Punishing The Evil
(Elijah Part 1)
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the United Kingdom of Israel divided, the northern Kingdom, led by Jeroboam,
began a long trail of sin and idolatry. The golden calves displayed in Bethel
and Dan, set the stage for future kings to sin. One of these kings, Ahab, under
the evil influence of his wife Jezebel, chose to lead God's people into every
possible act of idolatry!
"Now
Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the
sight of the LORD, more than all who
were before him" (1 Kings
16:30).
Jezebel was a Baal
worshiper to the core, and wanted everyone else to follow her
example. Obviously, she had complete control over her husband, Ahab, and he
followed her faithfully in her sin.
"And Ahab made a wooden
image. Ahab did more to provoke
the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before
him" (1 Kings 16:33).
Therefore, God's people were blindly led into the same
idolatry.
Something
had to be done, so God chose one of His prophets, Elijah,
the Tishbite from Gilead, to face this evil king. When Elijah
confronted him, he gave the king a serious message. He said, "As the
LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at
my word" (1 Kings 17:1).
Then
God sent Elijah to a special hiding place by the Brook Cherith, which
flows into the Jordan to wait. Here God provided water
from the brook and commanded the ravens to feed him meat
and bread (1 Kings 17:1-6).
In
this setting, we have Ahab representing evil and Elijah representing good, but God
is always on the side of good. Ahab
had chosen to forsake the true God and to lead God's people from Him. Now, it
is time for him to receive punishment from God. Even today, there are those who evidently think that they
can fill their lives with evil and still win, but they are eternally wrong! "Do
not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also
reap" (Galatians 6:7).
Day
by day, Elijah watched his prayer to God being fulfilled as all dew and rain
ceased, and as the brook began drying up! James describes this situation in
these words: "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain;
and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months" (James 5:17).
Finally,
the brook dried up and Elijah ran out of water, but God
knew and met his need. "Then the word of the LORD came to
him, saying, arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there.
See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you" (1 Kg. 17:8, 9).
This
may have been the last place on earth that Elijah thought food would be
provided, but he did not doubt God. God may
or may not give us what we want,
but He always gives His children what we need. When God commands, we must obey.
When He says, "Go," we must
go, and He will fulfill our needs.
Therefore,
we must choose God's side and God's
way, while opposing evil, and God
will provide our needs. In the words of the Hebrews author, "So we may
boldly say: "The LORD is my
helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6).
—BBBristow
God Will Take Care Of You
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must have been times when Elijah was lonely as he watched the Brook Cherith
become dry. There was not another human being to talk with as he waited. Loneliness is a serious problem with those
who are left alone, but let us remember that Elijah must have felt closeness
with God. He was no doubt motivated by the fact that God was using him for a great purpose.
When
we are committed to the Lord as
Christians, we may (to some degree) be cut off from others. Our different
lifestyle may cause them to feel uncomfortable around us, and they may choose
friendships with those who live by the works of the flesh! However, when this
happens, this should motivate us to seek a deeper
friendship with other Christians, and with God.
After
a while, Elijah went to the brook for water and found it had dried up. This
happened, "because there had been no rain in the land" (1 Kings 17:7). To those without God, this would be a
frightening experience, but with Elijah, he just waited for instructions from God. Elijah had done
everything that God had commanded him to do, and now he waits on God!
God
came to his rescue! The word of the Lord came to him saying, "Arise, go
to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for
you" (1 Kings 17:9).
This is another test of
faith. The Lord did not say, "I'm sending you to a wealthy
farmer who has enough food stored up to feed you for many years!" This
would have been easy for Elijah to understand. But in this chapter, God in
reality was saying to him, "I'm sending you to a widow and her son who has
only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar. She is preparing
this for herself and son to eat and die" (1 Kings 17:12).
By
faith, Elijah went to the widow and
told her to prepare him a little cake and bring it to him before she prepared
for herself and son. At this point, Elijah spoke to her the word of the Lord:
"For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ÔThe bin of flour shall not be
used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on
the earth'" (1 Kings 17:14).
