Life and Times of Elijah - Part 1 — Stephen Kaung

Elijah’s Warning to Ahab and God’s Provision

Will you please turn to first Kings chapter 17. First Kings Chapter 17 will begin with verse 1. Actually, it will be good if we can read the whole chapter. First Kings chapter 17 verse 1. And Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead Said to Ahab as Jehovah the God of Israel liveth Before home I stand there shall not be dew nor rain these years except by my word.

And the word of Jehovah came to him saying get thee hands and turn thee eastward and Hide thyself by the torrent cherub. And it shall be that thou shall drink of the torrent and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

And he went and did according to the word of Jehovah. He went and abode by the torrent cherub which is before the Jordan and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening and he drank of the torrent.

And It came to pass after a while that a torrent dried up. For there had been no rain in the land and the word of Jehovah came to him saying arise go to Zarephath Which is by Sidon and abide there behold?

I have commanded a widow woman there to maintain thee and he arose and went to Zarephath. And When he came to the entrance of the city behold a widow woman was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said fetch me I pray thee a little water in a vessel that I may drink.

And she went to fetch it. And He called to her and said bring me I pray thee a muzzle of bread in thy hand and she said as Jehovah thy God liveth I have not a cake but a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruise.

And Behold, I'm gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for me and for my son that we may eat it and die. And Elijah said to her fear not go do as thou has said But make me thereof a little cake first and bring it to me and afterwards make for thee and for thy son.

For thus said Jehovah the God of Israel the meal in the barrel shall not waste. Neither shall the oil in the cruise fail until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the face of the earth. And She went and did according to the word of Elijah and she and he and her house ate a whole year.

The meal in the barrel did not waste neither did the oil in the cruise fail According to the word of Jehovah, which he had spoken through Elijah. And it came to pass after these things that a son of the woman the mistress of the house fell Ill and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

And she said to Elijah What have I to do with thee? Oh thou man of God. Are thou come to me to call my iniquity to remembrance and to slay my son? And he said to her give me thy son. And he took him out of a bosom and Carried him up into the upper chamber where he abhorred and laid him upon his own bed.

And he cried to Jehovah and said Jehovah my God Has thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourned by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to Jehovah and said Jehovah my God I pray thee let this child's soul come into him again.

And Jehovah heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came into him again and he lived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and Delivered him to his mother.

And Elijah says see thy son lives. And the woman say to Elijah now by this I know that thou art a man of God and the word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth. God willing. We will like to fellowship together this time on the life of time of the Prophet Elijah as we read the Word of God.

Elijah’s Sudden Appearance in a Time of Apostasy

We find Elijah the Prophet Came to the sea. Suddenly we heard nothing of him before. We knew almost nothing of his past. Then suddenly Elijah Came upon the scene. He went to a king Ahab and He declared the judgment of God over the nation of Israel to the king.

Now who? Was this Elijah at what time? Did he live we know King Ahab? Was king over the nation of Israel? He was a wicked king and in the preceding chapter you'll find God said he was more wicked than any of the kings That preceded him in a nation of Israel.

Why. Because the other kings they only follow King Jeroboam In worshiping golden carols in the name of Jehovah the king Ahab Under the influence of his wife Jezebel the daughter of the king of the Sidonians.

Introduce Foreign gods into the nation of Israel. Instead of worshiping God Jehovah the God of Israel He led the whole nation away from their own God to worship bells foreign God into idolatry. So he was more wicked than any of the kings That were before him and Elijah live.

In that time you know the very name Elijah Is a testimony. Because the name Elijah means whose God is Jehovah. When the whole nation went away from Jehovah Jehovah is the name of God in covenant with his redeemed people.

You remember when Moses was in the wilderness God appeared to him Send him back to Egypt to deliver his own people and Moses says what's your name? And God said I am that I am I am Jehovah the memorable name a Covenant name with his redeemed people.

But at that time the whole nation Went away from Jehovah their God and yet Elijah took the name of Whose God is Jehovah? You can understand The difficulty that Elijah must be in. He was alone as it were among the multitude Among the people of Israel.

