Hi there, and welcome to our second episode of Stories of a Faithful God. I’m you’re host, Dave Whittingham. If you haven’t listened to the first episode… this one’s a sequeal, so you might want to check it out first.

If you have already listened to the first episode… thanks for coming back. If you thought what God did in the last passage was great… just wait to see what he’s going to do today.

Before we get into it, let me ask you a question.

Have you ever asked yourself… Why don’t I get to see the same sorts of miracles I read about in the Bible? I’m not saying God doesn’t still doing miracles. It just doesn’t seem to the same degree. I mean… Its nice to read about them in the Bible but… I’ve never SEEN God raise someone from the dead. I never got to SEE Jesus calm the storm. I’ve never seen God part the Red Sea or appear on a mountain top.

Maybe… just maybe… if God did more of that stuff… more people would believe in him, right? I mean, who wouldn’t believe if he raised someone to life right in front of them. After all… seeing is believing.

In today’s passage… the people of Israel are going to see one of the most spectacular miracles in the whole Old Testament. Will seeing…. Equal believing?

Let’s see how it plays out in this episode… of Stories of a Faithful God.

INTRO MUSIC

In the last episode we saw a new king come to power in Israel, King Ahab. He married the Sidonian king’s daughter, Jezebel, and he started worshiping their gods Baal and Asherah. Baal is the more important one… he’s said to be the king of the gods… the fertility god who brings rain. Asherah is his wife.

The God of Israel… the God who created the world and who revealed himself to the people of Israel… he’s not going to be just cast aside. He could’ve destroyed Israel, but instead he’s kindly sent a drought. He’s showing them who’s really in charge of the rain.

Elijah… his prophet, has been off in hiding for years. God’s done amazing things for and through him while he’s been away. He’s commanded ravens to feed Elijah. He’s miraculously made jars of flour and oil never run out, saving the lives of a widow and her son. When the son died, God answered Elijah’s prayer and raised the boy back to life. Most wonderfully at all, God used that to make the widow see that Elijah spoke the truth about God. She believed his word… and put her faith in the faithful God.

All that’s been hidden from the people of Israel, though. They’re still suffering under the drought… they’re still foolishly waiting for Baal to come to the rescue. They still can’t see the truth of who the real God is.

But now… all that’s about to change. It’s time for Elijah to go back.

We’re in 1 Kings chapter 18… or first Kings 18 if you prefer. And it begins with the living God… the speaking God… speaking to Elijah. We read this:

After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab.

Did you hear how long the drought’s been going on for? This is the third year. That’s a long time to have not a single drop of rain or dew on the ground. We’ll see just how bad things are in a moment. The people are facing the natural consequence of serving Baal. If they really don’t want God in charge, then he won’t keep giving them the good things that come from him. Like rain. They can ask Baal all they want. And of course, Baal’s done nothing. But now God’s bringing amazing grace to a stubborn people. Ahab’s been so foolish and evil in trying to send God away… but now God’s returning… and he’s going to rain down mercy and blessing.

We cut away from Elijah to a scene that’s happening in Israel. It gives us an insight into just how desperate things have become.

God tells us that the famine’s severe in Samaria… That’s Ahab’s capital city. More significantly, it’s the city where Ahab built a temple and altar to Baal. Just another reminder that Baal can’t protect his own.

And Ahab’s sitting there, trying to work out how to deal with this drought… and he calls in a man called Obadiah, who’s in charge of his household. He’s like a Chamberlain, or a Chief of Staff. In case you’re wondering, this is most likely NOT the Obadiah who wrote the Bible book, Obadiah.

But he is a man, the passage tells us, who fears the LORD greatly. That may sound strange. Aren’t we meant to love the Lord? Isn’t God kind? Why fear him.

But of course… The Lord is the God who gives life. Eternal life. He’s the source of everything that’s good. But if you reject him, you’re rejecting everything he gives. And you’ll spend an eternity cut off from God… without life… without goodness… without joy. That’s terrifying.

