- [Narrator] Even the most devoted of God's servants
can experience discouragement and exhaustion,
allowing their circumstances to overwhelm
their daily trust in God.
Elijah, a prophet of the northern kingdom
of Israel had witnessed and performed some
of the most incredible miracles recorded
in the Bible, nonetheless, not long
after he succumbed to depression and terror.
In response to King Ahab's rebellious wickedness
God told Elijah to declare a drought on the land.
During this time, God repeatedly demonstrated his provision
and care for Elijah, allowing him to drink water
from a creek that should have been dry
and sending ravens to bring him bread and meat to eat.
I Kings, 17:1-7.
Now, Elijah, the Tishbite of the people who are staying
in Gilead said to Ahab as the Lord
the God of Israel lives before whom I stand,
for sure there will be no rain or water on the grass
in the early morning these years, except by my word.
And the word of the Lord came to him saying
leave here and turn east.
Hide yourself by the river Cherith east of the Jordan.
You will drink from the river.
And I have told the ravens to bring food to you there.
So he went and did what he was told by the word of the Lord.
He went and lived by the river Cherith east of the Jordan.
The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning
and in the evening, and he drank from the river.
But after a while, the river dried up
because there was no rain in the land.
Later, the Lord led him to the home
of a widow who was suffering the full blunt of the drought.
She was down to her last morsels of food.
But God gave Elijah the authority to assure her
that her flower
and oil would be replenished miraculously day after day
and they were.
When the widow's son died, Elijah prayed to God to
bring him back to life, and he did.
Then the word of the Lord came to him saying, get up and go
to Zarepath, which belongs to Sidon and stay there.
I have told a woman there whose husband has died
to feed you.
So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath.
When he came to the city gate, he saw a woman there
gathering sticks.
He called to her and said, I asked of you get me
a little water in a jar that I may drink.
As she was going to get it, he called to her.
I ask of you, bring me a piece of bread in your hand.
But she said, as the Lord your God lives.
I have no bread.
I only have enough flour in the jar to fill a hand
and a little oil in the jar.
See, I am gathering a few sticks, so I may go
and make it ready for me and my son.
Then we will eat it and die.
Elijah said to her, have no fear.
Go and do as you have said, but make me a little loaf
of bread from it first and bring it out to me.
Then you may make one for yourself and for your son,
for the Lord God of Israel says,
the jar of flour will not be used up
and the jar of oil will not be empty
until the day the Lord sends rain upon the earth.
So she went and did what Elijah said
and she and those of her house ate for many days.
The jar of flour was not used up
and the jar of oil did not become empty.
It happened as was spoken
by the word of the Lord through Elijah.
After this, the son
of the woman who owned the house became sick.
His sickness was so bad
that there was no breath left in him.
So the woman said to Elijah, what do I have to do with you
oh man of God?
You have come to me to have my sin be remembered
and to kill my son.
He said to her, give me your son.
Then he took him from her arms and carried him
up to the room on the second floor where he stayed
and he laid him on his own bed.
He called to the Lord and said, oh Lord, my God
have you brought trouble
to the woman I am staying with by making her son die?
Then he lay up upon the child three times
and call to the Lord saying, oh Lord my God, I pray to you.
Let this child's life return to him.
The Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the life
of the child returned to him and he became strong again.
Elijah took the child and brought him
down from the second floor
into the house and gave him to his mother.
He said, see, your son is alive.
Then the woman said to Elijah
now I know that you are a man of God.
Now I know that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.
I Kings 17:8-24.
Then God summoned Elijah to a battle with pagan prophets
on a mountainside overlooking the sea.
When the competition began, their so-called God did not
appear to accept their sacrifice despite their
demonstrative efforts to summon him.
When it was Elijah's turn, he prayed and the living God
consumed the prophet sacrifice with fire from heaven
despite the fact that Elijah had repeatedly
soaked the altar in water.
So now call together all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel
and gather together 450 men who speak for Baal
and 400 men who speak for the false goddess Asherah
who eat at Jezebel's table.
So Ahab sent news among all the people of Israel
and he brought the men who speak for the false gods together
at Mount Carmel.
Elijah came near all the people and said, how long
will you be divided between two ways of thinking?
If the Lord is God, follow him.
But if Baal is God, then follow him.
