Today's Devotion
Friday April 19, 2024
INTERESTING FACTS : "ONE HUNDRED YEARS FROM MY DAY THERE WILL NOT BE A BIBLE IN THE EARTH EXCEPT ONE THAT IS LOOKED UPON BY AN ANTIQUARIAN CURIOSITY SEEKER." — VOLTAIRE (1694-1778)
DAILY READING : 1 KINGS 18 - 20
TEXT : 1Ki 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 1Ki 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. 1Ki 19:3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 1Ki 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
THEME : DISCOURAGEMENT
No doubt, Elijah is a courageous man. You have to be brave when you are called by God to speak His Word. The prophet of God [or the preacher of today] is not permitted the luxury of fearfulness or cowardice. God's Word must go forth, and to do so means the minister has to keep himself encouraged. The enemies of the Word of God are many. They always have been. Yet, even the most powerful prophet, patriarch, or apostles of Christ are only men. This implies weakness that periodically will prevail over the mind and defeat - though temporarily, the greatest of God's saints. It has always been so.
When Elijah challenges the [false] prophets of Israel, he takes on the prevailing doctrinal errors of his day. To say it another way, when Elijah throws down the gauntlet, he is standing against the errors and deception of men's minds - what they think and what they say. In one sense, this is apologetics or polemics at its core. It is a defense of the faith given by one man of God against many false teachers. It is notable that in every age truth has less adherents than error. Still, God always has a remnant and in Elijah's time, there is no exception. God raised Elijah up to stand against the tyranny of apostasy. God brought Elijah into the world to oppose the lies of deceptive, deceived, ambitious, and covetous prophets. God has a witness for Himself and to Himself in every age. He always will.
However, it is not an enviable position when called by God to contradict false teachers and their teachings. Neither is it a pleasant task to be the one chosen to tell the masses - God is going to judge the land.
"One may guess how people stand affected to God, by observing how they stand affected to his people and ministers. It has been the lot of the best and most useful men, like Elijah, to be called and counted the troublers of the land. But those who cause God's judgments do the mischief, not he that foretells them, and warns the nation to repent." [Matthew Henry]
Yet, we see Elijah stand firm on Mount Carmel as God shows Himself strong on his behalf. The miraculous descent of fire from the sky was a commanding display of God - that is, the One True God, and His willingness to show the people the truth about Himself, His Word, His servant Elijah, and the sins of the people. Like Jannes and Jambres who withstood Moses in the courts of Pharaoh before the Exodus, false teachers and prophets have a limited amount of tricks in their bag before God proves that He, and He alone is God.
"Then the fire of the Lord fell - It did not burst out from the altar; this might still, notwithstanding the water, have afforded some ground for suspicion that fire had been concealed, after the manner of the heathens, under the altar. Consumed the burnt-sacrifice - The process of this consumption is very remarkable, and all calculated to remove the possibility of a suspicion that there was any concealed fire.
1. The fire came down from heaven.
2. The pieces of the sacrifice were first consumed.
3. The wood next, to show that it was not even by means of the wood that the flesh was burned.
4. The twelve stones were also consumed, to show that it was no common fire, but one whose agency nothing could resist.
5. The dust, the earth of which the altar was constructed, was burned up.
6. The water that was in the trench was, by the action of this fire, entirely evaporated.
7. The action of this fire was in every case downward, contrary to the nature of all earthly and material fire. Nothing can be more simple and artless than this description, yet how amazingly full and satisfactory is the whole account!" [ Adam Clarke]
The people had wavered in their devotion to Jehovah and Baal. They could not make up their minds whom to serve, so they tried to combine the two. They attempted to compromise the Lord with Baal, which, of course, cannot be done. God will have no competitors or partners. He alone is God.
"Elijah addressed the assembled people as follows: "How long do ye limp upon both sides? Is Jehovah God, then go after Him; but if Baal be God, then go after him" - and the people answered him not a word. They wanted to combine the worship of Jehovah and Baal, and not to assume a hostile attitude towards Jehovah by the worship of Baal; and were therefore obliged to keep silence under this charge of infatuated halving, since they knew very well from the law itself that Jehovah demanded worship with a whole and undivided heart (Deu_6:4-5). This dividing of the heart between Jehovah and Baal Elijah called limping הַסְּעִפִּים שְׁתֵּי עַל, "upon the two parties (of Jehovah and Baal)." For סְעִפִּים the meaning "divided opinions, parties," is well established by the use of סֵעֲפִים in Psa_119:113;" [Keil and Delitzsch]
After all of this, Elijah cuts off the heads of all the false prophets by the river Kishon. Next, after the rain falls on the land in torrents, Elijah runs before Ahab's chariot from Carmel to Jezreel a distance of about 16 miles. When he hears Jezebel wants to kill him, he travels to Beer-Sheba, a distance of about 95 miles. No doubt, from all of this Elijah was exhausted - in mind, body, and spirit.
"The rapid movement of the original is very striking. "And he saw (or, "feared," as some read), and he rose, and he went, etc." The fear and flight of Elijah are very remarkable. Jezebel's threat alone, had not, in all probability, produced the extraordinary change but, partly, physical reaction from the over-excitement of the preceding day; and, partly, internal disquietude and doubt as to the wisdom of the course which he had adopted.
Beer-Sheba is about 95 miles from Jezreel, on the very borders of the desert et-Tih. Elijah cannot possibly have reached it until the close of the second day. It seems implied that he traveled both night and day, and did not rest until he arrived thus far on his way." [Albert Barnes]
TRUTH FOR TODAY : WHEN WE ARE DISCOURAGED, GOD WILL REVIVE OUR SPIRIT!
