1Kings 19-20

Thursday Evening Bible Study

January 3, 2013

Introduction

After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel split into two nations.

The northern kingdom would be known as “Israel”.

The southern kingdom was known as “Judah”.

We’ve followed the events in the northern kingdom as one dynasty was replaced by another, and we are now in the time period when Ahab and Jezebel rule the northern kingdom.

Ahab was known as the most wicked of the northern kings.

During this time of great wickedness, God has a man that He’s been using – the prophet Elijah.

Elijah’s ministry began with the warning that there would not be any rain until he says so.

Then Elijah called for a showdown on top of Mount Carmel. One man against the hundreds of prophets of Baal and Asherah. They would both call on their gods, and the god that answered by fire would be the winner.

Elijah won. And then had all the false prophets put to death, and the rain came.

19:1-10 Elijah flees Jezebel

:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.

:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “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.”

:2 if I do not make your life …

Jezebel isn’t too happy with Elijah. He has put to death 450 of her favorite people.

Lesson

Expect attacks

Elijah has just been through the greatest victory of his life, defeating the prophets of Baal. But the battle isn’t over.

After the greatest times of victory, don’t be caught off guard when attacks come from another direction.

(1 Pe 5:8 NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The Scottish pastor Andrew Bonar (1810–1892) said, “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.”

:3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

:3 ran for his life

Lesson

Afraid

Everybody gets afraid.

Even the man who can call down fire from heaven.

(Jas 5:17a NKJV) —Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…

:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

:4 broom tree – rethem – broom-plant, retem

It’s a bush that can grow to 10 feet tall, living in desert places.

:4 prayed that he might die

Lesson

Depression

Just like we do, Elijah got depressed.

I’m finding that a lot of people struggle from time to time with depression. Even a lot of famous people.

Churchill did, calling it his “dark dog”

The great preacher C.H.Spurgeon was known to suffer at times from depression. From “Lectures to my students” - page 167.

“As it is recorded that David, in the heat of battle, waxed faint, so may it be written of all the servants of the Lord. Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be here and there men of iron, to whom wear and tear work no perceptible detriment, but surely the rust frets even these; and as for ordinary men, the Lord knows, and makes them to know, that they are but dust. Knowing by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means, being visited therewith at seasons by no means few or far between, I thought it might be consolatory to some of my brethren if I gave my thoughts thereon, that younger men might not fancy that some strange thing had happened to them when they became for a season possessed by melancholy; and that sadder men might know that one upon whom the sun has shone right joyously did not always walk in the light. It is not necessary by quotations from the biographies of eminent ministers to prove that seasons of fearful prostration have fallen to the lot of most, if not all of them. The life of Luther might suffice to give a thousand instances, and he was by no means of the weaker sort. His great spirit was often in the seventh heaven of exultation, and as frequently on the borders of despair. His death-bed was not free from tempests, and he sobbed himself into his last sleep like a great wearied child.”

:5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”

:5 slept … Arise … eat

Lesson

Health

Sometimes the answer to our depression isn’t a simple one. But sometimes it is.

Oswald Chambers wrote,

The angel did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the Scriptures to him, or do anything remarkable; he told Elijah to do the most ordinary thing, to get up and eat.

We are human. Sometimes depression can come simply because we have pushed ourselves too far and too hard and we simply need to take a break. Take a nap. Eat a better balanced diet.

Sometimes we are taking too big of a break and we need to “Arise”.

(Heb 1:14 NKJV) Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

:6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.

:6 a cake baked on coals

Scientific research has discovered the makeup of this cake. It was angel food cake

:7 And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

:7 the angel of the Lord

This seems to be a specific person of the Old Testament.

He appeared to Abraham (Gen. 22), to Moses (Ex. 3), and to Gideon (Judg. 6).

We believe this is none other than an appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. This is a “theophany”, Jesus appearing in human form before He took on human flesh in Bethlehem.

:8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

:8 Horeb

Horeb is probably better known by its other name, Mount Sinai.

This is the same mountain that the children of Israel camped out at, where Moses received the Ten Commandments, where the people went astray with the golden calf, and where they departed on their forty year journey to the Promised Land.

