Good morning. One of the intriguing figures of scripture is the prophet, Elijah. He lived in the 9th century B.C. during one of the darkest stages in the history of God’s people. Elijah appears on the scene quite suddenly, but it quickly becomes apparent that he is the chosen prophet of God. When his time is done, God takes him home to heaven through a whirlwind in a chariot of fire. Elijah was connected in Hebrew thought and worship to the coming Messiah. The New Testament tells us that the spirit of Elijah was present in John the Baptist as he prepared the people for Christ’s coming.
In the 9th century B.C., we find the kingdom that had been Israel divided into the northern kingdom, which continued to use the name Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom was led by king Omri who had no heart for God and used the worship of false gods as a political tool to control the people. The nations around Israel and Judah worshipped the Canaanite god Baal, which was in reality a form of Satan worship. Omri cemented his political control and regional security by encouraging the worship of Baal and by arranging the marriage of his son Ahab to the daughter of the king of Sidon in Phoenicia. Her name was Jezebel, and she was an exceptionally devoted worshipper of Baal and all things Satanic.
The first words that we read from the mouth of Elijah was a dire warning made to king Ahab: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain for the years to follow, except by my word.” 1 Kings 17:1
Elijah undoubtedly knew that his life would soon be forfeit once Ahab told Jezebel what he had said, but God had His own plan. He instructs His prophet Elijah to run into the wilderness and hide, waiting until the time is right for the next part of His plan to unfold. But there is a problem: the desert wilderness is inhospitable at the best of times, and during the promised drought it would be much worse. In fact, what God commanded would have sounded like a death sentence, and a terrible death at that. But God doesn’t tell Elijah to go into the wilderness and do the best he can. God tells him to go into the wilderness and to trust Him to provide. God even tells Elijah how He will take care of his needs: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 1 Kings 17:3-4
In the desert, in a time of extreme drought, there would be no chance that the brook God is sending him to would run with water, but God makes sure that it does, at least for a time. As for nourishment, Elijah is told that God has commanded the ravens to feed you there. Now, I don’t know what Elijah thought of this. The scripture only tells us that he obeyed, doing exactly as God commanded. But personally, I would have had a couple of questions. Whether the brook would continue to have water would have crossed my mind, but what kind of food the ravens were going to bring…now that would have been a concern! You see, I know what ravens eat, and it isn’t good, at least not for people. They eat carrion. Whatever has died and has started to rot, that is what ravens seem to be drawn to. Yuck!
So, consider God’s servant Elijah. He can’t stay where he is because what God has spoken through him will certainly cause the king and queen to demand his death. Running to the desert to hide doesn’t sound too great either, not when the menu is going to be decided by ravens.
But we don’t read of any such thoughts, or questions, or complaints. Elijah simply obeys. How did it work out for him? As we continue to read 1 Kings 17:5-6 we find out: So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
No roadkill, no long dead fish, the ravens brought him bread and meat twice a day. And he drank from the little brook, until the water ran out. Remember the concern over the little stream in the midst of a drought? Well sure enough, Elijah’s only source of water ran dry. Oh no!
Stage two of God’s plan to care for His prophet included a widow who was so poor she couldn’t take care of herself and her young son, let alone a newcomer. “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 1 Kings 17:9 First ravens, now a widow with only a tiny bit of food? The widow and her son were going to die, and then Elijah appeared, and she was willing to share the tiny bit of food they had with him. God blessed her and the food never ran out. Later, God uses Elijah to perform a miracle in saving the son.
The thought for today is to consider how God commanded His servant Elijah to trust Him and to obey Him even when it may not have seemed to make sense from a worldly perspective. When God is in charge we needn’t worry because God is able, and trustworthy, and careful in His love.
Elijah quietly obeyed and God met his needs. God used His servant Elijah in amazing ways. I wonder if there may be times when we don’t see the blessing, or the amazing work of God, because we have allowed our own understanding and expectations to get in the way!
May we serve faithfully, trusting in Him who is worthy, loving, kind, and amazing in power!
Vern