If you do fear God… you won’t reject him. In fact… if you fear him… you’ll have nothing else to fear. Because if God is for you, who can be against you. Even if someone kills you, God will still bring you back to life for eternity with him.

Fearing God… drives away all other fear.

And that’s what we see in Obadiah. He works closely with the king, so he knows Ahab’s Sidonian wife, Jezebel. And she’s made a point of killing all of God’s prophets in Israel. She sees Baal as the true king of the gods… the powerful lord of the earth… And anyone opposed to that must die.

And so it would be natural for Obadiah to be afraid of Jezebel. But instead… he fears God… and so he does something that could get him killed by Jezebel. Verse 4 tells us that:

when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.

That’s no small feat when you think that they’re in the third year of drought. Obadiah’s paying a huge financial price to keep these prophets alive. But he’s also risking paying the price of his life. He does it because he knows that Jezebel… despite her murderous rampaging… is not the one to fear.

Now Ahab calls in Obadiah. He’s got a desperate plan to keep at least some of their animals alive. In verse 5 Ahab says to Obadiah:

“Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

Notice how poor Ahab’s become. He doesn’t have 50 servants to send out on this job. Its just him by himself in one direction… and Obadiah by himself in another direction, trying to search the entire country.

So Obadiah sets off… and almost out of the blue… Elijah walks up to meet him. Obadiah’s shocked. He can’t believe his eyes. Remember… no-one in Israel’s seen Elijah for years. He says…

“Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

And Elijah answers, “It is I. Go, tell your lord (Ahab), ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’”

Now remember… the last time Elijah saw Ahab… he’d announced the drought, and he’d said that it would only end when he, Elijah, announces the end. So you’d think it’d be exciting that he’s back, right? But this simple request terrifies Obadiah. He’s terrified about what God might do with Elijah, if Obadiah leaves him alone. Listen to his fear. Listen to the extent that Ahab’s gone to to get Elijah back, so he can force him to call an end to the drought. In verse 9 Obadiah says:

“How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. 11 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ 12 And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth.

He thinks God might stab him in the back. And he’s like… why? I’m on God’s side. He goes on…

Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD’S prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; and he will kill me.”

Ahab is clearly not in the mood for people making up stories about how they’ve seen Elijah.

I saw a sign at airport security recently that said something like… “This is not the place for jokes about bombs. We take them really seriously.” It’s the same sort of thing.

God’s not gonna stab Obadiah in the back though. Elijah makes a promise to Obadiah that echoes the language of the words he’d said to Ahab about the drought. In verse 15 Elijah says:

“As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”

Again… if the LORD of hosts… or the LORD of Armies… doesn’t live… then Elijah’s words are empty. And even if he does live… if Elijah isn’t his spokesman… if he’s just a con artist or delusional…. Then his promise is empty.

But Obadiah knows that the LORD lives… and he knows that Elijah is God’s servant. So, he abandons the mission that Ahab’s given him, and instead goes and takes the message to Ahab. And you can feel the tension and electricity in the air as verse 16 says:

And Ahab went to meet Elijah.

When he arrives… We get an insight into how he’s thinking. We all tell ourselves stories to try and understand our situation. Sometimes our stories are true… sometimes they aren’t. We can often use these stories to say how we’re in the right and everyone else is bad. The story in Ahab’s head has clearly laid all the blame for the drought and devastation at Elijah’s feet.

He walks up to Elijah and says… “Is that you, you troubler of Israel”.

Now remember… God’s already told us why this is all happening. If Ahab had read God’s law from hundred’s of years before… he’d understand that this is exactly what God had said would happen if the people abandoned him. Ahab’s not the sort of guy to keep a Bible by his bedside though. All he’s heard is Elijah saying there’ll be no rain until he, the servant of the God of Israel, says there will be. Ahab’s probably tried to get Baal to send rain, but then he’s finally accepted that he needs Elijah. In fact, he blames Elijah for all his problems.

