Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.
1 Kings 19:1-3a
I know Jezebel.
Although, in my life, I call her disappointment, or financial difficulty, or lust, or insecurity. She is waiting around every victory, hiding behind every rising hope. She is waiting to pounce, waiting to crush my dreams and my good feelings.
You know her, too.
I don't know who or what she is in your life- maybe one of the same things she is in mine, or maybe something or someone else- but she is there. She is as real to us as she was to Elijah, and we fear her and run from her just the same.
It seems that for every victory in life, something wants to tear us down. Have an awesome time of worship and come home to find an earth shattering email. Finally commit to giving God more of your time and love, and then lose your job. Have a great conversation with someone about Christ then hear the news from the doctor and its not good. I mean, it's almost like we're being opposed!
Elijah certainly was. He had prayed to God and seen fire fall from heaven, just killed 850 false prophets, just prayed for rain to end a multi-year drought and seen the water flow. The next day, he gets that message. He had beaten her, he had proven her gods to be nothings. Yet she threatens him and he runs.
God pursues Elijah, like he does us. He sends an angel to feed and encourage him. Then God speaks to him, not in the wind, or in an earthquake, but in a gentle whisper. Elijah's response? "I'm lonely and people want to kill me. I'm done."
Elijah made several mistakes.
1. He listened to Jezebel. She had his attention, and she didn't deserve it. I'm not saying we ignore the issues in our lives, our Jezebels, but we do not need to give them our devotion. We do not need to give them a hold or power over us. Elijah had just seen God prove Jezebel a nothing, but still Elijah fears her. He stood up against a nation, 850 prophets, their 'gods' and the king. But the queen? That's just too much.
2. He lost hope. Because he listened to her rather than God, Elijah failed to hear and see what God was doing. He lost sight of God because all he could see was Jezebel. It's easy to lack hope when you can't see it. He had endured much, he had faced the enemy and won. He thought it was over, but it wasn't. When the battle seems never ending, it's hard to hope in a good end for you. Even if our enemy is defeated, the battle still goes on.
3. He didn't listen to God. Twice, Elijah says, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." Both times in response to God asking him why he was at Mt Hebron throwing a pity party. God tried speaking to Elijah, but he wasn't listening. He only wanted to see the bad. That's key. He WANTED to see the bad instead of the good. There are times we don't want to see the good. Why? I really don't know, but it's true. We just want to wallow in our mess.
So, what does God do? He tells Elijah the plan. The plan is to keep on going as planned, but Elijah is being replaced. Elijah is to appoint a new king in Aram, anoint a new king over Israel. Oh, and name Elijah's own successor- Elisha. The moral is, if you lose hope like Elijah did, and refuse to see what God is trying to show you, you can be replaced. God will find a way to accomplish His will, and He wants to use you, but He will not let you sabotage the good He intends to bring about.
Now, Elisha's appointment doesn't meant the end for Elijah (there's grace and restoration at work here). But take a lesson from Elisha. He is farming when he is called. He goes back, and slaughters his oxen and burns his farming tools. He essentially says, "My past is done. Let's move forward." Compare that to Elijah in his pity party who can't look past an enemy already defeated. Perhaps that is a lesson for us as well- learn from and grow from our past. Good and bad. But never dwell on it. Never leave an opening for return to it.
Sometimes looking back over our shoulder at our defeats as well as victories is how we miss the hope right in front of us.
Showing posts with label Elijah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elijah. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Elijah Part Three: Rain of Fire
If there is a scene from the Bible I'm dying to see on film this is it. Honestly, Elijah on Mt. Carmel is easily one of my top favorite stories, not just for the big finale, but for the subtle way in which God begins calling His people back.
Picking up where we left Elijah, telling Obadiah he'd meet Ahab that day, we find Elijah keeping his word. And Ahab is clearly excited to see the prophet.
Ahab calls him the troubler of Israel. I can see where Ahab would feel that way, what with the king being so narcissistic and totally under the control of Jezebel. I mean, Ahab, who had turned his family and the whole nation away from God couldn't be the root of the problem, right?