Play “Samaria to Sinai” map clip.

First Elijah went from Samaria to Beersheba, a distance of about 75 miles.

Then he went from Beersheba to Mount Sinai, another 180 miles.

The traditional view is that Sinai was located in the “Sinai Peninsula”, but more recently, scholars have come to think that it’s a mountain located in Saudi Arabia.

From the satellite view, you can still see the place where Moses built an altar for sacrifices, as well as the pile of huge stones where the golden calf was worshipped.

What's Elijah doing?

He's going back to where God first called Moses.

He's going back to where Israel received the Ten Commandments.

I think he's coming here looking for God.

:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

:9 What are you doing here

:10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

:10 I alone am left

We’ve already established that this simply isn’t true.

A few weeks earlier Elijah had a discussion with Obadiah, who had informed Elijah that he had rescued 100 prophets of Yahweh, and they were living in caves.

(1 Ki 18:13 NKJV) —13

Lesson

Tweaked Perspective

Elijah is depressed and frankly, life looks horrible.

Sometimes our perspective is a little off.

If we’re not careful, we can tend to look at things through the colored glasses of our moods.

(Pr 15:15 NKJV) All the days of the afflicted are evil, But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

It’s not that all the days of the afflicted are really evil, but that there’s this mentality we can take on from time to time of being an “afflicted” person.

And it’s during those times that everything looks bad to us.

Illustration:

There was a farmer whose neighbor was absolutely negative, no matter what. If it was raining, the farmer would say to his neighbor, “Boy, look at it rain, God’s sort of washing everything clean.” “Yeah, but if it keeps up it’s gonna flood.” Then the sun would come out and he’d say, “If it keeps that up, it’s gonna just scorch the crops.” The farmer thought, “What am I gonna do to win this guy?” So he trained his dog to walk on water. He didn’t tell his neighbor, he just took him duck hunting. Boom! Boom! They brought these ducks out of the sky, and said to his dog, “Go get ‘em.” The dog went across, picked them up, and hopped back in the boat, nothing wet—just his paws. The farmer said, “What do you think of that?” The neighbor said, “He can’t swim, can he?”

When we get to hearing ourselves talk about how everything around us is getting horrible, perhaps we need a little reality check, like Elijah.

19:11-18 Elijah at Horeb

:11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, 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;

:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

:11-12 wind … earthquake … fire

Sometimes God is in the fierce wind. God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1). Sometimes God is in the fire or the earthquake. When God spoke to Moses and Israel, there was fire and an earthquake on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:18).

But sometimes God isn’t in these things. Sometimes if we’re expecting God to speak to us through some spectacular manner, we’re going to miss is.

:12 a still small voice

still - d@mamah - whisper, calm

small - daq - thin, small, fine, gaunt

voice

NAS: a sound of a gentle blowing

NIV: a gentle whisper

NRSV: a sound of sheer silence

John Gill: not rough, but gentle, more like whispering than roaring; something soft, easy, and musical; the Targum is, the voice of those that praise God in silence

Lesson

Quiet

Since ancient times, man has had a problem of too much noise.

The ancient prophets realized that if they were to hear from God, they needed quiet.

Look at Jesus:

(Mt 14:23 NKJV) And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.

The ancient father John Chrysostom wrote about this: “…showing us that solitude is good, when we have need to pray to God. For this also He goes into the desert, and there spends the night in prayer, to teach us that for prayer we should seek stillness both in time and place.”

Sometimes, if we want God to speak to us, we need to slow down and listen

(Ps 62:1 NKJV) Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation.

Mary learned to do this.

(Lk 10:38–42 NKJV) —38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Illustration

Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer. One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch. Amazed, the men asked him how he found it. “I closed the door,” the boy replied, “lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.”

Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough, and quiet enough, to hear.

Amy Carmichael wrote, “God always answers us in the deeps, never in the shallows of our soul.”

:13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he 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?”

:14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

Paul quotes from this passage and says that Elijah was pleading with God “against Israel” (Rom. 11:2-3). Elijah is asking God for judgment on Israel.