He was the only one who stood up and Declare even with his name. He was not in any sense a hidden believer. He was very open. He even in his name declared That there is no other God, but Jehovah. Jehovah is God.

God is Jehovah. Now that was Elijah. The Bible say Elijah the Tishbite we know Tishbite Was in upper Galilee. In other words He was born and reared in the nation of Israel. He was under the dominion of King Ahab.

And yet the Bible said again of the inhabitants of Gilead. He was a native of the Tishbite and Yet he dwell among the inhabitants of Gilead and if you study Bible Geography you will find that Gilead is on the eastern side of the River Jordan.

It was not under the dominion of King Ahab. Why? It must be that his public testimony was such. He couldn't live in his native land. He had to flee for his life. And he crossed the River Jordan and dwelt among the inhabitants of Gilead.

He was an exile for the sake of Jehovah The God of Israel. We do not know how many years He spent among the inhabitants of Gilead but one thing We are sure of Even though he had escaped to the eastern shore of the River Jordan.

But he had not forsaken His own people. It must be that during the time of his hidden life in Gilead He gave himself to prayer. We know that Elijah was a man of prayer Not only from the Old Testament.

But even when you read the New Testament. In the book of James you'll find Elijah prayed and God did this and Elijah prayed again, and God did that Elijah was a man of prayer. Now a man of prayer did not come by Accident.

A man of prayer came by practice. We often say the best way to pray. The best way to know how to pray is to pray. There is no other shortcut. No other secret if you want to be a man of prayer what you need to do is to pray and pray and pray and Certainly Elijah was such a person.

Even though he was not able to remain in his native land to testify to the fact against all the people including the king that only Jehovah is God and Yet in exile he was still standing on that ground.

He did not give up that ground he was still praying and Standing for the right of God over his own people. How did he do it? He did it by prayer. Brothers and sisters how much more can be done through prayer than even speech.

Elijah as it were was silenced Because he fled and yet He prayed we do not know how long he prayed. He must love his own people dearly. He must love God dearly. He was zealous for the honor of God. He was jealous with the jealousy of God for his own people and Having such a spirit he could only discharge it in prayer he prayed and Prayed and prayed Until the Word of God came to him and the Word of God was Sending him back to the nation of Israel to speak to King Ahab to deliver a message to King Ahab and a message was as Jehovah the God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be do not reign these years except by my word.

Sitting Before God Before Standing for God

Tremendous. Elijah did not go back on his own. Elijah did not proclaim the judgment of God on his own. He went back because God sent him back he was willing to Sacrifice his life in going back to face Ahab because a prophet of God had no consideration of himself a prophet of God.

Was one who obeyed God to the uttermost? If God said go he went. If God said hi he hid. There was absolutely no self in this man. Elijah he prayed Until God's mind was revealed to him and When God's mind was revealed to him he did not hesitate to declare it.

He was sent by God to declare Judgment upon the nation, and you know how he did it. He went back and said to Ahab as Jehovah the God of Israel liveth. Even though you King Ahab Did not recognize Jehovah.

Even though the whole nation of Israel did not acknowledge Jehovah. Yet Jehovah is still the God of Israel now. That's faith. Not because of the circumstance not because of the change of situation. Therefore the right of God Had changed not at all.

Israel might rebel against God, but God was still the God of Israel and Elijah stood on that ground. He did not give him an inch. Brothers and sisters. This is not easy. How often We are governed by what we see.

How often we are influenced? By our circumstances. The reason is we do not see God. If we see God no matter how the circumstance may change. No matter what we see God remains the same. Yes today today and forever.

And that is the truth. So here you'll find when Elijah went back. He did not give him an inch to Ahab he told Ahab that Jehovah is the God of Israel and Jehovah the God of Israel. He has not dead has not died.

He is still living. Elijah knew God still live out. Of his personal experience. It was not just a bookish knowledge to Elijah. To Elijah he had a hidden life with God. He had a prayer life with God. And in that hidden life of prayer with God.

He knew that God lived. God spoke to him. God revealed his mind to him. God sent him out on a mission. So when he declared to King Ahab he said as Jehovah the God of Israel liveth. You think God had died?

