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The Story of Two of the Greatest Prophets of the Bible – Elijah and Elisha · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: In the pages of scripture. Few stories capture the imagination
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  Speaker 1: like the tale of two extraordinary prophets who walked with
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  Speaker 1: God in miraculous ways. Elijah and Elisia lived during one
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  Speaker 1: of Israel's darkest periods, when the nation had turned away
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  Speaker 1: from the Lord to worship false gods. These men of
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  Speaker 1: God performed incredible miracles, confronted powerful kings, and demonstrated that
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  Speaker 1: the God of Israel was alive and active among his people.
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  Speaker 1: Their story is filled with drama, supernatural events, and unwavering
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  Speaker 1: faith that changed the course of history. Join us as
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  Speaker 1: we explore the remarkable journey of these two greatest prophets,
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  Speaker 1: Beginning with the sudden appearance of a bold man from
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  Speaker 1: the wilderness who would challenge an entire kingdom and call
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  Speaker 1: fire down from heaven. The Kingdom of Israel was experiencing
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  Speaker 1: one of the darkest periods in its entire history under
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  Speaker 1: the reign of King Ahab. This wasn't just a time
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  Speaker 1: of political instability or economic hardship. The very spiritual foundation
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  Speaker 1: that had made Israel unique among all the nations of
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  Speaker 1: the earth was crumbling away like sand. The kingdom that
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  Speaker 1: had once been united under David and had reached its
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  Speaker 1: golden age under Solomon, was now split in two, and
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Kingdom of Israel had fallen into a pattern
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  Speaker 1: of rebellion against God that seemed to get worse with
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  Speaker 1: each passing generation. King Ahab had taken the throne and
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  Speaker 1: immediately began leading his people further away from the God
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  Speaker 1: who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt and
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  Speaker 1: given them the promised Land. First Kings, Chapter sixteen, verse
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  Speaker 1: thirty gives us a sobering assessment of just how far
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  Speaker 1: the kingdom had fallen. Ahab's son of Omri, did more
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  Speaker 1: evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of
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  Speaker 1: those before him. When you consider that Israel had already
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  Speaker 1: had several kings who had turned away away from God,
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  Speaker 1: this statement is truly shocking. In a long line of
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  Speaker 1: rulers who had already abandoned the covenant their ancestors had
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  Speaker 1: made with the Lord, Ahab managed to be the worst
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  Speaker 1: of all. The kingdom that had once seen God's glory
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  Speaker 1: filled Solomon's temple was now filled with the sounds and
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  Speaker 1: sights of pagan worship. Cities that had once echoed with
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  Speaker 1: prayers to the Lord now rang with the chanting and
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  Speaker 1: rituals of false religions copied from the nations around them.
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  Speaker 1: The people who were supposed to be a light to
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  Speaker 1: the world, showing other nations what it meant to serve
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  Speaker 1: the True God, were instead copying the worst practices of
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  Speaker 1: their pagan neighbors. The covenant that God had made with Abraham,
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  Speaker 1: Isaac and Jacob seemed like a distant memory, buried under
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  Speaker 1: years of deliberate disobedience and spiritual rebellion. What made Ahab's
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  Speaker 1: reign particularly dangerous was that he didn't just passively allow
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  Speaker 1: how evil things to happen in his kingdom. He actively
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  Speaker 1: promoted and encouraged them. He built altars and temples to
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  Speaker 1: false gods, established priests for pagan religions, and created an
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  Speaker 1: environment where serving the true God became increasingly difficult and dangerous.
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  Speaker 1: The moral and spiritual decay that was eating away at
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  Speaker 1: Israel wasn't happening by accident or through neglect. It was
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  Speaker 1: being deliberately cultivated and nurtured by the very person who
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  Speaker 1: was supposed to protect the nation and guide it according
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  Speaker 1: to God's laws. The already terrible situation in Israel became
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  Speaker 1: dramatically worse when King Ahab made one of the most
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  Speaker 1: destructive decisions in the entire history of the kingdom. He
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  Speaker 1: decided to marry a foreign princess named Jezebel. This marriage
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  Speaker 1: wasn't just a political alliance between two neighboring kingdoms, as
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  Speaker 1: royal marriages often were in those days, a spiritual disaster
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  Speaker 1: that would affect not just the current generation but generations
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  Speaker 1: to come, bringing idle worship right into the heart of
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  Speaker 1: God's chosen people in a way that had never happened before.