(Ro 11:2–3 NKJV) —2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “Lord

:15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.

:16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.

:17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.

:15-16 Hazael … Jehu … Elisha

Lesson

Things to do

Elijah had put to death 450 prophets of Baal. But these three men would be instrumental in finishing the eradication of the worship of Baal in Israel.

Elijah’s mission in life is not over. He still has places to go, things to do, people to see.

Sometimes depression freezes us in our tracks.

We think that life is over.

It’s not.

Some of Elijah’s mission has to do with raising up the next generation of leaders.

Some of the things on Elijah’s “to do list” won’t be accomplished by him, but by those he raises up to take his place.

As we mature in life, we may not always be able to do all the things we used to do.

Yet hopefully we have acquired this thing called “wisdom” that we can pass on to those who will follow after us.

You’re not done yet. There is more ahead for you to do.

:18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elijah is not alone, not like he thinks.

You too are not alone.

(Ps 27:10 NKJV) When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.

19:19-21 Elijah calls Elisha

:19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him.

:19 found Elisha

Play Abel Meholah map clip

Elisha was from the town of Abel Meholah (19:16). Abel Meholah is along the Jordan river, about 260 miles north of Mount Sinai.

Elijah – “my God is Jehovah”

Elisha – “God is salvation”

:19 twelve yoke of oxen

This is an indication that Elisha came from a well-to-do family.

It also shows that Elisha was a man who knew how to work.

From Mathew Henry:

:20 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?”

:21 So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

:21 became his servant

Elisha will be spending the next 3-4 years “training” for the ministry. He will “train” by being a servant.

Lesson

Ministry starts and ends with serving

Elisha will “start” his ministry by being a servant. But it never really changes. It’s always about being a servant.

(Mk 10:45 NKJV) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

20:1-22 Ahab vs. Syria

:1 Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it.

:1 thirty-two kings

:2 Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad:

:3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’ ”

:4 And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”

:4 Your silver …gold are mine

Ben-Hadad is playing the bully, and demanding the finest of Ahab's stuff.

Ahab is willing to allow Ben-Hadad to pick out and take silver, gold, wives, and children from him.

:5 Then the messengers came back and said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children”;

:6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’ ”

:6 I will send my servants

Now Ben-Hadad ups the ante. Now he wants Ahab to allow Ben-Hadad’s servants do the picking. He’s working at humiliating Ahab.

:7 So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him.”

:8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”

:9 Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ” And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.

:10 Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.”

In other words, he's got a lot of people with him.

:11 So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’ ”

Or, the guy who is just putting on his battle armor shouldn't be boasting like the guy who has just won the victory and is now taking off his armor.

Or, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch”.

:12 And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack the city.

:13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

:13 Thus says the Lord

Keep in mind, this is a prophet of Yahweh, not a prophet of Baal who is speaking.

God is pursuing Ahab. God hasn’t given up on Ahab. God still has a message for Ahab, even if Elijah isn't around.

Lesson

God can work without you.

Sometimes when we get into the suffering-Elijah complex, where we cry out to the Lord, “And I alone am left”, we get to thinking that we’re the only ones that God has been using, and we’re the only ones that really know how to minister to this specific person.

WRONG! God has lots of people He can use.

Here’s a prophet coming out of nowhere to speak for God. (use unknown comic pic)

:13 I will deliver

Lesson

Undeserved Kindness

Keep in mind, this is wicked king Ahab. He's the guy married to Jezebel. They're the famous couple that is currently trying to kill Elijah.

(Ro 2:4 NKJV) Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

To some, God needs to hit them over the head with a 2 x 4.

To some, God needs to warn them about the torment in hell.

But for some of us, God has drawn us to Himself with His kindness.

Keep in mind, Ahab hasn't exactly done a lot to deserve this.

A beautiful demonstration of God's grace, getting something we don't deserve.

:14 So Ahab said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’ ” Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?” And he answered, “You.”

The young men will win the battle and Ahab will be the one to lead the battle.

:15 Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand.

