Introduction and Background

Introduction to Elijah and the Context of 1 Kings

0:02 And now will you listen to the word of God as we introduce the subject, the life and ministry of the prophet Elijah by reading several portions from the book of 1 Kings which direct our attention to the circumstances in which this strange, this unique, this great, this complex man was called to minister. I shall read first of all from 1 Kings chapter 16, 1 Kings chapter 16, verses 29 through 34, which of course is right up to the introduction of Elijah in the first verse of chapter 17. 1 Kings 16, 29.

0:58 King of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel. And Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Jezebel. And he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Jezebel the daughter of Jezebel.

1:29 And he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Jezebel the daughter of Jezebel, king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made the Asherah. And Ahab did yet more to provoke the Lord the God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. In his days did Hyle the Bethelite build Jericho. He laid the foundation thereof with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Joshua, the son of Nun. And now over please to chapter 21, chapter 21 verses 25 and 26. Chapter 21 verses 25 and 26.

2:28 But there was none like unto Ahab the son of Jezebel, the son of Jezebel, the son of Ahab, who did sell himself to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

Recommended Resources for Studying Elijah

2:55 Since the scriptural record concerning the life and ministry of this man Elijah

3:03 spoke about him, I have been given the following chapters and I excuse myself. One of the videos I sauce. It is going to be a long one I hope. But do not be surprised.

3:32 Have a good one. I was once a sinner, but I guess that's all there is to it. Now I'll see you in just a moment. If you see something that's completely different than I know, then I'll just have to go back and have a look at that one.

3:32 I'll just have to go back and have a look at that one. After that I'll go back and have a look at that one. I'll just have to go back and have a look at that one. It was a very big word.

3:33 I'll just have to have a look at that one. It was a very big one. I believe, have peculiar relevance to those of us gathered here at this conference. Now, if your appetites are whetted for a more comprehensive treatment of the life and ministry of Elijah, may I commend to you the reading of A.W. Pink's excellent book on the life of Elijah.

3:52 If you browse around AU's bookstore and can find F.W. Taylor's book on the life of Elijah, you'll see where Pink got a lot of his fuel. F.B. Meyer's life of Elijah and Krumacher's life of Elijah.

4:06 If you have Alexander White's biblical characters, the section on Elijah is also a masterful treatment. And if you like to listen to tapes, there are some 31 messages on the life of Elijah in the tape library, and some of those sets are there opposite the book room or next to the book room, and you can purchase those and listen to them at your leisure. In those tapes, I have tried to take them. To cream from the various authors that I've mentioned, as well as give attention to a careful analysis of the texts of scripture referring to this unusual man.

Three Questions Guiding the Study of Elijah

4:43 But what I propose to do this morning is to address myself to three very simple questions which I trust will put Elijah and his ministry in its proper biblical setting and cause each of us to see how much Elijah has to say to us, even, in the present hour. First of all, we'll address ourselves to the question, why study the life and ministry of Elijah? Secondly, what was the situation in Israel at the time of the life and ministry of Elijah? And thirdly, what does all of this say to us?

Why Study Elijah: General and Specific Reasons

5:21 First of all, then, why study the life and ministry of Elijah, the prophet? And in answer to that question, I would give you a general, a general answer and then a more specific answer. The general reason, of course, is based upon the statement of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16 and 17. Having reminded Timothy of the great privilege he had of exposure to the scriptures from childhood, he then speaks, Paul does, concerning the scriptures in verse 16, All scripture is inspired of God, and is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto every good work. The whole of scripture is given to make whole men and whole women. We may liken the scriptures to a well-balanced diet, containing all of the vitamins and minerals necessary, for a healthy physical existence. And just as the person who constantly omits the intake of certain vitamins and minerals will suffer by some kind of malnutrition,

6:45 so the child of God who chronically omits any section of the word of God will ultimately suffer, because it is the whole of the word that is given to make whole and healthy servants of God. And therefore the chronic omission of some of these rather strange historical sections of the word of God will result in some form of spiritual anemia among the people of God. Furthermore, the scriptures tell us that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, or more accurately, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And in Luke chapter 24, verses 25 through 26, our Lord makes it very plain that the scriptures in their entirety testify to himself. And therefore to omit any portion of the word of God in a chronic kind of omission is to miss some dimension of the glory of Christ to be seen in that particular portion. We will miss some expression of the will of Christ. There will be some lack of appreciation, of the perfection of Christ in his person and in his work.

8:05 And that general reason, then, you see, applies to all of scripture. And those of you who set out to read systematically through the word of God and you come upon those rather difficult portions, plow on with the prayer that God the Holy Spirit will give you insight to that portion of the word. Do not chronically omit the reading and meditation upon any portion of the word of God. If you do, you will do so to your own spiritual enfeeblement.

8:36 But there are specific reasons for studying the life of the prophet Elijah, and I would suggest that those reasons can be collated under three words. Example, demonstration, and parallels. Having had the audience in our home for an entire week, I almost said, example. But you would then wonder what strange relationship there is a back operation in one's speech faculties, so I resisted the temptation, and I am saying example in pure Americanese. There is reason to study the life and ministry of the prophet Elijah because we are commanded in James 5.10 to take for an example of suffering and patience the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Now, this is not optional for the believer. We are commanded to take the prophets for an example, and we are to take them for an example not so much in the uniqueness of their function as prophets, but in respect to the common trials that they faced, trials common to all believers.

