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Elijah at Mount Sinai · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there.
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  Speaker 1: And behold, the word of the Lord came to him,
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  Speaker 1: and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
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  Speaker 1: 1 Kings 19.9 When the weight of my journey weighs
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  Speaker 1: on me, and the threats from the cynics echo around me,
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  Speaker 1: strengthen me, Lord, that I can complete my mission on
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  Speaker 1: this earth. Provide me with the energy and spiritual nourishment
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  Speaker 1: to make it to the next checkpoint in my journey.
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  Speaker 1: I make the conscious decision to ignore the chatter and
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  Speaker 1: empty threats and to remember all the magnificent miracles you've
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  Speaker 1: done on my behalf. So I say to myself, get up,
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  Speaker 1: keep going, because the Lord wants to meet you on
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  Speaker 1: the mountaintop of His presence. As you speak, Lord, tune
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  Speaker 1: my ears to hear your whisper in the midst of
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  Speaker 1: the calamities that seem to be taking place. For it
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  Speaker 1: is in the calamity that you'll teach me how to
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  Speaker 1: hear through the static and noise of this world. Connect
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  Speaker 1: me to my now and my next as you did
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  Speaker 1: with Elijah and Elisha. I will finish strong and get
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  Speaker 1: the prize you've set up for me to receive. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah at Mount Sinai In our last story, Elijah put
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  Speaker 2: the God of the universe on display against the false
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  Speaker 2: gods of Baal. 450 prophets of Baal and King Ahab
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  Speaker 2: gathered to challenge Elijah and the one true God. In
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  Speaker 2: front of the whole nation, God sent fire and rain
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  Speaker 2: down from the skies to prove his power and might.
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  Speaker 2: The blighted and unfertile land finally received rain. Now we
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  Speaker 2: learn about the witch queen Jezebel. The darkness she carries
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  Speaker 2: infects all those around her, and she seeks to take
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  Speaker 2: the life of Elijah for making a fool out of her,
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  Speaker 2: the king, and Baal. Inspired by the book of 1 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
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  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
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  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional, that will give you
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  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing Word,
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  Speaker 3: by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
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  Speaker 3: So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's JackGraham.org. JackGraham.org. In our last reading, we saw how
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  Speaker 3: Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a showdown. It
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  Speaker 3: was their false god against the Lord Almighty, God Almighty,
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  Speaker 3: the one true God, at a place called Mount Carmel.
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  Speaker 3: In the presence of thousands of Israelites, God showed his
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  Speaker 3: amazing power, raining fire down from heaven upon the altar
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  Speaker 3: while Baal was missing in action. Of course, there was
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  Speaker 3: no Baal because he is no God. Elijah then had
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  Speaker 3: every false prophet killed, and the Lord finally sent rain
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  Speaker 3: to quench the dry land in the kingdom. It was,
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  Speaker 3: in effect, a revival. Today we're going to hear the
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  Speaker 3: aftermath of this great victory. how Ahab and his wicked
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  Speaker 3: wife Jezebel react to what occurred and what Elijah does
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  Speaker 3: in response. It will be a reminder to all of
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  Speaker 3: us that often the enemy will seek to discourage us
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  Speaker 3: and defeat us after great victories. Let's listen today to
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  Speaker 3: the story of Elijah the great prophet.
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  Speaker 2: The storms raged relentlessly. Wind and rain beat against Ahab's
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  Speaker 2: coat as he made his way back to the palace.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah had made a fool out of him. More than that,
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  Speaker 2: he had slain his prophets. Ahab burst through the palace
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  Speaker 2: doors and flung his wet cloak onto the floor. Defeated
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  Speaker 2: and ashamed, he entered into his room. The air changed
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  Speaker 2: when Ahab opened the chamber doors. The atmosphere was thicker, heavier,
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  Speaker 2: and more sinister. To Ahab it was all too familiar.
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  Speaker 2: His wife was in the room. There, sitting in the corner...
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  Speaker 2: was the witch queen Jezebel. She sat at attention. Authority
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  Speaker 2: oozed out of her and slithered about the room. She
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  Speaker 2: exuded strength. Only it was the type of strength one feared,
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  Speaker 2: not admired. Ahab lay at her feet and told her
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  Speaker 2: of everything that happened. The prophets, the sacrifice, the fire,
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  Speaker 2: the storm, and the bloodshed. Jezebel sat silently as she
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  Speaker 2: listened to her husband. Although he was king, he was
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  Speaker 2: truly a weaker vessel than she. She stroked his hair
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  Speaker 2: and listened to his incessant whining. Jezebel teemed with anger.
