Little is known about the background of Elijah. He seemed to suddenly appear on the scene of the northern kingdom of Israel. He was bold and uncompromising. The center of his ministry was to speak for God against all forms of evil. In particular, he was a challenge to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who implemented the idolatrous worship of Baal. He went to great effort that he might portray before the nation their own sins and of those in power who led them toward spiritual rebellion. Our text is a display of how earnest he was for God.
As Elijah prepared to challenge Ahab and his false prophets, he made a statement similar to what Jeremiah said, “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) and (1 Kings 18: 21) Let us pray that we all have the same determination to stand up for the Lord’s message and stand against evil. To demonstrate God’s power and the foolishness of worshiping Baal, Elijah bound up the skies to not rain for three years. As a result of his prophecy, our text can be a lesson for us.
Under God’s power, this mighty prophet was determined to stand against sin. His boldness and prophecy is similar to that of John the Baptist. In our prayers to be dedicated to God, let us call evil for what it is. Evil is spiritual sickness. It is what we cannot dabble in. It is so corrosive that without salvation from Christ vast numbers of humanity will doom themselves to an eternal hell. It is intensely acidic that those who serve God can easily have their devotion minimized. For those of us who are determined to serve the Lord, our efforts must be so genuine that our entire being seeks the Lord, his power, his blessing, and his support.
Elijah was divinely appointed by God to stand before Ahab and then to wait at the brook to be fed by ravens. Think with me about the places in our lives, our worksites, our location for leisure, and even where we worship as sent there by God. We speak of being pilgrims on this earth (which is true) but we are not aimlessly wandering around. In our submission to God, we are under his direction where to be and what to do.
God told Elijah to flee to a place that was one of perfect seclusion. This is what the Bible means when it says we are to separate ourselves. (2 Corinthians 6:17) This is what it means to follow the instructions of Scripture to go to a private place with the door closed so that we might commune with the Heavenly Father. (Matthew 6:6)
Like Elijah, we have an assuring promise from God. (Verse4) He will be present for us. He knows our needs and will not be slack in meeting them. This is not to say that he will provide for the wants we have. Nor is it to say that he will always answer in the way we wish. Because of his love and because of his power we can trust him so that when we are face-to-face with an issue, he will be there with us. He told Elijah to go to such and such a place and there he would receive the benefit of his promise, which in Elijah’s case was drink and food brought by ravens.
Gaining God’s provision when we are willing to recognize it, is a wonderful experience. His generosity is plentiful. His care is consistently regular. Because it is from God, what we have is miraculous. This is an example of teamwork between humanity and the divine. This is the fulfillment of what Paul said, “For we are laborers together with God: you are God’s husbandry, you are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9) As Elijah was, so can we be the beneficiary of God’s use and grace.
Christian Writer 