He hadn't died. He lives. He hasn't changed a bit. Before home I stand. Elijah was a true servant of God. Because he stood Before the presence of God. You know you cannot stand If you haven't said. You have to sit before God first, and then you will be able to stand before God.

You have to sit before God that is to say you have to commune with God and After you have communed with God. Then you will be able to stand before him to wait upon him and to serve serve him. You know the problem today is people do not sit.

Neither do they stand but they run. They think that they are doing God's service. And in doing God's service you have to run hither and thither and run all over. Without really knowing what God's mind is.

Where does what God want to send you and what does he want you to do? You have no knowledge whatsoever a True servant first sits before God and.

Then stands before God.

Wait and because he waited upon the Lord the Lord's command came to him. He wouldn't move before God gave the word a true servant, and you know it wasn't easy for Elijah to bring such a message. We all like to bring a good because if you bring a good news Not only people will be happy, but they will be happy with you too.

If you bring bad news People will be very unhappy. And of course Somehow it reflects on you. Nobody likes to bring such a severe message as Jehovah the God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be dune or rain all these years.

What a judgment, you know the land of Israel Is so made by God That it is not like Egypt. You know in Egypt you have the River Nile and every year the River Nile will overflow. And bring all these rich soil on the two banks of Egypt and there they can sow and they can reap and Even when there is no rain you know they use their feet to paddle the water out of the river Nile.

But not so in the land of Israel. In the land of Israel that land was so created. God created that land in such a way that it depended entirely upon rain and dew. If there was no rain or dew the earth will become powder and Nothing will grow on it.

It will be completely barren. It was a land that depended upon heaven and God brought his people purposely to such a land. So here you'll find when Elijah brought that message to King Ahab. All these years there will be no rain nor even dew.

No moisture whatsoever over the whole land. That means drought. That means famine. That means starvation. Barrenness. Death. Who would like to bring such a message. Humanly speaking Elijah certainly wouldn't like to bring such a message.

Because he loved his people dearly and yet as a Servant of the Lord. He was faithful that God brought such judgment upon the nation of Israel. Because God hated them God had tried every means to Restore them to himself in order that he might bless them, but they wouldn't listen.

After God had exhausted every means He had to resort to judgment and even his judgment Is out of love. The Bible say in judgment there is mercy. God used judgment upon his people in order to awaken them for the sake of restoration.

Not for the sake of punishment. Oh if we only know the heart of it. So here you'll find Elijah Brought that message to King Ahab. There will be no rain nor dew all these years. How many years? Nobody knew but there will be years.

Except By my word. Isn't that presumptuous for a man to say that my word without my word. The heaven will not rain. Nor will there be dew. But when I give my word then there will be rain and dew. Now what a person are you?

Presumptuous. Not at all. Elijah said there will be no rain or dew all these years except by my word. Why. Because He had the Word of God. Because he was one with God. He was a person who was in full sympathy with God.

There was Absolutely, no self in that person he represented God fully and As the Bible in the New Testament in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 said he had he was powerful before God. There is such a thing as powerful before God.

What does it mean by powerful before God? It simply means that God hears you. That's powerful before God. Why does God hear a person? Because that person hears God first. If we want to God to hear us there is a prerequisite and The prerequisite is you must hear God first.

If you do not hear him you cannot expect him to hear you. If you do not commit yourself to him, how can you expect God to commit himself to you? It cannot be. Every time God hears a person. When that person is powerful before God, you know that behind it is a life a life of obedience you know that this person is fully committed to God and To such a person God commits him as if God will do what he says.

But of course we know it is not presumptuous. But because he will never say it if God hasn't told him stuff, but you find this is a tremendous thing a tremendous thing when Elijah brought that message to King Ahab.

If he was a little bit conscious of himself. If he was a little bit considerate of himself He couldn't do it. Why. Because if there should be no rain or dew upon the land what will happen to him? He too will suffer.

And he certainly was not a man of means. He never would be. And who will support him. So you find when Elijah declared the judgment of God he forgot himself altogether and Dear brothers and sisters. This is the one condition if you want to bring God's Word To his people you have to forget yourself.