:15 seven thousand

An interesting number. God had told Elijah that He had 7,000 left in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1Ki. 19:18). Could these be the same seven thousand? It is possible.

(1 Ki 19:18 NKJV) Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

:16 So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post.

:16 they went out at noon

So, there's some surprise here.

:17 The young leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!”

:18 So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

:19 Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them.

:20 And each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry.

:21 Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.

God gave Ahab a great victory.

:22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.”

:22 Go, strengthen yourself

The war ain’t over

There will be another attack next year.

Lesson

Get ready for the future battles.

When you have a great victory, don't start thinking that there aren't going to be any more battles.

In some cases, the enemy might come back to hit you even stronger.

It will happen this way for Israel.

Do you remember the movie “The Blind Side”? A sequel was made called “The Dark Side”.

Play “The Dark Side” trailer.

Use the periods of relief to prepare for battle.

(Eph 6:10–11 NKJV) —10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

20:23-30 Syria 2.0

:23 Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they.

:23 gods of the hills

Play Samaria map clip

The Syrians are coming from Damascus.

Samaria is up on top of a hill.

Note how Samaria is on a hill, surrounded by hills.

The pagans are thinking that their defeat has to do with location, location, location.

:24 So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places;

Put real military fighting men in the place of the old, out-of-shape politicians.

:25 and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.

:26 So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

Play Aphek map clip

Aphek is on the other side of Samaria from Damascus. It’s down on the coastal plain, in the flat lands. Other battles have been fought at Aphek (1Sam. 4:1)

:27 And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside.

In the world’s eyes, the Israelites are playing way out of their weight class.

:28 Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

:29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day.

:30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left. And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.

God brought another awesome to the Israelites. This “little flock” killing 100,000 soldiers.

Lesson

I don’t have much

God doesn't need much to work with.

Look at Moses:

20:31-34 Treaty with Syria

:31 Then his servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.”

:31 sackcloth

A sign of mourning and repentance

:31 ropes around our heads

Apparently ready for hanging, if that's what Ahab decrees.

:32 So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

:33 Now the men were watching closely to see whether any sign of mercy would come from him; and they quickly grasped at this word and said, “Your brother Ben-Hadad.” So he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-Hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.

:34 So Ben-Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Then Ahab said, “I will send you away with this treaty.” So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

:34 he made a treaty

They not only declare peace, but Ben-Hadad restores property to Ahab, and sets up a new commercial trading policy between Damascus and Samaria.

It looks like a “win-win”

20:35-43 Ahab Condemned

:35 Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the Lord, “Strike me, please.” And the man refused to strike him.

:36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.

:36 a lion found him and killed him

This prophet has a plan from the Lord, and it involves being hurt. So he asks a friend to hurt him, and the friend doesn’t want to do it.

Lesson

Be careful not to get in God's way

Sometimes our good intentions can simply hinder the work of God.

After all, who wants to hurt their friend?

Are we open to the Lord? Are we listening to His voice? Could He tell us something out of the ordinary, and we'd pay attention to it?

:37 And he found another man, and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound.

:38 Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

:39 Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’

:39 talent of silver – seventy five pounds of silver

The prophet makes up a story about him being asked to guard a prisoner. If he were to let the prisoner escape, there would be a large financial penalty, or worse, he would pay with his life.

:40 While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.”

The king thinks he’s just declaring judgment on an obvious situation, but he’s really the guilty one in the situation.

The point?

:41 And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

:42 Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”

:42 your life shall go for his life

The lesson was that Ahab should not have been merciful to Ben-Hadad. God had wanted Ahab to destroy the Syrians, not let them go. As a result, Ahab would lose his life.

Lesson

Finish well

Ahab was pretty happy over the victory that God had obviously accomplished for him.

Yet he doesn’t seem interested in finding out what God wants him to do next.

God’s purpose was to bring judgment on Ben-Hadad, and Ahab was the one to do it.

:43 So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.

Ahab is not upset at his own actions, but he’s upset at what he’s just been told by the prophet about his own future.

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?

After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel split into two nations.

The northern kingdom would be known as “Israel”.

The southern kingdom was known as “Judah”.

