Today we see that even the best of men are still men at best. Elijah was so faithful and bold yesterday’s reading, is now running scared. Place we can all find ourselves in at times.
1 Kings 19: Elijah Flees Jezebel
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."
3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers."
5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, "Arise and eat."
6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.
7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you."
8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
The LORD Speaks to Elijah
9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."
11 And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks 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 the sound of a low whisper.
13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."
15 And the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.
17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.
18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."
The Call of Elisha
19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him.
20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "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 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.
1 Kings 20: Ahab's Wars with Syria
1 Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it.
2 And 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 best wives and children also are mine.'"
4 And the king of Israel answered, "As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have."
5 The messengers came again and said, "Thus says Ben-hadad: 'I sent to you, saying, "Deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children."
6 Nevertheless I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants and lay hands on whatever pleases you and take it away.'"
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, "Mark, now, and see how this man is seeking trouble, for he sent to me for my wives and my children, and for my silver and my gold, and I did not refuse him."
8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent."
9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, "Tell my lord the king, 'All that you first demanded of your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do.'" And the messengers departed and brought him word again.
10 Ben-hadad sent to him and said, "The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me."
11 And the king of Israel answered, "Tell him, 'Let not him who straps on his armour boast himself as he who takes it off.'"
12 When Ben-hadad heard this message as he was drinking with the kings in the booths, he said to his men, "Take your positions." And they took their positions against the city.
Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad
13 And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, "Thus says the LORD, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the LORD."
14 And Ahab said, "By whom?" He said, "Thus says the LORD, By the servants of the governors of the districts." Then he said, "Who shall begin the battle?" He answered, "You."
15 Then he mustered the servants of the governors of the districts, and they were 232. And after them he mustered all the people of Israel, seven thousand.
16 And they went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him.
17 The servants of the governors of the districts went out first. And Ben-hadad sent out scouts, and they reported to him, "Men are coming out from Samaria."
18 He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive. Or if they have come out for war, take them alive."
19 So these went out of the city, the servants of the governors of the districts and the army that followed them.
20 And each struck down his man. The Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them, but Ben-hadad king of Syria escaped on a horse with horsemen.
21 And the king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and struck the Syrians with a great blow.
22 Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, "Come, strengthen yourself, and consider well what you have to do, for in the spring the king of Syria will come up against you."
23 And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
24 And do this: remove the kings, each from his post, and put commanders in their places,
25 and 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, and surely we shall be stronger than they." And he listened to their voice and did so.
Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad Again
26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
27 And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country.
28 And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'"
29 And they encamped opposite one another seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the people of Israel struck down of the Syrians 100,000 foot soldiers in one day.
30 And the rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell upon 27,000 men who were left. Ben-hadad also fled and entered an inner chamber in the city.
31 And his servants said to him, "Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life."
32 So they tied sackcloth around their waists and put ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please, let me live.'" And he said, "Does he still live? He is my brother."
33 Now the men were watching for a sign, and they quickly took it up from him and said, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad." Then he said, "Go and bring him." Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
34 And Ben-hadad said to him, "The cities that my father took from your father I will restore, and you may establish bazaars for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." And Ahab said, "I will let you go on these terms." So he made a covenant with him and let him go.
A Prophet Condemns Ben-hadad's Release
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow at the command of the LORD, "Strike me, please." But the man refused to strike him.
36 Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have gone from me, a lion shall strike you down." And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and struck him down.
37 Then he found another man and said, "Strike me, please." And the man struck him---struck him and wounded him.
38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39 And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned 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.'
40 And as your servant was busy here and there, he was gone." The king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it."
41 Then he hurried to take the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.
42 And he said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.'"
43 And the king of Israel went to his house vexed and sullen and came to Samaria.
Things to think about…
1Kings 19:1-8 is the tale of a man who had hoped for more after the victory on Mt Carmel. The queen however was enraged. As a result, Elijah gets scared and enters into a season of depression and doubt. Ministry can wear you down when you don’t see the results you had hoped for. Praise God our Lord ministers to us through both his Spirit and our spirits. In Elijah’s case, an angel brings him food and water. Unfortunately, Elijah uses this sustenance to run further away rather than being strengthened to carry on the fight. Encourage someone today in the ‘good fight’ against sin and discouragement.