If you do not forget yourself You will dilute God's Word. You have to change God's Word. Either you change it or you refuse to bring it. But a person who is totally utterly committed to God. So selfish selfless as is as Elijah.

He was a true Prophet. Dear brothers and sisters. We are living at a time when there is apostasy even though people name the name of God and yet in the very Center of such system there is The theology of God is dead, but is God dead able to stand up and say God lives.

Who is able to bear the testimony of Jesus in the time of general falling away. You will be alone. You will be persecuted. If you want to stand for the full right of God. If you will not give in an inch.

Not for yourself, but for God. If you want to declare that Jesus lives He has died. But he has risen from the dead and he lives forevermore. He is Lord of all. Now if you want to declare this Even among God's own people you find it is difficult.

Not to say to say such things to the world. Who do not know God? But even if you want to stand for the right of God the full right of God and Bear such a testimony even among God's people you'll find people will say you're fanatic.

There is no such thing people will use God, but who can be used by God? God needs people like Elijah. God needs prophets. God needs people who stand with God absolutely. Without consideration of themselves.

God needs people who are willing to sacrifice lay down their life for the right of God over his people. God needs people who are willing to declare the whole counsel of God without reservation without dilution.

Without consideration of themselves whether they will be popular or unpopular. No consideration whatsoever brothers and sisters in our days. God needs people like Elijah who were so utterly Abandoned.

I have no better word. But the word abandonment you know God is Looking for people who are Abandoned to God you have abandoned everything as it were and Abandoned to God and only with these people God is able to speak.

God is able to reveal his mind and God would use these people to recover his testimony and that was the spirit. After Elijah declares such a judgment where did he go? You'll find that his movements were completely governed by God's Word.

Hidden Obedience and God’s Unlikely Instruments

He was hidden for we do not know how long. And God send him into the limelight To the king's palace to declare to the king the judgment of God and after that God took him away and Hit him by the torrent you know humanly speaking.

If you live a life of hiddenness long enough You will not like to be exposed to the world again. You will rather live in the wilderness tending a few sheep like Moses when God came and Wanted to send him to Egypt he lived in the wilderness for 40 years In seclusion, and he loved the silence.

He loved the seclusion. He didn't want to leave the wilderness anymore and That's human nature or if God should expose you into prominence. You did not want to hide again. You want to continue under the limelight of the world.

That's human nature. It's very difficult to find that you can change so quickly and without murmuring. When God took him out of seclusion he came into prominence. And after he shone as a light Immediately God took him away and hit him for another three years and six months.

What a prophet perfect obedience. God's Word came to him and said you Get your things and turn you eastward and hide yourself by the torrent Jareth. Which is before the Jordan and it shall be that thou shall drink of the torrent and I command you the ravens to feed thee.

Dear brothers and sisters if we obey God we do not need to be afraid. What shall we eat. What shall we drink and what shall we be close with? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

How God knows God sent him to the torrent Jareth. Now the torrent Jareth is in the north beyond Jordan. Why. Because the torrent Jareth is one of the sources of the waters of the river Jordan? It was a small stream and yet, you know lots of rivers came from small streams as.

So instead of sending him to River Jordan where there was abundance of water to begin with. And that's where people usually would go. God sent him to a little stream. To the torrent Jareth hidden in the hills.

God sent him back to the sources and you know this always happens. Whenever God does anything he always Lead us back to people look for great river but God Sends us To the little stream torrent little stream Jareth because that's the source.

You know Ahab was very angry with Elijah. Because he delivers such a severe message. And when rain did not come he got angrier. And you know through all these years he tried to find Elijah to kill him.

He thought Elijah was the trouble of Israel. He want to get him. He tried to find him all over the land. But where would he look for Elijah? Probably he will look for Elijah at great waters. Because he thought that would be where people should be but no he was in that little stream Jareth.

He didn't look at that. That's the wisdom of God. God sent him back to the source. Dear brothers and sisters every time we come to a drought God will send us back to the source and then how was he to be fed?

God said I will send ravens to feed you. Isn't that strange in the time of Elijah. Even though he thought he was the only one who stood for God. Yet God has his 7 ,000 hidden ones and among the 7 ,000 actually one was in the palace.