9:54 We see, the Apostle James doing this in the latter part of that fifth chapter when he's underscoring the necessity of fervent prayer by righteous men, and then he takes Elijah as an example of a righteous man who prays and whose prayers are effectual. And therefore, the life of the ministry of Elijah is profitable for study because of the many examples that he sets before us. Not only does God use affliction in the process of sanctification as we heard so clearly this morning, but in the complex of sanctifying instruments, God also uses, in addition to affliction, in addition to the reading of the word of God and the public means of grace, God uses the power of vivid example. You remember again and again the Apostle Paul could say, be followers of me even as I am of Christ. He could say, the things that you have seen as well as heard and learned of me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. The same apostle commands a preacher in Titus 2.7 and says, Be thou

11:07 an example of the believer in all things. The same admonition is given to Timothy. So you see, example is a powerful instrument in the complex of sanctifying influences ordained and owned of God. It's one thing to read in the scriptures our duty to pray without ceasing. But what a tremendous thing it is to see the example of fervent, persistent prayer when the prophet bows his head between his knees upon Mount Carmel, and he pleads for rain, and then he asks his servant, Go and see, and he comes back, I see nothing, and he prays, Go again, until the seventh time, and he comes back and says, I see the cloud. A cloud the size of a man's hand. He says, All right, let's up and be going. The sound of abundance of rain. God has heard my cry. It's one thing to read the admonition, Be

12:04 not weary in well-doing. It's another thing to see the example of a mighty man who becomes weary in well-doing, and to see how crippled he becomes by this weariness in well-doing until he prays, Oh God, it is enough. Take my life, I've had it. And he wallows in the form of self-pity, becoming weary in well-doing. It's one thing to read the words of our Lord, Take no anxious thought for the morrow. It's another thing to see a man who is told to go down and be sustained by a helpless, destitute widow in the midst of a famine, and yet he goes, taking no anxious thought. I say the life of Elijah is profitable for study, not only because of the general reason of 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17. All scripture is profitable, but because of the powerful example he is of a man of light passions in whom many duties are vividly demonstrated in the course of his life and ministry. But now the second specific reason is that of demonstration. Now what do I mean

13:13 by that? Well, the word of God asserts many things concerning God himself, his person and his ways. The scriptures tell us that God is a man of light, and that he is a man of righteousness. That God is holy, that God is light, that God is love, that God hates evil, that God loves righteousness, that God will judge sin and punish sinners, that God will care for all the needs of his children. Now those truths are set forth in propositions from Genesis to Revelation. But now the beauty of the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet is that those truths are set forth in propositions from Genesis to Revelation. But now the beauty of the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet is that those truths are set forth in propositions from Genesis to Revelation. But now the beauty of the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet is that those truths are set forth in propositions from Genesis to Revelation. But now the beauty of the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet is that those truths are set forth in propositions from Genesis to Revelation. But now the beauty of the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet is that those truths are set forth in propositions from Genesis to Revelation. But now the beauty of the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet is that those truths are set forth in propositions from Genesis to Revelation. But now the beauty of the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet is that those truths are set forth in propositions from Genesis to Revelation. But now the beauty

14:02 of the life and ministry of Elijah the prophet is that those truths are set forth in propositions concerning God's person and His ways, but concerning the reality and the nature and extent of His rule and His kingdom. For instance, the scripture says, His kingdom ruleth over all, that all things are His servants. The scriptures say, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, that He has been exalted far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come, and that all things have been put under His feet, and that He has been made head over all things to His church. The scriptures say that this same Lord will build His church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

14:46 Isaiah tells us, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall raise up a standard against him. You see, these are statements not so much concerning God's person and His ways, but concerning the reality, the extent, and the nature of His kingdom. Now, rather than confront us with statement upon statement in abstraction, God is light, God is holy, God loves righteousness, hates evil, the scriptures are filled with vivid demonstrations and amplifications of those great principles, both with reference to God's person and His ways, and with reference to God's kingdom. You see, we read in the scriptures, Now, you want a vivid demonstration of what that means? Then you stand and behold this wicked witch of a woman named Jezebel, whom the passage says, stirred up Ahab unto evil. And as you stand and behold this woman who made an idol of her own beauty, with her flesh being torn from her bones by the dogs, until, flooded with her flesh, they lick her blood. And you have a vivid demonstration of what the Bible means when it says,

16:12 The wages of sin is death. The way of a transgressor is hard. Be sure, we'll find you out. Furthermore, the scriptures tell us, that that kingdom that our Lord has come to establish cannot be defeated.

16:35 What vivid demonstrations, we have in this very life of Elijah, when it seemed as though evil had utterly inundated the land, and blotted out the worship of Jehovah. When a struggling little remnant is silent and cowers in fear, the Almighty God comes forth upon Mount Carmel and rings not from regenerate hearts. Don't you ever say this is an example of revival. The subsequent history shows that that confession was simply, wrung out against their will.

17:09 Jehovah, He is God. Jehovah, He is God. Well, I say, the life of the prophet Elijah is profitable for study. First of all, because of example.

17:22 Secondly, because of demonstration. And thirdly, because of parallels. You see, the raw materials of humanity are the same in every generation. One of the biggest lies spawned on this generation, is that we're utterly unique.