Elijah calls him out, because Elijah isn't impressed with the king or his threats. Or the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. Who, by the way, apparently belong to some sort of Breakfast Club with Jezebel. Elijah calls for a Battle Royale- he'd stand up for Yahweh like Mickey to Rocky, and the 950 prophets of Baal and Asherah would play cornerman to their Ivan Drago. (Rocky 4 reference for the un-initiated).
Mt. Carmel is the place of showdown, a hilltop near the sea. The two sides will each prepare their altar, then call their deity, and the one who lights the fire is real. Elijah allows the other prophets to go first, they set up their sacrifice, and begin to call on the two deities of fertility. They call. But no one answers. So they begin to dance. Nothing. Like attention hungry kids begging for the parent's eyes to fall on them, they get more dramatic. They start cutting themselves. Silence.
Well, sort of. See, Elijah is off to the side mocking them. Yep, a prophet of God is saying things like "Yell louder- he may be sleeping!" and my personal favorite "Maybe he can't hear you because he's in the bathroom." Elijah does, in the original Hebrew, actually make a potty joke. Seriously.
Now, the crowd- aka the nation of Israel en masse- has lost interest in the Baal and Asherah prophets. Elijah makes his move. One line, "Come here to me." (1 Kings 18:30) Israel has run from God and all his ambassadors for years. They've tried to kill them, in fact. They have pursued a god(s) that was just called out and proven impotent. Now, a gentle, quiet call to repentance is offered. I like to think that God is speaking through Elijah here, and the call to come here is God calling his people back- not with show, not with the works of man, but with grace. And Elijah shows that as he repairs the altar of the Lord- 12 stones that had fallen into disrepair due to lack of use. I imagine a loving and gentle action of setting the stones right with care, and a sense of brokenness that this was even necessary.
With the altar set, he does something...odd. He orders the altar soaked with water. Gallons upon gallons of water. A) Three years of drought- I guess the water came from the ocean. B) He could have done this to discredit any allegations of an incendiary device -provided they knew what that was back then. C) This took guts. Faith of a mountain mover.
An altar set up and soaked. A nation watching with anticipation. And Elijah prays this:
“LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” (1 Kings 18:36-37)
It's beautiful. It's simple. It breaks my heart. God as the rescuer, God as the redeemer, God as the winner of our hearts. Elijah wants validation- not for his fame, but for God's. Don't we all want God to answer us sometimes? We've laid out our lives for people who refuse to believe time and time again. So we ask God to show up. No, we beg Him. We must want the restoration of others as much as we desire our own, and we need faith that He is true to His word.
Elijah doesn't have to wait. Fire falls from Heaven- consuming not just the wood and the sacrifice (soaked with a multitude of gallons of water), but also the stones and the soil. How passionate is God for His people?!?! (FYI Stone melts at 1500 degrees Celsius. That's 2732 degrees F. ) The people who had rejected God fall on their faces- out of fear, probably, but also with a reverence for the revealed God. They cry out, "The Lord, He is God!"
Then, because of the Law, Elijah orders the nation of Israel to kill the other 950 prophets. The people do, because, well, they saw the fire.
Elijah tells Ahab to grab a snack, and go, because heavy rain is coming. Remember, Elijah said it wouldn't rain for unless he said. And for around 3 years, it hadn't. Then Elijah goes to the peak of the hill, and looks out over the sea. He prays. Each time, he looks for rain clouds. Seven times. Finally, a tiny cloud appears on the horizon. He sprints down off the mountain, as rain begins to pummel the parched and dry earth beneath his feet. Ahab, who had lolly-gagged a bit, watches from a chariot as Elijah runs- and I imagine laughs and cheers- ahead of the king.
It is Elijah's crowning achievement. The nation is looking to Yahweh again. Ahab is humbled. The prophets of Baal and Asherah are dead. One man stood for God. All he did was seek the Lord with reverence, and trust in Him.
What if we were more like that?
Picking up where we left Elijah, telling Obadiah he'd meet Ahab that day, we find Elijah keeping his word. And Ahab is
Ahab calls him the troubler of Israel. I can see where Ahab would feel that way, what with the king being so narcissistic and totally under the control of Jezebel. I mean, Ahab, who had turned his family and the whole nation away from God couldn't be the root of the problem, right?