Does
God take care of His children today? Jesus answered this question: "Therefore
I say to you, do not worry about your
life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you
will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? But seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you" (Matthew
6:25,33).
Just
remember, when worry moves in, faith moves out! Yes, we are to be
concerned about doing our best to provide for family and ourselves. In fact,
the lazy man is condemned in the Scriptures. Solomon wrote the following words:
"The soul of a lazy
man desires, and has nothing; but the
soul of the diligent shall be made
rich" (Proverbs 13:4).
"The lazy man will not plow because of winter; he
will beg during harvest and have
nothing" (Proverbs 20:4).
However, once we have done our best, we must trust the
Lord for His help and guidance. We need to do our best,
and trust the Lord to do the rest!
Elijah believed that the Lord would provide! —BBBristow
Even A Greater Test
(Elijah Part 3)
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one studies Elijah the prophet in the last years of his life, it becomes easy
to see that his faith was often tested.
It seems like Elijah was climbing a staircase upward with each tread a test of
his faith. In fact, the tests seemed to become more
difficult as he got closer to the time for God to take him home in a
chariot of fire propelled by a whirlwind! However, with the help of God, Elijah
was able to pass each test.
After
Elijah passed the test at the Brook Cherith, God sent him to visit a widow at
Zarephath. He searched for food from a widow who had only a handful of flour
and a little oil to prepare food for herself and son before they died.
Will Elijah still request for himself
a small cake to be made? Will he take from this widow the only food left in her
house? The answer is yes, because he had faith that the same God who fed him by
ravens, will continue to supply. Did God reward the strong
faith of Elijah? Again, the answer is yes, because Elijah said, "For
thus says the LORD God of Israel: ÔThe bin of flour shall not be used up, nor
shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the
earthÕ" (1 Kings 17:14).
Therefore, God kept His word to
Elijah: "The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run
dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah" (1 Kings 17:16).
If Elijah thought the test of faith involving this
widow was over, he had a surprise awaiting him, because the next test was even
greater. Sometime after providing the continual supply of flour and oil,
something very disturbing happened: "the son of the woman who owned the
house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him" (1 Kings 17:17). She came to Elijah with these cutting words: "What
have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to
remembrance, and to kill my son?" (1 Kings 17:18).
In great agony and distress, this widow spoke words
that expressed a temporary lack of faith! The man of God who (with God's help)
had saved her life and the life of her son is now blamed for his death. Did Elijah understand?
Did he try to defend himself as one would in court? No, he simply took the dead
body of this boy to the loft where he stayed, and placed it on his bed and
stretched himself over it. "Then he cried out to the LORD and said, 'O
LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy
on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?'" (1 Kings 17:20).
The faith of Elijah was being tested. In fact, the
moment of the crisis motivated him to express doubts
to God. However, in faith he called
upon God to bring the boy back to life. Therefore, "he stretched
himself out on the child three times, and cried
out to the LORD and said, 'O LORD my God, I
pray, let this childÕs soul come back to him'" (1 Kings 17:21).
Did God forsake this prophet of faith? No, because "the
LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and
the soul of the child came back to him, and he
revived" (1 Kings
17:22). What a thrill it must have been for Elijah to bring the boy down to his
mother perfectly healed! How did she respond? She said to Elijah, "Now
by this I know that you are a man of
God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth" (1
Kings 17:24).
Do we ever have moments of doubts, and times when we
ask, "Why?" If so, we need
to remember that either NOW or LATER, God will provide what is best for
all His faithful children! —BBBristow
The Troubler Of Israel
(Elijah Part 4)
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long years had passed without a drop of rain, and there was a severe famine in Samaria. In fact, the time
had come for Ahab to either find water and grass or he would lose all horses,
mules, and livestock. Obadiah was in
charge of Ahab's house, but unlike Ahab and Jezebel, he was a God fearing man.