17:39 Totally different.

17:41 That's the lie the devil breathes into the ear of every upcoming generation. Nobody understands me. Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me.

17:50 I'm going out and eat worms.

17:55 The raw materials out of which humanity is made, are exactly the same from creation, and into the fall, and on to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, in the cycles of the unfolding, the unfolding of human history, there are peculiar manifestations, both of human depravity and of divine intervention, at specific points in that history. And without falling into the terrible error of making a one-to-one parallel between Israel and the theocracy, equals America and the Western nations, and that is a tragic error. When anyone preaches on 2 Chronicles 7, 4, and 5, When anyone preaches on 2 Chronicles 7, 4, and 5, and says, and says that applies to America explicitly, and says that applies to America explicitly, his hermeneutical principles are way off! Way off! There is not a one-to-one parallel between the theocracy and any nation since the establishment of the they-ocracy. However, there are parallels, striking parallels, and it is profitable to study those parallels so that it may be said of us as was said of the men of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12, 32, In 1 Chronicles 12, 32, They were men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do.

19:20 And it is essential for us as the people of God to have a sensitivity to the peculiar needs of our own generation that we may walk surely and certainly. Well, so much for the question, why study the life of Elijah? A general reason, because it is part of that inspired revelation profitable for all of us. Specifically, example, demonstration, and parallels.

The Importance of Context for Understanding God's Servants

19:47 Now, the second major question this morning, what was the situation in Israel at the time of Elijah's life and ministry? Let me put the question to you this way. Would it make any difference if Elijah appeared on the scene back in 1 Samuel chapter 10, or 1 Samuel chapter 17, instead of 1 Kings 17? Would it make any difference?

20:13 Would it make any difference if the life and ministry of this man were transported back 50 years or forward 50 years?

20:23 You see, no man of God is understood apart from the conditions in which he is called to live and to minister. For God in his wisdom suits men to the times and circumstances in which they are to minister. I've been utterly fascinated just with the name of this man. That's part of tomorrow's study.

20:43 We'll look at it. Elijah the man. His name, his character, and his destiny. But just his name.

20:50 My God is Jehovah. What a name to have when the nation is saying, our God is Baal. Every time you had to say his name, it was a prod to your conscience. God suits the man to the times in which he ministers.

21:06 His appearance, his bearing, his peculiar tasks, the specific miracles. Everything is calculated. It does suit the times. Now let's study those times for a bit.

The Larger Context: Israel's History as Redemptive History

21:18 First of all, the larger context of Israel's condition, and then the immediate context of Israel's condition. First of all, the larger context of Israel's condition. When we read the incidents in the history of Israel, what are we reading? Now may I speak to you kids, especially this morning?

21:37 As some of us have been told this when we were your age, how much richer we'd be today. When you read the stories of Joshua, the story of Moses and Aaron, when we read of these kings and prophets, what are we reading? Is this just a collection of short stories about famous people in Israel? Some of you have seen books, brief biographical sketches, maybe of famous authors, or another one, famous physicians, or famous statements, statesmen.

22:07 Now there's no particular rhyme or reason as to the order in which they're placed. It's just a series of short biographical sketches, hung together, large enough to make a book. Now is that what we have in the Old Testament? We've got an exciting story about Joshua, and then a wonderful story about David, and then a more exciting story.

22:27 Is that what we have when we read the history of Israel? Its kings, its leaders, its warriors, its good and its evil men? No, no. When you read your Old Testament history, young people, you're reading the history of redemption.

22:43 Back in the garden, when man fell, God made a gracious promise. In sovereign mercy, He comes and says to the first couple, I, God, will put enmity between thy seed and the seed of the woman. And He promises that the seed of the serpent will be after the seed of the woman and will bruise its heel, but that the seed of the woman will utterly crush the head of the serpent. And when you read sometimes that big word, that's just saying, that's the first announcement of the Gospel.

23:24 The first announcement that God is going to take in hand to do something with the mess that man has made. Man has sinned. Man has alienated himself from God. God in justice must punish sin and the sinner.

23:40 But God comes not only in justice, but in mercy. And He promises mercy that will result in sin. That will result in the absolute crushing of the head of that serpent. Though in the process, the seed of the woman will be bruised.

23:54 Well, that wonderful promise was the great handle upon which the believing people of God held for many hundreds of years until God lays hold of a man called Abraham. And we have the record of it in Genesis 12. And He promises that of that man, He'll make a nation. And in that nation and in that man, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

24:17 And then we see that promise being renewed from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob. What was all of this about? Well, you see, God is determined to redeem a people out of the mass of lost humanity. And the calling of Abraham and the development of the nation and bringing them out of Egypt and establishing them in Canaan.

24:38 This is not just a collection of little short stories with a few moral lessons thrown in. This is God. In pursuit of His promise utterly to bruise the head of the serpent. Now, how's He going to do it?

24:53 He's going to do it ultimately when He brings in the Messiah and establishes His kingdom. Paul makes abundantly clear in Galatians chapter three that the promise to Abraham has its fulfillment in Christ, who is the seed and in all but only all who are in union with Christ by faith. So that when we read the history of Israel at any point, we're reading the history of redemption. Messiah must come through that nation.

