a plea for mercy from our lips, because we know we are not worthy of His kindness.  God declares this.

Jeremiah 31:20
“Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him,” declares the LORD.
Habakkuk knew what the nation deserved, but threw himself (and through intercession) His nation, wholly on the mercy of God.  This is a good pattern for us to follow when praying for the nations.  Habakkuk 3:2
LORD, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.
We really know nothing of patience in our culture.  Zechariah father of John the Baptist bursts forth in a prophecy when his tongue is finally loosed and in it he makes reference to God’s faithfulness to the Holy Covenant... He is referring to the covenant with Abraham.  Luke 1:72
To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant,
Any guesses as to how long ago the ‘promise’ was made that Zechariah is looking to?
This from the Psalms makes the point again.
"Remember the word to Your servant,
In which You have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word has revived me."
(Ps. 119:49,50)  There is a power in trusting and having faith in the God you are calling on to ‘remember.’  

Combining a request for mercy with a request to remember is a powerful prayer.  It recognizes His righteousness and His sovereignty and emphasizes our dependence on His goodness.

The call to remember the poor, is a call to act natural.  In other words, we have been shown great mercy and love from God.  We were poor, needy, without hope and He picked us up out of the pit.  We ‘go’ with that same love in our hearts to share with others.  NOT under obligation or some “we should" mentality, but because we can not stop our hearts from going, from loving, bearing fruit.




Communion is a powerful event in the Christian life and the concept of remembering makes it even more powerful.
Luke 22:19
And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-25 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

We now have a deeper knowledge of the Biblical  meaning of the word remember.  In communion we are bringing the reality of what Jesus did for us on the cross into the moment.  His body was and is the sacrifice our sins required.  His blood was and is the cleansing we need.  We are “right with God” in a strong, unchangeable way.  We take the truth and power of the cross and apply it to our lives in the here and now each time we celebrate communion.  Our remembering is bringing the past event into the present reality with all of its power to change our lives.  Hallelujah!

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.