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"For The Depressed, Discouraged And Disgruntled" • 4.9.17 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- Aside from the smoke rising from the ground,
the Biblical narrative leaves us with only three people atop Mt. Carmel.
Elijah, his servant and Ahab are within close proximity of one another.
- Ahab is standing in stunned silence, staring
into space, while Elijah, having just finished executing the prophets of Baal,
is barely standing at all!
- There was never any doubt that His God would
win. Baal doesn't exist. But that doesn't mean that Elijah has had an
"easy day." Standing in the spiritual gap is exhausting for the man
of God!
- Elijah is about to show us how easy it is to
crumble under the weight. Verse 41.
Text
•
I Kings 18:41-43 : "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.'" : With all the activity of the day, neither
Ahab nor Elijah had anything to eat. Ahab will need to eat, but Elijah needs to
pray. "There is the sound of abundance of rain."
-
As we examine the scripture, we must come to the conclusion that Elijah was
prophesying that this would be the case. He heard this "in the Lord"
and then collapsed into prayer.
-
Elijah was strengthened by the Lord for the task, but as with any person, after
the battle is complete, he seems thoroughly exhausted, yet, there is more work
to do and it's not easy.
-
God answered him so quickly with the fire, but now is not so quick with the
rain? Seven times, Elijah prays and asks his servant to check on the status of
the sea after each prayer.
-
The first six times, the servant returned with a puzzled look on his face.
There was nothing to report. Each time, Elijah returned to prayer and sent him to
look again!
-
Why is it that God does this? Sometimes He answers so quickly and other times
He recalls us to our knees to repeat what we have prayed thousands of times.
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What is being accomplished? God is tuning our hearts to pray His will and remain
dependant.
-
Elijah was a "superstar," but he cannot move God to act one second
before God is willing to!
-
By not answering, the Lord keeps His servant on his knees, inviting him to
persist.
-
God always has a reason for answering quickly or making us wait! Thankfully,
Elijah was wise enough to continue to ask! Verse 44.
•
I Kings 18:44-46 : "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.’ 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." : On the seventh attempt, Elijah's servant reported that a
potential storm could be seen on the distant horizon.
-
With only a small cloud on the horizon, Elijah warned Ahab to get himself going.
Before Ahab could get away, the Lord released a deluge upon the land.
-
Elijah, I believe, exhausted from the day's events, had no power to run until
it came time to run! Then, it took the hand of the Lord to cause him to run.
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He tucked his garment into his belt and flew down the mountain, leaving Ahab's
chariot behind him for the entire 20 mile journey!
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It was God's supernatural power that fueled his pace and the ground's natural
mudflow that slowed Ahab's chariot! Instead of seeing the King arrive in
splendor, Jezreel saw a muddy prophet!
-
He might have won the day and the race, but any joy he had was shortlived. Chapter
19.
•
I Kings 19:1,2 : "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.'" : Look at Ahab. Think of what he must now disclose to Jezebel. He
has the burden of bearing very bad news to his pagan wife!
-
He told Jezebel all that Elijah had done. Could it be that he simply thought
Elijah was a "superior prophet" to the Prophets of Baal?
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This is consistent with his initital accusation against Elijah, when he said
that it was he who had troubled Israel. (I
Kings 18:17) If this is so, is it not amazing?
-
God has shown conclusive evidence that He was superior to the religion of Baal
by providing fire and rain. But Ahab missed the lesson!
-
We shouldn't be surprised when singular, miraculous events are ignored by those
that we love! The miracle of regeneration is a much greater work than we ever
imagined!
-
Events such as what has been described are a part of the cumulative effort of
God.
- But they are not the
"be all, end all" in most people's lives! Pray for your loved ones,
that they might one day put all of the pieces together and truly have the grace
to respond to God!
-
Besides, if Ahab had any inkling that this was all due to God, it might have
been extinguished in the passion of Jezebel, who only to have heard about the
execution of Baal's prophets.
-
That is what caused her to respond with her little note to Elijah! She was
incapable of understanding the miraculous report and was solely intent upon
retribution.
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Elijah waited to see a message of repentance and received a death sentence
instead! She was going to make him like he made them! She was direct and she
was determined!
-
It would happen no later than the very next day! What confidence! For three
years, the administration had been unable to find him despite a nation wide
manhunt!
-
God kept moving Elijah around, but now, she believes that she will be able to
carry out her malicious plan? How did Elijah respond? Take a look at verse 3.
•
I Kings 19:3,4 : "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. But
he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down
under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, 'It is enough!
Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better
than my fathers!" : This proves what men have
known since the beginning of time.
-
The only thing more scary than 450 prophets of Baal is one angry woman! Elijah reacts.
He's hardly done reading the letter and he skipped town!
-
When a person today describes America, he might say, "From Sea to shining
Sea" or "Coast to Coast." The Jewish person would say that
Israel stretched from "Dan to Beersheba!"
-
The distance that Elijah traversed was well over 150 miles! He sought for
refuge in Judah and did so all alone, leaving his servant in Jezreel.
-
He himself went a day's journey more into the wilderness. Sometimes it's good
to be alone. In the condition he is in, I'm not sure that this was one of those
times.