25:22 Therefore, true religion in some form or to some degree must be maintained until Messiah comes. And in the interim period, not only was Israel the channel through which Messiah would come, Israel was to be an island in a sea of idolatry, manifesting the reality of true religion. Listen to the words of Isaiah forty three verses ten through twelve. This was the purpose for which God had laid hold of that nation.

25:53 Isaiah forty three, ten through twelve. Here my witnesses set the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am He before me. There was no God formed. Neither shall there be after me.

26:12 I even I am Jehovah and beside me there is no savior. I have declared and have saved and I showed you and there was no strange God among you. Therefore, ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Here was to be the function of Israel, to be God's light to all of the nations of the truth concerning God.

26:35 Here were all the nations around Israel worshiping their gods of wood and stone. And now God says, I've made you witnesses to this great truth. There is but one truth. One living God and that God is Jehovah, the God of the covenant, the God of Israel.

26:52 Now, that's the larger context of Israel's condition. And every time you read a specific incident, never forget that. You see, it's like a football game. A lot of individual things go on in a football game.

27:05 Now, when the fellows gather together in the huddle and for the life of me, I still can't get used to guys, two hundred and fifty pounds, six foot four holding hands. I suppose it's all right, but I just can't quite get used to it. And when they gather, they hold hands in the huddle or stand shoulder to shoulder. We used to put our arms on each other's shoulders.

27:22 So I guess that was the first step in the direction of ultimately holding hands in the huddle. What's going on when they have a huddle? Are those fellows just getting together for a little chummy time together? Talk over a few things and spout a few numbers?

27:35 No, no, no, no. The huddle has significance because it's there that the team is coordinating the next step in its offense or defense. But you see, even the huddle with reference to that next play has a larger context. It's part of a series of four downs, which has a larger context.

27:54 It's part of a series of four downs in quarter number one, two, three or four. But even the quarter has a larger context. It's part of a game. And the end of that game is that one team will have more points on the board at the end than the other.

28:08 But even that is in a larger context. And the larger context is at the end of the year. You will have more ones than losses. And that you will win the league and then go on to the playoffs and then become national champion.

28:22 So you see, every little huddle ultimately has reference to what? Trying to win the national championship, right? Yes, it does. Well, you see, that's true in the history of Israel.

28:34 Every little skirmish on every little battlefield, every little incident in the life of a prophet, in the life of a man of God, in the life of that widow that we read about. It has significance because the great issue is this will the head of the serpent be bruised? That's the great issue. And we must never forget it.

The Immediate Context: Israel's Apostasy Under Ahab

28:56 Now, then, what about the immediate context of Israel's condition? Looking at the game in terms of the quarter being played at the time of Elijah's life and ministry, what do we find? Well, if you read through very quickly the first ten chapters of First Kings, you have a description of the height of Israel's glory under Solomon's reign. David and the armies of Israel have expanded the borders of Israel.

29:26 The temple has been built and dedicated. The glory of God has come down upon that temple. And all of the blessings of the covenant described in Deuteronomy 28 are being literally fulfilled. There is peace within all of the borders.

29:43 God quiets the hearts and dispositions of ambitious warlike pagan kings so that Solomon does not need to lead the armies out to war. God gives internal prosperity, blessing in the needing trough, blessing in the womb, blessing in the field. All of the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 are being fulfilled. And follow now, Israel is fulfilling her God intended purpose.

30:10 That's why you have the record of the Queen of Sheba. That's not just there to give us a nice little story about a woman who comes to another country and says, hey, things look great around here. Look at her words in First Kings, chapter 10. Very significant words.

30:27 Here's a woman from a heathen nation, from outside the borders of Israel. When she comes and sees what God has done, she says in verse eight of First Kings, happy are thy men. Happy are these thy servants that stand continually before thee and hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God who delights in thee to set thee on the throne of Israel, because the Lord loved Israel forever.

30:58 Therefore made he the king to do justice and righteousness. What's happened? Solomon has borne witness to the truth that there is but one God. And she says it's obvious that this God has poured out blessings upon you.

31:16 And this was not only true of the Queen of Sheba, she is just a token example. For in verse twenty three of the same chapter we read, so King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom and all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. Ye are my witnesses to the ends of the earth. Men were forced to acknowledge the secret to Solomon's prosperity was Solomon's God.

31:54 But then chapter eleven is a turning point in the entire history. Look at it. Now, King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, ye shall not go among them. Neither shall they come away, come among you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods, Solomon, clave unto these in love.

32:33 And the scripture uses the word love here, the way it's used in the maudlin, sentimental, trashy, libidinous, lecherous, ungodly language of so-called modern romantic music.

32:50 Solomon had a case of unbridled lust that could not be quenched by one or two, but had to go up and go back now to the words that I read at the beginning of our study, chapter 16 and verse 30. And they have the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. This man was ambitious and it seemed that his ambition was to be more evil than any king who had ever preceded him. And adding to all the evil already done, it came to pass as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, he took to wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. And some commentators say he was probably not only king, but priest. He was leader of Baal worship. And he takes this woman who is schooled in the worship of Baal.

33:48 And with her instigation, he said from the latter passage in Chapter 21, he goes after Baal and worships him. And he rears up an altar for Baal in the House of Baal. And they have made the Asherah apparently the female counterpart. If Baal is the god of productivity and material blessing, Asherah is the god of the sensuous, the reproductive god.

