ELIJAH
You may not feel like the mighty Elijah, but did you know that the Bible says Elijah was a human being just like we are? Were you aware that the prestigious and powerful Elijah was content with common things? What was Elijah really like? What do we need to know if we want to be an Elijah?
There are similarities between the spiritual condition of Israel in Elijah’s day and that of our world today. We, like Israel, are under attack by a hateful spiritual enemy who wants to destroy us. Israel needed an Elijah; today’s nations need men and women like Elijah.
Notice what Elisha did and said when Elijah, his mentor, was caught up into heaven:
He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. (2 Kings 2:13–14)
Elisha asked, “Where is the Lord?” The answer is, “On His throne, listening to prayer, performing miracles, just as he has always been.” The more important question is, “Where are the Elijahs of God?” Will you be one?
Elijah Was a Human Being Like Us
Elijah was one of the most powerful men in the Old Testament. His prayer life, miracles, and courage, and the powerful showdown in the contest with Baal and Asheroth in opposition to Yahweh on Mount Carmel, are recorded in some of the most picturesque literature in the Bible. He was a great man who did great things together with God.
If Elijah were different from us, we would be excused from doing or even trying to do what he did. The justificationfor not being as powerful an influence in our day as Elijah was in his day is effectively removed, however, by James 5:17, which says, “Elijah was a human being, even as we are.” This statement challenges us. Since Elijah was like us, we could, and by implication should, do exploits like he did.
Elijah faced the same kinds of situations we face. I can imagine Elijah’s little boy running to him, crying, “Daddy, Daddy, my puppy is lost. Where is he? How can I find him?” Or Elijah’s wife coming to him, saying, “El, the water in the creek is so muddy I can’t get the laundry clean. I wash and wash and the clothes get muddier and muddier. What can I do?” Or Elijah’s neighbor demanding, “Elijah, your sheep and goats are disturbing my family. If you don’t get them out of my field, I’m going to have one for dinner.” Elijah had domestic challenges like ours, and he was a person like us. Yet he lived a godly life of prayer and spiritual accomplishment. We can too.
Even though you are a normal human being and have daily responsibilities, will you take time to be spiritual?
Elijah Was Not Enamored or Preoccupied with Earthly Finery
Second Kings 1:7–8 says, “The king asked them, ‘What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?’They replied, ‘He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist.’”
Is it really important for us to know what kind of clothes Elijah wore?No.But it is important that we understand what kind of character Elijah had.The clothes he wore give us some indication of that.What he wore reflects his value system.
We find many references in the Old Testament to fine clothes.So we know they existed and that some people valued them.
Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors. This may have been unwise, because it set Joseph up to be a point of jealousy for his brothers. It would not have been wrong for Joseph to wear the gift, but according to the story, he bragged about his dreams, indicating that Joseph was self-impressed—perhaps, partly, because of his beautiful garment.
Achan hid a beautiful Babylonian robe taken from the rubble of Jericho in the floor of his tent along with stolen silver coins and a wedge of gold.He paid for that mistake with his life.It was not wrong to have nice clothes or even to value nice clothes.But it was wrong to steal them and pretend the theft had not happened.Achan would not have even been tempted with those clothes except that he valued them—too much.His strong desire for them was the deeper motivational difficulty.
Gehazi had the same problem.He ran after Naaman’s chariot and lied in order to receive beautiful Babylonian garments.His wrong value system led him into temptation.
Both Daniel and Mordecai were given royal robes to wear.But in neither of those cases did the clothes reflect the value system of the person wearing them.They were gifts given by someone else who valued them.
Wearing nice clothes is not wrong; we all ought to look our best for God’s glory.After all, the Bible says that man looks on the outward appearance; the first impressions we give about ourselves are usually based on what people see.Our clothes are important statements about our tastes.However, we should not be preoccupied with finery. Elijah, had he chosen, could have made a priority of wearing long, flowing, beautiful robes.Yet he was content with a garment of hair and a leather belt.