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  Speaker 1: Jezebel came from the coastal city of Sidon, a place
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  Speaker 1: where people worshiped a false god called Bal along with
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  Speaker 1: other pagan deities. When she became Queen of Israel, she
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  Speaker 1: didn't leave her religious beliefs behind. She brought them with
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  Speaker 1: her and made it her personal mission to spread them
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  Speaker 1: throughout her new kingdom. First King sixteen thirty one tells
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  Speaker 1: us exactly what happened when this marriage took place. Not
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  Speaker 1: only did he consider it trivial to commit the sins
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  Speaker 1: of Jeroboam, son of Nibat, but he also married Jezebel,
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  Speaker 1: daughter of Ethbal, king of the Sedonians, and began to
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  Speaker 1: serve Baal and worship him. Jezebel was unlike any queen
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  Speaker 1: that Israel had ever seen before. She was fierce, intelligent,
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  Speaker 1: determin and absolutely ruthless in pursuing her goals. She had
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  Speaker 1: a strong personality and wasn't content to be just a
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  Speaker 1: decorative royal wife who stayed in the background. Instead, she
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  Speaker 1: threw herself wholeheartedly into the work of transforming Israel's religious landscape,
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  Speaker 1: and she was incredibly effective at it. Under her influence
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  Speaker 1: and active leadership, elaborate temples dedicated to Baal began appearing
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  Speaker 1: in cities and towns across the kingdom. These weren't simple
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  Speaker 1: roadside shrines or small altars tucked away in corners. They
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  Speaker 1: were magnificent, impressive buildings designed to attract attention and draw
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  Speaker 1: people away from the worship of the true God. The
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  Speaker 1: temples were staffed with hundreds of priests and priestesses who
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  Speaker 1: performed elaborate ceremonies and rituals. The worship of Bail was
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  Speaker 1: particularly appealing to farmers and ordinary working people because Bail
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  Speaker 1: was promoted as the god who controlled the weather, sent
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  Speaker 1: the rain, and made crops grow successfully. The priests of
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  Speaker 1: Baal made attractive promises to anyone who would join their religion.
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  Speaker 1: They claimed that if people would worship Baal and participate
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  Speaker 1: in the temple ceremonies, their God would bless them with
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  Speaker 1: good weather, successful harvests, healthy livestock, and prosperity in all
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  Speaker 1: their business dealings. It seemed like an easy and practical
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  Speaker 1: way to get the things that everyone needed for a
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  Speaker 1: successful life. Many people who had grown up hearing stories
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  Speaker 1: about the God of Israel found these immediate, tangible promises
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  Speaker 1: more appealing than serving a God who sometimes asked difficult
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  Speaker 1: things of his followers. But Jezebel's influence went far beyond
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  Speaker 1: just building temples and promoting the worship of false gods.
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  Speaker 1: She became violently and systematically opposed to any one who
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  Speaker 1: still wanted to serve the Lord or speak in his name.
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  Speaker 1: This wasn't just religious competition, it was deliberate persecution designed
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  Speaker 1: to completely eliminate the worship of the True God from Israel.
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  Speaker 1: The Bible gives us a clear picture of just how
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  Speaker 1: dangerous the situation became in First Kings eighteen four, which
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  Speaker 1: tells us that while Jezebel was killing off the Lord's prophets,
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  Speaker 1: Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in
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  Speaker 1: two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with
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  Speaker 1: food and water. This passage reveals that faithful believers were
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  Speaker 1: literally being hunted down and murdered for their faith. Men
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  Speaker 1: and women who had been called by God to speak
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  Speaker 1: his word were forced to hide in caves like criminals,
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  Speaker 1: afraid for their lives and dependent on the secret help
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  Speaker 1: of sympathetic people like Obadiah. The worship of the True
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  Speaker 1: God hadn't just become unpopular or unfashionable. It had become
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  Speaker 1: a crime, punishable by death. Into this dark and increasingly
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  Speaker 1: dangerous spiritual landscape, God was preparing to send someone who
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  Speaker 1: would stand up to the evil that had taken control
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  Speaker 1: of his people and remind them that he was still
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  Speaker 1: the one True God. The person God chose for this
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  Speaker 1: incredibly difficult and dangerous mission was a man named Elijah,
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  Speaker 1: who came from a small, relatively unknown town called Tishby
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  Speaker 1: in the region of Gilead. The Bible doesn't provide us
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  Speaker 1: with a detailed background about Elijah's family history, his education,
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  Speaker 1: his social status, or even his age when God first
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  Speaker 1: called him to be a prophet, We don't know if
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  Speaker 1: Elijah came from a wealthy family or if he was poor.