34:13 And Ahab did yet more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel. That were before him. Now look at the specific situation. And as we draw the message to a focus this morning, notice the parallels.

Four Characteristics of Israel's Spiritual Condition

34:29 What happened to bring evil to its height under Ahab? Well, number one, there was the repudiation of the worship of Jehovah. There was the open repudiation of the worship of Jehovah. Look at the complaint of the prophet in First Kings Chapter 18 and verse 10.

34:50 I'm sorry. Chapter 19 and verse 10. When the Lord comes to the prophet and says, what are you doing here in this cave? I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant.

35:16 It is one thing to be unfaithful to many of the terms of the covenant. Here the prophet says they have utterly forsaken the covenant. In other words, they've attempted to divorce themselves from Jehovah. What is marriage?

35:32 It is a covenant of commitment binding for life. What is unscriptural divorce? It is a breaking of that covenant. The nation was married to Jehovah formally upon the slopes of Sinai when the covenant was read out and they vowed all that Jehovah said unto us, we will do.

35:56 And there was the sprinkling of the blood binding them to that covenant commitment. Now the complaint of the prophet is they have broken thy covenant. There was the repudiation of the worship of Jehovah. And you know how that came about?

36:15 It started way back in part when Solomon married foreign wives and began to worship foreign gods, but that was pretty much a private thing. But when the kingdom was split under Rehoboam and Jeroboam, Jeroboam, who was king over the northern tribes, said, hey, wait a minute, if my people go down there to worship at the temple in Judah, they're going to start hobnobbing with those southern tribes and I'm going to lose my political identity. So he said, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll establish two places of worship here.

36:47 Now we're going to worship only Jehovah, but we're going to help the people in their worship. We're going to build a cat. And under the form of that cat, we will worship. Not Baal, not the Asherah, but Jehovah.

36:59 You can read the account of this in the first Kings 12, 25 to 33. They had no idea that they were going to repudiate the worship of Jehovah. Simply worship Jehovah under the form of a cat. But now what happens under Ahab's day is that Jehovah is formally repudiated and in his place, the worship of Baal is formally established 1631.

37:30 Look at it. He went and served Baal and worshiped him. He reared an altar for Baal in the house of Baal. He made the Asherah.

37:43 And we read further on that there were at least four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal who were subsidized by the reigning monarch. He says they eat at Jezebel's table. The worship of Baal was being promoted from the top down. It became, as it were, the official religion of the ten northern tribes.

38:08 There was the repudiation of the worship of Jehovah. Secondly, there was an effort to obliterate all the remnants of true worship. You see, all through history, persecution is aimed at destroying the visible centers of true religion and silencing the voices that propagate true religion. So what does the prophet complain in 1910?

38:36 They have not only forsaken thy covenant, they have thrown down thine altars and slain thy prophets. What was the altar? It was the visible symbol of intercourse with God. Now, they were not content to simply build an altar to Baal and say, we'll have Baal if anybody wants to worship Jehovah and sacrifice upon the altars of Jehovah.

39:02 That's fine. No, no. Having reared their altars to Baal, they said, we can't stand even a visual reminder that Jehovah was ever worshipped around here. We're going to tear down his altars.

39:19 Well, you see, once you've done that, destroyed the visible centers of worship, you still have a problem. These nasty prophets, these men who even have the nerve to take a name like Elijah. See, Jehovah is God. And what does a prophet do?

39:37 The primary function of the prophet was to call men back to the terms of the covenant. And these prophets, in a sense, didn't care if men destroyed Jehovah's altars. They did care. But their great concern, you see, was not to preserve relics of worship.

39:56 The word of the Lord still came to the prophets and they thundered in the ears of men. That's why Jezebel set out to slay them all. And you remember the incident of Obadiah? You have that record of that godly man right in the center of wickedness in Ahab's court.

40:12 And he said, I hid the prophets by 50 in a cave when Jezebel set out to slay the whole bunch of them. You see, there was not only the formal repudiation of the worship of Jehovah. There was an effort to obliterate every last remnant of true worship. Tear down the altars, kill the prophets.

40:30 See the parallels? Thirdly, there were positive, aggressive attempts to establish falsehood as the national religion. Look at chapter 18 and verse 19. We've already alluded to this.

40:47 Chapter 18 and verse 19. Now, therefore, send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel and the prophets of Baal 450 and the prophets of the Asherah 400 that eat at Jezebel's table. Eight hundred and fifty officially subsidized preachers of false religion. What for?

41:12 Why did they eat at Jezebel's table? Not just to feast and get fat, but to go through the land and propagate Baal and Asherah worship. For notice, they are called the prophets, not just priests, but prophets. Priests stay by the centers of worship and do the right thing.

41:37 At the right time in the right way. Prophets are called upon the speech. These are prophets of the Asherah prophets of Baal. They are official propagators of false religion.

41:50 Now that's the situation. You got it. You see the picture coming into focus? Repudiation of Jehovah formally nationally and effort to obliterate all the remnants of true worship.

42:03 The evil is further aggravated by positive attempts to establish falsehood. And the evil comes to its climax in this fourth situation. And it's this open defiance of God and his word because of God's silence. Isn't it interesting that chapter 16 closes with this record of a man called Hiel.