But the people did not answer him a word.
Then Elijah said to the people, I am the only man
left who speaks for God.
But here are 450 men who speak for Baal.
Bring two bulls to us.
Let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it up
and put it on the wood, but put no fire under it.
I will make the other bull ready and lay it
on the wood and I will put no fire under it.
Then you call on the name of your God and I will call
on the name of the Lord, the God who answers by fire.
He is God.
All the people answered and said, that is a good idea.
So Elijah said to the men who spoke for Baal,
choose one bull for yourselves and make it ready first
for there are many of you,
then call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.
So they took the bull
which was given to them and made it ready.
Then they called on the name
of Baal from morning until noon saying, oh, Baal answer us.
But there was no voice.
No one answered.
They jumped up and danced
around the altar they had made.
At noon, Elijah made fun of them.
He said, call out with a loud voice for he is a God.
It might be that he is in deep thought or is turned away.
He could be away traveling or it may be
that he is asleep and needs to have someone wake him.
So they cried with a loud voice.
They cut themselves as they had done in the past
with swords and spears until blood poured out on them.
When noon passed, they cried
out until the time forgiving the evening gift
but there was no voice.
No one answered.
No one listened.
Then Elijah said to all the people, come near to me.
So all the people came near to him
and he built again the altar of the Lord
which had been torn down.
Then Elijah took 12 stones by the number of the families
of Jacob's sons.
The word of the Lord had come to Jacob's sons saying
Israel will be your name.
With the stones, he built an altar
in the name of the Lord and he made a ditch around the altar
big enough to hold 22 jars of seed.
Then he set wood in place.
He cut the bull and pieces and laid it on the wood
and he said, fill four jars with water and pour it
on the burnt gift and on the wood.
Then he said, do it a second time, and they did
it a second time.
He said, do it a third time, and they did it a third time.
The water flowed around the altar and filled the ditch also.
Then the time came for giving the evening gift.
Elijah, the man who spoke for God, came near and said
oh Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.
Let it be known today that you are God in Israel.
Let it be known that I am your servant and have
done all these things at your word.
Answer me, oh Lord, answer me.
So these people may know that you oh Lord are God.
Turn their hearts to you again.
Then the fire of the Lord fell.
It burned up the burnt gift,
the wood, the stones, and the dust
and it picked up the water that was in the ditch.
All the people fell on their faces when they saw it.
They said, the Lord, He is God.
The Lord, He is God.
I Kings 18:19-39.
The crowds not only saw God's fire in Elijah
but they also saw it in his ministry.
Literally.
Elijah became frustrated
with his people's spiritual rebellion
and enraged by the false prophet of Baal.
He faced both forces
a top Mount Carmel and defeated the devil's hinchman.
Despite the fact that they outnumbered him 850 to one.
No one had seen anything
like his bravery since the unremembered day
David fought Goliath years before,
and like the underdog David,
Elijah confronted his adversary with zeal.
His gaze was drawn to God's majesty
not the number of his adversaries.
This heavenly vision provided the fuel that kept
his courage burning.
Leaders require courage at all times.
No one who wishes to affect change can do so
without courage.
Elijah's heart was filled with courage because, one,
his determination outweighed his reservations.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, Elijah determined
that Baal had to be confronted at all costs.
Two, his desire triumphed over his desperation.
Despite the danger, Elijah answered to honor Yahweh
above all else.
Three.
His compassion outweighed his dissatisfaction.
Despite his dislike for the people's attitude
Elijah desired for them to find and follow Yahweh
while worshiping and praying alone atop of the mountain
Elijah mustered the courage to summon fire from heaven.
The fire within him drew
down God's fire, decisively defeating Baal.
Following this incredible display of God's power
he summoned Elijah to perform another miracle.
The prophet prayed for the drought to end, and God responded
by sending a tiny cloud followed by a torrential downpour.
Given all of his success
one would expect Elijah to be brimming with confidence, joy
and praise for the Lord at this point in his life.
When he learned that Queen Jezebel had vowed to kill him
he fled to the opposite end of the country
where he sat down under a tree
and begged God to take his life.
I Kings 18:41-46.
Then Elijah said to Ahab, go up
eat and drink for there is the sound of much rain.
So Ahab went up to eat and drink
but Elijah went up to the top of Carmel.