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  Speaker 2: The wickedness in her heart was aroused at the news
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  Speaker 2: of Elijah and God. She stood up slowly. Ahab watched
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  Speaker 2: as she paced the room. Lighting lit up the room
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  Speaker 2: in an instant, and then the room returned to darkness.
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  Speaker 2: May the gods kill me, she whispered. May they kill
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  Speaker 2: me if by this time tomorrow I have not held
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  Speaker 2: Elijah's head on the tip of my spear. She yelled
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  Speaker 2: for her servants and had them send Elijah the same message.
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  Speaker 2: The message wrote, May the gods strike me down if
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  Speaker 2: I have not killed you as you have killed my prophets.
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  Speaker 2: Jezebel's threats were not empty. Elijah knew that there would
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  Speaker 2: be no hiding from her vengeful gaze. Terrified, Elijah left
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  Speaker 2: his servant and fled to the wilderness. All day he traveled,
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  Speaker 2: taking no food, water, or companion. Jezebel desired for Elijah
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  Speaker 2: to be scared. She wanted him to be tormented by
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  Speaker 2: the idea that she could find him at any minute.
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  Speaker 2: It was the fear she enjoyed most. Exhausted, Elijah finally
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  Speaker 2: stopped under a single broom tree. He laid there sobbing
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  Speaker 2: to the Lord. He had just had such a tremendous
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  Speaker 2: victory and now he was hiding for his life. His
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  Speaker 2: body was weary from the day before and his mind
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  Speaker 2: was muddled from panic and fleeing. Elijah lay curled up
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  Speaker 2: beside the tree and whispered to God, I have had enough, Lord.
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  Speaker 3: Take my life.
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  Speaker 2: As he prayed for the Lord to remove him from existence,
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  Speaker 2: he fell into a deep sleep. A slight breeze trickled
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  Speaker 2: in across the wilderness. The sun was beginning its descent
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  Speaker 2: across the valley, and the skies were golden and beautiful.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah felt a gentle tug on his robe. He opened
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  Speaker 2: his eyes to see an angel sitting beside him. Next
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  Speaker 2: to him, was some baked bread sitting on hot stones
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  Speaker 2: next to a jug of water. The angel smiled and said, Get.
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  Speaker 3: Up and eat.
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  Speaker 2: His voice was gentle, kind, and foreign. Elijah looked down
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  Speaker 2: at the meal, then up again. The angel was gone.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah ate and lay back down again. He slept some more,
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  Speaker 2: this time through the night. Again, Elijah woke to the
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  Speaker 2: angel tugging at his robe. Get up and eat, for
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  Speaker 2: the journey ahead will be great, the angel said. So
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  Speaker 2: Elijah had his fill of bread and water, enough to
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  Speaker 2: fuel him for the long journey ahead. After resting some more,
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  Speaker 2: Elijah rose. God was calling him somewhere sacred, somewhere only
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  Speaker 2: few had been. God was calling Elijah to Mount Sinai.
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  Speaker 2: For 40 days, Elijah traveled through hills, valleys, and storms.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah braved the journey to God's meeting place, the place
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  Speaker 2: he had once spoken to Moses. He scaled the mighty
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  Speaker 2: mountain and camped in a cave hewn by the wind.
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  Speaker 2: There he slept and awaited the voice of God. What
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  Speaker 2: are you doing here, Elijah? God said. Elijah woke in
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  Speaker 2: a panic at the sound of God's voice. He stood
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  Speaker 2: to his feet and looked outwards. I have served you fervently,
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  Speaker 2: Elijah said. His knees were trembling and his eyes were watering.
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  Speaker 2: But your people have rejected you. They break your covenant.
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  Speaker 2: They destroy your altars and they kill your prophets. Elijah
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  Speaker 2: was flailing his arms now, frantically speaking with God.' I
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  Speaker 2: am the only one left. I alone am the remaining
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  Speaker 2: faithful servant, and now they come after me. They want
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  Speaker 2: to kill me, and it's not fair—'' Go out and
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  Speaker 2: stand before me at the mountain,' God interrupted. Elijah walked
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  Speaker 2: towards the entrance of the cave and stood outside. The
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  Speaker 2: vast mountain range was on display before him. He could
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  Speaker 2: see the valleys below. As Elijah stood there, a mighty
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  Speaker 2: windstorm blew through the mountain. Elijah did all he could
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  Speaker 2: to stay on the ground while rocks and trees were
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  Speaker 2: ripped from the side of the mountains. The wind ceased,
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  Speaker 2: and Elijah composed himself. There a mighty quake came up
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  Speaker 2: from the bottom of the earth. The whole of the
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  Speaker 2: mountain shook and swelled.