42:27 Look at it. Verse 34.

42:30 And the translation in the 1901 edition is much better than in the authorized. First, in his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho. Now notice the connection. In his days.

42:43 This has something to do with the days of Ahab when wickedness is abounding. In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho. He laid the foundation with the loss of Abiram his firstborn. And set up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest son Seagub.

43:01 According to the word of the Lord which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun. What was this all about? Back in Joshua 6.26 after the destruction of Jericho.

43:12 You remember when that was? Just when Israel was beginning to conquer the land. Joshua pronounced a curse. And he said anyone who tries to raise up the walls of this city.

43:23 To reestablish its gate will do so with the loss of his firstborn. And no matter how wicked Israel had become. No one ever dared to put God to the test.

43:38 But. Wickedness had so abounded under Ahab. Impiety had come in like a flood. That this man Hiel tensed up.

43:51 Now we've repudiated Jehovah. We've had no fire and brimstone as they had upon the cities of the plains.

43:58 We have reared up altars to Baal. And there's been no lightning from heaven to strike us dead.

44:06 Jezebel supports her 850 false prophets. And God doesn't send. And. Any kind of calamity upon them.

44:14 Maybe the God whom Joshua believed in is dead.

44:26 The gate of Jericho. And the impiety reaches such a height. That even when God slays his firstborn. In the first installment.

44:35 He probably reasoned. Oh well you know. Death comes a light to all. Just a strange coincidence.

44:39 Just a funny providence. And he proceeds to the second stage. And God strikes him dead.

44:49 You see. God's silence. Is misconstrued. As God's death.

44:58 Any parallels. Any parallels.

Parallels to Our Generation and Elijah's Appearance

45:03 Oh do you see how relevant is the study of the life and ministry. Of this man Elijah. You and I live in a day. When in our own national life.

45:12 God has been officially and openly repudiated. We were never a Christian nation. As a misnomer. But we were a nation that had much of the leaven of biblical sense.

45:25 And we were a nation that had much of the leaven of biblical sense. We were a nation that had much of the leaven of biblical sense. In which right was right and wrong was wrong. In which statesmen had a sense of their obligation to the almighty.

45:34 In which there was no embarrassment to speak of invoking the name of almighty God. But we live in an hour in which God has been officially and openly repudiated. At every level of our national life. And he's only dragged in.

45:52 For the sake of gathering a few votes. Or giving the semblance. of a little flavor of religion. Everything else is pure humanism.

46:00 We can do it. We've got the stuff. We've got the goods. The true worship of God is being aggressively attacked.

46:10 People aren't content now to say, you people want to be Bible believers and Bible worshipers? You want to believe in Bible morality?

46:18 That the norm of God is for a heterosexual relationship? One man with one woman? One woman with one man? They don't say, you know, you go ahead and believe that and we're going to believe our way.

46:30 We're going to believe in bisexuality. No, no, you know what they do? They're aggressive to tear down every last vestige of biblical morality. And they glut the airwaves.

46:40 And they glut the news media. And they fill every possible means of impinging upon the minds of this generation to do what? To utterly obliterate, utterly obliterate every last vestige of the worship of the true God when there is the open attack in the public school system, upon the doctrine of creation, upon biblical morality, a twisting even of the history of our nation to rule God utterly out of the whole business. And then in the third place, there is the positive attempt to establish falsehood.

47:15 Aggressive, positive. And then the open defiance of God. And what do we have in the midst of that in Israel? A small, fearful, and apparently silent remnant of the truly godly who have not bowed the knee to Baal nor kissed him.

47:31 You have in Ahab's court a man named Obadiah who says, I fear the Lord greatly from my youth. Think of it. Right under the nose of that wicked woman is a man who fears Jehovah. It's a dark, it's a foreboding, a dismal, and apparently hopeless situation at the end of chapter 16.

47:50 Can you feel something of the oppressiveness of the picture that the scripture paints? Now look at chapter 17 in verse 1.

48:02 He lied, Elijah the Tishbite who was of the sojourners of Gilead said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand. Isn't it wonderful that the chapter begins with a conjunction?

48:22 God won't even let us pause on the base note at the end of chapter 16. He says there's more to come. I've spread this inky black velvet upon which to set the diamond of my life. My grace and my sovereign intervention.

48:40 Wickedness comes to its height under this man Ahab. Leads the nation into open repudiation of Jehovah. Open attempts to obliterate true religion. Open attempts to establish falsehood.

48:54 Impiety and defiance of God are the final base note. And Elijah as the Lord God of Israel liveth. No record of where he came from except, he's the Tishbite. And the biblical archaeologists can't even agree where this place was.

49:12 He was at the sojourners of Gilead. How was he called? When was he called? It's as though God says in this case, everything's so desperate.

49:20 Let's cut through all irrelevancies. One man said, it's as though God brought him down from heaven with a chariot of fire. And while the steeds stamped with impatience, he carried out his fiery mission. And when he's done, God threw the whip on the neck of the steeds and says, this whirlwind of a man who just appears on the scene.

49:45 And can you imagine what it must have been like? Ahab in all the gaudy splendor of ill-gotten gain, rejoicing with this wicked and apparently beautiful consort, this Jezebel, this witch of a woman. And suddenly this man dressed in rugged garments and of rugged appearance stands in their presence and says, Jehovah, you've reared your temples to Baal. You've led the nation into the repudiation of Jehovah.