Therefore, Ahab and Obadiah had gone in separate directions to search for water
and grass. As Ahab walked across the land of dust, with every step he took, he must have felt hatred for Elijah,
the man who told him, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I
stand, there shall not be dew nor rain
these years, except at my word"
(1 Kings 17:1).
At
this same time, the Lord gave Elijah a difficult command, "Go, present
yourself to Ahab, and I will send
rain on the earth" (1 Kings
18:1). How did this great prophet respond? "So Elijah went to present
himself to Ahab" (1 Kings 18:2). God has always been pleased with those
who obey Him! In fact, this was one of the ways His
Son pleased His Father. "And being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8).
As
Elijah made his way to find Ahab, he met Obadiah who immediately fell on his
face and asked, "Is that you, my lord
Elijah?" (1 Kings
18:7). Elijah responded, "It is I. Go, tell your master, ÔElijah is
here" (1 Kings 18:8). Obadiah
became afraid and told Elijah that if
he told the king this message, and Elijah did not appear, the king would kill
him. Then Obadiah told Elijah how diligently
Ahab had looked for him. He said that Ahab had gone to other
nations searching, and when they said they had not seen him, he made
them take an oath that they were
telling the truth. Obadiah in
essence summed up his conversation by saying, "If you don't show, he will kill me!
However,
Elijah gave him this assurance: "As the LORD of hosts lives, before
whom I stand, I will surely present
myself to him today" (1 Kings
18:15).
Obadiah
must have believed Elijah, because he obeyed,
found the king, and made the announcement that Elijah wanted to meet him. Thus,
Ahab went to meet him.
When
they met, Ahab asked, "Is that you, O
troubler of Israel?" (1 Kings 18:17). From this question, it was obvious
to see that Ahab was blaming Elijah for the famine and all the troubles he was
experiencing. But we can be assured that Elijah did not let him by with this
false accusation. Therefore, Elijah responded by saying, "I have not
troubled Israel, but you and your fatherÕs house have, in that you have
forsaken the commandments of the LORD
and have followed the Baals" (1 Kings 18:18).
There
are many today who blame others for the spiritual failures in their lives. They
may blame their parents, their mates, their friends, and even the hypocrites in
the church. However, sooner or later (like Ahab) they will learn that they must face God alone for their own evil
deeds.
"For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, that each one may
receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether
good or bad" (2 Corinthians
5:10).
It was at this point that Elijah challenged Ahab for a
duel between the prophets of Baal and the true God. Elijah will show who is the
true God, and expose the "Troubler of Israel." —BBBristow
Fire On The Mountain
(Elijah Part 5)
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Elijah's visit with Ahab, he must have concluded that nothing had changed in
his attitude toward God. The false gods of Baal
and Asherah had invaded his life and
had shaken the faith of Israel. Elijah concluded that something had to be done.
He said to Ahab, "Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four
hundred and fifty prophets of Baal,
and the four hundred prophets of Asherah,
who eat at JezebelÕs table" (1
Kings 18:19).
Ahab
responded to Elijah's request! He must have believed in the false gods of Baal,
and that these prophets could win
over Elijah. Ahab probably smiled when he thought of the
odds—eight-hundred-fifty to one. Perhaps he thought this would be an
opportunity to promote Baal worship and to finally get rid of this "troubler of Israel."
But
what Ahab did not know was the fact that God IS
the majority, and that all the false gods of the world are nothing compared to
Him! As Paul wrote, "If God is for us,
who can be against us?" (Romans
8:31). Therefore, Elijah believed that the only true and living God would bring fire on the
mountain.
What
a great gathering this must have been on Mount Carmel! Elijah faced a large
audience of Israel and the evil prophets of the Baals. He began by challenging
those of Israel. He asked them. "How
long will you falter [halt, go limping, waver] between two
opinions? If the LORD is God, follow
Him; but if Baal, follow him" (1 Kings 18:21).