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  Speaker 3: Like a wave.
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  Speaker 2: Rocks began to fall around Elijah as he ducked for cover.
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  Speaker 2: After this, a great fire blew through a valley below.
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  Speaker 2: Yet God was not in the wind. He did not
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  Speaker 2: speak through the earthquake, nor was his presence in the fire.
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  Speaker 2: After all these acts of greatness, God drew in close
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  Speaker 2: to Elijah. All was completely silent. All Elijah could hear
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  Speaker 2: was the sound of his own breathing. Then, a gentle whisper.
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  Speaker 2: A still, small and quiet voice.
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  Speaker 1: What are you doing here, Elijah?
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  Speaker 2: God asked gently. Elijah replied again with a whisper. The winds,
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  Speaker 2: earthquakes and fires had mimicked Elijah's previously panicked demeanor. But now,
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  Speaker 2: Elijah understood how one speaks with God. I have served
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  Speaker 2: you passionately, my Lord, but the people have fallen far
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  Speaker 2: from you. They have killed everyone who loves you, and
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  Speaker 2: now I am to be next. The Lord spoke to
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  Speaker 2: Elijah again, saying, Go back the same way you came.
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  Speaker 2: You are my prophet, and I have given you the
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  Speaker 2: authority to anoint kings on my behalf. Go to Aram
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  Speaker 2: and anoint him king over Syria. Then go to Jehu,
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  Speaker 2: and anoint him to be king over Israel. Then find
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  Speaker 2: Elisha to replace you as my prophet. There will be
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  Speaker 2: conflict ahead. Whoever flees from Hazael will be killed by Jehu,
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  Speaker 2: and whoever flees from Jehu will be killed by Hazael.
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  Speaker 2: And all this bloodshed, there will be 7,000 others in
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  Speaker 2: Israel preserved who still love me. Elijah was elated to
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  Speaker 2: be given a new task rather than stew in his
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  Speaker 2: obsessive introspection. He was pleased at the Lord's plan to
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  Speaker 2: use the volatility of the nations to weed out the
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  Speaker 2: followers of Baal. So he went down and found the
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  Speaker 2: young man known as Elisha. He was plowing his father's
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  Speaker 2: fields when Elijah found him. Elijah stopped his work, put
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  Speaker 2: his cloak over him, and told Elisha of all that
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  Speaker 2: would take place. Elisha would follow Elijah devotedly. Together they
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  Speaker 2: would witness the rise and fall of kings and the
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  Speaker 2: glory of God.
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  Speaker 3: In today's scripture, the prophets of Baal have been defeated
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  Speaker 3: and put to death by Elijah. And when Ahab's wife, Jezebel,
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  Speaker 3: hears what has happened, she is enraged. It seems clear
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  Speaker 3: that while Ahab was king and title, Jezebel ruled the
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  Speaker 3: kingdom and her own household. She had previously killed countless
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  Speaker 3: men of God, but now this single lone prophet Elijah
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  Speaker 3: has humiliated her, and she is out for his life.
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  Speaker 3: So she sent word to Elijah that she would kill
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  Speaker 3: him that very day. Elijah was terrified. Amazing, isn't it,
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  Speaker 3: that he would be so frightened after such a great
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  Speaker 3: victory when God's power came down on Mount Carmel? Elijah
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  Speaker 3: is facing a very evil and crazed woman, an unhinged woman.
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  Speaker 3: And she, of course, is able to make good on
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  Speaker 3: her threat if she can. And in the wake of
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  Speaker 3: what should have been a monumental victory and celebration for
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  Speaker 3: the cause of God, things do not get better for Elijah.
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  Speaker 3: In fact, they get worse. Now, this is something we
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  Speaker 3: need to talk about. It's not uncommon in our lives
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  Speaker 3: that after great work for the Lord is done, there
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  Speaker 3: will be an enemy attack. Jesus was tempted after his
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  Speaker 3: baptism by the devil, for example. And after great victories,
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  Speaker 3: we sometimes face more battles. And Satan, the enemy, is
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  Speaker 3: always trying to tear down what God is doing. That's
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  Speaker 3: why we see here in this passage, Jezebel as an
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  Speaker 3: instrument of the devil trying to destroy what God was doing.
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  Speaker 3: And as God's prophet, Elijah had a target on his back.
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  Speaker 3: So what did he do? He ran. He ran far away.
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  Speaker 3: And finally, exhausted, he stopped to rest under a broom tree.
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  Speaker 3: And in his desperation, he cried out for God to
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  Speaker 3: take his life and end his suffering. He's giving up.