50:16 You've sought to establish falsehood. The prophets even now lick their lips from the sumptuous meal at your table. But Jehovah is not dead. And you're going to see that he's alive, Mr. Ahab.

50:30 The heavens are shut up and the key is in my pocket. And mark my word, they'll be shut until I say they're open. Turns on his heel and he walks out. And then the story unfolds.

Pastoral Application: A Word of Sober Warning

50:48 Almighty God is going to settle the issue. Is Baal God or is Jehovah God? Well, in closing very quickly, what does all this say to us? That's the background of the life and ministry of this man.

51:03 What's all it say to us? It says, first of all, a word of sober warning, my people. Listen, listen.

51:12 The description in 1 Kings 21-26 is a striking description. He did very abominably in following idols according to all that the Amorites did whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. The very sins for which God drove out the Canaanites. And if you ever have any false sympathy for the Canaanites, do a little reading about their abominations.

51:40 Read in the scriptures how God was so patient. He said, no, it is not yet time to go in and possess the land. The iniquity, the Amorites is not yet full. The long suffering of God brooding over those godless nations.

51:54 But then when their iniquity was full, God drove them out. And now, think of it. The very sins for which they were driven out are the sins into which the nation falls. And you know how it all started?

52:06 It all started almost 60 years before when Jeroboam, for political reasons, says, look, I don't want to throw off the first commandment. I don't want to throw off the second commandment. I don't want to worship a false god. We want to worship Jehovah.

52:21 But let's not be too fastidious about the second commandment, how we're to worship him. Thou shalt not make unto thee any grave in images. Here was a man who said horrors. Never would I countenance casting off the worship of the one true God.

52:37 But let's just bend a little bit on being overly fastidious and persnickety about the second commandment. I mean, a man does have to keep his political life. The whole kingdom united, you see. And God knows that I mean no ill in making this calf, these two calves, and having two centers of worship other than Jerusalem.

52:59 God knows my heart that I mean no ill in all of this. If you had come to Jeroboam and said, Jeroboam, do you know that you're opening the gate that will ultimately mean that the whole nation will rush through to bow down to Baal? Jeroboam would have said, horrors! Never, never, never!

53:20 Not on my account! But you see what happened? When they could tolerate for sixty years worshiping Jehovah while being insensitive to the second commandment, they lost their sensitivity, they lost their ability to discern, they were softened for the ultimate apostasy.

53:45 It was the beginnings of declension under Jeroboam and under Solomon. That led to the tragedy of this picture. You see, what would have been a shock to an Israelite in Jeroboam's day is now accepted without a blush. You boys and girls, listen to Pastor Martin, will you?

54:06 Sin is a deadly evil. And the warning is, beware of the beginnings of sin.

54:14 If I were to come as a prophet to any of you boys today and say, do you know that one day you'll think nothing of letting out a string of oaths and cursing your mother and your father? You will think nothing of tarnishing the virtue of a young woman and then bragging to your buddies about it. You'd say, Pastor Martin, not me. Not me.

54:36 I mean nothing like that. But what are you doing right here at this conference? You're compromising your conscience. You're listening to the guy that says, hey, let me tell you a little story that's just a little bit off color, you see?

54:51 And you say, well, you know, just a little off. I mean, that's nothing. I mean, God knows I don't...

54:56 Huh? And when your mother asked you who started the fuss, well, you didn't tell quite exactly a big, bad lie, just a little white lie. Huh? Just the beginnings of sin.

55:11 A little lie. A little lust. A little dishonesty. A little looking at something you know you shouldn't.

55:19 A little touching something you shouldn't. Children, listen to me. Beware of the beginnings of sin. When sin puts its toe in the door, it has one end in view to drive it and kill you.

55:53 Take a lesson to Jehovah under the form of a calf. Just a little departure. First commandment, but break the second. Now, you know why the old writers always talked about praying for universal obedience.

56:18 This is what they meant. Regard for all of God's precepts, for there is no spiritual safety in any other perspective of soul.

56:30 I say to you, as churches, beware of the beginnings of sin in life, in doctrine, in worship. Beware of the beginnings of deviation.

56:44 Beware of the beginnings of paring off the square corners of divine revelation. Beware of the beginnings of spiritual deflection. Granted, it's weary to say that we believe there is no sign as none.

57:07 Forget these areas. Join with us on the East. One gets weary of insisting that everything that is revealed is for our profit in God's glory.

57:23 Beware of deviations in worship. Some of your people get weary with services that have nothing but reading of the scriptures, fervent prayer, and anointed preaching. Like the Israelites, they get weary.

57:40 It's for novelty. Start to entertain people in the house of God. Start to flatter them with dialogue in the places of authoritative preaching. My dear preacher friend, you've been to that influence and 50 years from now, those who are the fruits of your deviation will be worshiping Baal.

Pastoral Application: A Word of Strong Encouragement

58:02 Oh, what a word of sober warning. But thank God it's a word of strong encouragement. Chapter 16 closes with the depths of impiety. Chapter 17 opens with the heights of divine intervention and delight.

58:26 Do you catch something? The thrill of that? It's like reading Ephesians 2, 1 to 3.

