00:00 Welcome Back!

00:36 Introduction to Elijah's Ministry

02:19 Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath

03:53 Elijah's Prayer Life

06:25 Elijah Confronts Ahab and the Prophets of Baal

13:38 Elijah's Flight and God's Care

18:08 Elijah Finds Elisha

18:58 Conclusion and Prayer

Find out more about Compass Bible Church.

Learn more about our Bible Reading Plan.

Questions or Comments? Email us podcast@compassntx.org

Welcome back folks to another Daily Bible podcast.

2

I am Pastor Rod and I'm grateful

to have you with me today.

3

These podcasts are about a hundred percent

less googly, and I can rough and dirty

4

estimate that because there's a hundred

percent less of us at the microphone.

5

And that's still the case for the

next, I don't know, five, six days.

6

Lemme see.

7

What's it, it was Tuesday, uh,

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, uh, let's

8

just call it six days, maybe five.

9

I can't quite keep the math straight

in my head, but there's still several

10

more days and I'm grateful to do this

with you and I don't have a whole lot

11

to talk about on the front end today.

12

So why don't we just jump in?

13

One Kings chapters 17, 18, and 19.

14

In chapter 17, we're taking a brief

pause from looking back and forth at

15

the V, various Kings of Israel and

Judah, and I think the reason why

16

is because God wants to give special

attention to the ministry of Elijah.

17

He's a very important and

fascinating character that sometimes

18

we oversize to the point where

he's no longer helpful to us.

19

He gets superhero Superman status,

and he's no longer practical

20

to our day-to-day experience.

21

But we're gonna find out that scripture

is, particularly in James chapter

22

five, gives us every reason to look at

Elijah's ministry and also look at the

23

particulars and the practicalities that

are readily applicable to our lives.

24

We'll get to that in just a

few brief moments, but before,

25

let's jump in to one King.

26

17.

27

Elijah the Tibit is introduced.

28

He is a northern kingdom prophet,

and right now we're still under the

29

leadership of King Ahab in the north.

30

Remember, the northern kingdom is Israel.

31

The southern kingdom is called Judah.

32

And right now we're looking

at the northern kingdom.

33

And so Elijah prophesies as a Lord

God of Israel lives, which is a

34

formula for oath, a formula for taking

an oath of, not an oath of office.

35

It is a formula for oath, suggesting

that this is not just his words, but

36

these are God's words, and he says,

there shall be neither due nor reign

37

for these years except by my word.

38

And so then Elijah hoofs it to

get out of there in order to hide.

39

He hoofs it because he knows that

there's a bullseye on his back, and so

40

he makes his way to a remote place where

God promises to feed and care for him.

41

Once his place of provision is dried up,

he moves over to a widow of Zerephath.

42

This is a widow who's

in Gentile territory.

43

This is not one of the Israelites.

44

She's someone who's an other and

outsider, and yet God utilizes her

45

to feed and care for the prophet, so

he sends him to her she says in verse

46

12, as the Lord your God lives, I have

nothing baked, only a handful of flour.

47

I.

48

And then he says, look, if you provide

for me, God will provide for you

49

and he'll keep you provided for all

the way through this entire season.

50

And so she agrees to that.

51

In verse 16, he says, the jar of flour

was not spent, neither did the jug of

52

oil become empty, according to the word

of the Lord, that he spoke by Elijah.

53

While things are going well until

they're not, at some point the

54

widow's son gets sick and he dies.

55

She accuses Elijah of bringing.

56

Her sin to remembrance, which tells

me that she thinks that her guilt.

57

Is somehow connected to her son's death.

58

She thinks God is vindictive and that

God is taking away her son because she

59

had done something evil in God's sight.

60

So she accuses him of remembering her sin.

61

You've brought up my sin against me.

62

Your presence has caused God to

look down upon me and judgment.

63

And so Elijah does what

any of us would do.

64

He goes to the Lord and says,

oh Lord, what's going on?

65

You've brought calamity upon this woman.

66

I don't like that.

67

Would you please do something different?

68

And so he prays, oh Lord my God,

let this child's life come into him.

69

He does this three times, and that's

gonna be an important number because

70

we're gonna see that Elijah's per life

is uniquely highlighted, not only here,

71

but also for us in the New Testament.

72

He prays for him three times and

the Lord listened to the voice of

73

Elijah and the life of the child came

back into him and he was revived.

74

I suppose this is probably as good a time

as any to bring to your attention the fact

75

that Elijah's prayer life is one of the

most distinctive features of his ministry.

76

He prays and God answers and

that's one of the things that we

77

see in James chapter five here.

