545. God Provides for Elijah During the Famine - May 3, 2024

[00:00:06] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs

[00:00:16] Open in prayer

[00:00:22] Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today

[00:00:27] Lord, I pray that you would reveal to everyone listening how much you truly love each and every one of them

[00:00:33] I ask this in Jesus name. Amen

[00:00:37] This is Proverbs 3 beginning in verse 1

[00:00:42] My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands

[00:00:48] For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you

[00:00:54] Let not mercy and truth forsake you

[00:00:58] Bind them around your neck

[00:01:00] Write them on the tablet of your heart

[00:01:03] And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man

[00:01:10] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own

[00:01:15] understanding in all your ways

[00:01:18] Acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths

[00:01:22] Do not be wise in your own eyes

[00:01:25] Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones

[00:01:34] Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first fruits of all your increase

[00:01:41] So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine

[00:01:48] My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord nor detest his correction

[00:01:56] For whom the Lord loves he corrects

[00:01:59] Just as a father the son in whom he delights

[00:02:04] Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding

[00:02:11] For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver and her gain than fine gold

[00:02:18] She is more precious than rubies and all the things you may desire

[00:02:24] Cannot compare with her

[00:02:26] Length of days is in her right hand in her left hand riches and honor

[00:02:33] Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace

[00:02:39] She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her and happy are all who retain her

[00:02:47] The Lord by wisdom founded the earth

[00:02:51] By understanding he established the heavens

[00:02:55] By his knowledge the depths were broken up and clouds dropped down the dew

[00:03:01] My son, let them not depart from your eyes

[00:03:06] Keep sound wisdom and discretion so they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck

[00:03:15] Then you will walk safely in your way and your foot will not stumble

[00:03:20] When you lie down you will not be afraid

[00:03:24] Yes, when you lie down and your sleep will be sweet

[00:03:29] Do not be afraid of sudden terror nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes

[00:03:36] For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught

[00:03:42] Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due

[00:03:47] When it is in the power of your hand to do so

[00:03:51] Do not say to your neighbor go and come back and tomorrow I will give it when you have it with you

[00:03:59] Do not devise evil against your neighbor for he dwells by you for safety's sake

[00:04:07] Do not strive with a man without cause if he has done you no harm

[00:04:13] Do not envy the oppressor and choose none of his ways

[00:04:19] For the perverse person is in abomination to the Lord

[00:04:23] But his secret counsel is with the upright

[00:04:28] The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the just

[00:04:36] Surely he scorns the scornful

[00:04:39] That gives grace to the humble

[00:04:42] The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools

[00:04:49] Friends today I'd like to take a closer look at verses five and six

[00:04:55] And Proverbs three verses five and six say this

[00:05:00] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

[00:05:08] In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths

[00:05:15] Friends someone in the Old Testament who followed that advice was a man named Elijah

[00:05:23] And what I'd like to do today is go over a story

[00:05:27] Found in the book of first kings chapter 17

[00:05:33] Elijah has been called to be a prophet to the nation of Israel

[00:05:39] An evil king Ahab has just taken over as the new king

[00:05:45] And he has just married a wife named Jezebel

[00:05:50] And for those of you familiar with Ahab and Jezebel

[00:05:55] This was not a good union

[00:05:58] And because of that Israel fell into

[00:06:03] Really a lot of things that were not good

[00:06:06] Primarily the worship of Baal

[00:06:09] But what I'd like to do is begin in chapter 17

[00:06:14] beginning in verse 1

[00:06:17] And Elijah the tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab

[00:06:25] As the Lord God of Israel lives

[00:06:28] Before whom I stand there shall not be due nor reign

[00:06:34] These years except at my word

[00:06:39] Friends the first point I would like to bring up today is that Elijah

[00:06:44] proclaims a drought for Israel

[00:06:49] Now friends I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible

[00:06:54] And what I'd like to do is go over the commentary for verse 1

[00:07:00] Of this chapter

[00:07:03] No prophet had arisen since Moses like Elijah

[00:07:09] His name means the Lord is my God

[00:07:15] Elijah would speak for God fearlessly

[00:07:19] In the midst of the spiritual vacuum that gripped the northern kingdom throughout

[00:07:27] The days of Ahab, Ahaziah and Jehoram

[00:07:32] A prophet, Paa, exhalants

[00:07:35] His ministry and his stand against the rampant

[00:07:39] Baalism of the land reached the highest circles of government in Israel

[00:07:48] Malachi would predict Elijah's return before the coming great and dreadful day of the Lord

[00:07:58] Tishbite has been understood traditionally

[00:08:02] As referring to a town named Tishbite

[00:08:07] Or as designation for the settlers in Gilead

[00:08:12] As the Lord God of Israel lives was also a brilliant declaration

[00:08:19] Elijah who stood unafraid before the king of Israel

[00:08:25] Unannounced and uninvited

[00:08:29] Could do so because he stood before one whose glory

[00:08:34] Majesty and power were infinitely greater than Ahab's

[00:08:40] And of course we're talking about God here

[00:08:43] Do nor reign I thought this was pretty interesting

[00:08:48] Because the Canaanite belief was that only Baal

[00:08:53] Could govern the dew and the rain

[00:08:57] Elijah's pronouncement was as an immediate challenge

[00:09:03] Who is really God?