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  Speaker 1: We don't know if he had received formal religious training
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  Speaker 1: or if he was just an ordinary working man. The
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  Speaker 1: scripture doesn't tell us whether he was young or old,
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  Speaker 1: married or single, or what he had been doing with
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  Speaker 1: his life before God called him. What we do know
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  Speaker 1: is that out of all the people living in Israel
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  Speaker 1: at that time, God had chosen this particular man from
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  Speaker 1: this particular place to be his voice during one of
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  Speaker 1: the most challenging and dangerous periods in the entire history
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  Speaker 1: of his people. This is exactly how God has always
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  Speaker 1: worked throughout history. He doesn't always choose the people we
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  Speaker 1: might expect for the most important jobs. He often selects
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  Speaker 1: ordinary people from ordinary places to do extraordinary things for
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  Speaker 1: his kingdom. He doesn't necessarily pick the richest, the most educated,
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  Speaker 1: the most powerful, or the most famous people. Instead, he
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  Speaker 1: looks for people who will be faithful to him, who
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  Speaker 1: will trust him even when the situation looks impossible, and
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  Speaker 1: who will speak his words even when it's dangerous to
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  Speaker 1: do so. The calling to be a prophet in Israel
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  Speaker 1: was no small responsibility or honor. Prophets were God's specially
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  Speaker 1: chosen messengers, the people he selected to speak his words
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  Speaker 1: directly to kings and common people alike. They had to
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  Speaker 1: be brave enough to tell the truth even when it
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  Speaker 1: would make powerful people angry, faithful enough to trust God's
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  Speaker 1: promises even when circumstances seemed to contradict them, and strong
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  Speaker 1: enough to stand alone when everyone else had given up
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  Speaker 1: or turned away. God was about to ask Elijah to
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  Speaker 1: confront the most powerful and dangerous people in the entire kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: He would have to challenge a religious system that most
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  Speaker 1: people had accepted and that was backed by the full
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  Speaker 1: authority of the royal court. He would have to speak
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  Speaker 1: against practices that were popular and appealing to many people.
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  Speaker 1: He would have to do all of this knowing that
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  Speaker 1: Queen Jezebel had already demonstrated her willingness to kill anyone
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  Speaker 1: who opposed her religious agenda. It would require incredible courage,
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  Speaker 1: unwavering faith, and complete dependence on God's protection and provision.
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  Speaker 1: When Elijah makes his first appearance in the pages of Scripture,
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  Speaker 1: it's one of the most dramatic and unexpected entrances in
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  Speaker 1: the entire Bible. There's no gradual introduction that helps us
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  Speaker 1: get to know this character. There's no background information explaining
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  Speaker 1: who he is, where he came from, or how he
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  Speaker 1: became a prophet. There's no description of how he gained
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  Speaker 1: access to the royal court or arranged for an audience
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  Speaker 1: with the king. Instead, first King seventeen to one simply
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  Speaker 1: drops us right into the middle of an incredible confrontation. Now,
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  Speaker 1: Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbey and Gilead said to Ahab,
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  Speaker 1: as the Lord, the God of Israel lives whom I serve,
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  Speaker 1: there will be neither due nor reign in the next
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  Speaker 1: few years except at my word. The sheer boldness of
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  Speaker 1: this moment is almost impossible to fully appreciate unless you
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  Speaker 1: understand the setting and the power dynamics involved. King Ahab
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  Speaker 1: was not just any political leader. He was an absolute
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  Speaker 1: monarch who held the power of life and death over
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  Speaker 1: every person in his kingdom. He lived in a magnificent
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  Speaker 1: palace surrounded by guards, advisers, court officials, and servants. He
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  Speaker 1: wore expensive clothes, ate the finest food, and commanded armies.
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  Speaker 1: He could have any one arrested, imprisoned, tortured, or executed
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  Speaker 1: with nothing more than a spoken command. Into this setting
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  Speaker 1: of royal power and luxury, comes this unknown man from
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  Speaker 1: a small town that most people had probably never heard of.
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  Speaker 1: Elijah doesn't request permission to speak or apologize for interrupting
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  Speaker 1: important royal business. He doesn't bow down or show the
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  Speaker 1: kind of elaborate respect that kings expected from their subjects.
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  Speaker 1: He doesn't try to soften his message or make it
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  Speaker 1: more palatable. Instead, he marches right up to the most
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  Speaker 1: powerful man in the kingdom and delivers a prophecy that
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  Speaker 1: will affect every single person in Israel. The way Elijah
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  Speaker 1: begins his message is particularly significant. When he says, as
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  Speaker 1: the Lord, the God of Israel, lives whom I serve,
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  Speaker 1: he is making it absolutely clear that he is not
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  Speaker 1: speaking his own words or expressing his own opinion about
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  Speaker 1: current events. He is not making a political speech or
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  Speaker 1: offering advice based on his own wisdom and experience. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: he is speaking with the authority that comes only from
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  Speaker 1: being God's chosen messenger, delivering a word that comes directly
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  Speaker 1: from the throne of Heaven. The phrase the God of
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  Speaker 1: Israel was especially important in this context because it identified
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  Speaker 1: exactly which God Elijah was representing. This wasn't Bal, the
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  Speaker 1: false god that Jezebel had been promoting throughout the kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: This wasn't any of the other pagan deities that the
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  Speaker 1: surrounding nations worshiped. This was the God of Abraham, Isaac,
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  Speaker 1: and Jacob, the god who had brought the Israelites out
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  Speaker 1: of slavery in Egypt, who had given them the Promised Land,
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  Speaker 1: and who had established his covenant with them at Mount Sinai.
