Never Before

History shows the moral character of the people of Israel to be so sinful and evil, that one would have expected God to throw away or to cast off a people that had in effect, cast Him off and rejected Him. But, as evidence to the contrary, Israel was never so blessed with such a Godly prophet as when it was so plagued with such an evil king. Never before was a king so bold to sin as Ahab. Never before was a prophet so bold to reprove and threaten as Elijah.

There is no part of Old Testament history that shines brighter than the history of Elijah. Of all the prophets, only he had the same honor to be translated as the first prophet Enoch was; as well as the honor of standing with the great prophet Moses at the transfiguration of Jesus. Whereas other prophets, prophesied and wrote; he prophesied and acted … but wrote nothing.

The history of Elijah begins somewhat abruptly. Usually, when a prophet comes on the scene, we are told something about him; but Elijah (so to speak) just appears, as if like Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:3) he were without father, without mother, and without descent, which made some of the Jews believe that he was an angel sent from heaven.

But James 5:17-18 assures us that … "Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."

To set the stage … (1st Kings 16:29-33)

In the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, Ahab began to reign over Israel. He took Jezebel as his wife and went and worshiped Baal. He built an altar and a house for Baal, in Samaria. Ahab did evil in the sight of the LORD and did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

Because of the sinful reign of Ahab, Elijah prophesied of a famine from the lack of rain which would turn the normally fruitful Israel into a dry barren land. He went and told Ahab this but did not speak of it to the people. Ahab as king had the power to reform the land, and so to prevent the judgment, but he did not.

We can learn from this lesson in history just how important it is for a nation or a people to have a righteous leader over them who fears God and follows the Word of the Lord.

Are you listening America?

From what we read from James and the following scripture in 1st Kings, it looks as if the words of judgment came from Elijah himself since it is not recorded that God told Elijah what to say to King Ahab. But then again, the widow woman who fed Elijah during the coming famine does say to him later that … "the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth." So what do I know?

Did God leave the fate of Israel up to Elijah when he (Elijah) says … "there shall not be dew nor rain these years, according to my word."

What he was saying was this … "Expect none till you hear from me again."

The way James tells it, Elijah first … "prayed earnestly that it might not rain" (and then later) "he prayed again for rain" … leading me to believe that Elijah had to "faith in" both through prayer. God didn't just do it Himself, but as He still does today, chose to partner with man to fulfill His will on earth.

The following is an edited account of what proceeded to happen.

1st Kings 17:1-24 … And Elijah said unto Ahab … "As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but (only) according to my word."

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah and directed him to hide by the brook Cherith, which he did. For an unknown period of time, God fed Elijah by ravens bringing him flesh to eat until the brook dried up from the lack of rain, at which time the Lord directed him to move again to Zarephath, where a widow woman living there would sustain and keep him.

But as it turned out, when he arrived there and met the woman, she only had enough grain meal and oil for one last bit of food before both, her and her son died of starvation themselves.

But Elijah said to her … "Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth."

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and both she and her son and Elijah did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Elijah.

Sometime later, the woman's son fell sick and died. Even after the miracle of the meal and oil that never ran out, she accuses Elijah, the man of God … that he came to call her sin to remembrance, and to slay her son.

Elijah takes her son, lays him on his own bed and prays three times while trying to humbly reason with God concerning the death of this child. He cries … "O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow by slaying her son? I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again."

Like Job, he sees this death as commissioned from God. Job 2:10 … "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"

This same thought is also affirmed in Amos 3:6 … "Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?"

So I also ask … "Is there anything on this earth that God does not control … if He so chooses?"

Elijah earnestly begs God to restore the child to life again. Never before … do we read of anyone that was raised from the dead. But even so, from what we read in the Word, without being urged to do so by the Lord, Elijah on his own prays for the resurrection of this widow's child.

Even King David, a man after God's own heart did not expect God to do this; not even through fasting and prayer which he had done. David, speaking of his own dead son states in 2nd Samuel 12:23 … "But now he is dead … can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

The LORD heard the voice of Elijah and did as he asked; the soul of the child came back bringing life to him again. Elijah then took the child and gave him back to his mother and said to her … "See, thy son liveth."

And the woman said to Elijah … "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth."

It is just as important for us today that … the Word of the LORD … is in our mouth as it was in Elijah's. May we be as bold as he was.

Never Before … a recorded resurrection from the dead.


Comments welcome.