WHEN LIFE RUNS DRY
I Kings 17
S: Sovereignty of God
C: Trust
Th: Life Can Be Hard
Pr: WE MUST TRUST AND OBEY.
TS: We will find in our study of I Kings 17 how Elijah was able to move forward in the midst of difficult circumstances.
Type: Inductive
I. SITUATION
II. DECLARATION
III. PROTECTION
IV. DEPRIVATION
V. PROVISION
VI. TRIBULATION
VII. RESURRECTION
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Trust God in all circumstances
• Follow His instruction, even if it does not make sense
Version: ESV
RMBC 05 November 06 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Difficult
There’s a man trying to cross the street. As he steps off the curb a car comes screaming around the corner and heads straight for him. The man walks faster, trying to hurry across the street, but the car changes lanes and is still coming at him.
So the guy turns around to go back, but the car changes lanes again and is still coming at him. By now, the car is so close and the man so scared that he just freezes and stops in the middle of the road. The car gets real close, then swerves at the last possible moment and screeches to a halt right next him.
The driver rolls down the window. The driver is a squirrel. The squirrel says to the man says,
"See, it’s not as easy as it looks, is it?"
Well…
1. Life can be hard.
Many of us learned that in these last few weeks with our October Surprise storm – no electric, water-filled basements, property damage, and loss of food – these are just some of the problems many of us faced during these past weeks.
There have been a lot of difficulties.
And we have learned that life is not always easy.
Sometimes it is illness or disease…
Sometimes it is a family member that is in trouble…
Sometimes it is life just not working out in the way we had hoped.
So…
2. Sometimes we wonder where God is when it is difficult.
We wonder if He is really there.
Has He left us?
Has He abandoned us to just do the best we can?
You might be having a time like that right now.
God seems farther away to you instead of close.
He seems like the far-away God instead of the With-Us God.
Our studies for this week and the following two weeks are named “Life Can Be Hard.”
I believe God directed me to this study during the storm.
One of the disciplines I follow on a regular basis is to read Scripture before I go to sleep.
During the nights surrounding the time of the storm I was in I Kings reading about the life of Elijah, and God seemed to impress upon my heart that I needed to understand the faith of Elijah better.
Though I recognize that I am the one that needs this study, it is my hope that it will be of benefit to you as well.
So here we are, and…
3. We will find in our study of I Kings 17 how Elijah was able to move forward in the midst of difficult circumstances.
As we will discover next week, Elijah is known as the prophet of fire.
The background of Elijah is not really known as he comes from an obscure town.
He just shows up on the scene.
He was not the ordinary type of prophet.
He was a man of volcanic force.
He was a man who had granite strength.
Elijah was one of those men who periodically show up in history and have the ability to lift themselves above the common levels of humanity, yet in doing this they are made solitary and lonely by their very size.
OUR STUDY:
So, as we come to our study, first let’s examine the…
I. SITUATION
(29) In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. (30) And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. (31) And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. (32) He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. (33) And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. (34) In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
For the Northern Kingdom of Israel, it was a time of prosperity, politically and economically.
Peace had been established with Judah.
There was a mutually advantageous alliance in place with Phoenicia.
It was a time of peace.
But, more importantly…
4. It was a time of great evil.
Ahab, the king, had married Jezebel, who was a murderess, ready to eliminate anyone that opposed her pagan religious beliefs or what she wanted to accomplish.
Ahab, in turn, comes across as a weak, wicked, and wimpy royal.
As a result, gross evil and wickedness ruled the day.
But God was not going to neglect this situation, for God reserved the greatest prophet for the worst age.
So enter, Elijah, and his…
II. DECLARATION
(1) Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."
5. Elijah pronounces a judgment to Ahab.
He gets right in the king’s face and comes right to the point.
There is no deference.
There is no sophisticated political politeness.
He is a man on a mission.
There is sin in the royal household.
There is sin among the people.
And to get the attention of an indifferent and even hostile populace, there was going to be no rain or dew, until Elijah said so.
This was not going to be a judgment of days or weeks.
It was not even going to be a judgment that would last months.
It was going to be a matter of years.
This was a battle of the gods.
It was going to establish the power and control of the living God in contrast with the ineffectiveness of Baal, the Canaanite god of fertility, crops and rain.
And to get Ahab to forsake his idolatrous ways, Elijah was going to demonstrate the weakness of Jezebel’s spiritual influence upon him.
Elijah makes the declaration, and now he needs…
III. PROTECTION
(2) And the word of the LORD came to him, (3) "Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. (4) You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." (5) So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. (6) And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
We know by upcoming texts that Jezebel wanted Elijah dead.
But the truth is…
6. We are safe in God’s directions.
He instructs Elijah to go a place named Cherith (like Camp Cherith of Pioneer Girls).
The word cherith means “separated.”
In other words, this was going to be a place for Elijah to be stretched.
He was going to be challenged and developed into a stronger man of faith.
It was a time to regroup, rethink and renew his soul.
It was a place for him to hide.
God protected Elijah, for He did not want Ahab and Jezebel to know where he was.
He was to get away from the public spotlight, and get alone with God.
And God provided.
The brook provided water.
And an unexpected delivery service of ravens was going to bring him the luxury of meat.
Though they are unclean birds, scavengers by nature, God used them to provide for his prophet.
But time passed, and now, even for Elijah it was a time of…
IV. DEPRIVATION
(7) And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
You see…
7. Safety does not exclude disappointment.
The famine in the land affected the brook at Cherith.
It ran down to a trickle, and then to nothing.
The judgment he had faithfully pronounced in the name of the Lord was now affecting him as well.
Like it or not (and I don’t like it), God does allow suffering to come into our lives.
Though it can be humiliating, God continually wants us to learn to trust in Him every day – one day at a time.
