1 Kings 19:1-3 In Scripture!

 “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.” ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done: The report came as a great shock to this champion of Baal and Astarte worship in Israel. She thought so much of these priests that she supported them from the royal treasury, and now they were dead at the hand of Elijah.

b. So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time: Jezebel heard about all that Elijah had done, encompassing the great confrontation at Mount Carmel. Yet her response was not to say, “The silence of Baal and the fire from Yahweh proves that I am wrong and Yahweh is God.” Instead, she responded with a vow to kill within 24 hours the man who exposed the lie of Baal worship and displayed the glory of Yahweh.

i. “He probably thought that the miracle at Carmel would have been the means of effecting the conversion of the whole court and of the country, but, finding himself mistaken, he is greatly discouraged.” (Clarke)

c. When he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba: We cannot say for certain if this was led of God or not. It is clear that God wanted to protect Elijah, but we cannot say if God wanted to protect him at Jezreel or protect him by getting him out of Jezreel. Nevertheless, Elijah went about 80 miles south to Beersheba.

i. “Probably Elijah had played into Jezebel’s hand. Had she really wanted Elijah dead, she surely would have seized him without warning and slain him. What she desired was that Elijah and his God be discredited before the new converts what had aided Elijah by executing the prophets of Baal.” (Patterson and Austel)

ii. “Elijah failed in the very point at which he was strongest, and that is where most men fail. In Scripture, it is the wisest man who proves himself to be the greatest fool; just as the meekest man, Moses, spoke hasty and bitter words. Abraham failed in his faith, and Job in his patience; so, he who was the most courageous of all men, fled from an angry woman.” (Spurgeon)

(Guzik)

In Scripture!

There is an acronym for the Bible, basic instructions before leaving earth. If we study scripture we will learn that all men are sinners with faults but God still pursues them and uses them with all their weaknesses! 

In scripture we learn:

NOAH got drunk.

ABRAHAM was too old.

ISAAC was a daydreamer.

JACOB lied.

LEAH was ugly.

JOSEPH was abused.

MOSES was a murderer and couldn’t talk because he stuttered.

GIDEON was afraid.

SAMSON had long hair, was afraid, was lustful and broke his vows.

RAHAB was a prostitute.

JEREMIAH and TIMOTHY were too young.

DAVID was a murderer and adulterer.

ELIJAH was suicidal, failed where he was the strongest and ran in fear.

ISAIAH preached naked.

JONAH ran from God.

NAOMI was a widow.

JOB went bankrupt.

JOHN THE BAPTIST ate bugs.

PETER denied Christ.

The DISCIPLES fell asleep while praying.

MARTHA worried about everything.

MARY MAGDLENE was demon possessed.

The SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced…more than once…

ZACCHEUS was too small.

PAUL was a murderer.

TIMOTHY had an ulcer.

and LAZARUS was dead!

For some, being mentioned in scripture is an honor and a living tribute for their faith.

I am sure glad I’m not mentioned in scripture with all my sins laid bare!

What about you?

Blessings 

1 Kings 18:45-46 Run!

 “Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭45‬-‭46‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. There was a heavy rain: God’s word through Elijah was proved true. The long drought was over, and it was demonstrated that the prayers of Elijah both withheld the rain and then subsequently brought the rain.

b. Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab: This was an obviously supernaturally empowered 14-mile cross-country run. We don’t know exactly why it was important to God for Elijah to reach Jezreel first; perhaps it was so that he would be the first to tell Queen Jezebel.

i. “To demonstrate that he was neither ashamed of, nor afraid for, what he had done, though he knew how Jezebel would resent it, but durst venture himself in the midst of his enemies, as being confident of the Divine power and protection.” (Poole)

ii. “That Elijah could have made such a run is assured in that Arab runners could easily cover one hundred miles in two days.” (Patterson and Austel)

(Guzik)

Run! 🏃 

Elijah was running for God and was supernaturally empowered. 

But we have two choices, run to God or run from God!

Jonah chose to run from God! “But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But like Jonah when we run from God He will run after us!

“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When we run from God sometimes the Lord has to bring us low to get our attention! Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, and what did he do? He prayed!

Are you running to or from God?

Blessings 

 

1 Kings 18:41-44 Incite to Prayer!

 “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”” I Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭41‬-‭44‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain: Elijah knew that once the official worship of Baal had been defeated, the purpose for the drought was fulfilled. Rain was on the way. Elijah and Ahab would now each do what they wanted to do - Elijah would pray and Ahab would eat.

b. He bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees: This was an unusual posture of prayer for Elijah. He wasn’t kneeling, he wasn’t sitting, he wasn’t standing, and he didn’t lay prostrate before the LORD. This shows that the power in prayer resides in faith in the living God.

i. “We scarcely recognize him, he seems so to have lost his identity. A few hours before, he stood erect as an oak of Bashan; now, he is bowed as a bulrush. Then as God’s ambassador he pleaded with man; now as man’s intercessor he pleads with God. Is it not always so - that the men who stand straightest in the presence of sin bow lowest in the presence of God.” (Meyer)

c. It came to pass the seventh time: This was stubbornly persistent prayer. It was as if Elijah would not take “no” for an answer, because he had confidence that God’s will was to send rain. He stubbornly furthered the will of God by his persistent prayer.