You know of Adiah. He has Stuart. That was the closest one to Ahab and strange enough. He was among the 7 ,000 men. Obadiah was a person who feared God from his youth and when Jezebel wanted to kill the prophets of Jehovah he hid a hundred of them in two caves and He fed them with water and bread.

Just like in Nero's household God has his own saints there. Strange but the stranger thing is God would allow Obadiah To feed a hundred prophets, but God found Obadiah was not fit to feed Elijah. Anointed of God because Obadiah himself was a compromised person and Elijah was utterly for God.

No one in the whole land of Israel was fit to be used of God to feed God's prophets. Think of that, you know, God usually uses his own people as his instruments. But no one was fit in the whole land of Israel to feed Elijah without compromising God's test.

What a pitiful situation. But was it because of that Elijah had to starve to death? Not at all if people God's own people was unusable God could use What we consider as impossible instruments the Ravens.

Ravens were unclean birds. Ravens are ravenous very greedy. In the time of famine if a raven shall find food and meat Certainly the raven would devour the whole thing and yet God can Control the appetite of a ravenous raven To bring food and meat to Elijah and not just one raven, but ravens morning and evening.

For a long period God can use the most unlikely Instrument, you know, oftentimes we think when God's people are so unusable. Then there is no way. There is a way God has his ravens. So I remember one brother wrote a kind of Not point, you know in China we have a kind of contrast he wrote a contrast and in the contrast he said Ravens fly everywhere manna fall Every day.

God has his raven everywhere. So why should we need to be worried? If we walk in the will of God God can send his ravens To feed us. God can use the most unlikely things To supply the needs of his prophet.

So there you'll find God Fed him and he drank of the torrent. Until even the torrent the source was dried up. Then God sent Elijah away. Elijah did not make the move himself. He saw the torrent get drier and drier the the little water became, you know smaller and smaller.

But he stayed there. He stayed there he didn't move and he was completely dried and At the right moment God's word came you go to Sidon to the city of Zarephath. There I have prepared a widow To supply Throw the family most unusual.

You know Jezebel she was the daughter of the king of the Sidonians and yet God sent Elijah to Sidon. Why. Because it had look everywhere not only not only in Israel but in the nations. And if any nation say they cannot find Elijah he had to have them take a note that they couldn't find Elijah but certainly Ahab would never think that Elijah would go to Sidon.

You know, that's the wisdom of God. God sent Elijah to Sidon where Ahab would never look at. Because that was the source of evil. Yet God sent him there. Not to a wealthy person a person of resources.

No, there were many widows in Israel but none Was serviceable, you know when Christ mentioned that the Jews were so furious they wanted to stone Christ. There was no widowed in Israel. That was usable.

God had to send his prophet to a widow in a foreign country. We were think Sidon being the source of idolatry or apostasy in Israel. Where could you find a godly man or woman in that kind of situation, but God had his hidden wonder.

This woman even though she was a Sidonian. He was a foreigner. She was a foreigner and yet she feared God. She knew Jehovah the God of Israel and you could see her faith. God knew where his hidden ones are.

God knows whom he can use. So dear brothers and sisters. You know, we often look in a natural way if we feel that there is a need somewhere. We probably look to some people who are.

With means resources or.

Probably we will look to some people seem to be very active only God Only God knows who is usable who is not usable. Some people may be serviceable in some things, but they may not be serviceable in deeper things, but God knows exactly whom to use.

Where will be a person who is usable and Oftentimes you find is out of our expect. God surprises us all the time. He is God. You never you never cease to be amazed. God used a Sidonian. Did Elijah argue with God and say God?

You send me to a widow? No. He went. He went. When he came into the city of Zarephath, he met that widow woman. She came out to pick two sticks To cook her last meal for herself and for her son and Elijah said to that woman give me some water to drink and She gave him water to drink and Elijah said make me a little cake and the woman said as Jehovah your God liveth.

See she knew the Lord. She knew the Prophet. He said Jehovah thy God lives. I Have only a handful meal in a barrel and a little oil in the cruise. I came out to find two sticks to Cook my last meal for myself and for my son and and Elijah said Make me a little cake first and then you make your own cake.

