Elijah
“Elijah - just like us”
Elijah.
He just seems to appear.
The story of the Kings of Israel is unfolding and it is a dismal, dark and godless story.
In increasing measure – since Solomon – the people of God are split into two nations; and there is intrigue; evil; manipulation; idolatry; power grabbing; apostasy.
And then Ahab became king. And he married a woman called Jezebel and under her influence the worship of Baal took hold of the nation.
Baal was a nature-god.
He was believed to control fertility and rain – and he was a god to be appeased. A god that you had to keep satisfying so that crops grew; livestock increased; families increased; rain fell.
He was a pagan god and worship of Baal was essentially unbridled.
Rituals of worship involved shrine prostitutes and the like.
He was a god that was the polar opposite of everything that Yahweh was.
He was not a god of covenant and relationship.
Not a god of compassion and love.
But he was the god of the time in the view of Israel – and they went after him with energy.
This was a dark time spiritually.
It was a time of deep and terrible sin and betrayal by the people of God.
Then Elijah appeared.
Sent by God into the darkness and he speaks the Word of God and strikes right at the heart of all that Baal propounded to be and do: provide the means for life.
Elijah declares that there will be a drought for the next three years (v 1)
And then God commands Elijah to leave.
It is a terrible moment.
God removes His hand from His people and as a visual aid – removes His prophet.
His voice.
And so there they are left. With their god Baal.
But no rain. No Yahweh. No prophet.
Elijah meanwhile is sent “east” (v 3-6).
Away from the Promised Land; away from the people of God; and into the care of God.
The comment that he is sent “east” is mentioned three times.
“East” has a particular flavour to it in the Bible.
“East” is the direction of sin and judgement.
Beginning in Gen 1 – Adam and Eve travel east after their sin and an angel of the Lord guards the Garden of Eden, east of Eden (Gen 3:24).
Then Cain, after his sin and judgement travels further east (Gen 4:16).
Sin increases and Gen 11 records that people moved eastward and came to a plain and their assaulted heaven by building the tower of Babel.
The use of “east” as a symbol for the spread of sin – but now with grace addressing it – is seen further in Ezekiel 47 with the river of God flowing towards the east; and finishing at the Dead Sea now teems with life.
(Interestingly – the deepest part of the river is furtherest from the temple. The shallowest is closest to the temple! Think about that!)
Then the New Testament begins with grace Personified with the birth of Christ. And continuing the theme of east/sin – from where are the Magi summoned from? From where do they come from to worship and give gifts to the Son of God?
And so to Elijah…
He too continues this theme of travelling east insofar as it is symbolic of the presence of sin.
His journey east represents again the presence and power of sin which has taken hold of God’s people; and maybe this time it could be said that God leaves the “Garden of Eden”; God leaves the Promised Land – and leaves His people to their choices.
A truly terrible proposition.
The people left Godless and at the mercy of their beliefs and decisions.
God have mercy!!
Yet – in Romans 1 we see that there is indeed such a spiritual dynamic at play. There Paul writes about the wrath of God and His so He gave them over to the very things they pursued.
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over…" (Romans 1:21-24)
And here in 1 Kgs 17 – the same thing unfolds.
The people are given over to their choices.
Meanwhile – there Elijah is “east of Eden” and experiencing the compassion of God; the provision of God.
A sign that even in the “east” god can and will provide. It serves as a parable. A promise of what will come.
Against this backdrop of horrendous decisions and betrayal of the covenant of God – we have this moment of grace.
As a prophet Elijah is profoundly significant.
He stands at the crossroads between the old and new prophets which emerged in the history of God’s people.
That he is regularly associated with Moses is no mistake.
But of all the aspects of this man’s life and service before his God – maybe one of the more significant is that he is one who prepares the way of God.
The way so that people can once again be reconciled to Him.
The way so that people can repent and turn back to God.
We read the story of Elijah and can be excused of thinking that this is someone out of our league.
We can be excused for thinking his story is one to warm the heart but not necessarily to result in anything that we can actually do today.
Yet this is not the view of the New Testament.
Bearing in mind the contours of the situation described in 1 Kgs 17:1-6; bearing in mind the state of the nation and the people; bearing in mind what is needed – listen to the words of James.
"Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest. My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." (James 5:13-20)
Here – within the context of church life – the life and ministry of Elijah is held up as a template.
As a way by which we can relate to each other in the name of God.
Here – drawing on this bleak and dark situation in 1 Kgs 17 – we have this extraordinary description of the kinds of things which can happen in life today.
Suffering; joy; illness; sin; people turning their back on God.
What’s the point?
What’s the difference between James 5 and 1 Kings 17?
Essentially – nothing.
James in describing life is calling for Elijah’s to pray and restore.
And in an almost unbelievable claim and encouragement – James says “Read 1 Kgs 17 and be Elijah in your day. He was just a person like us! He prayed and looked what happened!! Pray and see what happens!!”
And James continues to press in with his application.
Restore those who have turned away.
Pray like Elijah. Have an awareness of the judgement of God – and life accordingly.
Live like Elijah in those “eastern” places and have in your heart that desire to restore people.
To pray with each other; confessing to one another – to stilling and defeating the religion of Baal in its current day forms.
It is a religion of enticement; seduction; subtlety – and yet with an underlying fear.
It has us relating to God with a sense of appeasing Him on the one hand – so that we can live independently of Him on the other.
It is a religion which has us drifting away from a covenant God to one whereby we bargain with God.
We will explore present day forms of Baal worship in future sermons – but enough to say at this time – which the call is for prayerful “Elijah’s” who embody the Spirit of Christ in their prayer for others; their concern for others; their reaching of others.
For Elijah’s who demonstrate the grace of God in their lives in the “eastern” regions of life!
Presented By: Rev G New