-
He sat himself out in the wilderness under a broom or juniper tree. He's
completely isolated, totally exhausted and terribly frightened. "And he
prayed that he might die."
-
I wonder what his voice sounded like, especially compared to the voice which
uttered the prayer that precipitated the Lord's victory just hours earlier.
-
I wonder if this is not just more than a wimper before the Lord. He resigns and
says "I've had enough!" He is fine with God taking His life as
Jezebel took the lives of the prophets.
-
He must have been confident that this one act would finally setlle the issue.
-
Seeing Jezebel's response really threw him for a loop. He may have even
believed for Ahab and Jezebel's conversion. He expected to be discipling them
the next day!
-
Instead, he joins the long line of prophets who had failed to reverse the
idolatrous trend. Elijah is crushed under the weight of his own expectations.
He wants out and now! Verse 5.
•
I Kings 19:5-9 : "Then as he lay and slept under a
broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, 'Arise
and eat.' Then he looked, and there by his
head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and
lay down again. And
the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, 'Arise
and eat, because the journey is too great for you.' So he arose, and ate and drank; and
he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as
Horeb, the mountain of God. And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that
place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, 'What are you doing here,
Elijah?'" : Notice
that God doesn't immediately talk with Elijah. He let's him sleep, then He
dispatches an angel to feed him.
-
Elijah registered his complaint and he fell asleep until this angel had finished
his next meal. He received that meal and then laid down for a second round of
sleep.
-
The angel returned for a second meal, this time with an encouragement to
actually rise from his sleep to eat. He has a journey to make and it's too much
for him.
-
He ate again and would not need to eat again for the next 40 days, but marched
to Horeb, where he spent the night in a cave. Commentators note that the
language specifies it as "The" cave.
-
Elijah is seeking to meet with God in the same place that God gave Moses the 10
commandments! Horeb and Sinai are on the same mountain range!
-
When Elijah had slept through that night, the Lord spoke to him with a simple
question: "What are you doing here Elijah?" God did not call him
there!
-
Ultimately, whatever God had planned to accomplish through Elijah in Jezreel,
was thoroughly abandoned by Elijah's rash flight into the wilderness! Consequently,
he was doing nothing!
-
I wonder how many blessings and benefits we have left behind because we left
our posts?
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Before we concern ourselves with the Elijah's response, I believe it would be
wise for us to step back and see WHEN God began to communicate with him. It was
after Elijah had slept and ate.
-
You and I must understand that our perspective on spiritual life can be greatly
and adversely affected by our own physiological needs.
-
For some, it would be a good exercise to examine their own eating and sleeping
habits.
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In some cases, there may also be warrant for a seasonal regimen of medication!
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Aside from what makes for a proper physical life, I might also mention that God
outlines the actions that make for a successful spiritual life as well!
-
The early church continued steadfastly in the Apostle's doctrine, Bible study,
fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers. (Acts 2:42)
-
You will find yourself in the best condition possible to avert spiritual
depression when these are your dedicated habits!
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That isn't to say that doing these equals a stress or problem free life. It
does ensure that you will be in the best position possible to discern the
Lord's voice with clarity. Verse 10.
•
I Kings 19:10 : "So he said, 'I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of
Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your
prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.'" : Elijah has spent all of his time expressing an intense zeal for
the Lord. He calls Him, the "God of hosts." That refers to His armies
of angelic hosts. He is the God of power!
-
Elijah has been a good soldier. He has held down his post. He has been
responsible to speak to a nation that has left God's covenant behind them.
-
They have abandoned decisively the worship of the Lord and they have been
aggressive in their desire to stamp out His Word through His prophets. All of
this was true.
-
From Jeroboam to Ahab, Israel has steadily moved further and further away from
their heritage as God's people. Ahab's reign embraced a precipitous leap!
-
Elijah is not only discouraged, he is disgruntled! "God, I've been
zealous. Where have you been? Where is your response!?" If God won't do
His part, we're all doomed!
-
Elijah is fighting a losing battle and sees no hope other than surrender, which
he ultimately bases on the one thing which was not true: "I alone am
left." He can't mean this the way it sounds.
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He knows what Obadiah has told him.
There are 100 prophets hidden in two caves nearby, plus Obadiah. Perhaps
he means to say that he is the only one left with a voice.
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What wasn't true empirically, was certainly true personally and emotionally to
Elijah.
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It can be said that he felt alone. Those brothers who were consigned to the
darkness of the caves weren't able to stand with him, to bear the brunt of
responsibility.
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Their voices couldn't cry out. Elijah could only feel resigned to the fact that
his voice would soon be stamped out by the nation's administration.
-
"Lord, take my life because if you don't their gonna take it and
win!" What an honest moment from scripture! How will God answer? Verse 11.
•
I Kings 19:11-14 : "Then He said, 'Go out, and stand on
the mountain before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains
and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire,
but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the
fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face
in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a
voice came to him, and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' And he said, 'I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because
the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and
killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my
life.'" : When
Elijah goes out from the cave to stand before the Lord, he is met by these
impressive sights.
