365 Reflections

The book of 2 Kings opens with a familiar refrain. The kings of Israel are refusing to listen to the voice of the Lord through His chosen prophets. Now the name "Kings" is really ironic because the kings are not great at all. It is the prophets, those who speak for the Lord that carry Israel along through these tumultuous times. The book begins with King Ahaziah, the son of the wicked King Ahab having an accident and seeking the god of "Baal" for notice on whether he would recover. At this time the word of the Lord comes to Elijah: 2 Kings 1:3–4 (ESV) But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus says the LORD, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” So Elijah went. When Ahaziah hears that Elijah h...

If you're going to follow Christ, you have to get used to being outnumbered, undermanned and overmatched in the physical realm. Why do I say this? Because it's all I see in the Biblical narrative for those God saves and uses in the plan of redemption. 1 Kings 20:1 (ESV) Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it. Once again, God's people are outmanned. Syria musters not just an army but a coalition of 32 other kings to come up against the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This happens right after the Elijah revival at Mount Carmel. While Elijah is licking his wounds at Mount Hebron, the nation is facing an overwhelming army.  We must remember that Ben-hadad is attacking Israel because of an alliance made with him by the Southern Kingdom king of Judah, Asa! (See 1 Kings 15:19). That is, God's people have used God's enemies to at...

In our last post, we explored the two means by which successful men like Elijah fall into depression - self-righteousness, and self-pity. Elijah felt he had done everything right and the people who had just repented were to blame for his fear of Jezebel. In this post, I want to talk about the Lord in our depression. Recapping 1 Kings 19 we learn a few things. First, we learn that the Lord does not leave us when we are depressed. 1 Kings 19:12–13 (ESV)  And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper . 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” We know the Lord gets closer to Elijah here because he speaks in a low whisper. The laws of physics teach us that you only hear whispers when you are closest to the source of it. God has not only stayed by Elijah, but ...

When you consider the things Elijah had accomplished in his life, the fact that he sunk into such a miserable state so quickly with seemingly no way out (in his own mind) is rather incredible. 1 Kings 19:11–13 (ESV) And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” After running 40 days and 40 nights on the food the angel prepared, Elijah holds up in a cave near Mount Horeb. Why Horeb? Because that is where the Israelites met wit...

The picture of Elijah from 1 Kings 19 is far different than the one we've seen so far. We remember how he triumphed gloriously over the prophets of Baal and then called down rain from heaven in 1 Kings 18. God has shown Himself powerful through this man on the nation's grandest stage. Yet one simple threat from Jezebel is enough to send him spiraling downwards. 1 Kings 19:1–3 (ESV) Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. Let's be honest. We have all been here. Riding the high of a victory we are often susceptible to the voice of a single critic or enemy. We may get to a place where we let personal triumphs make u...

The world is full of arrogant men and women. We have enough of those who seek the glory and prestige of the age. We need more men and women who know the immense value of humility and prayer. Elijah is like that man. 1 Kings 18:41–42 (ESV) And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. This is just after the slaughter of the prophets of Baal. Think of Elijah slaughtering those prophets the next time you want to imagine this Biblical hero along the lines of a seriously committed Sunday School teacher. But I digress back to Elijah's prayer life. We should look at what Elijah has thus prayed for in the land of Israel. First, he prayed for a drought that they might be chastised for their sins. This prayer was answered and the nation was in crisis mode and ready for a work...

If a man does not want God, he will never see him. That is the case of many in the world. Ahab the wicked king of Israel is the arch-type of this man. He did more evil than all the kings before him. He sought to thoroughly wipe out the worship of Yahweh from Israel and married the wicked Jezebel furthering that venture faster. And when Ahab sees the man who could help him he identifies him as the exact opposite. 1 Kings 18:17 (ESV) When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” How hard-hearted to you have to be to suggest that the man who is obviously empowered by God to do the works of God is your troubler? Ahab should have fallen to the ground and sought salvation from Elijah's hand. The drought could have ended and Ahab could have enjoyed national prosperity as King.  But none of this happens. Instead, Ahab calls Elijah a troubler and scorns his arrival. Many people are so stubborn they lash out at the very hand sent to save them....

Obadiah in 1 Kings 18 is a curious figure. He's not to be confused with the prophet who wrote the book, Obadiah. This one is very different. At one moment he's at the side of Ahab carrying out his instructions and doing his bidding. On the other hand, he's secretly hiding the prophets of Yahweh and feeding them. At times he shows great boldness and other times he seems jumpy and skittish. When Elijah is sent back by the Lord to confront Ahab, Obadiah is searching for green grass to save the horses of Israel at Ahab's behest. Elijah sees him and tells him to inform Ahab he's returned. This is Obadiah's response: 1 Kings 18:9–12 (ESV) And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. 11 And ...

1 Kings 17:3–7 (ESV) “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. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. What is interesting is to see how the Lord provides for Elijah after he boldly confronts Ahab and his abominations. Elijah must hide and be fed by ravens. The Word of the Lord leads Elijah to a place where someone would never NATURALLY go. Perhaps this is the first rebuke Elijah brings to Israel. When you walk with God, you don't follow the natural instincts of human nature. Israel was following the lusts of their flesh. The name "Cherit...

The book of 1 Kings has shown us a long list of terrible kings in the Northern kingdom of Israel. On to the scene as Israel endures her 7th and most idolatrous king bursts Elijah the prophet. I am sure that if you aren't an avid Bible reader, his name is the only one familiar to you thus far in the book which speaks to a powerful truth underlying this narrative's message: It is not the powerful kings that move Israel along, it is those prophets who speak for God without fear, who challenge power and let God take care of the rest. But before he was ever a prophet, Elijah was a prayer warrior. 1 Kings 17:1 (ESV) 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.”  What we are asked to see immediately is where Elijah is from rather than WHO Elijah is from. All the kings of Israel were identified by their father, even the wicked Ahab. Elij...