1 Kings 19:19-21 – Did Anybody Call While I Was Out?
There’s an old legend that tells the story of a maniacal Dutch sea captain who was struggling to round the Cape of Good Hope in the eye of a terrible gale that threatened to sink his ship and all aboard. The sailors warned him to turn around, the passengers pleaded, but the captain, either mad or drunk, refused to change course. Instead, he pressed on, singing loud and obscene songs, before going below to his cabin to drink beer and smoke his pipe. Monstrous waves pummeled the sides of the ship, howling winds bent the masts and tore at the sails, but still the captain held his course, challenging the wrath of God Almighty by swearing a blasphemous oath.
Finally, there was a mutiny on board; the crew and passengers attempted to take control of the ship, but the captain, roused from his drunken stupor, killed the leader of the rebellion and threw him overboard. The moment the body hit the water, the clouds parted, and a shadowy figure materialized on the quarterdeck.
"You’re a very stubborn man," the shadow said, and the captain answered him with a curse word. "I never asked for a peaceful passage," the captain went on. "I never asked for anything. So clear off before I shoot you, too."
But the figure didn’t move. Drawing his pistol, the captain tried to fire, but the gun exploded in his hand. Now the figure spoke again, and told the captain he was cursed.
"As a result of your actions you are condemned to sail the oceans for eternity with a ghostly crew of dead men, bringing death to all who sight your spectral ship, and to never make port or know a moment’s peace," the shadow said. "Furthermore, gall shall be your drink, and red hot iron your meat." The captain, reckless to the last, cried, "Amen to that!"
And so, for centuries from then on, the Flying Dutchman was seen piloting his spectral vessel, its canvas spread, its masts creaking in a fearful wind. Even today, legends persist that this ghostly crew still sail aimlessly across stormy seas.
You know, many roam this earth today with the same aimlessness. No purpose, no driving motive, no destination. Just passing time. Many today live with no sense of direction any more than simply “happy”. Even among Christians. We have a vague understanding of obedience and all that, but we still live with no clear sense of purpose. Yet God has called each one of us. We need to listen to God’s call.
In our Bible passage today, we see the call of God. We see God calling someone to serve Him fully. Let’s read. Now, I understand that this passage is the call of Elisha to leave his farm work to be a prophet of God. Over the years, the idea of being called has applied only to those “in full-time ministry”. Let me tell you, I really object to that thought. I hate the idea that I am in the only one in the ministry in this church right now. I despise the notion that I am the only one called.
Paul urged the Ephesians to “live a life worthy of the calling they had received.” The writer of Hebrews urged his readers “who share in the heavenly calling” to “fix your thoughts on Jesus”. 1 Peter 1 :15 says that the one who has called us, God, is holy, so we should be holy too. Ephesians 4:4 says that we were called to one hope when we were called. The Bible says we were called to freedom, called to glory, called to endurance, called to His wonderful light, called to receive His promised eternal inheritance, called to a holy life, and called to eternal life. British author Os Guiness in his book The Call states that our primary calling as followers of Christ is by Him, to Him, and for Him. Every single one of us has been called to God, that God reached out and spoke to every individual and has drawn us to Himself.
But among Christian circles, there is the idea of a special calling, a calling only a few of us receive, a bigger higher better calling. A calling to the ministry. While it’s true that God’s plans for some include pastoring, or pastor’s wife-ing, or Christian school education, or special assignment in some sort of capacity, those callings are no less or more important than what every Christian has: to love Him and serve Him, in that order. Each one of us has been called.
And it’s in that context that I would like to look at God’s call to Elisha from the words of Elijah. The 1st truth about God’s call is this: God’s call involves all you have – v19. Elisha was working, plowing the field, probably the youngest in the family. God called him to something different. And it involved his whole life. The call was, “Surrender everything to me.” And the call is the same for us. God wants all you have: all your time, all your money (notice I didn’t say the church wanted all your money), all your resources. Simply put, is everything of yours His?
I heard of a Haitian pastor who told his congregation this gruesome parable: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn’t afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: he would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.