Elijah puts him firmly in his place. In verse 18 he says:

“I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals.

If you, Ahab, had stuck with God and what he said… none of this would’ve happened. And why wouldn’t you? God had promised the Israelites blessing and wealth and peace and security and joy and happiness and long life. And they’ve thrown it all away for these gods that give them… nothing.

Well it’s time for a showdown… And all of Israel are going to be witnesses. He tells Ahab to gather all the Israelites to Mount Carmel. He also tells him to bring some other people. He tells Ahab to bring the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Remember what Jezebel has done to the prophets of God. Obadiah, who feared God, had to hide some of them in a cave and sneak them food. Meanwhile Jezebel has been feeding and supporting 950 prophets of Baal and Asherah through the royal treasury. If you’re looking from the outside… it seems like all the power lies with Baal.

Well Ahab does what Elijah says. He summons all the people to Mt Carmel. This mountain and mountain range is a byword for prosperity. For blessing. For beauty. When the prophets want to say that disaster will come, they talk about how Carmel will be barren. This is one of those places that was meant to show the people of God how much he’d blessed them. But because they’d abandoned God… it’s a stark reminder of how bad things have become.

Ahab kind of fades into the background at this part of the story. He’s there, but he’s just one of the crowd. Instead, Elijah addresses all the people.

In verse 21 he asks them:

“How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

That’s a great word… limping. They’re not strong or thought out in their opinions. They get up in the morning. Have a stretch. “hmm… Today I might follow Yahweh, Israel’s God… oh, look! the king built an altar to Baal. That seems good, I’ll worship him.”

They have no conviction or understanding or firm belief. They’re kind of agnostic. If you can say anything positive about Jezebel… at least you know where she stands. For these people… they’re just so wishy washy.

But Elijah’s put it really simply. Only one of these is the real god. Work out which one and follow him.

The people’s reply is telling. They don’t say a word. They don’t want to commit. They’re still limping.

So Elijah lays down a challenge, or a test, to find out who the real god is. He wants to help them make a decision.

And no-one can accuse him of rigging the competition. He does everything in his power to let the other team have all the advantages. Listen to how he emphasises how weak he is. In verse 22 he says:

“I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.”

Imagine a boxing match where it was 1 guy against 450.

The he lays out the groundwork for the challenge.

Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.”

It’s a really simple test, isn’t it? How could anyone say no. And finally, the people commit to something. They say, “yeah! Great idea! Let’s do it!”

Elijah graciously lets the other team go first because they are many of them. Again, he’s highlighting their apparent strength. They can even choose their own bull so there’s no danger of it being tampered with.

And so, the prophets of Baal make their sacrifice. And they start praying, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” They pray… all morning. Hour after hour after hour. “O Baal, answer us!”

And we read in verse 26:

But there was no voice, and no one answered.

Throughout the whole passage that we’ve looked at in the last episode and this one… time and time again we’ve heard God speak and act… including raising a dead boy to life! But when Baal’s prophets pray… nothing.

We’re told that they limp around the altar they’ve made… just like the people of Israel limped between two opinions. These prophets are weak.

At noon Elijah starts mocking them. In verse 27 he says:

“Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”

When I tell this story to kids they love that Elijah says… maybe he’s relieving himself. Maybe he’s on the toilet. Of course, when I tell the story to kids it may be that I might slightly… emphasise that one.

It’s a simple point though, isn’t it? Where is your god? Why can’t he hear you? Why can’t he respond?

So much worship that isn’t Christian worship is about manipulating your god or gods to do what you want. They’re like spoiled children who need to be coaxed into a response.

And so… probably to show their devotion to Baal… they start cutting themselves with swords and lances… until the blood gushes around them.

How different to the God of the Bible who, instead of asking his people to bleed for him… comes into the world as a man, Jesus Christ… in order to bleed in their place.

And they keep going. Hour… after hour… after hour. In verse 29 we read:

As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, or evening sacrifice, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

It’s time for the LORD… Yahweh… the God of Israel to have his turn with his one, measly prophet.