The Bible describes a position of balance in which our supply is adequate.Financial blessings do come to God’s people—some more than others.Hard work, honesty, clean habits, combined with avoiding the expenses of bad habits, give economic advantages to God’s people.John wished blessings for his readers when he wrote, “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John 2).The Bible definition of prosperity is for the road to be open and smooth—for things to go well—which includes much more than just financial or material blessings.And the blessings God gives to those who tithe and give liberally to God’s work are also well known.
Nevertheless, Jesus also taught the value of living simply.He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”And, “No one can serve two masters.Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.You cannot serve both God and money,” in addition to “But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:19, 24, 33).
Paul warned Timothy about errorsbelieved by those who do “not agree with the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and godly teaching” (1 Timothy 6:3).Among the people of “corrupt mind,” to avoid were those “who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.But godliness with contentment is great gain. . . . For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. . . . not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:5–6, 17,emphasis mine).Some Christians today teach that we can use godliness or selected Bible practices to gain financially.However, this is not consistent with the teaching of the whole Bible; Paul said it is not “sound instruction” or “godly teaching.”
The “poverty theology” with which I grew up in the 1950s, and the “prosperity theology” to which I returned when we came back to the US from China in the 1990s, are both out of balance.We are to use money to serve God, not use God to serve money.Rejoice in what God gives you and don’t be embarrassed about it. But neither be preoccupied with it or possessed by it.If you talk often about material possessions, that could be a signal that you value them too much.
I see three problems with prosperity theology.1. It causes those who prosper materially and financially to become proud and arrogant. Such arrogance hinders their ministries. 2. It causes those who do not prosper materially and financially to feel inferior or to lose confidence. This reduces or hinders their joy in ministry.3. Prosperity theology is not consistent with the balanced teachings of the Bible.
Where are those who will not be caught up in the pursuit of financial prosperity, but rather seek first the kingdom of God?Will you be one?
Elijah Spent Much Time Alone with God
First Kings 17:1–5 says, “Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tisbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.’ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: ‘Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.’ So he did what the Lord had told him.”
Even though Elijah faced domestic responsibilities at home, the time came when he needed to get away from normal daily activities in order to have an extended time alone with God. We do not know how much time passed between Elijah delivering his message to the king and his departure for the Kerith Ravine. But of the three and one-half years between Elijah’s announcement and the contest on Mount Carmel, we might guess Elijah spent a number of months alone with God at Kerith.
On July 9, 2002, I significantly increased the amount of daily time I spend in prayer. Since then I have experienced deeper insights into the truth of God’s Word, greater liberty and authority in teaching and preaching, more opportunities to serve, teach, and preach, and increased fine-tuning of flawed character traits. When I pray more, God works more. I want God to work a lot in my life. So I will pray a lot in order to see God more involved. I have long said that the most important thing I do in any day is pray, but now I am practicing that. I routinely spend more time in prayer than any other one thing I do each day.
Have you discovered the value and productivity of spending lengths of time alone with God in prayer?
Elijah Discerned God’s Plan and Prayed Accordingly
James 5:17b–18 says, “He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
The reason Elijah was so “powerful and effective” (James 5:16) in his prayer life was that he cooperated with God in prayer and prayed according to God’s plan. He listened to God, who told him what He was planning to do, and Elijah prayed accordingly.
Based on God’s agenda, Elijah prayed that rain would not fall. That seems like a strange prayer. When we haven’t had rain for a while, we usually pray for rain. What kind of prophet would pray that rain will not fall? A prophet who knows God’s plan. God wanted to defame Baal, the Canaanite rain God. God’s plan worked perfectly. The prophets of Baal could produce neither rain in the valleys nor fire on the mountain. When God’s purpose in the drought was complete, and Elijah and God had everyone’s attention, he prayed according to the next phase of God’s plan—that rain would fall.