78

He says in James five, verse

16, therefore, confess your sins

79

to one another and pray for one

another that you may be healed.

80

The prayer of a righteous person has

great power as it is working, and

81

we know that we've quoted this to

ourselves probably multiple times.

82

He says here in verse 17, Elijah

was a man with a nature like ours.

83

In other words, he wasn't a superhero,

he wasn't a super apostle, he

84

wasn't someone out of the ordinary.

85

He was a regular person like you and I.

86

And he prayed fervently that it may

not rain, and for three years, in six

87

months it did not rain on the earth.

88

And then he prayed again and heaven

gave rain and the earth boards fruit.

89

So you see here in the life of Elijah,

we're meant to see his prayer life we're

90

meant to see and take note of the fact

that when he prays, God answers, and James

91

notices here that it's the prayer of a

righteous person that has great power.

92

So we might look at Elijah and say, I'm

not righteous in the same way he is.

93

He clearly has a very close relationship

with God, but the truth of the matter.

94

So Elijah was righteous in front

of God in the same way that you

95

and I are righteous before God.

96

That is to say it's by faith, our

faith in Christ, not for Elijah.

97

Elijah would have had faith

in God in a general sense.

98

He wouldn't know Jesus the Messiah,

but we do Our faith in Christ is

99

what makes us righteous in his sight.

100

And now therefore, we have the ability

to have powerful prayers because of

101

our faith in our powerful Christ.

102

I hope you see that, and I

hope that you even see the fact

103

that Elijah didn't pray once.

104

He prayed three times here in order

to save this young man's life.

105

And he also prayed for this

famine, this drought to take place.

106

And God responds to that.

107

God is responsive to prayers.

108

In fact, we learn in another text

that we have not because we ask, not,

109

we're not praying to God sufficiently.

110

And when we do pray, we pray short and

we don't pray sufficiently long enough

111

to ask God for what he wants to give us.

112

And then he says, James will say

later, earlier, rather, you have not

113

because you asked not, but also you ask

wrongly, dis spended on your passions.

114

One of the things that sends

our prayers astray is that

115

we're not praying like Elijah.

116

We're not praying for

God's glory and honor.

117

We're praying for ours.

118

We're praying for our comfort.

119

Our comfort is not a

bad thing to pray for.

120

Certainly there is something to be said

about asking God to do good things

121

to us, but our larger overarching

goal has to be I'm doing it for the

122

glory of God and for the good of

others, myself included, ideally.

123

So one King 17 gives us a picture

of Elijah as a man of prayer.

124

One Kings 18, Elijah confronts

Ahab, or now in the third

125

year of no rain on the Earth.

126

And in fact, we learned from

James chapter five this drought

127

lasts for three and a half years.

128

And elijah went to show himself to Ahab.

129

It turns out that Ahab and his servant

Obadiah, who is over the household, are

130

looking for anything, any kind of water.

131

Elijah meets Obadiah.

132

This is not the same prophet

Obadiah that you might know of.

133

This is not the minor prophet.

134

This is a different guy.

135

He meets Obadiah and says, I'm

here to present myself to Ahab.

136

Go get Ahab.

137

Now Obadiah is in a difficult spot

because he's on the Lord side.

138

He's been protecting and caring for

the prophets, and he knows that it's

139

very possible that if he goes to get

Ahab, Elijah could very well disappear.

140

And where does that leave him?

141

That leaves him on the business

end of a sword, very likely.

142

And so he says, Lord, I can't do this.

143

Please give me some assurance.

144

And that's what Elijah does in verse

15, as a Lord of hosts lives, that's

145

an oath formula before whom I stand.

146

I will surely show myself to him today.

147

And so Obadiah goes, he brings him back.

148

When Ahab sees Elijah, he calls

him the Troubler of Israel.

149

So interesting that sin

does that to us, doesn't it?

150

Sin will often have us look at other

people and find a way to blame shift.

151

You are the problem, not me.

152

It's not my idolatry, it's

not my sinful leadership.

153

It's you.

154

You're the issue.

155

Now, in Ahab's mind, that makes perfect

sense because Elijah's the one who

156

called for the drought, and yet Elijah

is not operating on his own volition.

157

He's doing it in response

to God's leadership.

158

And so even though Elijah

is the one who is the.

159

Uh, immediate cause it is really Ahab

who is the bigger, ultimate cause.

160

And so when he says, you're the troubler

of Israel, Elijah rightly responds.

161

It's not me buddy.

162

That's you.

163

And the reason why is because you've

abandoned the commandments of the

164

Lord and you followed the Baals.