- Each time, the Lord crossed his
path, a something incredible occurred. The wind violently displaced the rocks
in the mountain, the earth shook beneath and the fire roared around him.
- Aside from being awe inspiring
events, the Lord was not in any one of them! He wasn't present through them. Elijah
kept watching and waiting. He didn't commit to the phenomena.
- He was waiting for something
much more impressive and he got what he was waiting for after the fire fell! He
heard a still, small voice.
- The word "still"
speaks of a calm, soothing whisper. The word "small" speaks of finely
beaten dust. What a contrast to what had come before?
- A lesser follower of God settles
for the event, the momentary distraction! There are those who suffer who
prolong their own suffering by seeking after signs and wonders.
- They want the power of the wind.
They want to be moved. They want to be inspired.
- But for a person who truly wants
the power to answer our deepest need, nothing but the voice of God will
suffice! That is what got Elijah up off of his seat!
- He came out to hear the Lord who
repeated His question. Elijah repeated his protest. Look at God's response.
Verse 15.
• I Kings 19:15-18 : "Then the Lord said to him: 'Go, return on your
way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king
over Syria. Also
you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son
of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes
the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu,
Elisha will kill. Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees
have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.'" : The answer is "go," get
back to work! God not only refuses to end Elijah's life and ministry, but He
sends Elijah on a 200 mile mission to annoint a new King over Syria!
- "Maybe I need some time
off? Maybe I need some 'me' time?" Maybe you need to find out what God
intends for you to do! Indefinite introspection rarely leads to a healthy
spiritual life!
- Remember that Elijah wants to
see God work, to deal with the idolatry that was still a plague upon Israel.
God hadn't used Elijah to end that, but He also wasn't done yet!
- God's first response would be
raise up an enemy to the nation. Hazael, whose names means "One who sees
God," would lead Syria into a renaissance period over the next several
years.
- His reign will be marked by
excessive, corrective cruelty toward Israel, who will be likewise governed by a
reformer in Jehu, who will wipe out the house of Ahab from within.
- Jehu and Elisha will finish the
business that Elijah is unable to complete. "I'll bet you didn't think
about any of this, did you Elijah!?"
- These duties are part of what
God intended Elijah to perform. Once he does them, his query is answered! So
often, that is exactly the reason why our answers elude us!
- What are the duties that the
Lord has given us to do? Have we done them? When Elijah resolves to obey, the
Lord quiets his heart and then drops this bomb on him.
- "I have reserved seven
thousand in Israel, who haven't bowed or kissed at Baal!"
- I much prefer the KJV and the
ASV on this verse, when God says "I have left me 7,000 in Israel. They
belong to Him.
- The ones that refuse to
acknowledge Baal's lordship or refuse to do him homage, God calls His reserve.
Elijah didn't know about them, but God knew exactly which ones they were!
- You may think that your ministry
is useless and that your reach is negligible, but God knows how effective your
witness has been, even when you have no clue! Verse 19.
• I Kings 19:19-21 : "So he departed from there, and
found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen
before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw
his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, 'Please let
me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.' And he said to
him, 'Go back again, for what have I done to you?' So Elisha turned back from him, and
took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s
equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed
Elijah, and became his servant." : Elijah was on his way to perform God's command and comes to
Elisha first. His name means "God is salvation" and he was one who
was the fruit of Elijah's ministry.
- I can't help but think that the
order is significant. Elijah needed someone to help him bear the burden before
he did anything else! God is incredibly gracious to give him an equal.
- Elisha was from a wealthy family
but he was not living an entitled life. He was plowing his Father's field when
Elijah found him. It's rare that God employs those that refuse to work!
- Most of God's men were doing
something before God set them aside for ministry.
- Elijah took his mantle, his prophetic
cloak and he threw it onto Elisha, as if to say, "This is your job
now." Elisha, understanding what has been done, runs after him with a
reasonable request.
- He wants to simply go back to
say goodbye to his family. Elijah isn't going to worry about that. His reply is
akin to our saying, "Go and do what you need to do!"
- Elisha went and prepared a feast
for the people in his life, literally burning the bridge back to where he had
come from and followed his new Master and mentor, Elijah.
Conclusion
- For those
that struggle with depression, discouragement and being disgruntled, may I say
that you are in good company! The Lord has left much for our examination.
- It would be
wise to apply some self-assessment with regard to our physical and spiritual
needs. What are we choosing to ignore or neglect?
- We might also
look to our spiritual duties and the service that we know God requires of us.
Have we left too early?
- Perhaps we
need to re-examine our expectations of what God is or is not doing as we serve
Him. Are we being unrealistic or impatient?
- May He give
us the wisdom to honestly assess our needs. Gratefully our faith isn't grounded
in extraordinary people of faith, but in the person of Jesus Christ!
- Elijah stood
on Mt. Carmel and looked like a winner. Jesus stood on Mt. Calvary and looked
like the loser. Elijah wished for death. Jesus wondered if there wasn't another
way!
- Elijah
thought his death would seal the failure of his ministry. Jesus Christ knew His
death would seal the victory of His!
- May the Lord
lift our discouraged, depressed and disgruntled eyes to see our Lord's victory
once again! He is truly all we need!
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