Training Days
1 Kings 17:1-7
July 21, 2002
Introduction
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." 2 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3 "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
5 So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
Body
I. A Struggle for Power
A. The reality of the struggle
1. The physical struggle
a.) The position of power: Ahab was king of the northern kingdom of Israel and Jezebel was his queen. Both were extremely evil and did everything that they could to gain more power over the nation.
b.) The purpose of power: Ahab and Jezebel used their influence to inflict great harm to the nation and its people. At one point, Jezebel had all of the prophets of God killed and cleared from the nation
2. The spiritual struggle
a.) The spiritual influence
Ahab practiced idolatry and filled the nation with idols. Jezebel even had priests of Baal, a Canaanite God of the harvest, on the payroll of the palace
b.) The spiritual struggle
Ahab was literally placing himself as spiritual head of the nation, he was taking God’s rightful place with the people.
B. God move into the struggle
1. God selects His spokesman
a.) The meaning of prophet: The Hebrew word nabi means one who was chosen to speak on behalf of another. Aaron fulfilled this same role for Moses as he spoke to the Pharoah on behalf of Moses. God was in the process of raising someone up to speak His words to His people
b.) God calls Elijah
This is the first time we are introduced to Elijah. We need to notice a few things
1.) There was no mention of his work: nothing about occupation or trade
2.) There was no mention of his family: nothing is said about his parents or family at all
3.) There is nothing of personal nature: nothing about his age or personal history
There is one key fact that we need to understand his name says it all: Elijah literally means that the LORD is my God
2. God shows His power
a.) Elijah proclaims the person of God
Elijah states his personal faith and belief in God in the palace court
Elijah comes face to face with evil and stands for God
b.) Elijah proclaims the power of God
Elijah literally ends the spiritual power struggle that Ahab was trying to wage. Elijah delivers the message that there will be no rain in the land and this means that there will be a severe famine in the land
c.) Why rain? My best guess has to do with Baal. Baal was the god of the harvest and to cause a great famine would completely discredit the followers of Baal
II. A Submission of Priorities
A. God gives a specific direction
1. God speaks to Elijah
a.) The first task: leave
Elijah had just come on the scene and this announcement was his first real task as a prophet
No doubt, Elijah wanted to stay and put more pressure on Ahab but God had another plan. He calls Elijah to leave the area
b.) The second task: hide
Elijah was clearly a man of action and great courage. He had just looked evil in the face and stood firm. He was not wanting to run from this situation. However, notice that he obeyed God even though this didn’t make sense
2. God sends Elijah
a.) Kerith ravine
There is nothing of any reference for Kerith ravine in the rest of the Bible. This was most certainly an obscure place in an out of the way area
b.) The purpose of the place
1.) Kerith was a place of protection: God was protecting Elijah from the wrath of Ahab and Jezebel
2.) Kerith was a place of preparation: God was preparing Elijah for his future ministry one day at a time
B. God gives a specific destiny
1. God describes the plan
a.) Elijah goes and hides in the remote place
Literally, in the area that God has sent Elijah to was rough territory and living in this area would be very difficult
b.) God describes His provision for Elijah
God tells Elijah only two things about where he is going
1.) He will be provided with water to drink
2.) He will be provided with food to eat
2. Elijah sets his priority
a.) Elijah had a choice to make
Just like all of us, Elijah was given a choice; to follow God or go it alone. There will always be times when God’s ways just don’t make sense. That’s the nature of life but the heart of the matter for us is whether or not we will go with God or go it alone
b.) Elijah follows God’s direction
Elijah goes to the remote area of Kerith just as God had directed Him to do. Elijah leaves the area where he stood against Ahab. Elijah hides when he wanted to stand and fight
III. A Supply of Provision
A. God kept His promise
1. God provided for Elijah
a.) God gave Elijah protection
b.) God gave Elijah provision
1.) The brook gave refreshing water
2.) The ravens brought nourishing food
2. God proved His power
a.) God proved that His direction was worth following
b.) God proved that His character was faithful
c.) God proved that His promise was fulfilled
B. God finished the preparation
1. The brook dried up
a.) The prayer of Elijah was answered: The proclamation of Elijah was coming to pass. The brook dried up because there had been no rain since the day that Elijah spoke
b.) The brook going dry was a good thing: We might see the end of part of God’s work as a bad or difficult thing. When one door closes another one opens
2. The time came to leave
a.) The time had come for Elijah to leave
1.) The time for preparing had ended and Elijah was ready to tackle new challenges
2.) The God had finished with the days of training and now was the time for days of action
b.) God had other plans for him to accomplish
Conclusion: Four Key Lessons from Kerith
God’s work is personal
A. God works through everyone differently
1. God knows you intimately
2. God works through you personally
B. God works through you as you are
1. God doesn’t need to change you to use you
2. God working through you creates change
God’s work is providential
A. God promises to give us guidance
1. God offers His guidance
2. God gives us a choice
B. God promises to give provision
1. God’s guidance requires His provision
Where God guides He also provides
2. God’s provision is complete
God’s work is a process
A. God has a means through which He works
1. God has a purpose and plan for everything that He does
2. God does nothing without a reason
B. God uses a process
1. God rarely reveals everything at once
2. God works through a process
God’s work is progressive
