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January 28 - 1 Kings 19 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean. Here it is Tuesday, it's the
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  28th of January and good on you for tapping play.
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  Lovely to have your company as we are going to keep on reading
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  through. Oh, this amazing story of Elijah
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  conquering, conquering in glorious fashion with the Lord's
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  help, all of those prophets of Baal.
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  And wow, it didn't end well for them, did it?
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  No, they all went to their death.
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  But you would think after a time like that, Elijah would be just
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  Cocker hoop full of confidence, strutting around with their
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  great victory. But he has one of those very
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  human moments where all of those doubts seem to close in on him.
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  I know you know that feeling because I know that feeling.
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  And it is just what happens to all of us at some time or
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  another. And here we see Elijah, and as
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  he goes through this, we see how God responds to him meeting his
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  needs both physically, practically, and emotionally.
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  So this is a wonderful chapter that we will enjoy together as
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  we hear the journey of God and Elijah after this mountaintop
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  experience, quite literally as we read together First Kings
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  chapter 19. When Ahab got home, he told
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  Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had
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  killed all the prophets of Baal said.
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  Jezebel sent this message to Elijah.
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  May the gods strike me and even kill me, if by this time
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  tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.
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  Elijah was afraid and fled for his life.
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  He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant
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  there. Then he went on alone into the
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  wilderness, travelling all day. He sat down under a solitary
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  broom tree and prayed that he might die.
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  I've had enough, Lord, he said. Take my life, for I am no better
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  than my ancestors who have already died.
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  Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.
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  But as he was sleeping an Angel touched him and told him Get up
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  and eat. He looked around and there
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  beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of
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  water. So we ate and drank and lay down
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  again. Then the Angel of the Lord came
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  again and touched him and said, get up and eat some more or the
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  journey ahead will be too much for you.
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  So we got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough
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  strength to travel 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Sinai, the
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  mountain of God. There he came to a cave where he
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  spent the night. But the Lord said to him, What
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  are you doing here, Elijah? Elijah replied, I have zealously
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  served the Lord God Almighty, but the people of Israel have
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  broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and
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  killed every one of your prophets.
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  I am the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me too.
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  Go out and stand before me on the mountain, the Lord told him.
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  And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by and a mighty
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  windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast
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  that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the
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  wind. After the wind there was an
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  earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
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  And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not
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  in the fire. And after the fire there was the
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  sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped
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  his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of
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  The Cave. And a voice said, What are you
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  doing here, Elijah? He replied again, I have
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  zealously served the Lord God Almighty, but the people of
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  Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down
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  your altars, and killed every one of your prophets.
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  I am the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me too.
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  Then the Lord told him, Go back the same way you came and travel
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  to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint
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  Hazael to be king of Aram, then anoint Jehu, grandson of Nimshi,
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  to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaifat from the
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  town of Abel Mahola to replace you as my prophet.
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  Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and
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  those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha.
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  Yet I will preserve 7000 others in Israel who have never bowed
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  down to bow or kissed him. So Elijah went and found Elijah
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  son of Shaifat ploughing a field.
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  There were twelve teams of oxen in the field and Elijah was
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  ploughing with the 12th team. Elijah went over to him and
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  threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away.
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  Elijah left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah and said
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  to him, First let me go and kiss my father and mother goodbye,
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  and then I will go with you. Elijah replied, Go on back, but
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  think about what I have done for you.
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  So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them.
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  He used the wood from the plough to build a fire to roast their
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  flesh. He passed around the meat to the
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  townspeople and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his
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  assistant. Our Lord, there is so much in
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  this chapter worthy of celebration of it.
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  Lord, what just stands out to me right now is the way that Elijah
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  responds as Elijah. This prophet, this man of God
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  just walks into his life for the first time.
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  There he is hard at work in his field, and this prophet throws
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  this cloak around his shoulders and his response is immediate,
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  to put down his life with all his plans, everything that is
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  halfway through, doing all his projects that he hasn't finished
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  yet, all those things that he was planning to do with his
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  life. And he follows you.
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  He follows your prophet. Our Lord, help our hearts be
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  that nimble that when you call us whatever else has seemed so
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  important that we can put that down in its place and we can
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  follow You. Lord, if a direction that we are
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  moving in is not one that You would have us move in, then
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  Lord, just prompt us. Show us where Your direction is.
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  And like Elisha, I'll give us the heart to just want to follow
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  You more than our own desires. So we place You first, and we
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  worship You, and we pray all these things in the wonderful
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  saving name of Jesus. Amen.