165

And then he says, you know what?

166

Let's just resolve this right now.

167

Let's have your prophets, your a

hundred, your 450 profits of bail,

168

and your 400 profits of asura.

169

Meet me at Mount Carmel.

170

This is cool.

171

I like this because it's like, let's meet

after school behind the handbook court.

172

Let's settle this like men.

173

And that's exactly what they do.

174

Ahab agrees.

175

He finds those prophets, he

meets Elijah on the mountain.

176

This is the one that you know and love.

177

And I love this at the beginning of this

whole scene because Elijah calls to the

178

people and he says, how long will you go

limping between two different opinions?

179

If the Lord is God, follow him.

180

But if it's Baal, then follow him.

181

I love this because it showcases

the authenticity behind our beliefs.

182

We want to follow truth.

183

We want to follow what

is real and genuine.

184

We don't wanna be misled to follow

some figment of our imaginations.

185

And so what he does is something

reminiscent of what Joshua says.

186

Remember he called Joshua

before he departed.

187

He said something like this in Joshua

24, choose this day whom you will

188

serve, whether the gods of your fathers

or the other gods of the Emirates.

189

He says, but as for me in my house,

we're going to serve the Lord.

190

And I feel like that's what

Elijah's doing right here.

191

He's challenging them.

192

Look, choose your God.

193

Choose the one true God and follow him.

194

Elijah sets the stage, he says in verse

24, the God who answers by fire, he

195

is God will each call out to our gods.

196

Whoever answers, that's the one.

197

True God.

198

And that's gonna be an important

phrase here because throughout the

199

rest of this chapter, you're gonna

see the God not answering and then

200

God, the God of the Bible answering.

201

It's what distinguishes the

difference between this two.

202

And that's what's most

fascinating about false gods.

203

They are Gods of the lowercase G.

204

They are demon entities that are behind

whatever the image is being presented.

205

But the true God is the one

who has the power to answer.

206

He's the one who has the power to

respond to prayer, which again,

207

this really pairs nicely into all

that we're learning about Elijah.

208

Elijah teaches us that prayers

are answered by the one true

209

God, and so he challenges them,

and then he lets them go first.

210

He's a gentleman.

211

He says, you guys go, there's lots

more of you than there are of me.

212

Let's see what happens.

213

They call out to Baal and they

say, oh, Baal, answer us, but there

214

was no voice and no one answered.

215

That's in verse 26, verse 27.

216

Elijah starts mocking them and says,

Hey, maybe he's going to the bathroom.

217

Maybe he's on a long journey.

218

Maybe you need to speak more loudly.

219

And so they grow in their intensity,

and verse 28 says, they cry aloud

220

and they cut themselves after

their custom with swords and lances

221

until blood gushed out upon them.

222

This is.

223

Characteristic of false gods

and false religious systems.

224

There's always some kind of physical

payment that the God's demand,

225

lowercase G, they demand from people

as opposed to giving to people.

226

Notice that instead of our blood being

poured out to satisfy God, he pours out

227

his own blood to satisfy his righteous

wrath, and he restores the chasm.

228

He remedies the chasm that separated us.

229

Verse 29.

230

As it after midday passed, they raved

on until the time of the offering of

231

the ablation, but there was no voice.

232

No one answered.

233

No one paid attention.

234

No one responds.

235

Elijah's turn now after midday,

he says, okay, it's my opportunity

236

to showcase who the real God is.

237

And so he sets the deck, he

stacks the deck against himself.

238

He pours water upon his offering.

239

After repairing the ulcer of

the Lord, he sets 12 stones

240

around it, and then he soaks it.

241

He drenches his offering so that

no one can say, oh, there was

242

an accidental spark somewhere.

243

He does everything in his power to

demonstrate that this is a work of God.

244

And then in verse 37, he says,

answer me, oh Lord, answer me that.

245

Here's the reason why that these people

may know that you oh Lord are God, and

246

that you have turned their hearts back.

247

This is beautiful because

this is the northern kingdom.

248

Remember, these are God's people.

249

Israel in rebellion against the Lord.

250

And yet God is still even here

through his prophet Elijah.

251

Beckoning and calling them

back to repentance, turning

252

their hearts to himself.

253

And so in verse 38, the fire of

the Lord fell and consumed the

254

burnt offering in the wood and the

stones and the dust, and licked up

255

the water that was in the trench.

256

This is an all-consuming fire.

257

This isn't just taking out the offering.

258

This is everything inside.

259

The whole thing is made into dust

because God's fire consumed it all.

260

That would mean that this

is more than just lightning.