He calls everyone to come to him. He wants them to make sure he has their full attention.

He starts repairing an altar of the LORD that had been knocked down. Yet another sign of the contempt God’s been shown. Elijah builds the altar exactly how God had said to build it… with 12 stones. It isn’t fancy or a fine piece of architecture. Verse 31 says:

Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,”

Again we see… Yahweh… the Lord… is a speaking God. And it’s a great reminder that its by his word that Israel has their existence. He made them Israel. And now Elijah’s obeying Yahweh’s word as he builds this altar to the Lord.

So far, so good.

Then things get a little… strange.

He digs a trench around the altar. It’s a bit odd. It isn’t immediately obvious why he’s doing it. People might’ve scratched their heads but… no matter.

Elijah puts the wood on the altar and then the pieces of the bull on top of the wood. That’s what you’d expect on an altar.

Then things get a little… stranger.

In verse 33 he says to some people around him…

“Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”

Now I’ve started a few fires in my time… and I’ve never thought of putting water on the wood before starting it. I’ve certainly used it to put fires out. This seems a little crazy. Especially when you think about how precious water is at the moment. There hasn’t been rain for 2 or 3 years.

But the people do what he asks. The trudge down into the valley… fill up four jars of water and carry it back. They get there and… for whatever purpose… they pour the water all over the sacrifice and the wood.

They look over at Elijah as if to say, “Now what”. And he just says…, “Do it again.”

So they trudge back down. Fill up their four jars. Carry the precious water back up and pour it over the altar… drenching everything.

And Elijah looks at them… and he says…, “Do it again.”

And they do. And now there’s so much water there that’s its filled up the trench that Elijah had dug. The altar and the wood and the sacrifice seem to have been made fireproof.

And… as the sun sets and its time for the regular evening offering to God to be made… Elijah steps forward to pray.

Remember the prophets of Baal have prayed all day… chanting and yelling and cutting themselves in a desperate attempt to get a reaction from their god. Elijah prays for less than thirty seconds.

He’s really clear about who he’s praying to. He’s not just praying to any god… he’s praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Lots of people say they love God but when they say that you have to say… yes, but which God? In the New Testament the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is shown to be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you say I like God but I’m not into Jesus… then you don’t really know God. Elijah wants to be really clear about who he’s praying to.

He’s also clear on what he’s asking God. He wants the people to know… without a shadow of a doubt… that he… Yahweh the Lord… God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… is the God of Israel. He’s their God. They shouldn’t go chasing after other pretend gods.

He also wants them to know that Elijah is God’s prophet. That’s really important. It isn’t some ego trip for Elijah. Lots of people claim to speak for God. The prophets of Baal claim to speak for God. There are people today who claim to speak for God who say completely opposite things. Some say Jesus is God the son… others say no, he’s just a nice human. They can’t both be right. If you want to get to know God you have to know who truly speaks for him.

So let me read to you this tiny… short… weak prayer… Asking for fire on a completely waterlogged, fireproof sacrifice… Spoken by one single… lonely prophet. The representative of a god who seems so helpless that he’s been displaced by Baal. Verse 36:

Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Everything’s gone. And there’s really only one possible reaction. In verse 39 we read…

When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”

The people aren’t limping between two opinions now. How could they?

God has done… exactly what Elijah asked.

He’s shown them that he’s the one who’s turning their hearts back to him.

He’s shown them the Elijah really is his prophet who speaks on his behalf.

He’s shown the people that he is God in Israel.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

Now its time to do some housecleaning. The people need to cleanse the evil liars from their land. The people who were invited in to rob them of the blessings of God. In verse 40 Elijah says to the people, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

Remember that Jezebel had killed all the prophets of the Lord because she didn’t want any rivals or usurpers to Baal. Well now it’s been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that its Baal who’s the usurper. His prophets are the ones destroying the land with their lies. His prophets are the ones who deserve to die.

