How Did God Work with Elijah?
1 Kings 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword.
1 Kings 19:2 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.”
1 Kings 19:3 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.
1 Kings 19:4 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!”
1 Kings 19:5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
1 Kings 19:6 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.
1 Kings 19:7 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.”
1 Kings 19:8 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.
1 Kings 19:9 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?”
1 Kings 19:10 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 Kings 19:11 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;
1 Kings 19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
Nahum 1:3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His Way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
Job 38:1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind
The word for spirit and wind are synonymous.
John 3:8 “The wind4151 blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.4151.”
H7307 רוּח rûach roo’-akh From H7306; wind; first definition
G4151 πνεῦμα pneuma pnyoo’-mah From G4154; a current of air,
In Greek, the phrase for “Holy Spirit” is hagios pneuma, meaning literally “holy wind.”
While this is unnatural to us, this is what was said in their native tongue…holy wind
If we said it this way all the time I think we get a different insight to the Holy Spirit
Christ equated for us the Wind to the Holy Spirit
Wind
…and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the
rocks before the Lord; strong enough to do all this, and so it might: but the Lord was not in the wind; as he sometimes is, he spake to Job out of a whirlwind,
Earthquake
…and after the wind an earthquake; that shook the earth all around, and the mountain also, as it did when the law was given on it,
Psalm 68:8 The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Matthew 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Mathew 27:51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
Matthew 27:52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
Matthew 27:53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Fire
… and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
Fire is another symbol for the Holy Spirit
Firsthand Experience with the Fire
1 Kings 18:17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
1 Kings 18:18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.
1 Kings 18:19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
1 Kings 18:22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
1 Kings 18:23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it.
1 Kings 18:24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”
1 Kings 18:25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
1 Kings 18:26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
1 Kings 18:27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
1 Kings 18:28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
1 Kings 18:29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.
1 Kings 18:30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
1 Kings 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
1 Kings 18:32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
1 Kings 18:33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.”
1 Kings 18:34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.
1 Kings 18:35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
1 Kings 18:36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.
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.”
1 Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
1 Kings 18:39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
Burning Bush
Psalm 68:8 The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Exodus 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.
Pentecost
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
God is not always in the miracles. He is not always in the big things. When we look around at our lives and God working with us and in us, are we seeing the big grandiose things? Are we seeing these miracles?
The Bible says that miracles are for the unbelievers
1 Corinthians 14:22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.
Why is that?
Partly because we don’t have to have miracles on a daily basis
We KNOW that there is a God. We see God all around us in so many ways and should see that in our conversion and what He has done with us.
He changes us
But, just because God has been in these things– doesn’t mean that He is always in them
God does not always work this way
Everyone wants to be the two witnesses… right?
- Call fire down from heaven
- Shows God is working with them
- Shows that they have a close relationship with God.
But this is not the way that God always works
In fact, He doesn’t do it this way most of the time
How Did God do it with Elijah?
1 Kings 19:13 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?”
1 Kings 19:14 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.”
1 Kings 19:15 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.
1 Kings 19:16 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.
1 Kings 19:17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
1 Kings 19:18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
How Was God Working with Elijah?
Encouraging Message of the Still Small Voice. Still a work to be done. Through and by the power of Gods Holy Spirit.
How does God work with us?
It helped him how he needed to be helped
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
Malachi 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.
Matthew 17:11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.
Matthew 17:12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”
Matthew 17:13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
Luke 1:17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
Conclusion
John the Baptist was a type of the spirit and power of Elijah to come.
John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ the first time, but yet there is a second one that’s going to happen that is the work of Elijah in the future; before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
We understand, that is the duty of the Church. The Church is supposed to be coming in the spirit and the power of Elijah. And they are preparing the way as a witness for Christ who is going to come a second time.
So, it’s our understanding that we are doing a work of Elijah and we are supposed to be doing a work in the spirit and power of Elijah.
How do we accomplish that?
Mighty miracles of wind, fire and earthquakes?
No. That still, small voice that is going to enable us to do all that we need to do.