261

This is more than just fire from heaven

in that this is a supernatural event.

262

This is miraculous.

263

This is not something that

you can explain with nature as

264

some people often try to do.

265

God could have used lightning,

I suppose, but this is not what

266

God is trying to communicate.

267

And in fact, verse 39, these

guys get it, the Lord, he is

268

God the Lord, Yahweh, he is God.

269

And then Elijah in that moment says,

okay, get the prophets of Baal.

270

Let no one escape.

271

We're gonna take them out.

272

And you might think Elijah's

being mean here, or he's doing

273

something that's un unsavory.

274

But this is what the law of God commanded.

275

Deuteronomy 13 said that if someone

tries to call your heart away from

276

the Lord, Yahweh, then you're on

the right response is to kill them.

277

And that's exactly what he does.

278

Then Elijah tells King Ahab, go prepare

for rain, but notice this when Elijah goes

279

and prays to the Lord to deliver the rain,

God just, God didn't just give it to him.

280

He prayed how many times?

281

Seven times.

282

The first time he prayed for this

little kid, he prayed three times.

283

The second time he's praying for rain.

284

He prays seven times and both times

there's reason to believe that

285

he knows that this is God's will,

and yet he prays multiple times.

286

Christian, do not grow

weary in your prayers.

287

Ask and you will receive, seek and you'll

find knock in the door will be open.

288

Don't lose hope in your prayers.

289

Okay, one Kings 19, let's resolve this.

290

Jezebel is unhappy about this, to

put it mildly, and so she threatens

291

Elijah, and Elijah is terrified.

292

After experiencing one of the

greatest events in his life.

293

He finds himself in a very difficult spot.

294

He runs away from Jezebel and

he runs as far south as the

295

borders of Judah will allow.

296

Beersheba, you might remember sometimes

the scriptures we'll talk about

297

from the, from Dan to Beersheba.

298

That is to say all of

Israel and all of Judah.

299

Judah's Southern most border

at this point is Beersheba.

300

So he runs to Judah and

he runs to Beersheba.

301

And then if that weren't enough, he

leaves his servant there in Beersheba,

302

and then he goes another day's journey

just to make sure there's plenty

303

of space between him and Jezebel.

304

He's hiding there.

305

Southern Kingdom, he's heading even

further now into the wilderness.

306

And then he's tired.

307

He's tired, and so in an exasperated

sense, he says, it is enough

308

now, Lord, take my life for I

am no better than my father's.

309

I want you to pay attention

to how God treats him here.

310

Does Elijah have depression?

311

Is he just really sad?

312

Is he exhausted and discouraged?

313

Hard to know exactly what's

happening here, but I want you to pay

314

attention to how God responds to him.

315

God sends an angel, and perhaps

it's the angel of the Lord.

316

That is the Lord Jesus pre-incarnate,

and what he does is says, arise and eat.

317

After taking a nap, he brings him

up, feeds him some water, feeds him,

318

gives him something to drink, and

puts him back down to bed again.

319

Verse seven, the angel of the Lord came

again a second time, touched him and

320

said, arise and eat for the journey.

321

He's too great for you.

322

Feeds him, gives him something

to drink, lays him back down.

323

And then in verse eight it says, he

went in the strength of that food for 40

324

days and 40 nights to Mount Horrib the

Mount of God, which is also Mount Sinai.

325

But I wanna point your attention to the

very practical care the Lord provides.

326

It's interesting because God could have

said, you need to pray more, Elijah.

327

You need to trust me.

328

You need to do what I say.

329

And those are true things.

330

He could have said that.

331

But instead he meets some very

practical needs for the prophet.

332

I love how tender and kind God is

to consider that we're dust and that

333

what dust needs, at least in this

case, is food and water and a nap.

334

So many of our problems are better

after we've had a nap and a snack.

335

Let's just see it right

here in one Kings 19.

336

Well after this, he flees even further.

337

He runs in the strength of that food, 40

days and 40 nights, and from where he was.

338

It wouldn't have taken him that

long to get to Mount Horeb again.

339

Mount Sinai is another

name for this place.

340

This is of course where God revealed

himself to Moses and revealed his law.

341

And so this is where God meets Elijah.

342

Very significant that he meets him there.

343

It wouldn't have taken him all 40 days,

but God is teaching him throughout

344

those 40 days who he really is.

345

And so you know the story.

346

God sends the spectacular,

there's great and strong winds.

347

There's an earthquake, there's

fire, what God just previously

348

utilized to consume the offering.

349

He uses all these things and

yet Elijah notices that the

350

Lord is not in those things.

