Sermon Central
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Elijah's Crisis
Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Apr 19, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: The pandemic seems to go on forever. Instead of getting better, Covid is getting worse. Many are becoming discouraged and depressed because of lockdowns and other guidelines that give us limited mobility.
At Mt. Horeb, the word of the Lord came to Elijah:
What are you doing here, Elijah?
Elijah’s answer sums up all that has been troubling him
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 it is.
Read 1 Kings 19:11-18
The wind, the earthquake, and the fire – that was not where God was seen, but the low whisper (v12).
ESV says “the sound of a low whisper,” NASB says “a sound of a gentle blowing,” but I like the KJV which says, “a still small voice.”
God’s hand is not in the spectacular things. Oh, it was a great drama out on Mount Carmel, but it’s not always that way.
Sometimes God’s hand works quietly and is unnoticed.
God has a job for Elijah to do.
“Go to the wilderness of Damascus” (1 Kings 19:15). A very long trip from Mt. Horeb.
Anoint Hazael king of Syria, and anoint Jehu king of Israel, and Elisha to be prophet in your place.
I can almost hear Elijah’s reaction:
What?! I came all the way to Mt. Horeb for you to tell me that?!
Jezebel is trying to kill me! How’s that going to solve my crisis!
I doubt that was Elijah’s response. Instead, Elijah went.
That’s where the still small voice comes in.
I guess Elijah needed to go to the mount of God to see the wind, earthquake, and fire and hear the still small voice for the instruction to make any sense.
God is working, but the work he is doing is not always dazzling.
Things were being set in motion with these anointings that would lead to the thinning out of the population of idol-worshiping Israel, the gruesome death of Jezebel and…
…the preserving of a remnant of 7000 true worshipers, and…
…the repentance of Ahab! Here’s where his turnabout is recorded:
1 Kings 21:23-29 And of Jezebel the Lord also said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.’ Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.” (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.) And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”
The saved remnant is a recurring theme in the bible and an essential pillar of our faith.
The remnant is the population of the eternal kingdom that will never be destroyed.
Not by Covid. Not by anything. It is the unshakable kingdom – the triumphant church against which the gates of hades (or more properly, the gates of death) will not prevail.
