ible Study - Elijah (4) - Serve with Loyalty - 1 Kings 18:20-26, 31-39 - August 15, 021

 

Bible Study – Elijah (4) – Serve with Loyalty – August 15, 2021

This is lesson four (4) in our series entitled, “Elijah: Living Outside the Comfort Zone.”

Our focus scripture is 1 Kings 18:20-26, 31-39.

GOD deserves our loyalty and sacrifice.

We must be careful here. The natural flow from our hearts is that we are in right relationship with GOD through faith in JESUS. When Christians are in right relationship with GOD there is a natural flow of loyalty and sacrifice. Often, we think our busy works pleases GOD but what pleases GOD is recorded in Psalm 51:17 – “The sacrifice pleasing to God is^[a] a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.” --- Often, we think our effort pleases GOD but it is our effort under the direction and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

How do we build the right relationship with GOD? We spend time with HIM, reading and studying HIS Word and being obedient to HIS leadership.

Often, we think that when we substitute our human efforts this pleases GOD. GOD loves a pure heart and a heart as the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13 - ¹³ I can do all things through ^[f]Christ who strengthens me.

Let’s read 1 Kings 18:1-4: (Background)

Elijah’s Message to Ahab

18 After a long time, the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year: “Go and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the surface of the land.” ² So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.

The famine was severe in Samaria. ³ Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah was a man who greatly feared the Lord ⁴ and took a hundred prophets and hid them, fifty men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets.

We learn that King Ahab had placed a man, Obadiah, who greatly feared “the LORD” in charge of the place. Obadiah hid 100 prophets when Jezebel slaughtered the LORD’S prophets. GOD was at work and preserving a remnant of HIS prophets among evil rulers. GOD had called Elijah to be HIS representative to approach Ahab and Jezebel. GOD had a plan to show HIS chosen people that HE was still in control among evil earthly rulers.

Let’s continue building background as recorded in 1 Kings 18:5-19:

⁵ Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and to every wadi. Perhaps we’ll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle.” ⁶ They divided the land between them in order to cover it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

The king and Obadiah were scouting the land for water and grass for the horses and mules. But GOD had a plan.

⁷ While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

As Obadiah was searching for water and grass “suddenly” Elijah met him. Obadiah was startled because Ahab had searched the land for Elijah and all of a sudden Elijah appears. Elijah confirms to Obadiah that indeed he had found the one for whom the king had been desperately searching.  Why was Obadiah so concerned about letting the king know that he had encountered Elijah? Could it be that he feared the king knew that Obadiah had hidden 100 of GOD’S prophets and that he had hidden Elijah as well because Ahab had been searching for Elijah? We don’t know but Obadiah was reluctant to give Ahab the news because Elijah might just disappear again. Elijah was firm in his instructions to Obadiah ----

⁸ “It is I,” he replied. “Go tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here!’” ^[a]

⁹ But Obadiah said, “What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? ¹⁰ As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.

¹¹ “Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!”’ ¹² But when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord may carry you off to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth. ¹³ Wasn’t it reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets? I hid a hundred of the prophets of the Lord, fifty men to a cave, and I provided them with food and water. ¹⁴ Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!”’ He will kill me!”

¹⁵ Then Elijah said, “As the Lord of Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab.”

¹⁶ Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one ruining Israel?”

¹⁸ He replied, “I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed the Baals. ¹⁹ Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Elijah tells Ahab to gather all the prophets of Baal including the offshoots from Baal to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel.

In essence, The One True GOD of Israel is going to settle this issue once and for all. Ahab agreed. It is vital that we know that this is The One True GOD of Israel, YAWEH, Who was giving the instructions and it was not something the Prophet Elijah cooked up in his mind. GOD proves Himself. We do not dream up ways for GOD to prove Himself.

GOD’S plan is being carried out.

Let’s read 1 Kings 18:20-21:

Elijah at Mount Carmel

²⁰ So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. ²¹ Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions?^[b] If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

Elijah made known to all who had gathered that the challenge was between truth, The One True GOD of the Israelites and false gods as represented by Baal and the mother of Baal, Asherah. Elijah continued to speak to all who had gathered. Notice, those gathered had nothing to say. They were waiting to see what next rather than taking a stand. So, what next ---

Let’s read 1 Kings 18:22-26:

²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. ²³ Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God who answers with fire, he is God.”

All the people answered, “That’s fine.”

²⁵ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”

²⁶ So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced^[c] around the altar they had made.

²⁷ At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away;^[d] or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!” ²⁸ They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. ²⁹ All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention.

There was no response from the false god Baal.

Let’s read 1 Kings 18:30-39:

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So, all the people approached him. Then he repaired the Lord’s altar that had been torn down: ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones—according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”— ³² and he built an altar with the stones in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.^[e][f] 33 Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.” ³⁴ Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time. ³⁵ So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.

³⁶ At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things. ³⁷ Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.”

³⁸ Then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹ When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!”

Victory is always in The One True GOD, YAWEH. The One True GOD Who has revealed Himself to HIS chosen people the Israelites and finally through HIS One and Only, born in the flesh SON, JESUS to all the world. Salvation is through faith in JESUS. GOD sent JESUS to earth to live a sinless life, as a human. JESUS was sent to be the One and Only Perfect Sacrifice for all people who will accept HIM by faith to be born again in their Spirit to be eternally alive. JESUS opened the path between every human to GOD by paying, in full, GOD’S penalty for sin, which is eternal death. The only way to GOD is through the miracle of spiritual birth. It takes an act of each person’s will to acknowledge that JESUS gave HIS sinless life by shedding HIS blood on the cross to pay for each person’s sin. When a person places his or her faith in JESUS, a miracle takes place. The human spirit, is joined by GOD’S Spirit and Spiritual birth takes place in an instant. JESUS spoke to Nicodemus in John, Chapter three about this:

There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,^[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. ⁸ The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

 If you have never asked JESUS to forgive you for your sins and for HIM to come into life, now is that opportunity. Ask HIM and experience the miracle of Spiritual birth that makes you an eternal member of GOD’S Family. When you exit your human body at physical death you will be instantly eternally alive in the presence of GOD and JESUS in Heaven for eternity. You will return to earth with JESUS at HIS second coming to receive your Glorified Body and forever reign with HIM.

Now for the rest of this story as recorded in 1 Kings 18:40-46:

⁴⁰ Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So, they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there. ⁴¹ Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.”

After the false prophets were eradicated, it was time for GOD to reveal to the people that HE alone is sovereign. HE would prove it by sending rain upon the land. Baal was defeated and YAHWEH reigned supreme. This was again to show that HE alone was in control of the elements and not false gods. Elijah had unfinished business. Even GOD’S chosen are tested. Elijah asked GOD seven times to send rain. Seven is the Biblical number for completion.

⁴² So Ahab went to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel. He bent down on the ground and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look toward the sea.”

So, he went up, looked, and said, “There’s nothing.”

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

⁴⁴ On the seventh time, he reported, “There’s a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.”

Then Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Get your chariot ready and go down so the rain doesn’t stop you.’”

⁴⁵ In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So, Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ The power of the Lord was on Elijah, and he tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Oh my, what a day! Rejoice, because our LORD is the same today, tomorrow and eternally. In whom do you place your faith and trust? JESUS lives eternally and so will all who place their faith in HIM. Today is the day for your salvation. Salvation is offered to you but you have to take it. It is an eternal gift but as with all gifts when it is handed to you, you must take it. Please do so.

Blessings!!!