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  Speaker 3: Elijah was at the end of his rope, and he
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  Speaker 3: felt like he could fight no more. He is physically exhausted,
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  Speaker 3: mentally undone, and spiritually depressed. I know in life, sometimes
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  Speaker 3: we face difficulties and circumstances that weigh us down. And
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  Speaker 3: we become spiritually, emotionally, and physically exhausted, even depressed. That's
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  Speaker 3: what happened to Elijah. But in the story of Elijah,
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  Speaker 3: we find how we can find rest and restoration. God
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  Speaker 3: provides for Elijah. He always has. And now he sends
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  Speaker 3: an angel to feed him. Elijah eats, and then he sleeps.
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  Speaker 3: Then in 1 Kings 19, verses 7 and 8, we
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  Speaker 3: read these words. And the angel of the Lord came
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  Speaker 3: again a second time and touched him and said, Arise
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  Speaker 3: and eat, for the journey is too great for you.
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  Speaker 3: And he arose and ate and drank and went in
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  Speaker 3: the strength of that food forty days and forty nights
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  Speaker 3: to Horeb, the mountain of God. God was certainly not
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  Speaker 3: done with Elijah, and he would give him strength to
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  Speaker 3: meet the responsibilities of his prophetic task. So he sustains
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  Speaker 3: him with food for the long journey. He renews him
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  Speaker 3: and restores him and takes him to a mountain of
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  Speaker 3: where God is about to speak to his man. As
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  Speaker 3: Elijah camped in a cave on Mount Horeb, God spoke
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  Speaker 3: to him, asking why he was there. Why are you here, Elijah?
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  Speaker 3: And Elijah replies that he's the only one, he thinks,
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  Speaker 3: he is the only one who is truly following God,
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  Speaker 3: that the people had rejected the Lord and killed the prophets,
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  Speaker 3: and now his life is in danger. It seemed to
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  Speaker 3: be just too much for Elijah. But God tells Elijah
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  Speaker 3: to stand outside the cave and wait for him to speak.
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  Speaker 3: First there came a great wind, then an earthquake, and
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  Speaker 3: then fires in the valley below. One would expect the
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  Speaker 3: thundering voice of the Almighty to boom loudly in these moments,
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  Speaker 3: but there was no voice, just the noise of winds
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  Speaker 3: and earthquakes and fire. Then everything became very quiet. And
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  Speaker 3: in the stillness of that moment came a small voice.
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  Speaker 3: The Bible describes it as a still, small voice. The
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  Speaker 3: voice of God is speaking now in a whisper. And
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  Speaker 3: of course, when someone is whispering, you must get very
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  Speaker 3: close to hear. While God spoke quietly, the message could
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  Speaker 3: not be more clear. God gave Elijah a mission again,
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  Speaker 3: and that was to anoint two kings in Syria and
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  Speaker 3: in Israel. He told him that war was coming to Israel.
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  Speaker 3: But then he gave Elijah comfort and a commission. Elijah
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  Speaker 3: was to anoint a new prophet, Elisha, who would take
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  Speaker 3: Elijah's place and finish what the man of God had started. Finally,
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  Speaker 3: God assured this man that there would be a remnant
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  Speaker 3: in Israel which would not bow down to Baal, 7,000
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  Speaker 3: who would stand for God. So how did Elijah come
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  Speaker 3: out of his deep depression? How did God restore him?
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  Speaker 3: He gave him a new purpose. Life must be lived
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  Speaker 3: on purpose, and when you have a purpose for your life,
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  Speaker 3: you are strengthened to live it. So Elijah departed just
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  Speaker 3: as God told him to do and found Elisha just
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  Speaker 3: as God had said he would. Together, these two prophets
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  Speaker 3: would witness the Lord's doing great and mighty things. We'll
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  Speaker 3: hear about that the next time. Dear God, we thank
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  Speaker 3: you that when we are at our lowest, when we
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  Speaker 3: are discouraged and depressed and even feeling defeated, that you
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  Speaker 3: speak to us when we listen. When the enemy comes
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  Speaker 3: hard against us, that the battle is yours and that
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  Speaker 3: we can trust in you to give us victory. Thank
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  Speaker 3: you for your plan for our lives. Thank you for
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  Speaker 3: giving us a mission and a commission with others to
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  Speaker 3: take the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ
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  Speaker 3: to the world. Thank you that you always find us
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  Speaker 3: when we're at our greatest need and bring us hope again.
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  Speaker 3: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: And before we go, I want you to know that
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: I would love to send you my daily devotional to
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: give you fresh encouragement every single day. So visit jackgram.org
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgram.org.