Did you ever feel like God was leading you to open your mouth and be His spokesman? As weird as that may sound to some, God DOES call His followers to faithfully represent Him in various places around the globe on any given day. Learning that God will meet our needs is not the whole story. We have to be able to follow God right into the heart of a dark time and show that confidence to those around us.An example of that truth is revealed in the story of Elijah. The greatest contest of the prophet Elijah’s career was about to begin. God called him after the lessons of provision: see God provide (17:1-7), pronounce God’s provision (17:8-16), become an empowered instrument of God’s provision (17:17-24). He was brought back into service (18:1) after a time to reflect and grow, and he was to apply the lessons. Key Principle: God uses one who is empowered by God’s provision to strengthen the weak, challenge the deceived, and rebuke the defiant. Yet, he must continually kneel to keep that power.
Story #1: Elijah and Obadiah (18:1-16) The Empowered Testimony before the Timid Believer
Elijah told him to depart and get Ahab (18:8). The response was less than excited! He pleaded with Elijah, “Why are you doing this to me? I will go and tell him you are here, and after the incredible search for you he has done, if you disappear again, he will surely KILL me! (18:9-12). Now zero in on the way Obadiah shared his problem with following the instruction of Elijah in 18:12. Obadiah said, “The Spirit of God” will take you away, “I will be killed” even though I have revered the Lord since my youth. Can you hear it? Obadiah had been through so many tough things that he no longer believed that God would take care of him! Elijah learned from the University of Ravens and Widows” that God could use anything, anywhere, anytime to care for His children!
What is this story about? Why is this exchange included in the eternal Word of God?
There are several reasons. We learn four principles about the follower of God that is empowered and walking in God’s strength should handle himself before weaker believers:
- He is to move forward in hard things by the command of God, counting on the Lord to provide what is needed (18:1). God may tell Him a glimpse of the plan (18:1b), but he is to walk in obedience in any case (18:2).
- The obedient believer may feel alone, but he will meet some who being quietly used by God in many places and many ways (18:3-4).
- Even when an obedient believer runs into another believer, it doesn’t mean they won’t need to proclaim their life message (in Elijah’s case it was provision! 18:15).
- Remember, obedient believers encounter some of the first resistance in doing bold things for God from OTHER BELIEVERS. Don’t get discouraged, just do what God told you to do!
I have in mind the child of a believing home that isn’t following God, and in fact is rebelling! Ahab certainly qualifies as a child of rebellion, and he was planted in a place that had a strong testimony just a few years in its past. Granted that Omri was no example, but the example was available to Ahab if he wanted it in his life.
When Ahab saw Elijah, the question that came out of his mouth was incredibly revealing… He said, “Are you the one who troubles Israel?” It never occurred to him that the problem he was facing was not God’s fault, nor God’s prophet. The problem was the sin of the King. He alone was responsible! (18:17). Because he didn’t “get it”, Elijah carefully and directly spoke truth to power: “No sire, it is because of you and your father’s house who forsook God’s commands and followed other gods” (18:18). “If you want to have a fight, bring on your 850 prophets and I will face them” (18:19). Look at three principles for the obedient believer before the Estranged and Rebellious:
- The rebellious mis-frame their misfortune– sometimes you will be forced to challenge their false conclusions (18:17). They think if they can move the lines they are coloring outside of, the problems will go away. Legalize drugs. Legalize prostitution. Legalize abortion of the inconvenience. Get a pill that masks symptoms. Give away rights without responsibilities. Tell people that any combination of people that want to call themselves a family is one. Tell people they can remake the family according to their own desires. What they don’t understand is that when the new agenda has been opened, they will bravely take us into a new level of destructive problems we have only begun to see…
- The believer must give the message God has declared (18;18). We may be in pain over the actions of others, and we desperately want them to come to the truth, but we cannot overlook the truth to win them. The cause is to join them to HIM not US.
- The believer can’t always give the stage to the majority (18:19). There are times when you will need to stick out, because it is the right thing to do.
Story #3: Elijah and the Prophets of Baal (18:21-35) The Empowered Testimony before the Defiant Idolators
The fallen world system is pictured in this story in the hundreds of prophets of Baal and the Asherah cult. The challenge was placed in front of the public (18:21) and a public address was offered by Elijah as a challenge. Elijah pointed out the inequity of the strength (18:22). He laid the challenge terms down so that people would be able to see it clearly, choosing the symbols of Baal as the point of the contest (18:23-26).
Elijah allowed the Baalites to work at their cold offering and pray, dance and cajole a sleeping Baal until noon (18:27a). Elijah offers a scathing but direct challenge, heightening the tension that got the Baalites worked up even more mid-afternoon (18:27b-29).
“Enough!” hollered Elijah. He called the people to his altar setting. He built an altar of twelve stones, representing the 12 tribes (18:10-32) and then added WATER to the mix! (18:33-35). Look closely at the story! Can you see four principles for the believer under fire before the world?
- Make sure that everyone understands the rules of the debate before you open yourself to it (18:21-22).
- Don’t get into it, unless God has led you and you understand what He wants to do (18:23-24).
- Give the unbeliever time. Be patient with them. They will play out their hand and show that they cannot deliver. (18:25-26).
- If you have something to say about their practices, make sure you understand the facts first! (18:27-28).
Story #4: Elijah and God (18:36-40) The Empowered Testimony and his Powerful God
Elijah turned himself to God, and called on Yahweh to answer by fire. His call was public and clear, and asked for a direct answer (18:36-37). God answered, took out the altar, water and meat in a lightning strike from above (18:38). Since the point of the exercise was to rid the land of the plague of rebellion, Elijah called on the people to seize the Baalites, and he took them to the river and killed them there (18:39-40). The obedient believer, when facing his Lord must:
- Follow the Word of the Lord, not his own foolish notions (18:36 – note: “at Your Word!”).
- Pray the stated purposes of the Lord! Don’t be afraid to allow Him to prove Himself, but challenge Him in reverence – He allows it! (18:37).
- Make sure people connect to HIM not YOU (18:38-39).
- Follow through on everything God calls you to do. Hold nothing back! (18:40).