And now its time for God to show mercy to his people. Remember… God didn’t need to send a drought. He could’ve wiped his people from the face of the earth…. But instead he wants to save them. The drought was the radical surgery they needed. He was slowly taking out the cancerous lie that Baal is the true god… Baal is the one who sends the rain… Baal is the one who blesses. He’s invited them back to the wonderful blessing they can only enjoy with the true God.

And that’s symbolised by the return of Ahab into the story. Remember, Ahab is the one who started all this. He went to the Sidonians… He married Jezebel… He built the temple and altar of Baal. He stood by as Jezebel went around killing the prophets of the LORD.

And yet, now Elijah mercifully announces to Ahab the good news of the end of the drought. Blessing is about to flow. He says to Ahab in verse 41:

“Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.”

You don’t have to preserve every last drop now. Rain is coming. The rain is rushing to Israel.

So while Ahab goes to eat and drink, Elijah climbs to the top of Mount Carmel. It’s a big mountain that overlooks the Mediterranean Sea.

And we read in verse 42:

He bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.

Is he praying? Is he waiting? We don’t know. But then we read…

He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.”

That’s a bit of an anticlimax, isn’t it? But think of the power and faithfulness of God that we’ve seen so far in this story. His feeding of Elijah. His providing for the widow’s household. Raising the boy back to life. Bringing Israel back to him. Just because God doesn’t do something exactly when you might expect… that doesn’t matter. His plans are perfect and you can trust him to do what’s good at the right time.

And so… because Elijah trusts God, he says to his servant, Go again. And then… Go again. We’re told that he says Go again seven times. Seven symbolises perfection. And so… at God’s perfect timing… the servant says:

“Behold, la little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”

Just a little cloud. Just a tiny little sign of the great things about to come. Like at a wedding when everyone’s waiting inside for the bride to arrive… And then you see people at the door who are starting to fuss around and get things ready. Or when a baby’s being born.. and there’s pain and waiting and tension… and then you hear the first cry after the baby’s taken its first breath. Big things are about to happen.

And again, Elijah shows his love and care for Ahab. God’s love and care. Undeserved but freely given. Elijah tells his servant in verse 46:

“Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’”

In other words… its coming! Ahab, its coming. You gotta go right now if you don’t want to get bogged. And then we read:

And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. 46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

I used to think that that meant God made Elijah run miraculously fast so he could get there ahead of Ahab. But in other parts of the Bible there are people who run before the chariots of kings. They’re the kings… servants…. Or foot soldiers… Or bodyguards.

Elijah… the prophet of the Lord God… honours king Ahab. He submits to him like a servant. This is just another sign of the graciousness and mercy of God. There’s no doubt that Ahab’s failed as a king. There’s no doubt that he’s brought disaster on God’s people by his evil actions. There’s no doubt that he deserves nothing less than what the prophets of Baal got. And yet God… reveals himself to Ahab… Shows his power and kindness to Ahab… Gives Ahab every opportunity to return to the blessing of sitting under the kingship of God.

When Ahab gets to Jezreel, though… he throws it all back in God’s face.

He doesn’t have the guts to confront Elijah, but when he gets home, he runs straight to Jezebel… and tells her what’s happened.

And does he go… “Hey honey… you should’ve been there. It was so great! There was this big god competition and I thought Baal would win hands down. But you know what? It turns out he doesn’t even exist! His prophets prayed all day but there was no-one even listening! But then God had his turn and there was a sacrifice and water and then bam! Fire! Steam! All gone! Honey… let me tell you… God’s been so kind. He’s shown us how wrong we were… he’s sent all this rain. Things are only going to get better from here.”

Somehow… it just doesn’t feel like that’s how the conversation goes. It feels like there’s a bit of… complaint in the air.

He does tell her everything that’s happened, including how all the false prophets were killed… And its like… that’s all she hears. That’s all she cares about. There’s no… “Oh man, I need to rethink my whole life.” No… Instead she sends this message to Elijah. And you can hear the venom dripping as she says it. In chapter 19 verse 2 she says:

“So may the gods…

Notice that… gods plural. The ones who’ve just been proven not to exist.