351

After the fire, the sound of

a low whisper, and when Elijah

352

heard it, he came out and he

said, notice how God talks to him.

353

He says, what are you doing here, Elijah?

354

God asks him and invites

him into this deeper.

355

Love and trust that he

previously was struggling with.

356

God does something very similar to Jonah.

357

He says, Jonah, do you

do well to be angry?

358

I love this because it showcases how

kind and gently God deals with us.

359

God is such a generous God

in that he's patient with us.

360

He's slow to anger.

361

He could have been angry with Elijah.

362

He could have said, what's wrong with you?

363

Don't you trust me?

364

You just saw me do these

amazing things, and if.

365

We are honest.

366

A lot of the times when we're

counseling people, we might

367

be tempted to do the same.

368

Don't you know that God has been faithful?

369

Why can't you believe this?

370

God is patient.

371

He questions him.

372

Elijah is honest.

373

He thinks I'm the last one standing.

374

There's no one else like me.

375

These people are gone.

376

And the Lord says to him in

verse 15, go return on your way

377

to the wilderness of Damascus.

378

It's back in Syria, and when you

arrive, you'll anoint hazy El.

379

To be king over Syria and Jehu

the son, Nichi you shall anoint

380

to be king over Israel and Elijah.

381

Elijah, rather, the son of Chait.

382

Of Abel.

383

Mela, you shall anoint to

be prophet in your place.

384

So he's given him work to do.

385

God has heard him, and yet what

God thinks is most necessary for

386

Elijah is to get back to work.

387

Is to focus on what his calling

is and to not be distracted by all

388

the things that he's talking about.

389

And then he also encourages them

in verse 18, I have 7,000 in

390

Israel who have not bowed the knee.

391

Elijah, trust me, he does get to that,

but not before he ministered to him

392

in some very real impractical ways.

393

And so Elijah then goes and finds Elisha.

394

This is the only thing that God

gives him to do that he does.

395

Himself.

396

The other things he delegates to

Elisha, and so he calls Elisha.

397

Now, Elisha's probably loaded,

he's got 12 yoke of oxen.

398

This guy has a lot of means.

399

He comes from a family of great means,

and yet when Elijah calls him, he says,

400

all right, let me kiss my father and my

mother, and then I'm gonna follow you.

401

And he says, great.

402

Go do that.

403

And then he gives it to the Lord

as a sacrifice, which would've

404

been a very expensive one.

405

And of course, because of this

his willingness to give full

406

allegiance to the Lord ends up

being a great blessing to Elisha.

407

That's our story in a nutshell.

408

First King, 17, 18, and 19.

409

A lot of good stuff there.

410

So many interesting nuggets of truth,

things that we could pull from it

411

that I hope what you found helpful.

412

They were helpful to me as I

read through them this week.

413

Let's pray together.

414

Lord, it is so appropriate that we pray.

415

Knowing that you are a good and faithful

God, we never wanna take that for granted.

416

And yet, sometimes, Lord, we're so

weak, uh, we grow fickle in our prayers

417

or we grow weary or tired, help us

never to forget that you are a God who

418

answers prayer and that you're good.

419

You'll always do what's good for us

and what will bring you the most glory.

420

And if we can trust that, I think our

prayer lives have become a lot stronger.

421

Lord, help us to believe, help us

to fight, to believe, and help us

422

to have a prayer life like Elijah's.

423

We're encouraged by James, the brother

of the Lord Jesus in their flesh.

424

To be the kind of people that pray and

not give up because the prayer of a

425

righteous person has great power as it

is working, and that Elijah was like us.

426

He prayed fervently that it wouldn't

rain and it didn't rain and Lord,

427

he prayed again and heaven gave

rain and the earth war fruit.

428

We wanna be the kind of people

that pray and get answers.

429

Help us to be resolved to do

that, like Elijah whose life we

430

appreciate reading about today.

431

And in today's reading, we

thank you for all these things.

432

In Jesus name, amen.

433

Thank you for joining me.

434

Again, it is always my honor and

privilege to do this with you.

435

I appreciate you listening in, and I look

forward to joining you again tomorrow.

436

God willing for another round

of the Daily Bible podcast.

437

I'll see you then.

438

PJ: thanks for listening to another

edition of the Daily Bible Podcast.

439

This is a ministry of Compass

Bible Church in north Texas.

440

You can find out more information

about ourChurch@compassntx.org.

441

We would love for you to leave a

review to rate to share this podcast

442

on whatever platform you happen to

be listening on, and we will catch

443

you against tomorrow for another

edition of the Daily Bible Podcast.