Elijah calls him out, because Elijah isn't impressed with the king or his threats. Or the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. Who, by the way, apparently belong to some sort of Breakfast Club with Jezebel. Elijah calls for a Battle Royale- he'd stand up for Yahweh like Mickey to Rocky, and the 950 prophets of Baal and Asherah would play cornerman to their Ivan Drago. (Rocky 4 reference for the un-initiated).
Mt. Carmel is the place of showdown, a hilltop near the sea. The two sides will each prepare their altar, then call their deity, and the one who lights the fire is real. Elijah allows the other prophets to go first, they set up their sacrifice, and begin to call on the two deities of fertility. They call. But no one answers. So they begin to dance. Nothing. Like attention hungry kids begging for the parent's eyes to fall on them, they get more dramatic. They start cutting themselves. Silence.
Well, sort of. See, Elijah is off to the side mocking them. Yep, a prophet of God is saying things like "Yell louder- he may be sleeping!" and my personal favorite "Maybe he can't hear you because he's in the bathroom." Elijah does, in the original Hebrew, actually make a potty joke. Seriously.
Now, the crowd- aka the nation of Israel en masse- has lost interest in the Baal and Asherah prophets. Elijah makes his move. One line, "Come here to me." (1 Kings 18:30) Israel has run from God and all his ambassadors for years. They've tried to kill them, in fact. They have pursued a god(s) that was just called out and proven impotent. Now, a gentle, quiet call to repentance is offered. I like to think that God is speaking through Elijah here, and the call to come here is God calling his people back- not with show, not with the works of man, but with grace. And Elijah shows that as he repairs the altar of the Lord- 12 stones that had fallen into disrepair due to lack of use. I imagine a loving and gentle action of setting the stones right with care, and a sense of brokenness that this was even necessary.
With the altar set, he does something...odd. He orders the altar soaked with water. Gallons upon gallons of water. A) Three years of drought- I guess the water came from the ocean. B) He could have done this to discredit any allegations of an incendiary device -provided they knew what that was back then. C) This took guts. Faith of a mountain mover.
An altar set up and soaked. A nation watching with anticipation. And Elijah prays this:
“LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” (1 Kings 18:36-37)
It's beautiful. It's simple. It breaks my heart. God as the rescuer, God as the redeemer, God as the winner of our hearts. Elijah wants validation- not for his fame, but for God's. Don't we all want God to answer us sometimes? We've laid out our lives for people who refuse to believe time and time again. So we ask God to show up. No, we beg Him. We must want the restoration of others as much as we desire our own, and we need faith that He is true to His word.
Elijah doesn't have to wait. Fire falls from Heaven- consuming not just the wood and the sacrifice (soaked with a multitude of gallons of water), but also the stones and the soil. How passionate is God for His people?!?! (FYI Stone melts at 1500 degrees Celsius. That's 2732 degrees F. ) The people who had rejected God fall on their faces- out of fear, probably, but also with a reverence for the revealed God. They cry out, "The Lord, He is God!"
Then, because of the Law, Elijah orders the nation of Israel to kill the other 950 prophets. The people do, because, well, they saw the fire.
Elijah tells Ahab to grab a snack, and go, because heavy rain is coming. Remember, Elijah said it wouldn't rain for unless he said. And for around 3 years, it hadn't. Then Elijah goes to the peak of the hill, and looks out over the sea. He prays. Each time, he looks for rain clouds. Seven times. Finally, a tiny cloud appears on the horizon. He sprints down off the mountain, as rain begins to pummel the parched and dry earth beneath his feet. Ahab, who had lolly-gagged a bit, watches from a chariot as Elijah runs- and I imagine laughs and cheers- ahead of the king.
It is Elijah's crowning achievement. The nation is looking to Yahweh again. Ahab is humbled. The prophets of Baal and Asherah are dead. One man stood for God. All he did was seek the Lord with reverence, and trust in Him.
What if we were more like that?
Monday, May 16, 2011
Elijah Part One - Learning to Trust
I like Elijah.
He dresses funny ( camel skins), says bold things, does even bolder things, and loves to buck the system. He's also a bit of loner, which I kinda dig.