The
people were trying to follow both God and Baal, but this could NOT be done. Elijah called upon them to choose and commit,
because God demands either being FOR
Him or AGAINST Him. One of the Ten
Commandments expressed this truth: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). Therefore, Elijah was saying like
Joshua, "choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15). How did the people respond to
Elijah's call for commitment? "But the people answered him not a word."
At
this point, it was time for Elijah to show the power of the true God with fire. The rules set forth by Elijah
were very simple. Each side was to choose a bull, cut it into pieces, lay it on
the wood placed on the altar without any fire. Then Elijah said, "and
the God who answers by fire, He is God" (1 Kings
18: 24).
Hour
after hour, the prophets of Baal failed to receive even a spark of fire from Baal. "So they took the
bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal
from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was
no voice; no one answered" (1 Kings 18:26). However, when Elijah prepared his
altar, he soaked it three times with water, and filled the trench with water;
then he called upon the Lord to answer. Here is what Elijah received:
"Then
the fire of the LORD fell and consumed
the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up
the water that was in the trench. Now
when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The
LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" (1 Kings 18:38,39). Elijah had proven that the Lord
is the true God and that Baal was false! —BBBristow
(Elijah Part 6)
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the contest between the prophets of Baal and God were over, the first order of
business for Elijah was to carry out the teaching of the law regarding a false prophet: "But that prophet
or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death,Ó (Deuteronomy 13:5). Thus we read, "And Elijah
said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them
escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook
Kishon and executed them there" (1 Kings 18:40).
When
this was completed, Elijah told Ahab to eat and drink because Òthere is the
sound of abundance of rainÓ (1 Kings 18:41). What faith this great prophet displayed!
It had not rained for three years and six months (James 5:17), and there was
not a cloud in the sky, but by faith,
Elijah heard the sound of heavy rain. At this point, Ahab did not argue with
Elijah; ÒSo Ahab went up to eat and drinkÓ (1 Kings 18:42).
Where
did Elijah go? He climbed to the top of Mount Carmel to pray for rain. He bowed down to the ground with his face
between his knees, then commanded his servant to go
look toward the sea. After completing six trips, the servant said, ÒThere
is nothing.Ó Did this weaken ElijahÕs faith? Not at all! He told
him, ÒGo again.Ó On his seventh trip,
he returned and said, "There is a cloud, as small as a manÕs hand,
rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say
to Ahab, ÔPrepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops
youÕÓ (1 Kings 18:44).
The
man who prayed and stopped the rain has now prayed for it to return. James sums
up this event, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
earnestly that it would not rain; and
it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed
again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit" (James 5:17,18).
After
all the evil that Ahab had done, Elijah still warned
the king to get down from the mountain. As the sky became black with clouds and
wind, Elijah ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
At this point in time, Elijah must have felt great because God had answered his
prayer with the abundance of rain, and he had won the battle over the evil
influences of Baal.
How
much faith do we have when we pray to God? Do we doubt His power when we pray?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then we can be sure that God will not give us our requests. This is true
because a lack of faith cuts us off
from pleasing God. When James wrote on the subject of praying with faith, he
said, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is
like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man
suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;" (James 1:6,7).
Elijah
has now fought and won some very powerful battles, but unfortunately, he is
going to fight some other powerful
ones. He must now face the fury and evilness of a woman called Jezebel. However,
we can know with confidence that with GodÕs help, that even Jezebel will fail! —BBBristow
(Elijah Part 7)
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hab
rushed to his evil wife and told her everything that had happened with the
contest and Elijah. Can you imagine her reactions when he told her that Elijah Òhad
executed all the prophets with the sword?" (1 Kings 19:1). Then out of her anger, hatred, and
fury she sent a servant to Elijah with this threat: "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by
tomorrow about this time" (1
Kings 19:2).
It
was at this point in time that Elijah showed fear.
This great prophet of God who had seen God feed him by sending ravens, fed him
through the bin of flour and the jar of oil that was not
used up, brought to life the widowÕs dead son, and had answered his
prayer with fire on the mountain, is
now running for his life in fear of an evil woman.