After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So first the owner went out found the carcass of a dead animal, and hung it from the nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.
The Haitian pastor’s conclusion: "If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ’s habitation." God wants everything, no holding back.
The 2nd truth about God’s call is this: God’s call requires actions as well as words – v20. Elisha wanted to say goodbye. Not a bad thing in itself, but he was opening up to be persuaded out of following God’s plans. Funny how family can be your biggest challenge to obedience. Elijah then said, “What have I done to you?” What he meant was, “Look, I haven’t said or done anything. I haven’t called you. God has. If you don’t like how it’s run, your problem is with God, not me.”
So, the ball was in Elisha’s court. If he obeyed, it was his decision. It wasn’t the pastor’s fault. It was other people’s mistakes or faults. It was his own. His actions would decide if his words had been true.
There’s a story told of a husband and wife both of who were doctors - one a doctor of theology and the other a doctor of medicine. When their doorbell was rung and the maid answered, the inquirer would often ask for "the doctor". The maid’s interesting reply was: "Do you want the one who preaches or the one who practices?" Which are you?
Well, the 3rd truth of God’s call is this: God’s call encompasses service to others – v21. There’s no getting around it. God’s call is not unto selfishness. It’s not an introspective call all the time. God calls you to serve others, and not look out just for your own interests. You have been forgiven and set free so that you can be a blessing to others.
People who refuse to get involved in problems of their community are like the two shipwrecked men in a lifeboat. From their end of the boat, the pair watched as those at the other end bailed frantically to keep the boat afloat. The one said to the other, “Thank heaven, the hole isn’t on our end of the boat.”
You know, this really is a struggle for each of us. When a crisis happens, we always wonder how it will affect us. We often choose churches because of how they make us feel or if they meet our needs. Steve Farrar wrote these challenging words: “We’re all selfish. Selfish to the core. God sometimes chooses to deal with our selfishness by giving us someone to care for who is infinitely more selfish than you. Babies are not only the cutest creatures on the face of the earth, they are by far the most selfish.”
Farrar goes on to write: “The way God deals with my own selfishness is to give me someone to serve who has zero interest in serving me. You can’t tell me that God doesn’t have a sense of humor. Not too many people in the world could out-selfish me one-on-one. But every time we’ve had a baby, I’ve met my match. Each of my kids resembled me. I don’t mean they looked like me, I mean they were as selfish as me. That meant that somebody in the family was going to have to grow up. Guess who was nominated?"
So will you serve others? Or has the goal of your life become, “What more can I do to be happy? What can I get others to do that will make me happy?” God’s call for you, his purpose for you, the way to find real meaning in life, is to serve others, to overcome selfishness, and bless other people with your life.
Granted, this is a challenging ideal. But this is the standard to which each of us has been called. God’s desire for each of us is to abandon all our own plans and goals, to accept His and not just with words only, and to serve others. This is what Elisha was called to, and it’s the same for us. No turning back, no turning back.
On April 21st, in the year 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez sailed into the harbor of Vera Cruz, Mexico. He brought with him only about 600 men, and yet over the next two years his vastly outnumbered forces were able to defeat Montezuma and all the warriors of the Aztec empire, making Cortez the conqueror of all Mexico. How was this incredible feat accomplished, when two prior expeditions had failed even to establish a colony on Mexican soil? Here’s the secret.
Cortez knew from the very beginning that he and his men faced incredible odds. He knew that the road before them would be dangerous and difficult. He knew that his men would be tempted to abandon their quest and return to Spain. And so, as soon as Cortez and his men had come ashore and unloaded their provisions, he ordered their entire fleet of eleven ships destroyed. His men stood on the shore and watched as their only possibility of retreat burned and sank. And from that point on, they knew beyond any doubt there was no return, no turning back. Nothing lay behind them but empty ocean. Their only option was to go forward, to conquer or die.
Burn your ships. Whatever it is that keeps you safe, that keeps you from obedience, burn it. Sink it. Get rid of it. No turning back.
