Morning Service, 18 October 2009
In v.19 we read that Elijah comes out from the cave and reengages in God’s work. What a contrast! From dejection, defeat and crippling even deadly despair he comes out with resolve and purpose. Is that a spring in his step that we can see as he comes down from Horeb? I believe that is how we are to take it. He is moving out, but he is moving out with encouragement. There is no hint of reluctance, for we see that God does not need to continue to minter to him in terms of his despair.
Last week we saw that Elijah, having been refreshed and rested physically and nurtured and revitalised spiritually, was called by God to move on.
God gave him work to do. It was work that would appeal to him, that would not be onerous but indeed pleasant to him for it was a work which one could reasonably expect would be well received by those to whom he was to bring it, a work that involved successive stages helping him to gradually re-engage with his ministry for God in this world; and above all, we saw that it was a God-glorying task, a reality which had marked Elijah both as he embarked on his prophetic ministry and throughout that ministry – and by which his complaint and lack of confidence are turned literally on its head.
God is wisely and graciously dealing with His servant who had been overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. What God did was to pull back his view as it were from the enormity of the task of bringing God’s Word to the people, pulling it back to see and focus on these relatively little tasks which he can accomplish and experience the joy of the work, but tasks nonetheless which together form an important and vital component of God’s over-all dealings. In this of course we see God honouring the little tasks and stressing the importance of this within the advance of His kingdom. As Christian people we should never play down the ‘little’ tasks of ministry we may be called to do.
But God does not call us to work without giving us encouragements in doing so. And that’s what we see here. There are four encouragements which God gives Elijah as he re-enters the Lord’s workforce. There is the encouragement of,
1. God’s commitment to judgement
Elijah was confronted in the person and threats of Jezebel with a sense that nothing can undo the power of wickedness in this world, that it is rampant and unrestrainable. All that he had done in his ministry, which was far from a mild ministry, had made no difference as far as he could see. So much so that he complained that he was in this no better than his forefathers. For all his ministry there seemed to be no dint in the power and hold of wickedness over the nation.
Is this not a temptation we face too as we look around us? We pray and labour for the restraining of wickedness and the advancement of the Kingdom of God and its influence for truth and righteousness. But what do we see? In this country with over 200 years of Christian witness, beginning right there with the faithful and fearless witness of Richard Johnson with the settlement of the First Fleet, and many godly men and women since, yet what do we see? The wickedness of our nation increasingly is brazen in rejecting God’s Law and raising instead the popularist position of what seems good in one’s own eyes.
Yet God declares to Elijah that appearances and the confidence of the wicked to the contrary God is not indifferent to sin, and that He will execute a complete judgement. Notice the promise in v.17. God assures Elijah that the work of judgement will be completed through these three men.
Hazael (2 Ki 10:32; 13:32) was a heathen king raised up and used by God to oppress Israel. His was a sword of war. Jehu (2 Ki 9, 10) was filled with a mad passion to blot out the house of Ahab, and was used by God as His instrument to this end. His was a sword of justice. Then there is Elisha’s sword, but there is no record that Elisha took the sword to literally slay the wicked. There is probably a play on words, using Scripture to interpret Scripture (cf. Isa 11:4; 2 Thess 2:8; Hoses 6:5), indicating that his ministry as prophet would internally wound and expose sin. Elisha with the sword of the Spirit shall wound the consciences of those who escape Hazael’s sword of war and Jehu’s sword of justice.
Effectively God was saying to him, ‘Elijah, you may not live long enough to see its completion but Baal worship shall be wiped out.’ Such knowledge would’ve clearly encouraged Elijah to go on.
Let us also learn not to judge God’s program by the activity and apparent success of wickedness, but by the promise of God. At the same time there is a serious warning to those who think they can sin with impunity as if God is either impotent or indifferent. Such need to understand that there is a limit to God’s patience. Let us never lose sight of the reality of the last day, and the realisation that all is moving certainly towards that appointment. Also there is an initial shockwave of that global appointment in the personal appointments that are being daily kept: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb 9:27). What foolishness exists in those who believe that they will be exempt or somehow escape God’s judgment on sinners. God says there will be no escape, and efforts to escape will be illusory – if they will not be killed by one servant of God they will by another. God’s judgment is a complete and thorough judgement upon sinners. Those who do not embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ will not find an escape.
2. God’s commitment to prophetic ministry
One of the other contributing factors behind Elijah’s depression was his belief “and I alone am left”. On the best construction these words would indicate that he saw himself as standing alone as a true prophet of the living God calling people back to the real God, seeking to call people back to true worship. Though he had killed 450 false prophets, he saw he still stood alone, and now this wicked woman was about to slay him.
How precious the words of v.16 must have been to him: “anoint as prophet in your place”. It tells him that even if he is the only one now he will not be the last in the dynastic line of grace. God will raise up other prophets, and he will be privileged to see it and have the opportunity to shape that prophet and his ministry for God – a privilege not often afforded to the OT prophets. Most died trusting the continuation and fruit of their ministry into God’s hand, but Elijah would be active and there to see the transition.