He got down on the ground and put his face
between his knees and he said to his servant,
go up now and look towards the sea.
So he went up and looked and said, there is nothing.
Seven times Elijah said, go again.
The seventh time he said, I see a cloud as small
as a man's hand coming up from the sea.
Elijah said, go and tell Ahab, make your war wagon ready
and go down so that the rain does not stop you.
Soon the sky became black with clouds
and wind and there was much rain, and Ahab went to Jezreel.
Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah.
He pulled his clothing up
under his belt and ran before Ahab to Jezreel.
I Kings 18:1-9.
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done.
He told her how Elijah had killed with the sword
all the men who spoke for Baal.
Then Jezebel sent news to Elijah saying
so made the gods due to me and even more
if I do not make your life as the life of one of them
by this time tomorrow.
Elijah was afraid, he got up and ran for his life.
When he came to Beersheba of Judah
he left his servant there
but he himself traveled for a day into the desert.
He came and sat down under a juniper tree.
There, he asked that he might die, saying, it is enough now.
Oh Lord, take my life for I am not better than my father's.
When he laid down
and slept under the juniper tree, an angel touched him.
The angel said to him, get up and eat.
Then Elijah looked and saw by his head a loaf
of bread made ready on hot stones and a jar of water.
So he ate and drank and lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came again a second time
and touched him and said, get up
and eat because this traveling is too hard for you.
So he got up and ate and drank, and he went in the strength
of that food for 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb,
the mountain of God.
He came to a cave and stayed there.
The word of the Lord came to him and said
what are you doing here, Elijah?
Elijah said, I have been very careful to serve the Lord.
The God of all.
For the people of Israel have turned away
from your agreement.
They have torn down your altars and have killed
with the sword the men who speak for you.
Only I am left and they want to kill me.
Fortunately, that is not the end of the story.
God did not abandon Elijah when he discovered him.
To put it mildly, not at his best, no.
The Lord picked him up, tossed him back into the fray
provided him with invaluable assistance in the form
of the prophet Elisha, and then whisked him away to heaven
in a whirlwind.
I Kings 19:11-18.
So the angel said, go and stand on the mountain
before the Lord.
And the Lord passed by, a strong wind tore
through the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces
before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind, the earth shook
but the Lord was not in the shaking of the earth.
After the earth shook, a fire came
but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came
a sound of gentle blowing when Elijah heard it
he put his coat over his face
and went out and stood at the opening of the hole.
Then a voice came to him and said
what are you doing here, Elijah?
He said, I have been very careful to serve the Lord.
The God of all.
For the people
of Israel have turned away from your agreement.
They have torn down your altars
and they have killed with the sword
the men who speak for you.
Only I am left and they want to kill me.
The Lord said to him, go return
on your way to the desert of Damascus when you get there.
Set apart Hazael to be the king of Syria,
set apart Nimshi's son Jehu to be the king of Israel
and set apart Elijah, the son of Shaphat of Abel-Meholah,
to speak for God in your place.
Jehu will kill the one who gets away
from the sword of Hazael.
Elisha will kill the one who gets away
from the sword of Jehu.
But I will leave 7,000 in Israel whose knees have not bowed
down in front of Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.
II Kings 2:11, and it came to pass
as they still went on and talked.
That behold there appeared a chariot of fire
and horses of fire and parted them both asunder
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
We are human, just like the prophet Elijah.
We become exhausted and when our minds and bodies tire
we can become overwhelmed.
However, the God who created us
Psalm 103:14, for he knoweth our frame.
He remembereth that we are dust.
God never forgets his promises to us
even when our memory of God's great kindness fades.
The prophet Elijah was aware of Israel's idolatry.
He was aware that the time for judgment had arrived.
He also knew that drought
and famine were on their way to devastate Israel.
He knew because he had declared God's judgment.
This all happened during a very sad period
in Israel's history when the people had all
but turned their backs on God and their king had openly
and boldly sinned against the Lord.
Imagine the bravery it took
for one man to pray for judgment on his own people,
confront a wicked king and then stand
before hundreds of false prophets and question their piety.
Although the Lord took Elijah to heaven a long time ago
this courageous prophet continues to proclaim
that true leadership may require standing alone
and speaking difficult truths.