“So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”

That’s the breaking point for Elijah. Its like all the wind is taken out of his sails. You know how people can work really hard on something… they work through the tough times… they put up with hardship… but then that kick in the guts comes out of the blue… and its like all hope is lost. What more does God have to do? How much more obvious can he make it? How much kinder does he have to be? And yet… despite everything that’s happened… no-one’s gonna stand up to Jezebel and protect God’s prophet.

We’re told that Elijah is… afraid. And he runs. He runs for his life. He runs south from Jezreel. South to the bottom of Israel. He crosses over into Judah, the southern kingdom, and keeps running. He comes to Beersheba, the southern most city in the two kingdoms. And he leaves his servant there. Clearly his servant’s managed to keep up with him. But now we see the full extent of Elijah’s despair. He leaves his servant in Beersheba. He thinks his ministry is over. He doesn’t need his servant anymore. And then in verse 4 we read:

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree.

What a heartbreaking sight. Elijah didn’t despair when he lived by the brook… all alone… being fed by ravens. He didn’t despair when he was living in a foreign country for years. He didn’t despair when the boy in the house died. But in all those situations… he trusted that God had a plan. He didn’t know exactly how things were going to end… but he knew that God would succeed. And I’m sure that as he ran in front of Ahab’s chariot, he’d been thinking… “this is it! God’s won the victory.”

But now it feels like… the plan’s happened… and nothing’s changed. Do you ever feel like that? 2000 years ago people killed Jesus… but he conquered death, he conquered sin, he’s the ruler of the world… and yet it feels like nothing’s changed.

Elijah’s sunken to the deepest pit of despair and says to God… “Just let me die”. And he falls asleep, waiting for his life to ebb away.

It must’ve been strange… in that wilderness… that place of loneliness and despair… to feel a gentle… loving… friendly hand on the shoulder.

You see… Elijah may have given up on life… but God hasn’t given up on Elijah. He sends his angel to meet him in his place of despair and provide comfort and food. The angel tells Elijah to get up and eat. Elijah looks up… and there’s a freshly baked loaf of bread keeping warm on some hot stones, and a jar of water.

Elijah doesn’t speak… but he does eat and drink. I don’t know if you’ve ever had warm, freshly baked bread. Its simple and delicious. Good for the soul. Elijah lays down again to sleep some more.

And then the angel of the LORD comes to him a second time… And again gently touches him and says in verse 7:

“Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”

Which is interesting, because in Elijah’s mind… there was no more journey. He was there to die. But gently… lovingly… God says “no. I have other plans for you.” And he provides all the energy and sustenance Elijah needs for his journey. We read in verse 8:

And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

Now we can’t miss the symbolism here. Forty days and forty nights… throughout the Bible that’s a waiting time. You look towards what happens at the end. Noah waited 40 days and forty nights for the rain to stop. Jesus was in the wilderness forty days and forty nights waiting for the time of temptation. Elijah travels forty days and forty nights and arrives at… Horeb. If you’re not familiar with that name… perhaps you know its other name. Mt Sinai.

Elijah has come to THE place where God met with Moses and the Israelites… centuries ago. Where God brought them after saving them from slavery in Egypt. Where God had established them as His nation. Where he’d given them his law. These are the loving words God had said to them all those years ago… in Exodus 19 verse 4, God said:

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

There’d been over a million of them there that day. Now there’s just Elijah… standing in despair. Hundreds and hundreds of years of history… with God giving them grace upon grace when time and time and time again they haven’t listened to his voice. They haven’t kept his covenant. Even now… after God’s revealed himself in such a fresh… spectacular way… Jezebel still gets her way.

