To go His way…
One of the most effective temptations Satan uses against Christians who want to do what is right is to try to get them to go their own way rather than obeying God. It is not necessary for him to get us to commit sinful acts. If he can convince us to rely on our own judgment, it will not be long before we are completely off track, for our judgment cannot be trusted. The Lord is not looking for people to go their own way, but to go His way. Many people who study the times say that there isn’t much we can trust today. Andy Crouch put it this way in Christianity Today: The emptiness under our feet is promises that were not kept and never will be—promises to balance the budget, to attend our violin recital, to have and to hold from this day forward, to teach us the difference between good and evil. “Promises that were not kept and never will be”: those are haunting words. Who can you trust today? Scandals in both of the major political parties shatter our trust in the truthfulness of elected officials. In almost every area of life—the government, family, and church—promises have been broken. The story of Elijah doesn’t teach us to trust everyone, but it doesn’t tell us to trust no one. Elijah trusted God so much so that he said to the king, “You go your way; I’ll go God’s way.” The background of 1 Kings is a dark time in the history of God’s people. Ahab was king in Israel, and he was the most evil king the nation had ever had. His wife, Jezebel, was, perhaps, even worse. The nation had turned away from God and begun worshiping a false, pagan god called Baal, with rituals that mixed sexual aggression and perversion with horrible cruelty and violence. God brought light in those dark times through a man named Elijah, a prophet. In the Bible, a prophet does not primarily foretell the future, but is a man to whom God speaks personally and reveals his will for his people. Elijah appears in 1 Kings 17:1 without much introduction. He is described simply as Elijah the Tishbite. We don’t know anything of significance about Tishbe, but we know that Elijah’s name is significant. It means, “Yahweh is my God.” Elijah’s name itself was a challenge to the worship of false gods even before he announced his message. God’s way is the way of truth. The structure of Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 17 clearly highlights the main point we are to learn from his life. There are four separate movements in 1 Kings 17. The first scene unfolds as Elijah moves from the palace of Ahab to the brook in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan River (verses 1-6). The second scene takes us from the brook to the city of Zarephath where Elijah meets a widow (verses 7-14). The third scene takes place day after day within the widow’s home as God provides for their needs (verses 15-16). And the fourth scene takes place within the widow’s home when sickness strikes the widow’s son and Elijah heals him through prayer (verses 17-24). What binds all four of these scenes together is not just the activity of Elijah but also the truth of the Word of God. In the first scene, verse 2 introduces a change in the story by saying, “Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah.” In the second scene, verse 8 moves the storyline forward again by saying, “Then the word of the LORD came to him.” In the third scene, verse 16 says, “For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.” The key to the purpose of the whole passage is saved for the last line in the chapter, when the truth is placed in the concluding speech of the deeply grateful widow: “Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.’” God speaks in various ways in the story of Elijah. First, God speaks about his judgment on sin. “There will be no rain,” he says. What we see in the story of Jesus is that judgment of sin is such an irrevocable part of the character and perfect nature of God, that God himself has to come into our world in Jesus to take the judgment for us. We all deserve the drought, the withdrawal of God’s blessing, and the absence of life-giving grace. But Jesus suffered the drought and damnation for us. Second, God speaks through Elijah about a life of trust and obedience. Elijah lived it partially, but Jesus lived it perfectly. He listened to God the Father; he did what God told him to do; he overcame every obstacle because he trusted and obeyed perfectly. He did that not just as an example, but as our savior who wins the battle for us. If you submit to Christ as your Lord and Savior, then his obedience becomes your obedience. God considers you righteous because of Christ’s obedience. Finally, God reveals his faithfulness to his promises. God fed Elijah with ravens and raised Jesus from the dead, because he promised to do so. The whole story of the life, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus shows us how far God is willing to go to demonstrate his love and to fulfill his promises. God uses surprising means to meet human needs. Just as he used unclean birds to sustain life, so he will use an unjust crucifixion to bring redemption. Jesus shows us the awesome heart of the God who speaks through the prophets and calls us all to trust in him. God does what he promises to do. That’s the message of the Bible. There is a simple pattern in verses 3…