i. “Go again seven times; let us not be dejected for some disappointments, but continue to wait upon God, who will answer me, and that speedily.” (Poole)

ii. “God’s promises are given, not to restrain, but to incite to prayer. They show the direction in which we may ask, and the extent to which we may expect an answer They are the mould into which we may pour our fervid spirits without fear.” (Meyer)

d. There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea: Elijah prayed, asking in faith for God to send the rain. Elijah obviously sensed this was the will of God, yet it was his fervent prayer that brought the rain. The evidence of the rain came slowly and in a small way, but out of this small evidence God brought a mighty work.

i. In the November 9, 1904, edition of The Life of Faith, a London newspaper dedicated to the deeper life movement, a writer named Jessie Penn-Lewis reported on a remarkable work just beginning in Wales under the ministry of men like Evan Roberts and Seth Joshua. She reported that a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand had arisen in Wales. It was a fitting description of the clear but small beginning of what became a mighty work.

ii. Charles Spurgeon used this text as an illustration of the small signs that precede a mighty work of God. He spoke of four “certain signs and tokens for good which prayerful faith clearly perceives when an awakening, a genuine revival is about to come.” Christians should regard the following things as clouds, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea:

· A growing dissatisfaction with the present state of things, and an increasing anxiety among the members of the church for the salvation of souls.

· When this anxiety leads believers to be exceedingly earnest and importunate in prayer.

· When ministers begin to take counsel one with another, and to say, “What must we do?”

· When we shall see the doctrine of the individual responsibility of each Christian fully felt and carried out into individual action.

e. Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you: This was a word of faith from Elijah to Ahab. Based only on the sighting of a cloud that was as small as a man’s hand, he knew a torrent was on the way. (Guzik)

Incite to Prayer!

We pray daily before each meal, praying for the world as pastor Robert would say while the food gets cold! But recently during a health crisis with two visits to the emergency room my spirit prayed more fervently. You could say I was incited to prayer. In times like this even if we are unable to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As adopted children of God through Christ, when we are physically unable to pray, our Father in heaven knows what we need just as our earthly father who loves his children knows what they need.

That is love, and there is none greater than the love of Jesus going to the cross for us!

What incites you to prayer?

Blessings 

1 Kings 18:38-40 Fire 🔥 of the Lord!

 “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. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” And 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 executed them there.” I Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭38‬-‭40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Then the fire of the LORD fell: The prophets of Baal had passion, commitment, sincerity, devotion, and great energy. What they did not have was a God in heaven who answered by fire.

i. “The action of this fire was in every case downward, contrary to the nature of all earthly and material fire.” (Clarke)

ii. “Elijah’s petition had lasted less than a minute but produced spectacular results. The difference lay in the One addressed.” (Patterson and Austel)

b. 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: When the fire of God fell, its work was beyond expectation. It would have been enough if merely the cut-up pieces of bull on the altar were ignited, but God wanted more than simple vindication – He wanted to glorify Himself among the people.

c. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” At this moment, the people were completely persuaded. Asked to choose between Baal and Yahweh, there was no choice to make, obviously, the LORD was God.

i. Tragically, this was only a momentary persuasion. This was no lasting revival in Israel. The people were decidedly persuaded, but not lastingly changed.

d. Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape”: Since this was a contest between Yahweh and Baal, the prophets of each deity had to be responsible for their respective results. The great sin of King Ahab was his official sponsorship of the prophets of Baal, and now that the fraud of Baal was exposed, his prophets had to answer for it and were dealt with according to the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 13:5, 13:13-18, 17:2-5, and 18:9-22).

i. Elijah simply demanded that the prophets of Baal receive the treatment they promoted for the prophets of Yahweh. (Guzik)

Fire 🔥 of the Lord!

The book of Revelation speaks of fire 🔥 during the tribulation, for it is written:

“The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There is only one way you can avoid fire of the Lord if the end of the world comes during your lifetime!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do you have everlasting life and have you received your fire 🔥 insurance policy through Jesus Christ?

Blessings 

1 Kings 18:36-37 Go you to the mercy-seat!

 “And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.””

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭18‬:‭36‬-‭37‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice: Some 50 years before this, Jeroboam the King of Israel officially disassociated the citizens of the northern kingdom from the worship of the God of Israel at the temple in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Elijah still remembered the evening sacrifice that was offered according to God’s commandment every day at the temple in Jerusalem.

b. Let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant: Both were important. It was important for the people of Israel to know who their God was, and who God’s servant was.

c. And that I have done all these things at Your word: This also was essential, and helps us to understand the whole event. Elijah did this according to the word of God. It wasn’t prompted because of his own cleverness, because of presumption or because of vainglory. God led Elijah to this showdown with the prophets of Baal.

i. “It was no whim of his to chastise the nation with a drought. It was no scheme of his, concocted in his own brain, that he should put the Godhead of Jehovah or of Baal to the test by a sacrifice to be consumed by miraculous fire.” (Spurgeon)

ii. Spurgeon recommended that believers use the same principle in prayer, especially those who preach the Word of God: “Go you to the mercy-seat with this as one of your arguments, ‘Lord, I have done according to thy word. Now let it be seen that it is even so. I have preached thy word, and thou hast said, “It shall not return unto me void.” I have prayed for these people, and thou hast said, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”; let it be seen that this is according to thy word.’”

Go you to the mercy-seat!

My wife and I lead a twelve step program at our church using The Life Recovery Bible which uses the word of God to teach people how to overcome their hurts, hang ups and habits. Towards the end of the program we break into gender specific small groups and in closing of the men’s group each of us pray by going to the mercy-seat, praying for each other, a revival, our leaders, traveling mercies and basically praying as the Lord leads.

Do you use the same principle in prayer?

Blessings