June 23,2018
Elijah has been used mightily by God to bring the Jews back to Him and to defeat the worship of Baal. After the great display on the mountain, the Jews return to God, and the murder of 450 priests of Baal Ahab goes back and tells Jezebel all that happened. She then sends a threat to Elijah to kill him and he flees ! In his flight he is confronted by an angel and fed by it. He is also confronted by God twice ! Both times God starts by saying,"What are you doing here Elijah ?" (verse 9) This question was not asked because God did not know, it was asked so that Elijah would be forced to see his lack of faith. From mountain top (literally) to valley. This is a very common experience for us Christians. Notice also that God allows him to stay in the valley for over 42 days and takes another 40 to lead him back to complete his work for God !
Of the three things God asked him to do next, one of them was to anoint his replacement ! Elisha will become his replacement. Before Elisha leaves his family he sacrifices the oxen as a farewell meal. This was to show that this was going to be a permanent cut from his family and a total commitment to his calling to follow Elijah. Even today, when we are called to any ministry, it is to be a total commitment ! Not an easy lesson to learn ... but a critical one if we are to follow our calling.
One of the main lessons to see here is that no matter how much you are used of God, there will be valley times. Also, not matter how deep or long the valley, God can still use us in a mighty way. As we answer our calling and keep our eyes on Jesus, the only thing that can slow us down is our lack of faith or commitment.
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Chapter 18 God Shows Up ... With Attitude !
June 9, 2018
After a period of time, the drought had taken a big toll. So God sent Elijah with a message for Ahab. The whole purpose of the drought was to punish the Jews for their idolatry and for God to bring His people back to Him. That was all going to happen in a grand fashion !
Ahab and Elijah made a deal : Ahab would bring all 450 prophets of Baal ( a false god that the Jews had been worshiping ) and all the people of Israel to Mt. Carmel and Elijah would bring himself. Each side would get a bull to sacrifice, build their own fire, BUT do not light it ! Then, which ever God showed up .. that is the true God and that would be who Israel would worship !
So the deal was made and the day came for the show down. Elijah told the 450 prophets of Baal to go first. They prepared their bull and the fire without lighting it. Then they started calling on Baal to come and light the fire at around 6:00 am. "And so at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said "Cry aloud for he is a god: either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."" So the prophets cried aloud and began cutting themselves ( which was their custom ) with knives and lances until the blood was gushing out of them ! "But there was no voice: no one answered, no one paid attention"
Then it was Elijah's turn. He had them dig a trench around his prepared fire that was not lite. The he had them take 4 large jugs with water and dump them on his dry wood. Then he had them do it again and again until the wood was soaked and the trenches around it was all filled with water !!! When the time of the evening prayer came, Elijah prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. " Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench."
The people all fell down and worshiped God ! Then Elijah told the people of Israel to capture all 450 prophets of Baal, which they did. He had the people of Israel kill all of them with the sword ! After all of these events God ended the drought !
After a period of time, the drought had taken a big toll. So God sent Elijah with a message for Ahab. The whole purpose of the drought was to punish the Jews for their idolatry and for God to bring His people back to Him. That was all going to happen in a grand fashion !
Ahab and Elijah made a deal : Ahab would bring all 450 prophets of Baal ( a false god that the Jews had been worshiping ) and all the people of Israel to Mt. Carmel and Elijah would bring himself. Each side would get a bull to sacrifice, build their own fire, BUT do not light it ! Then, which ever God showed up .. that is the true God and that would be who Israel would worship !
So the deal was made and the day came for the show down. Elijah told the 450 prophets of Baal to go first. They prepared their bull and the fire without lighting it. Then they started calling on Baal to come and light the fire at around 6:00 am. "And so at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said "Cry aloud for he is a god: either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."" So the prophets cried aloud and began cutting themselves ( which was their custom ) with knives and lances until the blood was gushing out of them ! "But there was no voice: no one answered, no one paid attention"
Then it was Elijah's turn. He had them dig a trench around his prepared fire that was not lite. The he had them take 4 large jugs with water and dump them on his dry wood. Then he had them do it again and again until the wood was soaked and the trenches around it was all filled with water !!! When the time of the evening prayer came, Elijah prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. " Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench."
The people all fell down and worshiped God ! Then Elijah told the people of Israel to capture all 450 prophets of Baal, which they did. He had the people of Israel kill all of them with the sword ! After all of these events God ended the drought !
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Chapter 17 Drought Is Declared
June 3, 2018
Elijah said to king Ahab,"As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." God then commanded Elijah to go to a brook to live for a while. There he could drink from the brook and God commanded the ravens to bring him meat and bread twice daily. After a while the brook dried up and Elijah was commanded by God to go to Zarephath where he met a widow woman. When Elijah met this widow woman he asked her for food. She said she had only one biscuit left and she said she was going to cook it for her son and herself and then they would die ! Then he said," Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; ...." he further said," For thus says the Lord God of Israel; The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day of the Lord sends rain on the earth." She did as he said and God's word was exactly as Elijah had said.
After these things had happened, the widow woman's son had become so sick that he died ! She became mad at Elijah and blamed him for the boys death. Elijah then went to the boy and prayed to God for his life and God brought him back to life ! It was only then when the widow woman says," Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth."
When we are in the will of God and are doing as we have been directed, He will always provide and protect us ....ALWAYS !!! This is a very valuable lesson for us to know and learn. Does this mean all will be roses and rain bows ? God forbid !!! But it does mean that God's will will never be undone or delayed by Satan or by man or by circumstance .
Elijah said to king Ahab,"As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." God then commanded Elijah to go to a brook to live for a while. There he could drink from the brook and God commanded the ravens to bring him meat and bread twice daily. After a while the brook dried up and Elijah was commanded by God to go to Zarephath where he met a widow woman. When Elijah met this widow woman he asked her for food. She said she had only one biscuit left and she said she was going to cook it for her son and herself and then they would die ! Then he said," Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; ...." he further said," For thus says the Lord God of Israel; The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day of the Lord sends rain on the earth." She did as he said and God's word was exactly as Elijah had said.
After these things had happened, the widow woman's son had become so sick that he died ! She became mad at Elijah and blamed him for the boys death. Elijah then went to the boy and prayed to God for his life and God brought him back to life ! It was only then when the widow woman says," Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth."
When we are in the will of God and are doing as we have been directed, He will always provide and protect us ....ALWAYS !!! This is a very valuable lesson for us to know and learn. Does this mean all will be roses and rain bows ? God forbid !!! But it does mean that God's will will never be undone or delayed by Satan or by man or by circumstance .
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