58:33 Dead, bound by nature. Children of wrath.

58:42 That's what we have.

58:45 Because you see, God never forgot that promise He made in Genesis. And when the seed of the serpent was, as it were, spewing out His glee into the face of God, saying, look, that nation that you tenderly nurtured, you've revealed yourself, you've given them the prophets and your statutes and all of it. Look at them. I've got them to borrow.

59:06 Look at me. It's all God's. And God says, if I may say so without being irreverent, that's what you think.

59:14 I've got a man that I've hedged up to myself. And I've taught him my ways. And I've put in him steel-like principles. And I've given him a vision of my glory.

59:25 And I've transformed his heart with a passion for my honor. Satan, you think you've had the last word? I've got news for you. And God drops him out of his chariot and says, all right, Elijah, go to it.

59:39 And before long, the whole nation will have to confess Jehovah. He is the God. Jehovah. He is the God.

59:48 Now, things are black and dark and foreboding in our generation, dear people. But the Lord God of Elijah lives today. He has not forgotten that promise made in the garden. And he, with relentlessness, will pursue the fulfillment of that promise until every last knee bows to his Son.

60:11 And you're going to bow, young man. And you're going to bow, young woman. And you're going to bow, man, woman, boy, girl. And the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ.

60:21 And he shall reign forever and ever. And the devil and the false prophet shall be cast into the lake of fire. And all who choose to worship Baal shall be cast with them. And the new heavens and the new earth are ushered in, wherein dwells nothing but righteousness.

60:41 The seed of the serpent utterly crushed. And Jesus Christ alone exalted. You see, the great significance of this period was not a national revival. I'm sorry if I've spoiled some sermons, brethren.

60:56 But don't you ever preach that Mount Carmel was a national revival. Elijah hoped it was. And when he saw what happened, that's what sent him under a juniper tree.

61:06 And even Ahab's repentance was surface and shallow. And the subsequent history shows the very next king is sending to inquire of Baal and the prophet Elijah has to rebuke him. There was no national revival. No, no.

61:19 But the significant thing was this. At this point in the history of the Old Testament, two things come on the scene. A strong emphasis upon the remnant and the school of the prophets. And frankly, I get excited about the parallels there.

61:33 In the midst of all of this wickedness, God says, I've reserved for myself 7,000 who have not vowed the need of Baal nor kissed him. And in the subsequent history of Elijah's life until he goes home to glory, this strange group called the school of the prophets comes. To the fore. What's God doing?

61:50 God is now, as it were, phasing out one stage of redemptive history where he dealt with the theocracy, the nation. Now his dealings focus on the remnant who are fed and nurtured by the prophets who come from the school of the prophets. And that becomes the seed of the church in its New Testament glory and manifestation.

62:12 And I think one of the most encouraging things God is doing in our generation is he's bringing into the place, a vocal confession. The 7,000 who have not vowed the need of Baal. And all over there are people whose hearts hunger for the worship of Jehovah. Who hunger for pure, undivided worship of the living God and his Son, Jesus Christ.

62:35 They're weary of mixed worship. Bowing down to the Baal of entertainment evangelism. Bowing down to the Baal in the asherah of personality-centered church life. And they long to see Jehovah.

62:49 Exalted in the midst of his people. And then God is touching lives here and there. Laying his hand upon young men. Drawing them into fellowship with himself in the burden of his own heart.

63:02 And they have longings simply to be used. They care not if their names are ever known beyond the little circle of their influence. But they long to be mouthpieces to succor and nurture that remnant whom God reserves for himself. Oh, what a word!

Pastoral Application: A Word of Simple Instruction

63:19 What a strong encouragement. And then, last of all, what we've considered today is a word of simple instruction. God's answer to that mess of a situation is a man. After describing the situation, and Elijah.

63:37 A man. A man of like passions. But a man who knows God and is taught of God. And oh, as we heard last night, dear people, if there ought to be one prayer that is much upon our lips, and I grieve that it's not more upon mine and not more in our own prayer meeting, is that the Lord of the harvest will both equip and raise up and thrust forth laborers.

63:58 God's answer is men. Men who are not little mousy parrots of current religious jargon. But men who in the New Testament sense are prophets to whom the word of the Lord comes with power and mystic revelation. But in careful exegesis and prayerful assimilation of what's in this book.

64:21 But the word of the Lord comes to them. They're seized by the word. They don't handle it. It handles them.

64:29 It carries them to the people with boldness and compassion and with fearlessness. Oh, what a word of instruction. God's answer then is God's answer now. When God would shake the Roman empire, He gets His man.

64:46 When God would shake the imposing structure of Rome back in the 15th century, He gets His man. When God would shake Scotland, He gets His man. But listen, the Nazis and the Luthers are but one in a generation or one every three or four generations or sometimes once every three or four hundred years. It's unrealistic to pray, I think, Lord, raise up a Luther.

65:10 It's the many unknown names of the sons of the prophet who carry on the work of God at the grassroots. Lord, raise up true men of large gifts if it please you, of limited gifts, but true men That's God's word of instruction. May we receive it and may we be helped in the direction of our prayers. May I encourage you, if you have time, to read 1 Kings 17 through the end and 2 Kings 1 and 2 sometime between now and the end of the week so that when I make allusions to various aspects of the life of the prophet, the material will be fresh in your own mind.