The Prophet and Us I Kings 19
The Prophet and Us I Kings 19
A great event happened in ch 18 when Elijah went head to head with the prophets of Baal. 450 men were prophets of Baal, vs . 22 . Elijah issued a challenge to them. If Baal could light the fires on the altar, then he was god, and if the God of Israel " answereth by fire, let him be God." The prophets called from early morning to noon to Baal, but no answer . Elijah then took twelve stones , built an offering unto the LORD, poured water on it , vs, 38, the fire from the LORD came and burned it up at Elijah's prayer . Today's reading is a different story from ch . 19. It does not seem like the same man.
Elijah after the great event says he should just die. 19:4 He exaggerates the situation saying only he has been zealous for God and the people have not been, but they just saw the great event of the fire in ch. 18 and re-committed themselves to God. I see two things here about Elijah. He needed rest and was not seeing things from the right perspective. He also did not have the right perspective about what had happened. God never needed vindication, but Elijah needed more encouragement.
" It is enough now, O LORD , take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. " 19:4 Edith Stein said, " Whoever belongs to Christ must go the whole way with him. He must mature to adulthood: he must one day or other walk the way of the cross to Gethsemane and Golgotha." We too have these periods of loneliness, abandonment and distress in progression and faith to God. We feel as though we are the only one that believes ..." I even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away..." vs 10 Vs . 18 reminds us and Elijah that God had "7,000 in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal"
Vs. 10-11 Elijah says gets it wrong about the people. He says they have not wanted to serve God, but he just saw them recommit themselves after the demonstration of fire from heaven. Ch 18:39, " And when all the people saw it , they fell on their faces: and they said, ' the LORD , He is God: the LORD , He is God. ' " He had worn himself to a frazzle. He was not thinking right. God asks him to stand but God is not in the strong wind. He is in the " low whisper".
Do we need encouragement today to continue to serve? Do we need to know that we are not alone? Do we need to see things from another perspective, that is the Lord's perspective? We have such an opportunity every Sunday as we receive the spiritual food of the body and blood of His Son Jesus Christ to ask for renewal as we seek His forgiveness. It does not matter what happens around us in the wind. We are not seeing things from the right perspective.
Notice what the LORD did for Elijah. He sends an " angel to touch him" and then feeds him and gives him drink.....He arises to eat again at the provision the LORD makes for him under the juniper-tree, going forty days and forty nights on that food to Horeb, the mount of God. 19:8
Has anyone of the LORD's servants done that for you when you were too weak to do it for yourself? Are we encouraging those who need this too? Ro. 15 ," Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, unto edifying."
Finally I note that Elijah was directed by the LORD to " Go...and anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.... " 19:15 Action is what is needed . We pray this in the Post- Communion prayer, " ...And we humbly beseech Thee, O Heavenly Father, so to assist us thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in..."
Someone needs to take us by the hand as our parents did when we were younger at times. It is not always true we are able to do everything ourselves. The community of friends is here for us when we are weary, lonely and disappointed. That is what the LORD did for Elijah and He asks that we do that too for one another.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
A great event happened in ch 18 when Elijah went head to head with the prophets of Baal. 450 men were prophets of Baal, vs . 22 . Elijah issued a challenge to them. If Baal could light the fires on the altar, then he was god, and if the God of Israel " answereth by fire, let him be God." The prophets called from early morning to noon to Baal, but no answer . Elijah then took twelve stones , built an offering unto the LORD, poured water on it , vs, 38, the fire from the LORD came and burned it up at Elijah's prayer . Today's reading is a different story from ch . 19. It does not seem like the same man.
Elijah after the great event says he should just die. 19:4 He exaggerates the situation saying only he has been zealous for God and the people have not been, but they just saw the great event of the fire in ch. 18 and re-committed themselves to God. I see two things here about Elijah. He needed rest and was not seeing things from the right perspective. He also did not have the right perspective about what had happened. God never needed vindication, but Elijah needed more encouragement.
" It is enough now, O LORD , take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. " 19:4 Edith Stein said, " Whoever belongs to Christ must go the whole way with him. He must mature to adulthood: he must one day or other walk the way of the cross to Gethsemane and Golgotha." We too have these periods of loneliness, abandonment and distress in progression and faith to God. We feel as though we are the only one that believes ..." I even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away..." vs 10 Vs . 18 reminds us and Elijah that God had "7,000 in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal"
Vs. 10-11 Elijah says gets it wrong about the people. He says they have not wanted to serve God, but he just saw them recommit themselves after the demonstration of fire from heaven. Ch 18:39, " And when all the people saw it , they fell on their faces: and they said, ' the LORD , He is God: the LORD , He is God. ' " He had worn himself to a frazzle. He was not thinking right. God asks him to stand but God is not in the strong wind. He is in the " low whisper".
Do we need encouragement today to continue to serve? Do we need to know that we are not alone? Do we need to see things from another perspective, that is the Lord's perspective? We have such an opportunity every Sunday as we receive the spiritual food of the body and blood of His Son Jesus Christ to ask for renewal as we seek His forgiveness. It does not matter what happens around us in the wind. We are not seeing things from the right perspective.
Notice what the LORD did for Elijah. He sends an " angel to touch him" and then feeds him and gives him drink.....He arises to eat again at the provision the LORD makes for him under the juniper-tree, going forty days and forty nights on that food to Horeb, the mount of God. 19:8
Has anyone of the LORD's servants done that for you when you were too weak to do it for yourself? Are we encouraging those who need this too? Ro. 15 ," Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, unto edifying."
Finally I note that Elijah was directed by the LORD to " Go...and anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.... " 19:15 Action is what is needed . We pray this in the Post- Communion prayer, " ...And we humbly beseech Thee, O Heavenly Father, so to assist us thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in..."
Someone needs to take us by the hand as our parents did when we were younger at times. It is not always true we are able to do everything ourselves. The community of friends is here for us when we are weary, lonely and disappointed. That is what the LORD did for Elijah and He asks that we do that too for one another.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
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