The book of Kings follows the various kings of both the northern and southern kingdoms.

We’ve followed the events in the northern kingdom as one dynasty was replaced by another, and we are now in the time period when Ahab and Jezebel rule the northern kingdom.

Ahab was known as the most wicked of the northern kings.

During this time of great wickedness, God has a man that He’s been using – the prophet Elijah.

Elijah’s ministry began with the warning that there would not be any rain until he says so.

Then Elijah called for a showdown on top of Mount Carmel. One man against the hundreds of prophets of Baal and Asherah. They would both call on their gods, and the god that answered by fire would be the winner.

Elijah won. And then had all the false prophets put to death, and the rain came.

19:1-10 Elijah flees Jezebel

:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.

:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “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.”

:2 if I do not make your life …

Jezebel isn’t too happy with Elijah. He has put to death 450 of her favorite people.

Lesson

Expect attacks

Elijah has just been through the greatest victory of his life, defeating the prophets of Baal. But the battle isn’t over.

After the greatest times of victory, don’t be caught off guard when attacks come from another direction.

(1 Pe 5:8 NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

The Scottish pastor Andrew Bonar (1810–1892) said, “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.”

:3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

:3 ran for his life

Lesson

Afraid

Everybody gets afraid.

Even the man who can call down fire from heaven.

(Jas 5:17a NKJV) —Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…

He was a man “with a nature like ours”.

:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

:4 broom tree – rethem – broom-plant, retem

It’s a bush that can grow to 10 feet tall, living in desert places.

:4 prayed that he might die

Lesson

Depression

Just like we do, Elijah got depressed.

I’m finding that a lot of people struggle from time to time with depression. Even a lot of famous people.

Churchill did, calling it his “dark dog”

The great preacher C.H.Spurgeon was known to suffer at times from depression. From “Lectures to my students” - page 167.

:5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”

:5 slept … Arise … eat

Lesson

Health

Sometimes the answer to our depression isn’t a simple one. But sometimes it is.

Oswald Chambers wrote,

The angel did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the Scriptures to him, or do anything remarkable; he told Elijah to do the most ordinary thing, to get up and eat.

We are human. Sometimes depression can come simply because we have pushed ourselves too far and too hard and we simply need to take a break. Take a nap. Eat a better balanced diet.

Sometimes we are taking too big of a break and we need to “Arise”.

Perhaps sometimes we just need to be “touched by an angel”.

(Heb 1:14 NKJV) Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

:6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.

:6 a cake baked on coals

Scientific research has discovered the makeup of this cake. It was angel food cake

:7 And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

:7 the angel of the Lord

This seems to be a specific person of the Old Testament.

He appeared to Abraham (Gen. 22), to Moses (Ex. 3), and to Gideon (Judg. 6).

We believe this is none other than an appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. This is a “theophany”, Jesus appearing in human form before He took on human flesh in Bethlehem.

:8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

:8 Horeb

Horeb is probably better known by its other name, Mount Sinai.

This is the same mountain that the children of Israel camped out at, where Moses received the Ten Commandments, where the people went astray with the golden calf, and where they departed on their forty year journey to the Promised Land.

Play “Samaria to Sinai” map clip.

First Elijah went from Samaria to Beersheba, a distance of about 75 miles.

Then he went from Beersheba to Mount Sinai, another 180 miles.

The traditional view is that Sinai was located in the “Sinai Peninsula”, but more recently, scholars have come to think that it’s a mountain located in Saudi Arabia.

From the satellite view, you can still see the place where Moses built an altar for sacrifices, as well as the pile of huge stones where the golden calf was worshipped.

What's Elijah doing?

He's going back to where God first called Moses.

He's going back to where Israel received the Ten Commandments.

I think he's coming here looking for God.

:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

:9 What are you doing here

I wonder just what God’s tone was here to Elijah.

Is God questioning Elijah’s reasons for running?

Is God calm and trying to draw Elijah out?

Is God surprised to see Elijah here? (I really doubt this one)

:10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

(1 Ki 18:13 NKJV) —13

voice

(Ro 11:2–3 NKJV) —2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “Lord