To ask God to take away your life is certainly a sign of depression. Ordinarily, we are content to live in this world until life becomes too much for us to handle. Moreover, we will do well with some trouble, but once we are overwhelmed we begin to despair. Further, once we despair we quit - at least mentally. After this, we are suffer a depression of mood where nothing satisfies. Depression, when not due to organic disease is a protracted form of discouragement. Thus, Elijah mentally and physically exhausted cries out - "it is enough!" Our equivalent is - 93I've had enough!" It is a statement of extreme discouragement, and even God's finest servants are not exempt from the temptation to quit. After all, if we look for our reward here on earth for doing God's service, and are not prepared for the inevitable- that is, the rejection of the truth by a majority of people, then we are primed for depression.
"Jezebel sent Elijah a threatening message. Carnal hearts are hardened and enraged against God, by that which should convince and conquer them. Great faith is not always alike strong. He might be serviceable to Israel at this time, and had all reason to depend upon God's protection, while doing God's work; yet he flees. His was not the deliberate desire of grace, as Paul's, to depart and be with Christ. God thus left Elijah to himself, to show that when he was bold and strong, it was in the Lord, and the power of his might; but of himself he was no better than his fathers. God knows what he designs us for, though we do not, what services, what trials, and he will take care that we are furnished with grace sufficient." [ Matthew Henry]
No man can go on indefinitely without rest. Our body and mind, though made to work, were not made to "overwork." We can push ourselves for a while, but eventually the body and mind will break down. It is inevitable. Therefore, we see Elijah, not as a coward who runs from a mere woman, but a man exhausted from doing his duty. He carried out the commands of the Lord, and when finished, needed rest. Thus, we see the angel giving Elijah food and water for after this, he must again travel. This time, he will go to Horeb, about 150 - 200 miles from where he is. It is here that God speaks to him in a still, small voice.
There on Horeb, Elijah learns a few things. First, God is not always in the more dramatic events of life, though at times He is. Second, Elijah thinks he is the only one left serving the Lord when he is not. [This does beg the question however, as to why Elijah stood alone on Carmel; if there were 7000 left who were faithful to God, where were they when Elijah challenged the false prophets?] Third, he discovers - as the Ap ostle Peter did, that our outward profession faith is not always equal to our inward possession.
"We see here how far the energy of the outward life of faith may continue to exist, while the inward life grows weak. It was at the moment of the most striking testimony to the presence of God in the midst of the rebellious people, and when Elijah had just caused all the prophets of Baal amongst them to be slain by the people's own hands, that his faith entirely fails at a mere threat from Jezebel. His life was not inwardly sustained by this faith in proportion to the outward testimony. His testimony excites the enemy in a way for which his personal faith was not prepared. This is a solemn lesson. The still small voice (which, unknown to him, was still heard among the people) had not perhaps its due influence upon his own heart, where the fire and manifestations had held too much place. Thus he did not know himself the grace which was still in exercise towards the people; he could not love them for the sake of the seven thousand faithful ones as God loved them, nor hope as charity hopes. Alas! what are we, even when so near God! And his complai nt when he came to God, for a person so blessed, has a sad deal of self in it. I have been zealous, he says, and they have cast down Thine altars and killed Thy prophets; just when he had cast down Baal's and killed all his prophets; and then, I am left alone. It is a humbling testimony." [John Darby]
Discouragement is a depression of mood every Christian must go through from time to time. In our faith and service to Christ, there are many enemies. Further, as we minister to the many people who depend on us or need us, we are apt to "wear out" occasionally. Elijah is a great man of God. However, the fact that he experiences a period of depression that may be diagnosed as "suicidal" [though he merely asks God to take him but does not express any ideation of taking his own life] encourages us to know Elijah was "a man of like passions" as we are. In other words, if God's best feel defeated at times, who are we to entertain the vanity of a theory or aspiration that our life should never have a moment of despair or discouragement?
"God repeated the question, What doest thou here? Then he complained of his discouragement; and whither should God's prophets go with their complaints of that kind, but to their Master? The Lord gave him an answer. He declares that the wicked house of Ahab shall be rooted out, that the people of Israel shall be punished for their sins; and he shows that Elijah was not left alone as he had supposed, and also that a helper should at once be raised up for him. Thus all his complaints are answered and provided for. God's faithful ones are often his hidden ones, Psa_83:3, and the visible church is scarcely to be seen: the wheat is lost in chaff, and the gold in dross, till the sifting, refining, separating day comes. The Lord knows them that are his, though we do not; he sees in secret. When we come to heaven we shall miss many whom we thought to have met there; we shall meet many whom we little thought to have met there. God's love often proves larger than man's charity, and far more extended." [Matthew Henry]
It is a deception to believe we shall never see dark days. All of God's people do. In particular, God's choice men and women have their moments of disappointment, dismay, pessimism, worry, and gloominess. However, the true man or woman of God does not stay there. Depression is only for a season, and a short season if we have faith. Our faith overcomes, and our God refreshes and restores! Tribulation and trouble will come. This is life, even life with God. Yet, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. When we are down, we will not STAY down! We shall rise again, in this life and the next! The reason, is that God is good and cares for us. He will revive us when we need refreshing in our mind, body, and spirit.
Psa 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Psa 42:6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. Psa 42:7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Psa 42:8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night hi s song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