Elijah ran to Beersheba
where he left his servant as he continued a dayÕs journey into the wilderness
(1 Kings 19:3,4).
When
Elijah finally stopped under a Juniper tree,
he was so discouraged and depressed that he prayed for the Lord to let him die.
He prayed, "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better
than my fathers!" (1 Kings
19:4). Did the Lord answer his prayer? Yes, but not
by letting him die! God answered his prayer by letting him live. God answers the prayers of His
children by giving them what they need.
Paul needed the thorn, so God did not
remove it (2 Cor. 12:7). Jesus needed to drink the bitter cup of death, so His
Father did not let it pass (Mt.
26:39). Likewise, Elijah asked to die, but God refused him.
Instead
of death, God sent him two touches of
an angel, Òa cake baked on coals, and a jar of water,Ó and food that would sustain him forty day (1 Kings 19:6,7). Surely, God
still has plans for this great prophet. However, Elijah needs some more
encouragement and building up before he is ready for service.
As
Christians, we can also become discouraged to the point of wanting to give up.
God does not come down in a direct way as He did with Elijah, but he has many
wonderful ways that he uses to lift us up. It may be through prayer, through
the promises of His word, and by encouragement of friends and other Christians.
But we can find help if we will surrender our will to the will of God.
One
of the things that Paul did in his epistles to individuals and churches was
encourage them to be faithful to God. To the Galatians he wrote, "And
let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we
do not lose heart" (Galatians
6:9). To the church at Corinth he
wrote to encourage them, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is
not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians
15:58).
Elijah
finally came to a cave where he stopped to have a ÒPity Party!Ó He needs some
personal encouragement and instruction from the Lord, and the Lord will
certainly come to him and gently lead him back into faithful service. Remember, if we are faithful to God,
God will be faithful to our needs!
—BBBristow
(Elijah Part 8)
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we continue the series on Elijah, we find him spending the night in a cave.
While there, the word of the Lord came to him and asked, "What are you
doing here?" (1 Kings 19:9).
Very quickly Elijah responded in essence by saying that he was having a "Pity Party!" He spoke of all the great
things he had done, and how zealous he had been for the Lord. Then he numerated
just how bad Israel had been: "the children of Israel have forsaken
Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the
sword." To underline why he was
so depressed, he continued: "I alone am left; and they seek to take my
life" (1 Kings 19:10).
Elijah
must have forgotten that he was responding to the word of the Lord and not to
some man needing information. When we are depressed, we often lose our
perspective of life, and seem to take on the weight of the world without
including God. Elijah will soon learn that God is in control and has all power
and knowledge. Sometimes we forget this truth in our lives. We may forget the
words from the Hebrew author, "So we may boldly say: "The LORD is
my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6).
At
this point, the Lord must have realized that Elijah needed more than words! He
needed to see the power of God in action, therefore He said, "Go out,
and stand on the mountain before the LORD" (1 Kings 19:11). How puzzling it must have been to
Elijah when the Lord passed by, "and a great and strong wind tore into
the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire;
and after the fire a still small voice" (Vss. 11,12).
Each
time one of these powerful events occurred, Elijah must have expected the Lord
to speak in an earthshaking voice, but He didnÕt! However, when He finally had
ElijahÕs full attention, He spoke with a whisper. With this awesome experience,
how could Elijah doubt the presence of the Lord?
Remember,
God still takes care of His children! It may not be in the way we expect, but
He has the power to provide what is needed within His will. By faith, all who
are His children must believe that He is there and that He cares!
When
Elijah heard the whispering voice, Òhe wrapped his face in his mantle and
went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him,
and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:13). Elijah repeated the same words of
discouragement about his failures with Israel. Then, without further argument,
the Lord offered a cure for the despair of this great prophet. In essence, He
told him to go to work and anoint the following men: Hazael as king over Syria,
Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha as the prophet who would take his
place" (1 Kings 19:15,16).
When
GodÕs children become discouraged today, the work of the church is hindered.