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  Speaker 1: The message that Elijah delivered to King Ahab was absolutely
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  Speaker 1: devastating in its implications for the entire Kingdom of Israel.
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  Speaker 1: When he declared that there would be neither dew nor
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  Speaker 1: reign in the next few years, except at my word,
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  Speaker 1: he wasn't talking about a brief inconvenience or a temporary
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  Speaker 1: disruption to normal weather patterns. He was predicting a severe,
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  Speaker 1: prolonged drought that would last for multiple years and would
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  Speaker 1: affect every aspect of life for every person in the kingdom,
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  Speaker 1: from the wealthiest nobles to the poorest farmers. In an
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  Speaker 1: agricultural society like ancient Israel, where most people made their
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  Speaker 1: living from farming or raising live stock, rain wasn't just important,
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  Speaker 1: It was literally a matter of life and death. The
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  Speaker 1: entire economy depended on successful harvests, and successful harvests depended
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  Speaker 1: entirely on having adequate rainfall at the right times of
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  Speaker 1: the year. Without rain, crops would wither and die in
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  Speaker 1: the fields, Pastures would turn brown and provide no food
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  Speaker 1: for cattle, sheep, and goats. Wells and springs would dry up,
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  Speaker 1: leaving communities without sources of fresh water. The timing of
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  Speaker 1: rains was particularly crucial in the climate of the Middle East.
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  Speaker 1: There were specific seasons when farmers needed rain to plant
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  Speaker 1: their crops, other times when they needed it for the
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  Speaker 1: crops to grow properly, and still other periods when too
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  Speaker 1: much rain could ruin a harvest that was ready to
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  Speaker 1: be gathered. The people of Israel had learned over generations
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  Speaker 1: exactly when to expect rain and how to plan their
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  Speaker 1: agricultural activities around the normal weather patterns. Elijah's prophecy meant
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  Speaker 1: that all of this predictability was about to disappear completely.
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  Speaker 1: But this drought was much more than just a natural
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  Speaker 1: disaster or an unfortunate change in weather patterns. It was
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  Speaker 1: a direct spiritual confrontation between the God of Israel and
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  Speaker 1: the false God Bal that so many people had begun
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  Speaker 1: worshiping under Queen Jezebel's influence. The followers of Baal made
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  Speaker 1: elaborate claims about their god's power and abilities. They insisted
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  Speaker 1: that Bal was the one who controlled the storms, who
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  Speaker 1: decided when and where rain would fall, and who determined
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  Speaker 1: whether crops would be successful or would fail. The priests
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  Speaker 1: of Bale had developed complex rituals and ceremonies that were
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  Speaker 1: supposedly desire to please their god and convince him to
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  Speaker 1: send the weather that people needed for their crops and livestock.
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  Speaker 1: They taught that if people would participate in these ceremonies,
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  Speaker 1: make the right offerings, and follow the proper procedures, Bahle
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  Speaker 1: would reward them with good weather and prosperous harvests. Many
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  Speaker 1: people found these promises appealing because they seemed to offer
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  Speaker 1: a way to have some control over the forces of
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  Speaker 1: nature that affected their daily lives. So dramatically, now, Elijah
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  Speaker 1: was saying that the true God of Israel was going
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  Speaker 1: to demonstrate once and for all who really controlled the
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  Speaker 1: rain and the weather. The drought would prove that Bail
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  Speaker 1: was completely powerless, and that all the ceremonies and offerings
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  Speaker 1: made to him were utterly worthless. No matter how elaborate
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  Speaker 1: the rituals became, no matter how many sacrifices were offered,
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  Speaker 1: no matter how desperately the priests called on their God,
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  Speaker 1: the skies would remain clear and the ground would remain dry.
