ELIJAH AT CARMEL
I Kings 18:30-39
Intro: We began studying this prophet of God, Elijah, last week. We saw his experience at Cherith. We studied how the drought came at his preaching, and God separated him out at Cherith. We saw the Division, The Provision, And The Vision he experienced at Cherith. We learned how God will separate us from everything unto himself. The blessing of Cherith is the presence of God. Elijah experienced it, and God let him share it with a little widow and her little son with their little mill and little oil, and they ate little cakes until the drought was gone, and their little blessings testified of the presence of a big GOD!
Today, things have changed. God has brought Elijah out of isolation. 18:1, he is to go show himself to Ahab. Obadiah was a servant of the king, but he feared God, and he had been feeding 100 other prophets of God by 50 in two caves. Elijah seeks out Obadiah, and the servant recognizes him right off by his attire. Elijah told Obadiah to arrange a meeting between Ahab and himself. Ahab was so angry with Elijah that Obadiah feared for his life by just mentioning the prophet’s name to the king. The king and the servant were out rounding up horses; this was Ahab’s hobby, fast horses, and they were thirsting to death. But Obadiah agreed to arrange the summit.
When Ahab met with Elijah, they shared no pleasantries. There was not even the appearance of a friendly conference. Ahab got in Elijah’s face and called him a trouble maker! Elijah, not be outdone, reminded Ahab that the king was the trouble maker. It is not the man of God that names sin that is the problem, but it is the men who sin and lead others down that road that are the problem! Preachers are not our problem in America, but like in Israel, it is politicians and other prominent people who lead our social order down the path of wickedness that are the problem.
The solution is presented by Elijah. We must identify who God is! The solution is not to argue about Elijah or Ahab; it is not preachers or politicians; it is not one man or the other; the solution for this nation is found in identifying who God is! Men do not have the answer for our social ills, for the climate changes, for the financial challenges, but it is the God that answers by fire that is the answer. We must identify who God is!
These people at Carmel were supposed to be covenant people, but they had forgotten who God is! They had connected with false gods and had embraced the ways of this world. Their leaders in the worship of Baal put on a performance, a display, a show, but no fire fell. The prophet of God laughed at their foolishness, but he took very seriously his role that day on this mountain.
I. HE REPAIRED THE ALTAR OF THE LORD: v. 30, it was broke to the ground, to the foundation, but he didn’t build a new one from scratch (like the other prophets had done, v.26, “which was made”). He went back to the foundation that had long been laid and started from there. He built again on the firm foundation. Satan doesn’t mind men attending church, but he wants to keep them away from the foundation of the altar, from the power, from the anointing. He loves social church, false church, and dead church, but he is scared to death of the fire of God at the foundation of the altar! This repair demonstrates
A. An Agreement With The Government Of God: v. 31, 12 stones, one for every tribe of Israel. 12 is God’s number of governmental perfection, but Israel was not in agreement with God’s government. The nation was divided and the people among whom Elijah stood were a rebellious people who had left the covenant of God’s protection and plan. Israel was divided, but unity was God’s will. We are to get in agreement with God and pray his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God’s will is not always done in this world, but his plan cannot be stopped! Get in agreement with it! 12 Stones held it up, not 850 prophets. The power of the altar is not held up by us, by preachers, or by kings, but by the Rock! Matt 16:18. The Word from God in this is to take sides with God against the whole world, if need be. It won’t be long until God brings his church out of the isolation of Cherith to the open victory of Carmel, and he will restore order in the kingdoms of the world, honor his people, destroy false religion, and give the latter rain! Victory is coming!
B. Accept The Odds: one prophet of God; 850 fakers! We are not the majority, but we are the victors. At the altar of God’s plan one anointed man of God has more power than 850 who walk in disobedience. Most will follow the world. Don’t go with them!
II. HE DUG A TRENCH: the last ditch in the life of Elijah was Cherith, a dry river basin, a place of separation, a division. Cherith is a separation TO GOD, and this trench at Carmel is separation FROM THE WORLD. This trench was all the way around the altar, surrounded the whole thing!
A. This Separated The Altar From Idols: No fire will fall where Baal is honored. We cannot have fire and foolishness. False prophets get no fire! The trench separated them from the altar. We cannot have fire and the world… not now, not ever. Choose the cold fireless religion of society or the power of God, but they are separate. It is time to identify who God really is! For the separated believer, everything that turns the world on, turns us off. What makes them glad makes me sad or mad. “They tell me I ought to be looking for a better place to live, but I just can’t seem to get excited about this world and what it can give. I couldn’t care less if I could buy it all with a solitary dime, for what good would a world do me with leaving on my mind?”
B. This Sheltered The Unbeliever From Judgment: the trench was to contain the fire. Drought plus fire equals disaster! The trench kept the fire out of town. God doesn’t send fire in this dispensation to kill, but to convince! John 3:17. But there is a fan in his hand, and the day will come when he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. The fire at the altar today is contained; the fire that is coming will not be contained!
III. HE ORDERED THE WOOD: v. 33, this is the cross. Without that, nothing happens. Rom 5:8; I Cor 1:17-18 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” The water is not baptism, the fire is not personality, and God is not in influence or intellect. The fire, the power of God, comes by way of the cross. It is by the cross that we identify who the true and living God is! All the prophets of Baal, their performance or personality would not bring fire. The king and his power couldn’t do it, but Christ, the true God, is revealed to us in the cross!
IV. HE PLACED THE SACRIFICE: v. 33, cut the bullock. This is Christ. Without him, all the rest is in vain. Ball has a substitute altar, stone, and wood, but their sacrifice is not acceptable to God. The fire falling is God receiving the offering. He will not receive just anything, but he is pleased with Christ Jesus.
V. HE POURED OUT THE WATER: water is a precious commodity in a drought, but Elijah had some, and he poured it out. Running Water is the Holy Ghost, and Still Water is the Word of God. The water poured out brought water pooled up… the Spirit of God brought the Word of God! and the altar was saturated with them both. The trench was filled with it! If we do not have truth and spirit in our worship, church is little more than an empty ditch! This water, like the Word, was precious, I Sam 3:1 “And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” Amos 8:11. But God had water, 3 ½ years supply built up! Water kept the fire under control. The Word of God, his promises of redemption, forgiveness, and salvation is what keeps the fire from consuming us!
A. The Number Of Barrels: 12, one for every tribe, a Word for all of them. These 10 thought they had left Jerusalem, had no inheritance in David, had no place with God, but God still had a barrel of water for each one in the drought.
B. The Repeated Dosage: 3 times they poured it out. The spirit will graciously bring the Word repeatedly. This shows God’s longsuffering. He doesn’t owe it to us, but he will often bring us repeated warnings. “Another Word” I Kings 17:2, 8, 18:1; Jonah 3:1.
VI. PRAYED DOWN THE FIRE: v. 36-38, this was not a stunt. This fire should have consumed Elijah, bit the sacrifice was received of God, the altar was accepted, the water was lapped up, and the fire stopped at the trench, sparing Elijah and all Israel. They were convinced, v. 39. When this happened, the people did not worship Elijah, but they worshipped God! They recognized, identified, and accepted who God is!
Conclusion: They thought they wanted rain, but God knew they needed fire. Your solution is not another blessing from God; your solution IS GOD. He may lap up the little water that you have when he shows up, but it is him you really need, not another blessing from him. Lord, separate us from the world and what it can offer! Choose today! If God be God, then let him be God! It is the world of Jesus, but the Lord, he is the God!
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