[00:09:06] Baal or the Lord

[00:09:10] Interesting

[00:09:11] Let's go to verse two

[00:09:13] Then the word of the Lord came to him saying

[00:09:17] Get away from here and turn eastward and hide by the brook

[00:09:23] Chareth which flows into the Jordan

[00:09:27] And it will be that you shall drink from the brook

[00:09:31] And I have commanded the ravens to feed you there

[00:09:37] Friends the second point I'd like to bring up today is that God

[00:09:41] provides food and drink for Elijah

[00:09:47] Friends I'm going to pause for a moment here because I think it's wonderful

[00:09:52] That Elijah went to the king Ahab and sat there and pronounced a drought

[00:10:00] Not knowing how he was going to be taken care of during that drought

[00:10:07] I think it's very easy to assume that he knew God would take care of him

[00:10:13] And of course the second point is that God was going to provide water as well as food for him

[00:10:23] But when God asks you to do something

[00:10:26] I really want to get this point across because God has called every single person listening to this podcast today

[00:10:33] To do something to further advance the kingdom of God

[00:10:38] Now I realize many people listening may still not know what that is

[00:10:43] And if you are in that place and are not quite sure of what it is you're supposed to do

[00:10:50] That is going to be my call of action later on today

[00:10:56] Let's go to verse five

[00:10:58] So he went and did according to the word of the Lord for he went and stayed

[00:11:05] By the brook charath which flows into the Jordan

[00:11:10] The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning

[00:11:15] And bread and meat in the evening

[00:11:19] And he drank from the brook

[00:11:22] And it happened after a while that the brook dried up

[00:11:26] Because there had been no rain in the land

[00:11:30] So friends

[00:11:32] Elijah is doing what God has called him to do

[00:11:38] And he provided water to drink

[00:11:41] But that brook eventually dries up

[00:11:44] But in the meantime, he has bread and meat to eat

[00:11:50] Now just for a moment. I'd like for you to envision

[00:11:55] A raven

[00:11:57] Bringing you

[00:11:59] Bread and meat

[00:12:01] To eat

[00:12:03] Okay, how did he do it?

[00:12:05] Did he do it in his beak and drop it in front of you? Did he have it in his claws?

[00:12:12] I'm kind of curious

[00:12:14] But that sounds a little bit unappetizing to me

[00:12:18] But friends when you're hungry, you will do whatever you need to do to eat

[00:12:24] Let's go to verse eight

[00:12:26] Then the word of the lord came to him saying

[00:12:30] Arise and go to Zeraphath

[00:12:33] Which belongs to Sidon and dwell there

[00:12:37] See I have commanded a widow there

[00:12:42] To provide for you

[00:12:45] So first of all

[00:12:46] God provided at the brook

[00:12:49] Cherith and once that brook dried up

[00:12:53] Now he has to find a way to

[00:12:56] Further provide for Elijah

[00:12:59] And this time he has spoken to a particular widow

[00:13:05] Living in Zeraphath

[00:13:07] And she is going to provide for him

[00:13:12] Now I'd like to read the commentary on verse nine

[00:13:16] Zeraphath was in Phoenician territory

[00:13:21] Seven miles south of Sidon

[00:13:24] The strong hold of Baal

[00:13:28] The Lord's sustaining Elijah first by a raven

[00:13:32] And then by a widow

[00:13:35] Provided the prophet with a dramatic test of faith

[00:13:40] At the outset of his ministry

[00:13:43] The widow too would be taught the value of trusting in God alone

[00:13:50] Many widows were exceptionally poor

[00:13:53] As they had few options in an agrarian culture

[00:13:58] This one was in a desperate plight

[00:14:02] When she encountered God's prophet

[00:14:05] Let's go to verse 10

[00:14:08] So he arose and went to Zeraphath

[00:14:12] And when he came to the gate of the city

[00:14:15] Indeed a widow was there gathering sticks

[00:14:19] And he called to her and said

[00:14:22] Please bring me a little water in a cup that I may drink

[00:14:28] And as she was going to get it

[00:14:30] He called to her and said

[00:14:32] Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand

[00:14:37] So she said as the Lord your God lives

[00:14:41] I do not have bread

[00:14:43] Only a handful of flour in a bin

[00:14:47] And a little oil in a jar

[00:14:50] And see I am gathering a couple of sticks

[00:14:54] That I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son

[00:14:59] That we may eat it and die

[00:15:03] Now friends this is the mindset of this widow

[00:15:10] She has agreed to provide Elijah with a cup of water

[00:15:15] But she doesn't have enough to even sustain her and her son for one meal