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  Speaker 1: The phrase except at my word was particularly significant because
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  Speaker 1: it made clear that when the drought finally did end,
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  Speaker 1: it would not be because Bahal had finally decided to
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  Speaker 1: answer his follower's prayers. Instead, it would be because the
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  Speaker 1: God of Israel had chosen to end it, and he
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  Speaker 1: would do so through his chosen prophet, Elijah. This meant
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  Speaker 1: that the drought would not only demonstrate God's power to
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  Speaker 1: withhold rain, but also his power to send it when
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  Speaker 1: he decided the time was right. Immediately after delivering this
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  Speaker 1: earth shaking prophecy to King Ahab, Elijah didn't remain in
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  Speaker 1: the royal court to see the king's reaction or to
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  Speaker 1: answer questions about what he had just announced. He didn't
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  Speaker 1: stick around to debate his message with court advisers or
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  Speaker 1: to defend his prophecy against those who might doubt it. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: he followed the specific instructions that God had already given
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  Speaker 1: him about exactly what to do once his confrontation with
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  Speaker 1: the king was complete. According to First King seventeen two
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  Speaker 1: to three, then the word of the Lord came to Elijah.
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  Speaker 1: Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the careth Ravine
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  Speaker 1: east of the Jordan. The timing of this divine command
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  Speaker 1: reveals God's perfect wisdom and his careful planning for every
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  Speaker 1: detail of what was about to unfold. God knew that
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  Speaker 1: once Elijah delivered the prophecy of drought, he would immediately
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  Speaker 1: become the most wonted man in the entire Kingdom of Israel.
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  Speaker 1: As soon as the drought began to affect people's daily lives,
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  Speaker 1: as crops started failing as wells began running dry. As
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  Speaker 1: the economic and social consequences of the lack of rain
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  Speaker 1: became apparent, King Ahab would certainly launch a massive search
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  Speaker 1: for the prophet who had predicted it all. The king
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  Speaker 1: would undoubtedly assume that if he could capture Elijah, he
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  Speaker 1: could somehow force him to call off the disaster and
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  Speaker 1: bring back the rain that the kingdom desperately needed. The
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  Speaker 1: location that God chose for Elijah's hiding place was absolutely
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  Speaker 1: perfect for someone who needed to disappear completely from public view.
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  Speaker 1: The Kerith Ravine was situated east of the Jordan River,
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  Speaker 1: which meant it was outside the main territory of the
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  Speaker 1: Kingdom of Israel and beyond the area where Ahab's soldiers
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  Speaker 1: would be likely to conduct their initial searches. It was
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  Speaker 1: in a remote, rugged, mountainous region where few people ever traveled,
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  Speaker 1: and where a person could remain hidden for months or
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  Speaker 1: even years without being discovered. The ravine itself provided natural
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  Speaker 1: shelter from the weather and from any one who might
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  Speaker 1: be looking for him. The rocky walls would offer protection
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  Speaker 1: from sun, wind and rain, while all so making it
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  Speaker 1: nearly impossible for searchers to spot him from a distance.
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  Speaker 1: There was also a brook running through the ravine that
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  Speaker 1: would provide a constant supply of fresh, clean water, something
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  Speaker 1: that would become increasingly precious as the drought continued and
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  Speaker 1: water sources throughout Israel began to dry up. God's instruction
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  Speaker 1: for Elijah to go to this specific place demonstrates how
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  Speaker 1: carefully the Lord had planned every aspect of what was
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  Speaker 1: about to happen. This wasn't a desperate escape plan hastily
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  Speaker 1: thrown together at the last minute. When things became dangerous. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: it was part of God's perfect long term strategy for
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  Speaker 1: protecting his profit during the difficult years that were coming,
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  Speaker 1: while also positioning him exactly where he needed to be
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  Speaker 1: for the next phase of God's plan to unfold. The
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  Speaker 1: command to hide in the ravine also shows us that
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  Speaker 1: God's plan involved more than just keeping Elijah safe from
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  Speaker 1: King Ahab's soldiers. During this time of hiding, Elijah would
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  Speaker 1: be completely removed from the public eye, unable to be
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  Speaker 1: influenced by the opinions of other people or the pressure
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  Speaker 1: of current events. He would be in a place where
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: he could focus entirely on his relationship with God, listening
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: for his voice, and preparing for whatever the Lord would
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: ask him to do next. What happened next at the
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: brook Cherith was one of the most extraordinary and unexpected
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: miracles recorded anywhere in the pages of scripture. God had
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: promised to take care of Elijah during his time of
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: hiding in this remote location, but the method he chose
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: to provide for his profit was so unusual and so
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: completely contrary to the normal order of nature that it
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: would have been impossible for anyone to predict or imagine.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: According to first King seventeen four. God gave Elijah this
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: remotemarkable promise, you will drink from the brook, and I
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: have directed the ravens to supply you with food. There.