Elijah goes and sits inside a cave… and just like He did on that day with Moses and the Israelites… just like he’s been doing all throughout or story… the living God speaks. And he says to Elijah in verse 9:

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

It’s a good question. Has he come to get an audience with God? Has he come to complain? Has he come to wallow in despair?

He certainly sounds despairing in verse 10. He says:

“I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

There’s a lot of pain in that, isn’t there. “I’ve fought for you God… Everyone else has abandoned you… I’m the only one left on your side… and now they’re trying to kill me.”

Is he saying… I’ve failed you God. I worked so hard but nothing’s changed?

Is he simply accusing Israel… Asking God to destroy them?

Is there a bit more accusation? I’ve been jealous for you God… why haven’t you made everything better.

I’m not really sure. And perhaps… Elijah’s emotions are so overwhelming at the moment that even he doesn’t know.

God doesn’t answer him straight away. Instead he says… go out of the cave and stand before the LORD. This is a huge privilege that Elijah’s being given. The last person to stand before the LORD on Mt Sinai was Moses… where God’s glory had passed in front of him.

Before Elijah can exit the cave though… suddenly the LORD passes by… and its terrifying.

And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.

Can you imagine a wind so strong and powerful that it tears the mountains apart? This is an awesome demonstration of God’s power. But God hasn’t arrived yet.

And then we see another demonstration of God’s power. An earthquake. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in an earthquake. I’ve only been in a small one when I was a kid… And its like… What’s going on. Everything that’s not supposed to move… everything that never moves… is shaking.

But again we read… but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

And then fire comes… but the LORD was not in the fire.

This may seem strange to us, but remember… if you’re an Israelite… this is how you expect God to come to Mount Sinai. Let me read to you from Exodus 19 how God arrived after the Israelites had been saved out of Egypt. This is Exodus 19 verse 18:

Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder.

Later on it says:

when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Gives you tingles, doesn’t it? Hopefully we’ll get to do THAT in a future episode.

But back to Elijah… he might expect God to come like that… to display his power… to show his greatness. What a contrast then when… after the wind and the earthquake and the fire he hears… the sound of a low whisper.

It doesn’t say that God’s in the whisper but clearly that’s what Elijah assumes. In verse 13 we read:

He wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

No one can look on the face of the Lord and live. When God passed in front of Moses, he covered Moses with his hand to protect him.

So why a whisper after all these great and powerful signs.

Well maybe… maybe a whisper from God is the most powerful sign of all. We get caught up in what we see. We want to see big dramatic signs like fire falling from the sky and whole mountains shaking and trembling. And yet… what have we seen far more of throughout this story? We’ve seen God speaking.

By God’s word… Ravens fed Elijah day after day.

By God’s word… A widow gave her last meal and shelter to Elijah… and by God’s word she and her whole household were miraculously provided for day after day after day.

By God’s word he’d established Israel… stopped the rain… started the rain…

It’s the same word that God had used to create the world when he’d said… let there be light.

It’s the word that Elijah had obeyed faithfully up until recently. And yet now he seems to have lost faith in that word.

Once again, God’s speaks. He asks exactly the same question, and Elijah gives the same response. In verse 13:

behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”

In his despair, it feels like Elijah has become a little… self-focussed. “I’ve been really great… everyone else has sinned… and I’m the only good guy left and now they’re trying to kill me.”

God’s reply is gentle. Its both comforting… and a soft rebuke. He lifts Elijah’s eyes to remind him that he, God, has a plan. God speaks about what he’s going to do and he calls Elijah back into that plan. He’s looked after Elijah and allowed him this time of escape… But now God’s spoken… and God’s word never fails… “so Elijah… there’s work to be done.”

In verse 15, this is what the Lord says to him. He starts by making some job appointments. He tells Elijah…

“Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.

That’s a good reminder that God isn’t just in charge of Israel… he’s the God of the whole world. But then coming back to Israel, God says…

And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.

It might be comforting for Elijah to know that his work will come to an end and he can hand off to someone else. God’s work doesn’t end, though. His plans are eternal and he’s always working towards them.

