How awesome, majestic and awe-inspiring was the display of God's power in our reading yesterday in 1 Kings 18. God's man Elijah makes an impressive entrance into the scene of God's story of redemption, into the unfolding of God's plan of graciously building a kingdom of redeemed people for their joy and for his own glory through HIS Christ. The child of God cannot help but get excited, filled with awe and wonder as you read of this showdown between God and idols...American or otherwise!
1 Kings 18:36-41 At the time for offering the ⌊evening⌋ sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached ⌊the altar⌋ and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. 37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.”
38 Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!”
40 Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there. 41 Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.”
Verse 37 caught my eye. Who turned who's heart? And aren't we supposed to be the ones to turn back to God? I believe that is what we see all over God's Word, like in Deut 30:10 if you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT 1 KINGS 18:37 SAYS...MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO GO CHECK OTHER TRANSLATIONS...BELOW ARE SEVERAL...THEN I THOUGHT, LET ME CHECK THE HEBREW...AND I DID, I TRIED TO PASTE IT FOR YOU, BUT MY FONTS TURNED IT INTO A MESS...REGARDLESS THIS IS WHAT IT SAYS...37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.” Personally, I like the Holman Christian Standard because it puts it as it is literally in the Hebrew "Yahweh, are God." Why is that a big deal Mark? I don't know that it is, but if you have been with me for some time in this journey you might remember our discussion that Yahweh is God's personal name. It is like saying "Mark is a man" "Yahweh is God and there is no other God" there may be gods, but only one Yahweh!
ESV 1 Kings 18:37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back."
KJV 1 Kings 18:37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
NAU 1 Kings 18:37 "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again."
NIV 1 Kings 18:37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."
NKJ 1 Kings 18:37 "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
NLT 1 Kings 18:37 O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself."
What are we to make of this? I believe it is that Yahweh through HIS orchestrated circumstances, beginning with the 3 year famine and culminating with the showdown at Mt. Carmel is actively working to turn the hearts of HIS people back to HIM! Praise God! HE DID THE SAME THING...IN A MUCH MORE GLORIOUS FASHION IN SENDING HIS SON TO PURCHASE a kingdom of redeemed people for their joy and for his own glory. WE CAN KNOW IN CONFIDENCE that Yahweh is working and moving in and through the circumstances, orchestrating the circumstances of our lives to refine us as silver, if we have drifted, to bring our hearts back to the one true God. If you are being disciplined...rejoice in the knowledge that you are a child of the King of kings!
What follows in 1 Kings 19 is equally astonishing and I am not referring to the "still small voice." Let's summarize what happens in this chapter. When Jezebel hears of the events on Mt. Carmel from Ahab(1 Kings 18) she is unmoved, possibly even more hardened, and vows to kill Elijah. When Elijah hears the threat, he is terrified, and flees (19:1–5a). God’s response to His Elijah is to speak to him in a still small voice. God gives Elijah strength to flee (5–8), speaks gently and tells him to go out on the mountain "in LORD'S presence" (9–13), listens to Elijah’s fears (14), encourages him (18), and also gives him his successor who will be his friend as well as student.
What is so astonishing here? Remember what Obadiah said to Elijah when Elijah told him to go to Ahab? Obadiah was not very excited about the opportunity. If you read his response carefully you realize that God had already been using Elijah in some astonishing ways. What makes me say that? Remember what Obadiah said in 1 Kings 18:11-12, “Now you say, ‘Go tell your lord, “Elijah is here!” ’ 12 But when I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord may carry you off to some place I don’t know. Then when I go report to Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. But ⌊I⌋, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth."
So here we have a prophet of Yahweh who has witnessed God work and move in amazing ways...most recently Yahweh's little demonstration of power at Mt. Carmel and NOW HE IS AFRAID AND IMMEDIATELY RUNS FOR HIS LIFE!
It is encouraging to me to see over and over again in scripture how those that God used in mighty and powerful ways had incredible moments of weakness and frailty. Why is this encouraging...if HE is able to work through them, HE is able to work through a flawed and broken vessel like me. In becoming broken by HIS grace HE made me a new creature in Christ, the old has passed away, behold new things have come!
PRAISE GOD...HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!
love,
m
These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the Word of the Lord
And these are the days of your servant Moses
Righteousness being restored
And though these are days of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword
Still we are the voice in the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord!
Behold He comes! Riding on the clouds!
Shining like the sun! At the trumpet call
Lift your voice! It's the year of Jubilee!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!
And these are the days of Ezekiel
The dry bones becoming as flesh
And these are the days of your servant David
Rebuilding a temple of praise
And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are as white in the world
And we are the labourers in your vineyard
Declaring the word of the Lord!
Behold He comes! Riding on the clouds!
Shining like the sun! At the trumpet call
Lift your voice! It's the year of Jubilee!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!
There's no God like Jehovah!
There's no God like Jehovah!
There's no God like Jehovah!
There's no God like Jehovah!
(Repeat 3 times)
Behold He comes! Riding on the clouds!
Shining like the sun! At the trumpet call
Lift your voice! It's the year of Jubilee!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!
Behold He comes! Riding on the clouds!
Shining like the sun! At the trumpet call
Lift your voice! It's the year of Jubilee!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!