The second phase required Elijah to completely reverse his direction in prayer. What kind of prophet would pray one way one day and then pray exactly the opposite the next day? A prophet who knows how to move with God through the phases and stages of His plan, a prophet who partners with God and prays according to God’s plan. In each instance, Elijah was following God’s agenda for that specific time.
The wisdom of God is far superior to the ideas of men. This is why we should submit our wills to His and seek His plan.
Some of us do the will of God—what God has shown us to do—too long. We have to be sensitive to changes in God’s direction. We have no right to assume that we will always be where we are now or that we will always do what we are doing today. We must stay up-to-date with God.We should be ready, as Elijah was, to move to the next phase, pray a new way, and do new things whenever God directs a change.
What is God’s plan for your community? For your church? For your family? For your career? What would happen if you began to pray according to God’s plan? What would your church or community be like ten years from now if for the next ten years you prayed according to God’s agenda? Mount Carmel illustrates the power that can be released in the heavens and in the affairs of humans when a person of God prays according to God’s plan instead of only what human imaginations can produce. God is “able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
God is even more eager than you are for you to pray according to His agenda. He is searching for those who will be more concerned about His desires than their own. When we ask God to reveal His will to us so that we can pray in cooperation with it, He is very pleased. He wants us to know His will. Therefore, we ought to be either praying according to God’s will or praying that we may know His will so that we can pray in agreementwith it.
Will you find out what God wants to do through you, and then pray and move with God as His cooperative partner?
Elijah Publicly Challenged the Political and Religious Systems
In 1 Kings 18:19 Elijah challenged Ahab, “Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” The following story illustrates this kind of miracle can also happen now if we pray.
While in Madagascar in mid-2004 I heard about a witchdoctor in a village who could cause a person to levitate. He had so much influence in the community that some Christians reverted to their superstitious ways and many nonbelievers were afraid to become Christians. To counter this, a concerned and prayerful group of Christians publicly announced that the true God would hinder the witchdoctor so that he could not cause a person to levitate. The Christians prayed. The villagers gathered around. When the witchdoctor was unable to conduct his usual ceremonies, observers saw that God’s power was superior to that of the evil spirits.
Bible stories like Elijah’s may seem long ago and far away. Yet what happened on Mount Carmel, and the powerful encounters that are recorded in the book of Acts, can still occur today for those who are willing to follow God closely.
After spending months alone with God in prayer, Elijah had the courage to publicly confront the established religious system of his day. He had the daringto taunt the prophets of Baal while they prayed. He also had the confidence to pour scarce water on the sacrifice he was about to offer to God—three times! He had the nerveto order the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah killed. After this he again ascended Mount Carmel and began to pray for rain.
At the end of the day everyone knew which god was the true God and that He was a God of might and power. All this was possible because God found a partner who allowed himself to be a vessel used by a mighty God.
Christians are not to put God to the test in unwise, humanly imagined contests. That is foolish and presumptuous. But Elijah was moving in the will of God and was led by God in this public demonstration of His superiority. When God leads us and gives us the courage, we too can bring glory to Him by moving obediently and boldly.
Will you take the time to find out what God wants to do and then publicly, obediently, and boldly represent Him?
Elijah Addressed Important National Issues
First Kings 18:18 says, “‘I have not made trouble for Israel,’ Elijah replied. ‘But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals.’” Second Kings 1:3–4 says, “The angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, ‘Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going of to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?” Therefore this is what the Lord says: “You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”
Elijah understood God’s perspective about events of national importance to Israel. Elijahs today should prepare sermons with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. We need to know Scripture and what it says about current events. We must skillfully use the Bible so our sermons have the authority of “This is what the Lord says.” But unless we are also reading the newspaper or listening to the news, we will not know the important issues of the day. We will not be giving the Holy Spirit an opportunity to lay the burden of His concerns about current events on our hearts.