So what’s he appointing these people for? What’s their job?

They’re being appointed… for judgement.

God says in verse 17:

And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.

For hundreds and hundreds of years now… God has patiently called his people back to himself. Invited them back to the blessing and life that only he can give. He’s now given them such a spectacular sign… and although for a brief moment they seemed to be all on board… they were just being fickle again. Limping between opinions. Going with whoever appeared to be winning at the time.

And while God is gracious… in fact, under the leadership of these people who are appointed for judgement, God will still send heaps of invitations back to himself… just read about it in 2 Kings. There’s a time, though, when he says enough’s enough. If you continuously turn away from the God of life… your life is forfeit. Don’t take God’s mercy as a sign of weakness… or a sign that he doesn’t care about justice and fairness. The appointment of Hazael, Jehu and Elisha will mark the beginning of the end for Israel. They’ll still limp along for a while… but in 722BC they will be completely wiped out by the Assyrian empire… never to rise again.

And yet… don’t think that God’s given up on salvation. Things look awful to Elijah. It looks like he’s the only one who cares about God… But humans… Elijah… us… we can’t see what God sees. We don’t see how he’s working in the lives of people all over the world. And so God says to Elijah in verse 18:

Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

God always makes sure that there are people he’s saving. Even in the darkest times and the worst of times. Elijah was wrong to think he was the only one left. God was still doing his work.

Centuries later… it was time for the big salvation work to kick off. With the arrival of God the son, Jesus Christ. Through his life, death and resurrection… and then with the coming of God’s spirit… suddenly it wasn’t a few people here and there… some people in Israel and maybe a single widow in a neighbouring country. Now suddenly… it was thousands… and then millions… and if the numbers are to be believed… billions.

And yet almost everywhere on the planet where people have been saved by Jesus… they still feel in the minority. They still live surrounded by people who couldn’t care less about the one, true, living God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. To almost ever Christian there are times when it can feel like… what’s God doing? Have his planned failed? Is no-one being saved?

And just like God gave that encouraging word to Elijah at Sinai… God gives us his encouraging word in Revelation. A book where the world feels out of control but is shown to be driven along by God’s perfect plan. And there God reveals what the end will look like. John, who was given this glimpse into heaven, tells us this in revelation 7 verse 9:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb (That’s Jesus), clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Don’t ever think that God’s doing nothing. Even in the darkest times he’s saving people.

At the beginning of today’s episode, I asked if you’d ever wanted to see more of God’s miracles. Like in the good old days… like in the Bible. If seeing is believing, then why doesn’t God show a big miraculous sign every generation? Make it so everyone gets to see at least one miracle. Surely… more people would believe, right?

One of the things our passage today shows is that when it comes to the sinful heart… seeing doesn’t equal believing. Sure, the people had an immediate positive response… but it didn’t last long. When Jehu became king a few years later… there were still heaps of Baal worshippers. The temple of Baal was still standing in Samaria.

When Jesus did all his miracles… some people believed in him afterwards… others just became more determined to kill him. They had the same reaction as Jezebel.

When Jesus was raised from the dead, he appeared to his disciples who were inside a locked room. They were amazed and believed. One of them, Thomas, wasn’t there though. He said what I suspect a lot of people have said throughout the years. In John chapter 20 verse 25 he said to the other disciples:

“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Eight days later, Jesus does appear to him. He says… here you go… put your fingers in the nail holes… put your hand in my side where the spear went in… Stop doubting and believe.

And he does. He falls to his knees and says to Jesus… “My Lord and My God.”

What Jesus says next is very encouraging for everyone who’s lived after that time. He says to Thomas…

“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

That’s pretty much every believer since then, right? But if we don’t get to see… on what basis do we believe? On what basis can we convince other people to believe?

Its by the most powerful force that we’ve seen in these two episodes. Not fire from heaven. Not earthquakes. Not ravens. But God’s word. His word never fails. He never lies. Everything he says can be trusted.

FINAL MUSIC