The main reason I like him, though, is that he is human. He is given to fits of pride and ego, depression and mania; he does good, but makes mistakes. He doesn't care if he offends, but deeply desires that people listen to what he has to say. So, I want to take a look at his life- I think there is much to learn from this mysterious prophet of God.
Man From Nowhere
Tishbe is the hole inside the hole in the wall. As such, it is not a place that is easy to find on a map. Any map. Not even a map that existed in Elijah's time. Scholars aren't sure exactly where Tishbe is, of if that is the real name of Elijah's hometown. Yet, it is how we are introduced to one of the most important prophets of all time.
In 1 Kings 17, we get his story's beginning. He comes from Tishbe- aka Nowhere- and his first words are addressed to no ordinary person. No, he speaks to the King of Israel. Ahab. Husband of Jezebel and general bad dude. Ahab had, with his wife, led Israel into idolatry with Ba'al and Asherah- regional 'gods' of fertility and stuff. So what Elijah had to say was a pointed attack on not just the monarchy, but on the gods they clung to so tightly:
"As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (1 Kings 17:1)
Elijah called out Ahab and Jezebel, but he also called out the god of fertility and crops: no rain = no fertility for farming. Needless to say, Elijah becomes public enemy number one.
So, what does one do when one has a bounty on their head?
Birds and Brooks
You and I might find an army. Or at least a strongly fortified hiding spot. Elijah listens to God, and he goes and grabs a spot of land by a brook. A small little flow of water, trickling over rocks. I'm guessing its not well hidden. And for the next period of time, Elijah has water to drink and is waited on by ravens. They bring him his food. Now, I'd be reluctant, what with bird flu and all, but not Elijah.
He is learning to trust God.
This little episode is pretty uneventful, but it teaches us this: trust God. The rest of Israel, remember is in the beginning throes of drought. Food is becoming more scarce, water even more so. Yet Elijah wants for none of that. God is providing for his needs. How often have we had just enough to get by, yet complain that its not more. For me, that's pretty much daily. Yet God has yet to let me go hungry or without water. And I even have shelter- something Elijah probably didn't. Not that he needed it- what with the drought and all.
Miracle Jars
As is likely to happen with droughts the water dried up. But then God told Elijah to go find a certain widow woman and ask her for water and bread. He does without question. See, he'd learned to trust God, even when the command or promise seems...odd.
She is found, and Elijah asks for water. As she goes to get it, he asks for bread. She informs him that the last of her flour is about to be used for hers and her son's last meal. Then they will die. This means the drought is real bad. Elijah tells her that if she first makes him some bread, God will keep the jar of flour and bottle of oil full.
See, this is not about Elijah learning to trust God- he's got it. It's about the widow. Once we learn to trust God, it becomes our obligation to teach others by modeling it with our lives. The widow listens to Elijah, and the jar and bottle stay miraculously full.
Supernatural CPR
Not too much later, the widow's son become mostly dead (ref. to Princess Bride, for those in the know). Irate, the widow begins attacking Elijah and God over bringing this tragedy upon her house. She responds as most of us would when pushed too far. But that's just the case, God pushes us to see if we really do trust Him. Some of us need only to have our needs met like Elijah at the brook. Others have to be brought to the brink. They have to be willing to give it all. The widow has to be willing to trust God with the thing most important thing in her life- her son. Elijah says he can save the boy, she has to trust him AND God to keep their word.
Elijah takes the boy, lays him down, and then lays on top of him three times. Weird, right? But you know what, the boy gets up. He's alive, restored and better. And you know what, the widow is as well. She praises Elijah and God, saying:
“Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.” (1 Kings 17: 24)
Trust Me, Trust God
We ask people to trust us, so that they may some day trust God.
I would wager that more people turn from God because they don't trust the ones who bear His name- you and me. We need to learn to earn people's trust- not so we can be liked or popular or win their approval- but so that they will be willing to hear us out on God.
Ultimately, a persons choice to choose or reject God has nothing to do with me, I realize that. But they are on a journey to that choice and I do not want to be a detour. Instead, I want to be an Elijah, one who trusts God and points others to trust in God.
With my words AND with my actions.
He dresses funny ( camel skins), says bold things, does even bolder things, and loves to buck the system. He's also a bit of loner, which I kinda dig.