In 1 Kings 19:9-18 we read of the famous line ‘still small voice’, here translated ‘low whisper’ of God. Is Elijah right when he says he is the only one left? We know he is not. Obadiah is still ministering even at the very gates of hell, Ahab’s house! There are also the 100 prophets he has hidden in caves. Not to mention the 7000 the Lord speaks of to Elijah. It’s important to keep things in perspective when we have low times or are subjected to times of doubt. Be encouraged ‘If God is for us, who can be against us’ Rom 8:31.
In 1Kings 19:15-17 Elijah is told who to anoint and lead countries and ministries. Nothing holds together by our energy or plan. The Lord ordains and replaces those who come after us and in His grace He allows us to prepare the way for them as Elijah did for Elisha. Who can you teach or encourage to continue in a ministry that you now have charge over.
1Kings 20 is a picture in a physical sense of what happens in the spiritual realm. Satan is never satisfied with taking one part of you and then leaving you alone. He wants the whole. He is a liar and a destroyer. Ben Hadad, the King of Syria asked for gold and silver, wives and daughters and he received them from Ahab’s hand, 1Kings 20:2-7. Now Ben hadad says he will return and take the best of the land, aside from the silver and gold. Satan always oversteps the mark. Never give in to him. In this case Ahb has a victory against him. Sadly, Ahab does not continue in seeking the Lord.
You have no doubt heard it said before, ‘be killing sin, otherwise it will kill you’. Well that is exactly the situation here with Ahab and Ben-hadad. Ben-hadad was Israel’s enemy and made it clear that he would not stop until Israel was destroyed. Ahab after seeing the Lord’s mighty deliverance after hearing Ben-hadad is still alive says ‘he is my brother’, 1Kings 20:32, and makes a covenant with him. Ahab was a fool in this transaction. It’s never wise to do deals with the devil.
1 Kings 20:35-43 show that Ahab will be judged for not staying true to the Lord. Sometimes we need to make decisions that we find emotionally tough. Ahab did not want to destroy Ben-hadad. As a result, the Lord will take his life instead. Ahab has an emotional tantrum, vs 43, as a result. This is his pattern as we shall see. People who struggle with the Word of God and its immovable standards have to acknowledge that their sin is the ultimate source of their grief. Seek and follow after our great God to retain His blessing.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “Divided we fall” - from 1 Kings 12:1-24
1. We have heard the phrase “united we stand and divided we fall”. Jesus said “a house divided against itself cannot stand”, Mark 3:22. Can you remember a time where you worked as a team on a project to complete an agreed outcome, or otherwise where a team member let you down. Has this happened to you in a spiritual context.
2. Solomon’s son Rehoboam didn’t listen to the counsel of his father and became a foolish son, yet Solomon was not without blame – discuss. How have you been influenced by your parents? How have you influenced your children?
3. Israel was divided due to the folly of Rehoboam, but in 1 Kings 12:24 says “for this thing is from me”, referring to the Lord’s plan over it all. Explain how your reconcile this statement with what is clearly sin in the lives of Rehoboam and Jeroboam. What encouragement do you find from this statement.
Prayer Points
1. Families away on holidays. Pray for rest and safe return
2. Pray for ministries as they start up this week.
3. Pray for testimonies that people will be doing every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours.
4. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points.
1. Testimony of Richard Gauntlett.
2. Josh and Ben leading worship, Dan on sound, Maddison and Melissa on the desk.
3. New volunteers stepping forward to help out.
4. The unity and grace on display at CBC.
Announcements
1. PlayPatch for toddlers on break for 2 weeks.
2. Kids@church starts back on Sunday.
3. Recharge Youth – back on Friday 6:30pm at church all teenagers.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