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: To fully appreciate how amazing this promise was, you need
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: to understand what ravens are like as birds. Ravens are
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: not domesticated animals that have been trained to be helpful
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: to humans. They are wild, aggressive scavengers and carrion eaters
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: that are known for being completely selfish and looking out
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: only for their own survival. In the ancient world, ravens
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: were often viewed as symbols of death, bad fortune, and desolation.
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: They were the kind of birds that gathered around battlefields
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: to feed on the bodies of fallen soldiers. They were
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: associated with decay and destruction rather than with provision and care.
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: The idea that these particular birds would regularly and faithfully
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: bring food to a human being was absolutely unthinkable under
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: normal circumstances. But God had given these ravens a specific
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: divine command, and they obeyed it with perfect consistency and reliability.
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: Verse King seventeen six tells us exactly what happened. The
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: the brook every single day, twice a day, without fail.
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: These wild birds arrived at the ravine carrying exactly what
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: Elijah needed to stay alive and healthy. The food they
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: brought wasn't scraps of rotten meat or moldy crumbs that
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: they had scavenged from garbage heaps. It was good, fresh,
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: nourishing food, bread and meat that would have been suitable
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: for any person's meal. The bread was probably the kind
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: of flat bread that was commonly eaten throughout the Middle East,
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: while the meat would have provided the protein that Elijah
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: needed to maintain his strength during this challenging time. This
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: iraculous provision continued day after day, week after week, month
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: after month, for what would eventually add up to years.
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: The ravens never missed a scheduled delivery, They never brought
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: spoiled or inadequate food, They never failed to show up
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: at the appointed times. It was a supernatural demonstration of
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: God's absolute power over his creation and his faithful, dependable
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: care for those who trust him and serve him. The
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: miracle also served as a powerful daily reminder to Elijah
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: of several important spiritual truths. First, it demonstrated that the
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: same God who had commanded him to prophesy a drought
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: had complete power to provide for him even in impossible circumstances.
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: If God could make wild ravens act completely contrary to
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: their nature in order to feed his profit, then he
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: certainly had the power to control the weather according to
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: his will and his perfect timing. Second, the daily arrival
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: of the races reminded Elijah that God's provision was both
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: supernatural and completely dependable, even when everything else in the
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: kingdom was falling apart because of the drought. Even when
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: other people were struggling to find food and water, God's
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: care for his servant never wavered or failed. This would
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: give Elijah the confidence he would need to continue trusting
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: God through all the challenges that lay ahead. While Elijah
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: was safely hidden away in the Kerith Ravine, being miraculously
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: fed by ravens twice a day and drinking fresh water
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: from the brook, the rest of the Kingdom of Israel
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: was beginning to experience the increasingly severe and devastating effects
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: of the drought that he had prophesied at First, when
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: the rains failed to come at their usual time. Most
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: people probably didn't think too much about it, after all,
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: weather patterns sometimes varied from year to year, and short
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: dry periods were not completely uncommon in that part of
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: the world. But as weeks turned into months and the
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: months began to stretch toward a full year, it became
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: increasingly clear that something unprecedented and catastrophic was happening. The
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: normal seasonal rains simply weren't coming at all. The skies
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: remained cloudless day after day, week after week. The sun
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: beat down relentlessly on fields that should have been green
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: with growing crops, but instead were turning brown and barren.
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: Wells that had provided water for generations began to run
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: dry springs that had never failed in living memory started
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: producing only a trickle of water and then stopped flowing altogether.
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: Live stock began dying as pastures withered and water sources disappeared.
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: The price of food started climbing as it became clear
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: that the harvest was going to be a complete failure.
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: What had begun as an inconvenience was rapidly becoming a
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: disaster of epic proportions. King Ahab soon realized that this
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: drought was directly and specifically connected to the prophecy that
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: the strange man from Tishbay had delivered in his throne room.