The main reason I like him, though, is that he is human. He is given to fits of pride and ego, depression and mania; he does good, but makes mistakes. He doesn't care if he offends, but deeply desires that people listen to what he has to say. So, I want to take a look at his life- I think there is much to learn from this mysterious prophet of God.
Man From Nowhere
Tishbe is the hole inside the hole in the wall. As such, it is not a place that is easy to find on a map. Any map. Not even a map that existed in Elijah's time. Scholars aren't sure exactly where Tishbe is, of if that is the real name of Elijah's hometown. Yet, it is how we are introduced to one of the most important prophets of all time.
In 1 Kings 17, we get his story's beginning. He comes from Tishbe- aka Nowhere- and his first words are addressed to no ordinary person. No, he speaks to the King of Israel. Ahab. Husband of Jezebel and general bad dude. Ahab had, with his wife, led Israel into idolatry with Ba'al and Asherah- regional 'gods' of fertility and stuff. So what Elijah had to say was a pointed attack on not just the monarchy, but on the gods they clung to so tightly:
"As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (1 Kings 17:1)
Elijah called out Ahab and Jezebel, but he also called out the god of fertility and crops: no rain = no fertility for farming. Needless to say, Elijah becomes public enemy number one.
So, what does one do when one has a bounty on their head?
Birds and Brooks
You and I might find an army. Or at least a strongly fortified hiding spot. Elijah listens to God, and he goes and grabs a spot of land by a brook. A small little flow of water, trickling over rocks. I'm guessing its not well hidden. And for the next period of time, Elijah has water to drink and is waited on by ravens. They bring him his food. Now, I'd be reluctant, what with bird flu and all, but not Elijah.
He is learning to trust God.
This little episode is pretty uneventful, but it teaches us this: trust God. The rest of Israel, remember is in the beginning throes of drought. Food is becoming more scarce, water even more so. Yet Elijah wants for none of that. God is providing for his needs. How often have we had just enough to get by, yet complain that its not more. For me, that's pretty much daily. Yet God has yet to let me go hungry or without water. And I even have shelter- something Elijah probably didn't. Not that he needed it- what with the drought and all.
Miracle Jars
As is likely to happen with droughts the water dried up. But then God told Elijah to go find a certain widow woman and ask her for water and bread. He does without question. See, he'd learned to trust God, even when the command or promise seems...odd.
She is found, and Elijah asks for water. As she goes to get it, he asks for bread. She informs him that the last of her flour is about to be used for hers and her son's last meal. Then they will die. This means the drought is real bad. Elijah tells her that if she first makes him some bread, God will keep the jar of flour and bottle of oil full.
See, this is not about Elijah learning to trust God- he's got it. It's about the widow. Once we learn to trust God, it becomes our obligation to teach others by modeling it with our lives. The widow listens to Elijah, and the jar and bottle stay miraculously full.
Supernatural CPR
Not too much later, the widow's son become mostly dead (ref. to Princess Bride, for those in the know). Irate, the widow begins attacking Elijah and God over bringing this tragedy upon her house. She responds as most of us would when pushed too far. But that's just the case, God pushes us to see if we really do trust Him. Some of us need only to have our needs met like Elijah at the brook. Others have to be brought to the brink. They have to be willing to give it all. The widow has to be willing to trust God with the thing most important thing in her life- her son. Elijah says he can save the boy, she has to trust him AND God to keep their word.
Elijah takes the boy, lays him down, and then lays on top of him three times. Weird, right? But you know what, the boy gets up. He's alive, restored and better. And you know what, the widow is as well. She praises Elijah and God, saying:
“Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.” (1 Kings 17: 24)
Trust Me, Trust God
We ask people to trust us, so that they may some day trust God.
I would wager that more people turn from God because they don't trust the ones who bear His name- you and me. We need to learn to earn people's trust- not so we can be liked or popular or win their approval- but so that they will be willing to hear us out on God.
Ultimately, a persons choice to choose or reject God has nothing to do with me, I realize that. But they are on a journey to that choice and I do not want to be a detour. Instead, I want to be an Elijah, one who trusts God and points others to trust in God.
With my words AND with my actions.
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