[00:15:25] And Elijah is asking her for basically a morsel of bread

[00:15:32] And she is pronouncing

[00:15:35] I am getting ready to die

[00:15:37] We are getting ready to have our last meal

[00:15:41] Let's look at verse 13

[00:15:44] And Elijah said to her

[00:15:47] Do not fear

[00:15:49] Go and do as you have said

[00:15:53] But make me a small cake from it first

[00:15:57] And bring it to me

[00:15:59] And afterward make some for yourself and your son

[00:16:05] For thus says the Lord God of Israel

[00:16:09] The bin of flour shall not be used up

[00:16:14] Nor shall the jar of oil run dry

[00:16:19] Until the day the Lord says reign on the earth

[00:16:24] So friends my third point today is Elijah

[00:16:27] prophesies that the widow and her son will be provided for

[00:16:35] And here he's talking about until

[00:16:40] Rain is once again going to fall on the ground

[00:16:44] For those of you familiar with this story

[00:16:48] That is a time period of three and a half years

[00:16:54] So there was a severe famine in the land

[00:17:00] And I'm not going to go over the rest of this story

[00:17:03] I may at another time this is a wonderful story

[00:17:08] But what I'd like to get across is the fact that God spoke with Elijah

[00:17:15] Elijah had a call on his life

[00:17:19] God asked Elijah to go and speak to Ahab

[00:17:24] To inform him that a drought was coming

[00:17:28] But whenever God calls you to do something

[00:17:33] He will always provide the means in order for you to do that

[00:17:40] Before we close today, let's go back to our proverb of the day

[00:17:44] Proverb three versus five and six

[00:17:48] And friends these are two of the most important verses in the bible

[00:17:53] And if you're not familiar with these two verses

[00:17:57] I ask that you consider memorizing these two verses

[00:18:03] And being able to talk about these two verses

[00:18:07] All the time because regardless of what is going on in your life

[00:18:12] These are two verses that you can always hang your hat on

[00:18:18] Trust in the Lord with all your heart

[00:18:22] And lean not on your own understanding

[00:18:26] Friends we are to put our trust in God

[00:18:30] Not ourselves

[00:18:33] In all your ways acknowledge him

[00:18:37] And he shall direct your paths

[00:18:41] Friends if you look to God

[00:18:44] Or his son Jesus

[00:18:46] They are going to direct the path that you are supposed to be on

[00:18:52] They will give you the means in order to fulfill the call that they have placed on your life

[00:19:01] We need to put our trust in them regardless of what is going on in our lives

[00:19:08] There are going to be things that come up in our lives

[00:19:12] And we're either not expecting them or we don't quite know what to do

[00:19:19] So put your trust in God and simply relax

[00:19:25] And learn to be loose

[00:19:29] And trust God and they will

[00:19:33] Provide for you as they did with Elijah

[00:19:39] As they did with this woman from Zeraphath

[00:19:44] Friends my call to action today is very simple

[00:19:48] Ask yourself this question

[00:19:51] Are you in the perfect will of God?

[00:19:55] And by that I mean are you doing all that God has asked you to do for him?

[00:20:04] And if your answer to that is no

[00:20:07] May I suggest that you call out to God in prayer

[00:20:11] And ask him if there's anything that he would like for you to do for him

[00:20:18] That you are not presently doing

[00:20:21] And he will let you know what that is

[00:20:25] Friends we take one step at a time

[00:20:28] But our goal in life should be to serve God and his son Jesus

[00:20:35] That is what we are on earth to do to share the good news in any way we can

[00:20:42] To make his kingdom

[00:20:44] More available to everyone

[00:20:47] Friends I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity

[00:20:53] To receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior

[00:20:57] If there is anyone listening today and you've never taken that step

[00:21:00] I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today

[00:21:05] Jesus I recognize that I am a sinner and in need of a Savior

[00:21:10] I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point forward in Jesus name amen

[00:21:17] Friends this is the weekend have a great time

[00:21:20] I'll see you back on Monday as we further explore wisdom today