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: This wasn't just an unfortunate change in weather patterns or
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: a natural disaster that could be explained by normal causes.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: This was the supernatural fulfillment of Elijah's words, and that
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: meant that finding Elijah might be the key to ending
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: the crisis that was destroying his kingdom. The king began
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: organizing what would become one of the most extensive and
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: intensive man hunts in the entire history of Israel. This
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: wasn't just a casual effort to locate a missing person
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: or a routine search for a criminal. It was a desperate,
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: all out campaign involving soldiers, officials, buies, and international cooperation.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: King Ahab was willing to spend whatever resources were necessary
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: and to call in favors from neighboring kingdoms in his
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: frantic effort to find the prophet who held the key
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: to his nation's survival. The full extent and intensity of
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: this search is revealed later in the biblical narrative in
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: Firse Kings eighteen ten, where Obadiah tells Elijah. As surely
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: as the Lord your God lives. There is not a
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: nation or kingdom where my Master has not sent someone
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: claimed you were not there, he made them swear they
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: could not find you. This passage shows us that Ahab's
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: search for Elijah had become an international effort, involving diplomatic
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: contacts and formal agreements with foreign governments. The king's frantic
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: and increasingly desperate search for Elijah reveals several important things
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: about his state of mind and his understanding of what
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: was happening to his kingdom. First, it proves beyond any
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: doubt that even this wicked and rebellious ruler understood that
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: the drought was supernatural rather than natural in origin. If
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: Ahab had believed that the lack of rain was just
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: a normal variation in weather patterns, he wouldn't have devoted
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: so much time, energy, and resources to hunting for one man. Second,
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: Ahab's relentless search demonstrates his desperate hope that he could
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: somehow force Elijah to end the drought through threats, bargaining,
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: or coercion. The king apparently believed that if he could
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: capture the prophet, he could compel him to call upon
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: his God to send rain and restore normal weather patterns
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: to the kingdom. This shows that Ahab recognized and feared
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: Elijah's power, even though he continued to refuse to acknowledge
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: or submit to the God who had given Elijah that power.
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: As the drought continued month after month and year after
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: year with no sign of relief, the search for Elijah
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: became more and more intense, and desperate crops failed completely
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: throughout the kingdom. Livestock died in massive numbers. People began
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: facing real starvation as food supplies dwindled and prices soared
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: beyond what ordinary families could afford. The priests of Baal
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: tried every ritual, ceremony and sacrifice they could think of
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: to convince their God to send rain, but their efforts
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: were completely useless. Baal remained silent and powerless, unable to
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: help his followers in their time of greatest need. Meanwhile,
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: the man who had prophesied it all remained safely hidden
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: under God's supernatural protection, sustained day after day by a
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: miracle that demonstrated the Lord's complete faithfulness to those who
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: trust in him. The contrast couldn't have been more dramatic.
• 31:57
  Speaker 1: While an entire kingdom suffered and its king searched desperately
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: for answers, God's prophet lived in peace and security, cared
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: for by the same divine power that controlled the weather
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: and would, in his perfect timing, bring the drought to
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: an end. After Elijah had been hiding at the brook
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: Cheryth for a considerable time, being fed by ravens and
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: drinking from the stream, something began to change in his circumstances.
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: The drought that he had prophesied was so severe and
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: had lasted so long that even the brook where he
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: was staying began to dry up. First King seventeen seven
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: tells us that some time later the brook dried up
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: because there had been no rain in the land. This
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: wasn't just an inconvenience for Elijah. It was a clear
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: sign that God was ready to move him to the
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: next phase of his plan. The Lord gave Elijah new
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: instructions that must have seemed quite surprising and even risky.
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: According to First King seventeen eight to nine, Then the
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: word of the Lord came to him go at once
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: to Zaraphath in the region of Sidon and stay there.
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: Zarafhath was located in Sidon, which was Queen Jezebel's homeland
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: and the very center of Baal worship. For a Hebrew
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: prophet who was being hunted by Jezebel's husband, this seemed
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: like one of the most dangerous places he could possibly go.
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: But God's ways are often completely different from what we
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: might expect, and sometimes he places his people in situations
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: that seem impossible in order to demonstrate his power and faithfulness.
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: When Elijah arrived at the town gate of Zaraphath, he
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: saw a woman gathering sticks, and he knew immediately that
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: this was the widow God had told him about. The
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: conversation that followed reveals just how desperate the situation had
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: become because of the prolonged drought. When Elijah asked the
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: woman for some water and a piece of bread, her
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: response showed how close she was to complete starvation. First
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: King seventeen twelve records her heart breaking words, as surely
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: as the Lord your God lives, I don't have any bread,
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: only a handful of flour in a jar and a
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: few sticks to take home and make a meal for
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: This woman had literally reached the end of her resources
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: and was preparing what she believed would be the last
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: meal she and her child would ever eat. The request
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: that Elijah made next must have seemed almost cruel under
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: the circumstances. He asked her to make him a small
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: loaf of bread first, before making anything for herself and
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: her son. But then he gave her a promise that
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: came directly from God. For this is what the Lord,
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: the God of Israel, says. The jar of flour will
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: not be you, and the jug of oil will not
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: the land. First King seventeen fourteen. This was asking the
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: woman to demonstrate incredible faith. She was being asked to
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: give away part of her last handful of flower to
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: a stranger, trusting that somehow God would provide for her
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: and her son. But something about Elijah's words and the
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: authority with which he spoke convinced her to take this
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: leap of faith. First Kings seventeen fifteen sixteen tells us
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: the amazing result, she went away and did as Elijah
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: had told her. So there was food every day for
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: Elijah and for the woman and her family, for the
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: jar of flower was not used up, and the jug
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: of oil did not run dry. In keeping with the
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: word of the Lord spoken by Elijah, this miracle continued
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: day after day for many months. Every time the woman
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: reached into the jar, there was enough flour for that
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: day's bread. Every time she poured from the jug, there
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: was enough oil for cooking. The supplies never ran out completely,
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: but they also never accumulated beyond what was needed for
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: each day. It was a perfect demonstration of God's ability
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: to provide exactly what his people need when they need it,
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: even in the most impossible circumstances. The miraculous provision of
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: flour and oil continued for a long time, creating a
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: peaceful and secure environment where Elijah could continue to serve
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: God while remaining hidden from King Ahab's searching soldiers. The
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: widow and her son had been saved from starvation, and
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: they had learned to trust in the God of Israel
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: through witnessing his daily provision in their home. But then
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: something happened that tested every one's faith in a way
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: that the food miracle had not. The widow her son
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: became seriously ill. This wasn't just a minor sickness or
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: a temporary condition. It was a severe illness that grew
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: progressively worse despite all the care his mother could give him.