Are we not also encouraged by this? God never leaves His people without true, powerful shepherding of His flock. God will preserve the proclamation of His truth. As Elijah would’ve been encouraged by the truth that when he goes Elisha will carry on, so we know that when it’s time to leave our various ministries, God will have another to continue His work. His work will not cease even when ours does. It doesn’t depend on me or you but on God’s gracious purpose to feed His flock and to leave the world without excuse. ‘It is a great comfort to good men and good ministers to think that God will never want instruments to do his work in his time, but, when they are gone, others shall be raised up to carry it on.’ (M Henry)
3. God’s commitment to preserving a remnant
God here is also assuring Elijah that the ministry of the Word of God will never be in vain; that though there may be lean times there will always be a living generation of faith. For what does God declare but that there were 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
This was given in direct response to Elijah’s declarations of the power of the wicked (v.10, 14) against which he felt so weak and ineffective. But God declares that their power is in fact limited by His gracious purposes of redemption. God counters the activity of the wicked with the declaration of His own activity, that He has gathered and preserved a faithful, godly remnant. He could stop the scope of their activity, but they could not even hinder let alone damage the scope and effectiveness of His work. Elijah had felt fruitless in the work, but God here shows that there were others. But more God is showing Elijah that He can easily gather people to Himself and preserve them even in the darkest of times.
In Rom 11:1-5 Paul draws attention to this response of God to Elijah to indicate that this is always how God works, and that within the national election of Israel there is also an election of grace – “a remnant according to the election of grace”.
We must not measure God’s working by our knowledge of His working! Nor should we despair of our times. Looking at the church we ought to see that though it may go through some radical pruning and decline, yet it will not be eradicated but rather God will preserve a godly remnant who are serious and strong in their commitment to covenant faithfulness. We are tempted to think that we are the only Christians, just a small band, and even if we dare not say we are the only ones we are still often tempted to think there are few real Christians out there who would join us, an Obadiah here and an Obadiah there – but not many. But God is not obligated to let us know of the presence of other believers. As it was once indicated there are many flowers in the world cultivated by people and seen by many. But there are also flowers in the desert and isolated areas where nobody sees them but God and nobody knows about them but God. This is true also of the realm of grace! What a surprise heaven is going to be!
Above all always remember that the Lord knows His own. Just as He knows Elijah He knows each of these also and is caring for them. They are His remnant and He is committed to preserving them too – and us too if we are in Christ by faith.
And here lies the hope for sinners, it is in the ministry of the Word of the gospel that God brings through His servants. Like these 7,000 you must embrace the pardoning grace of God offered to you through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
4. God’s commitment to spiritual support
Look on to v.21 where we read that Elisha “arose and followed Elijah and became his servant”. In other words God not only gave Elijah a successor but a spiritual companion, a close personal friend, one who loved Elijah and understood him well enough to minister to him and encourage him.
Though God as we noted is under no obligation to identify other believers He is committed to the mutual support and fellowship of believers. That is why in the NT we read that new believers were “added to the church”. God’s normal method of operation is for believers to be in company, even if at times it is only small. As Moses had his Joshua, David was given a Jonathan, Elijah his Elisha, Paul his Timothy and also John Mark “for he is useful to me”, and let us not forget that Jesus had His disciples and among them the three – Peter James and John. Eph 4:25 says we are “members of one another”.
God has not designed His people to live like hermits in a cave. He has designed us to live in friendship and fellowship in company with other believers. That’s why the church, the body of Christ is so important, for it is here that we are drawn together in love and mutual support
Here we learn the wisdom of seeking out among the church community at least one to be our companion in the faith.
In Proverbs we read, “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend “ (27:17); “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (27:6); “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccles 4:9-12). And is Jesus not present when two gather together in His name?
Let us learn this lesson well: Find a prayer partner, one who will graciously monitor your spiritual development, one from whom you can find support in temptation and in difficult ministry. This is a wonderful preventative to depression and the thousand other temptations that afflict us. May God grant us such a godly companion for our spiritual benefit and that we may be one for theirs also.
This way God silenced fears and encouraged Elijah. There is good evidence that God succeeded in restoring Elijah for in v.19 we see that Elijah raised no objection, made no delay, but responded promptly. He obeyed, and in so doing reminds us that obedience must ever be the test of our relationship with God – as Jesus Himself declares, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
And so God has been involved in the spiritual renewal of the mind and transformation of life of Elijah. He has been dealing with sin, and He has been giving spiritual direction with spiritual objectives and stimulating spiritual enthusiasm with spiritual encouragements. This He does with all His people.
Did you notice the one constant in all of these encouragements? God’s commitment. God’s commitment to His Word, His Work, and to His people is at the heart of our encouragement – a reality we need to constantly focus in on. He is not half-hearted. God is not some cosmic playboy who has gotten easily bored, nor even reluctantly bored, with His church and Gospel Project. On the contrary! Look around and remember God has not given up, nor will He. It is not simply that truth that is our encouragement. He is our encouragement.