And when the suffering comes, we must endure, so that we might know Him better.
We must have faith to believe that something better is coming and to live the truth that somewhere between ordinary and extraordinary is an obstacle to be endured.
So, Elijah must bear with the disappointment and see God’s…
V. PROVISION
(8) Then the word of the LORD came to him, (9) "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you." (10) So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink." (11) And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." (12) And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die." (13) And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. (14) For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, ’The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’" (15) And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. (16) The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
These first words from the Lord were good words to hear: “Arise and go…”
Can you imagine God saying, “stay there”?
No, there was a better place for him to be, a place that God had prepared.
But, Elijah will find out that…
8. God’s leading is often surprising.
He is going to lean on the hospitality of another.
It was a time of poverty, though.
The daily routine for the typical person was to get up and go to work.
When you got paid, you stopped at the market to buy food that was enough for the day.
There were no savings accounts.
There were no life insurance policies.
Interestingly and surprisingly, God directs Elijah to a widow, the poorest of the poor.
And his first impression had to be, “How in the world is she going to help me?”
And he was right, in a sense.
This was a woman that was at the end of her rope.
She had lost hope of surviving.
The stress of life was too much and she could not take it anymore.
Tired and worn out, she was about to make her last meal for herself and her son, and then die.
Her hope was gone.
But Elijah gives her hope.
He offers comfort with the simple, but profound, “Do not fear.”
Then he communicates the promise of God, but he asks her to act on it.
There will be no more worry.
There will be an unending supply during the famine.
But she needs to trust him and God, and act on it.
He insists on being first when it comes to the food.
While we find it nervy, knowing that she only has enough for one loaf, it is an act of faith that God rewarded.
But as good as this was for them all, enter…
VI. TRIBULATION
(17) After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. (18) And she said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!"
Wow, what an unexpected turn of events.
Every time Elijah turns around, there is another challenge.
You see…
9. One can feel exhausted in the sovereign squeeze.
Elijah must have just shook his head.
Here, this dear woman had acted in faith, followed his commands to host and feed him, and this is the payment this family receives – the son dies.
For the widow, life has caved in again.
And it has happened right under the nose of this man of God.
There were a lot of questions for all of them at this point in time.
But thankfully, it is not the end of the story, because there is…
VII. RESURRECTION
(19) And he said to her, "Give me your son." And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. (20) And he cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?" (21) Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again." (22) And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. (23) And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives." (24) And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."
Again, the lesson we need to learn is that…
10. Hardships lead to greater faith.
Filled with compassion, Elijah demonstrates gentleness toward the woman.
He does not answer the accusation.
Instead, he takes the boy, and goes before God and intercedes.
And what he asks for is unprecedented.
He asks for the miracle of resurrection.
Up until this time, this has not happened.
While we are familiar with the narratives about Lazarus and Jesus, this was not Elijah’s experience.
But notice what the text says…
And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah…
God was moved by the faith of Elijah.
APPLICATION:
So, what can we learn from this text today?
First, let us remember that…
11. We are here by God’s appointment.
Where we are, no matter where it is, is no accident.
God puts us in places for our own good, even though we do not see it at the time.
We may be despairing regarding God’s presence, but God is bigger than our own senses.
So, we should take heart that…
12. We are in His keeping.
We are not alone.
We are safe.
We may have a full bank account…
We may have a booming business…
We may have an exciting ministry…
We may have great health…
And then it disappears.
Even then, we are safe in his keeping, as it says in Isaiah 41.10:
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Next, let us remember that…
13. We are under His training.
God always cares more about our inner being than our outer being.
We need to get this through our thick noggins.
While we are concerned about our outer circumstances – our electric, our food, our heat, etc. – God is even more concerned about what kind of person we are.
Let us also note that…
14. God will show His purposes in His time.
God wants us to walk by faith and not by sight.
For Elijah and the widow, they were not to look at the famine and decide that God could not take care of them.
You see, God takes the common and makes it uncommon.
What’s in your hand, David? Just a sling…no, that is a giant slayer.
What’s in your window, Rahab? Just a scarlet thread…no, it is a sign of salvation.
What’s in your hand, Samson? Just a jawbone…no, that is a weapon of God.
What’s in your lunch, kid? Just some fish and bread…no, that is a feast for a multitude.
So, listen to this…
The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot sustain you.
Having confidence in this, let us learn the truth of the old hymn, that…
15. WE MUST TRUST AND OBEY.
Trust and obey
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus
Than to trust and obey.
ILL Trust
This is a story that the late Mike Yaconelli told often in his messages.
THE ROAD OF LIFE
At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know Him.
But later on when I met Christ, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal. I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since.
When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable it was the shortest distance between two points.
But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!" I worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure, and when I’d say, "I’m scared," He’d lean back and touch my hand. I gained love, peace, acceptance and joy; gifts to take on my journey, My Lord’s and mine. And we were off again.
He said, "Give the gifts away. They’re extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.
I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He’d wreck it; but he knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rocks, knows how to fly to shorten, scary passages.
And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.
And when I’m sure I just can’t do it anymore, He just smiles and says... "Pedal."
Author unknown
RESOURCES:
Sermoncentral
Bishop, Wesley When Little Is Much
Harrelson, Philip Brook Failure
Malone, Steve Elijah the Early Years
McGlamery, Howard Three Pictures of Grace
Squires, Kenneth How to Make Yards After Contact
Wilkerson, Alan Can God Really Meet My Needs?
Books
Swindoll, Charles R. Elijah: A Man of Heroism and Humility. Great Lives from God’s Word, vol. 5. Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000.
Wiseman, D. J. 1 & 2 Kings. 24 vols. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, ed. D. J. Wiseman, vol. 9. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