Thus, when this happens, we need to roll up our sleeves and get busy for the
Lord. When we decide that the church is in trouble and without hope, we need to
recognize that God is in control and knows fully the past,
the present, and the future. Elijah said, during his time of
discouragement, "I alone am leftÓ (Vs. 14), but he was mistaken! The Lord corrected him, "Yet I
have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal,
and every mouth that has not kissed him" (Vs. 18).
After
this experience, Elijah was back on track and ready to carry out the will of
the Lord in his life. This great man needed this encouragement—he needed
to get OUT of the cave of despair,
and to get back INTO the work of the
Lord! —BBBristow
(Elijah Part 9)
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we come to the final part of this series on Elijah, we find him once again
obeying the commands of the Lord. He was evidently convinced that the Lord had
not lost to Baal, and that his work for the Lord had not failed. He was ready
to anoint the ones specified by the Lord, and to choose Elisha to carry on his
work.
When
he found Elisha, he was plowing with oxen (1 Kings 19:19). The call for him to
follow was very simple. "Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him." Elisha responded in a positive way: "And he
left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, 'Please let me kiss my father and
my mother, and then I will follow you.' And he said to him, "Go back
again, for what have I done to you?" (v. 20). Elisha kept his
word, because after he had returned and fed the people, we are told, "Then
he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant" (v. 21).
What
about Ahab and Jezebel? You can be assured that Elijah has one more important
experience with them. The next event took place when Ahab decided he wanted the
vineyard next to his house for a garden, that was owned by Naboth. However,
Naboth did not want to sell or trade. "So Ahab went into his house
sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had
spoken to him; . . .And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and
would eat no food" (1 Kings
21:4).
At
this point, Jezebel came to his rescue. She told him in essence, "You
don't have to get this legally, since you are the King of Israel. Therefore,
just have Naboth killed and take his vineyard for yourself." Ahab followed
her evil advice and went down to take possession of the vineyard (see vv.
7-15).
All
seemed to be going well until Elijah appeared with the word of the Lord and
asked him a disturbing question: "Have you murdered and also taken
possession?" Then came a
prophecy from the Lord: "In the place where dogs licked the blood of
Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours" (1 Kings 21:19). Ahab asked Elijah, "Have you
found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because
you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD:" (1 Kings 21:20). Elijah foretold things that would
come to his house, and then he prophesied what would happen to his evil wife: "And
concerning Jezebel the LORD also spoke, saying, ÔThe dogs shall eat Jezebel by
the wall of JezreelÕ" (v. 23).
This
was not good news to Ahab, because he knew what Elijah had done in the past,
and how the Lord had worked through him. However, Ahab and Jezebel had sowed
the seed of evil, and now they must reap the consequences (Galatians 6:6,7).
Thus, in the future, Ahab and Jezebel received their reward for evil—the
very thing that Elijah foretold came to pass. One by one, the dogs came to lap
the blood of Ahab and to eat the body of Jezebel (1 Kings 21:23; 22:38; 2 Kings
9:10, 36).
Elijah had won! He wanted to help them over the years,
but they did not want his help. Ahab had allowed Jezebel and sin to take over
his life. "But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do
wickedness in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife stirred him
up" (1 Kings 21:25).
Finally
the time came for Elijah to prepare for going home. As he moved toward the
place where the Lord would take him up to heaven, Elisha followed him. At each
place, Elijah asked him to stay as he moved forward, but he refused. Finally
they came to the Jordan, Elijah rolled up his mantle, and struck the water and
it divided so that the two of them crossed over on dry land (2 Kings 2:8). At
this time, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask! What may I do for you, before I
am taken away from you?" Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of
your spirit be upon me"" (2
Kings 2:9). Elijah told him this would be done if he saw him being taken from
him.
During
the conversation, it is recorded: "Then it happened, as they continued
on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire,
and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into
heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). What a
beautiful way for Elijah to close his work, to go to heaven! This man pleased
the Lord and then left the earth in a blaze of glory! —BBBristow