Elijah was one of the great and colorful characters of the Bible. Most OT names had a significant meaning and Elijah was no exception. Elijah’s name meant “my God is the Lord.” God called him to be the leading prophet to oppose Baal worship and those who promoted it. Like many of us there are times when Elijah’s life was marked by bold victories and other times by defeat and depression. I’m sure over the next several weeks we will look more in depth at some of those events. Elijah’s most well-known adversaries were Ahab, king of the northern kingdom Israel, and his wife Jezebel. Ahab’s reign overlapped with the reigns of Asa and Jehoshaphat in the southern kingdom. Let’s look and see what this week’s passage has for us.
Verses 29-33 – In verse 25 we read that King Omri, Ahab’s father, did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those (kings) before him. We are then introduced to his son Ahab who continued the ever-escalating levels of sin and idolatry. Jezebel was daughter of the king of the Sidonians. In contrast to the meaning of Elijah’s name – “my God is the Lord” - King Ethball’s name meant, “with him is Baal.” Jezebel dominated her husband Ahab and actively sought to have God’s prophets killed in order to establish Baal worship as the state religion of Israel. She waged what I would call a reign of terror upon God’s people, documented in I Kings. As a result, a temple of Baal was set up in Samaria and centers for worship of Asherah and the fertility cult were established in the high places. Ahab’s decadence was unmatched by anyone.
I Kings 17:1 Here we are introduced to Elijah, the Tishbite. He came from an area near Gilead. The region was a rugged and barren land east of the Jordan. We can surmise that Elijah was used to the outdoors and could take care of himself. Later in 2 Kings 1:8 he is described as wearing mantle of rough hair and a leather belt, which would contrast with the fine linens worn by his counterparts.
We see an example of his boldness here. He approaches the king and directly declares that God will allow no dew or rain in the land unless Elijah commands it. There is no asking for an audience or kind introduction. Elijah plunges into the task he has been assigned making it clear he was speaking for “the LORD God of Israel.” The years long drought he pronounced would devastate the region. This was also a direct challenge to Baal as the god who brought storms and rain. Elijah was proclaiming the superiority of the nation’s historical God above the false god they had chosen.
The central truth of the lesson states that serving God demands courage. Elijah is an example of taking courageous action. Others in the Old Testament we are well acquainted with are David who faced Goliath and Moses who demanded the release of the Hebrew people from Pharoah. Jesus’ atoning substitutionary self-sacrifice on our behalf was the ultimate act of courage. God will often call his people to acts of courage that they cannot muster on their own. We may never speak against a king or duel a giant, but God still calls His people to do things that take great amounts of courage. Strength and courage of those who walk with God is a common thread throughout the Bible: Joshua 1:9, Deut. 31:6, I Cor 16:13, I Chronicles 28:20, Psalm 31:24, Isaiah 41:10, II Timothy 1:7, II Samuel 10:12, Daniel 10:19, Ezra 7:28, II Chronicles 15:7, I John 4:18…
In verses 2-6 God gives very specific instructions to Elijah. Elijah was directed not to go speak to the rest of Israel. He was directed to flee the king’s presence and go to the Wadi Cherith. A wadi is a channel or dry riverbed that only has water during the rainy season. In addition to the water, ravens would come and provide bread and meat to Elijah. This request must have seemed odd to Elijah. Go in faith that God would provide enough water in the desert and food from unclean birds to keep him alive. Verse 5 tells us Elijah proceeded to do as the Lord commanded. There is no record of him arguing with God or telling God he had a better idea. He simply went. During this time in the wilderness God shaped Elijah for his future ministry as a faithful prophet to the people of Israel. Elijah learned that he had to depend upon God for all his needs physical and spiritual.
In order to humbly serve God with courage we should follow the example of Elijah.
· Elijah did just as the Lord directed.
· Elijah obeyed without complaining.
· Elijah waited patiently for what the Lord would have him do next.
· While waiting for what was next, Elijah submitted to God’s continuing process of growth and spiritual maturity.
· Elijah depended solely on God and His provision.
We can serve with courage too if we spend time alone with God and allow His Spirit to strengthen and embolden us.
Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
