Sermon Notes
3 Types of Provision
1 Kings 17:1-6
Introduction: As we continue the series on healing we come to a strange passage, which might appear on first reading to have little relevance and yet there are some serious lessons to learn.
This is the first mention of Elijah in Scripture. The name ‘Elijah’ means ‘The Lord is my God’. Thus the man’s name says much of his mission, which was to oppose the worship of Baal and those involved in it. He was a Tishbite, from Tishbe, which suggests he was born and bred in Tishbe. Tishbe we are told was part of Gilead, which was in the northern Trans-Jordan area and very much part of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. After the division of the country ruled over by David and Solomon into Israel (10 tribes) and Judah (2) during the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, Israel had no king who led the people in worship of God. From the start they rebelled against those from David’s line and the priestly work of the descendents of Aaron. King Ahab was the latest in that disjointed line. He had married Jezebel of the Sidonians and as a result both served and worshipped Baal.
So Elijah was born into any anything goes type of society, much like the one in which we live today. Yet, his parents called him Elijah, which suggests they had faith in God. We know nothing more about him, or his background until he confronts the King with…
A proclamation to make (v.1): ‘As the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word’. This is a word of challenge to Ahab’s god(s), because Baal was associated with the giving of water and water was fundamental to the wellbeing of the king and his people. Elijah was the mouth piece through whom God was calling out to his people in the hope they would turn back to him. God was trying to heal the relationship between the people of Israel and himself. It was a pretty radical proclamation, which I couldn’t imagine delivering, even prefaced by the words ‘I think God may be saying…’ and yet God does call his church to speak to the society in which we live and to those who govern us – both locally and nationally.
In putting his neck on the line, Elijah was having his relationship with God deepened through obedience. We too need to realise that our role is to obediently carry out what God what we believe God wants us to do, say, or write and then leave it to him. Elijah couldn’t do anything to stop the rain and the dew, all he had to do was announce the coming drought. Ahab could either listen and respond as God wanted, or he could carry on in his own way. In the first prayer meeting I attended in Caerphilly I felt God tell me two things. One was to uncover all that had been hidden in the church and the second was to bring the churches together. Both were difficult, but it is the latter I want to concentrate on. During our five years in Caerphilly, in many strange ways I came to meet all the Christian leaders in the area – some were initiated by me and others were clearly God appointments, because I didn’t even know of certain churches’ existence. In meeting I shared what I thought was a God-given vision and some joined together, but others didn’t. One wouldn’t come to the leaders’ meetings because the catholics were invited. There were subdivisions amongst the leaders of the area, which meant that one group wouldn’t attend if the others did, etc.etc. All of this shocked me, but I kept plugging away and on Pentecost Sunday 2000 over 400 Christians marched through Caerphilly and sang songs to the glory of God in the Castle Grounds. I was overwhelmed especially when the Elim Pastor jumped on the back of the wagon, asked all the leaders present to join him and asked the crowd to join him in prayer for the unity of the leaders. Within the next two years on All-Hallows Eve Christians were called to gather together on Caerphilly Mountain and pray over the town and surrounding area. This was significant, because it had never been done before and because the Mountain was notorious as a meeting place for witches covens.
Healing was taking place in ways we couldn’t imagine, because of a proclaimed, or shared word. This can apply to individuals, local churches, groups of churches, towns, areas or nations, but for the word to go out it needs people such as you and me to lay down our fears and preconceptions and to step out in obedience for God. As with the four friends of the paralytic last week doing what we can to bring people to Jesus or God in Elijah’s case, we need to act in willing obedience in response to His prompting.
The second thing we see in this passage is…
A place to rest (vs.2-4): God knows we cannot be active all the time and need times to step back and be still. Jesus did it when he took himself away for times with his Father. God told Elijah to go to the Kerith Ravine east of the Jordan. Elijah went and hid there. I could imagine that Elijah was quite pleased to get away from King Ahab, his advisors and soldiers. Imagine the frantic attempts there would be to find Elijah to end the drought. Imagine the anger there would have been when God carried out his threat to dry up the land. Healing often begins in the place of rest and it is important for us to listen to God, when he asks us to be still. He may tell us to go on a retreat and spend several days away; he may tell us to go for a walk and take in the wonderful scenery of the place to which we are led; he may just ask us to find a quiet space at home in which to be with him for a while. In most of my ministries my office has been the first port of call for a place of rest. In Caerphilly, the mountain was often the place to which I went because I could look out over the coastal plain as well as the valleys for which Caerphilly was the gateway. In Nottingham, it was quiet walks, or bike rides along the banks of the Trent. Here it can be the local rec, Stourhead or Weymouth, by the sea. Believe it or not, the quiet space can also be watching the boys playing, or a ministers’ conference. For one of the deacons in Caerphilly his quiet space used to be the toilet at work, or the nearby park at lunch time. The quiet place can literally be anywhere, as long as it is provided by God and a place to meet with God, for…
A provision of food (vs.5-6): The Kerith Ravine was a more special place because Elijah did not have to worry about what he should drink, or eat. The brook was a natural source of water and the ravens were a supernatural source of food. For healing times with God to be effective we need to suspend our daily concerns and just fix our eyes on Jesus for their provision. This is where conferences have been so good, because the food is always provided at set times and those present only have to worry about choosing what they want to eat. Elijah didn’t even have that problem as there was only one choice on the menu. In order to receive the nourishment of healing Elijah did have to choose to eat and drink what was provided, in the same way you and I have to choose to read and meditate on God’s word to receive the nourishment God gives through it.
I managed to get to a leaders’ meeting this week…but I was half an hour late. This meant I arrived in the middle of a conversation, which was difficult to engage with. Yet, as I listened God tuned me in and I was able to engage and lead prayer into the situation being shared. One of the leaders said how important it is to ask God for a word in difficult situations, meaning a verse from the Bible, and then pray in line with the word. I must admit this has happened for me on a number of occasions, but the example he shared was particularly powerful. I would encourage you to wait in God’s presence until he clearly speaks to you. Elijah remained in the Kerith Ravine until God told him otherwise. However, if he had not been obedient, Elijah may not have received the food of refreshment. That is a challenge to you and me. I was late for my meeting this week, but had already let them know I may not get there because I have difficulty getting going in the morning. But had I not gone I would have missed the opportunity to minister to a friend and colleague.
When it comes to being in the right place at the right time, I remember one occasion on which we started a carol service with a drama. At the end a woman came up and said she had enjoyed the service, except for missing the drama. She arrived ten minutes after the start. Perhaps we need to make a new year’s resolution to be here before 10:30am each Sunday, so we don’t miss out on anything God is wanting to say to us, or give to us.
Conclusion: As we continue in this series on healing I believe God is going to both challenge and expand our understanding of his healing and our part in it. Having looked at a proclamation to make, a place to rest and a provision of food the need for us to be obedient to God in every way screams out, as does our role in both the healing of others and ourselves. And it brings us back to our key verse for 2011 once again…
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Amen.
Questions for further study:
1. Who is Elijah?
2. Why was the stopping of the rain so important? If you were a prophet of God today, what might God say through you to the people of Wincanton, or the UK?
3. What, or who, are the gods that people (we) might worship today? How can we protect ourselves from worshipping false idols?
4. What was the ‘Kerith Ravine’ in terms of God’s provision for Elijah? Has God provided such places for you? How might such places be seen as points of healing? How does God’s provision of food and drink for Elijah fit into a picture of healing/a place of healing? Discuss what you would like God to do for you to bring healing and pray for the needs of others.
5. What might describe Elijah’s behaviour in this short passage? How might this be a key to healing, on God’s terms?
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