The Word of God says The meal in the barrel will never fail and all in the cruise Shall not be wasted until The drought and look that widow had faith. You know when you come to your last handful when you come to the last Oil of the cruise is more precious than all the silver and the gold in the whole world.

If you give out of abundance Something extra it doesn't affect you too much. But when you only had a handful and a little that handful that little was much more than What a rich person may have because it is your last meal and you hang on to that even though it is the last and you You wouldn't part with that last and yet that woman had faith.

This is the spirit of giving. She was willing to give out of her power and God first. Oh dear brothers and sisters if we do not give until it hurts us. We don't know what giving is the true spirit of giving on the one hand give cheerfully.

Yet on the other hand It hurts. It really hurts, but this woman had faith in God. He knew that if she gave to God first God Will keep his promise and you know it was not only hard for the widow to give.

It was really hard. For the prophet to receive you know sometimes you think that to receive is easier than to read to give not at all. It takes grace to give. It takes grace to For a prophet to say to a widow Who had only a handful of meal?

Cooking his last meal and say give me a little cake first what kind of person you are what kind of prophet you are. You will say he must be a false prophet and being a true prophet. It must be very hard for Elijah to say that if he is a false prophet He will say it because he is a false prophet.

But if he is a true prophet It will be most difficult for him to make that request most difficult, but Elijah had the grace to receive a great prophet was humble enough to receive a little cake for From a widow and you'll find these two things work together.

Work together for the glory of God. If that widow shouldn't keep back that handful of meal and a little oil in the cruise and cook her last meal It will be her last meal. No doubt. If Elijah was too proud to receive from that widow and said God I couldn't do that you better send a raven.

God will not send a raven, but because both of them were obedient to God. Both of them had enough grace to obey God. God was able to work out His wonder for a whole year this handful of meal and a little oil in the cruise Supply all the needs of Elijah the widow.

The Widow’s Son and Knowing God as the God of Resurrection

Oh dear brothers and sisters the whole thing actually comes down to one thing and That is utterly Dependent upon if we are utterly committed to God there is No end of God's Word. But the strange thing strangest thing was While Elijah sojourned with that widow the widow's son died.

It was really embarrassing. God sent Elijah to that widow. And that widow was gracious enough to give Elijah hospitality and Yet God struck that widow's son and he died. So the widow came to Elijah and said oh man of God your presence here.

May God remember my iniquity and so my son was killed. What can Elijah say? Instead of bringing blessing to this house Elijah brought courage to this house. It was most embarrassing. But Elijah knew God.

He took the boy Went to his room. On the roof, you know the way they built the house the house and then there's a stairway from outside you go to the roof and Elijah lived on the roof in the chamber there on the roof.

So he took the boy to the roof to his room put in his bed then he prayed Oh God. Why do you do that? You cannot do that. Let this child so Come to him. He stretched himself on the child three times and cried to the Lord and The Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came into him again.

You know what God teaching his prophet a Deeper lesson all Elijah. He was so jealous and zealous for God. He knew that God is the God of judgment. You cannot play with God if you want to play with God.

There will be no do there will be no way. He knew that God was the God of judgment. But Elijah yet to know that God was also the God of resurrection. Sometimes you know that God is a God of judgment. But you fail to know that God is a God of resurrection.

But this is not a bookish knowledge. This is something you have to experience yourself first. Unless you experience in your own life that God is the God of resurrection. Elijah was not fit to be sent back again to bring blessing and rain upon the nation of Israel.

God was going to say Elijah back to send rain to the nation of Israel. That's resurrection. But Elijah knew nothing about resurrection. He only knew judgment. So God used this incident to teach both Elijah and the widow.

That God was not only the God of judgment the God of supply, but God was also the God of resurrection. What a lesson, you know sometimes where things happened. We draw our conclusion too quickly. You know whenever we see something happen immediately we give our verdict.

Or we say now this is because of the iniquity of this widow. No doubt about that. Otherwise, how can it happen? The holy man of God Exposes the iniquity the hidden iniquities of this widow. Therefore judgment came upon that house.