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: In a time and place where medical knowledge was limited
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: and effective treatments were rare, serious illnesses often led to death,
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: especially when people were already weakened by the effects of
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: famine and drought. The boy's condition continued to deteriorate until
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: the unthinkable happened. First Kings seventeen seventeen tells us that
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: he grew worse and worse and finally stopped breathing. The child,
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: who had been miraculously sustained through the famine, who had
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: been part of the household where God provided daily bread
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: through supernatural means, had died despite all the divine care
• 37:53
  Speaker 1: and protection that seemed to surround their home. The grief
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: and confusion that the widow felt in this moment is
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: captured in her anguished words to Elijah in First Kings
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: seventeen eighteen. What do you have against me? Man of God?
• 38:10
  Speaker 1: Did you come to remind me of my sin and
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: kill my son. In her pain and shock, she was
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: wondering if somehow the presence of this holy man in
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: her house had brought divine judgment upon her family. Perhaps
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: she thought that God was punishing her for some forgotten sin,
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: or that having a prophet in her home had somehow
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: made her more accountable to divine standards. Elijah's response to
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: this crisis shows us something beautiful about his character and
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: his relationship with God. He didn't try to explain what
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: had happened or offer philosophical answers about why bad things
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: sometimes occur even when God is taking care of people. Instead,
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: he took immediate action, carrying the boy to his own
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: room and laying him on his bed. Then he did
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: something that had never been recorded before in the history
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: of God's people. He prayed for the dead child to
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: be brought back to life. First King seventeen twenty twenty
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: one records Elijah's desperate prayer, Lord, My God, have you
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: brought tragedy even on this widow I'm staying with by
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: causing her son to die? Then he stretched himself out
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, Lord,
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: my God, let this boy's life return to him. This
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: wasn't a calm, confident prayer offered from a position of
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: certainty about what God would do. This was the anguished
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: cry of a man who was struggling to understand God's ways,
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: but who still believed that the Lord had power over
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: life and death. The result was absolutely miraculous. First King
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: seventeen twenty two tells us that the Lord heard Elijah's cry,
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: and the boy's life turned to him, and he lived.
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: This was the first recorded resurrection from the dead in
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: the entire Bible, a miracle that demonstrated God's power over
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: the ultimate enemy that all human beings face. Death itself
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: had to yield to the prayer of God's faithful prophet.
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: When Elijah brought the living boy back to his mother,
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: her response shows how this miracle had deepened her faith
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: and understanding. She said in First King seventeen twenty four,
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: now I know that you are a man of God,
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: and that the word of the Lord from your mouth
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: is the truth. The resurrection had confirmed for her that
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: Elijah was truly God's representative and that the God of
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: Israel was indeed the one true God who had power
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: over every aspect of life and death. After three and
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: a half years of drought, God finally told Elijah that
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: it was time to end his period of hiding and
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: confront King Ahab directly. The famine had become so severe
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: that even the royal household was struggling to find food
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: and water for their animals. According to First Kings eighteen five,
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: Ahab and his palace administrator Obadiah had to personally search
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: the land for grass to keep the horses and mules alive.
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: It was during this search that Obadiah encountered Elijah, and
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: the prophet sent a message to the king, go tell
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: your master Elijah is here. First King's eighteen eight When
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: Ahab finally came face to face with the man he
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: had been hunting for years, his first words revealed both
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: his anger and his recognition of Elijah's power. He said,
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: is that you troubler of Israel? First Kings eighteen seventeen.
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: Elijah's response was bold and direct. He told the king,
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: I have not made trouble for Israel, but you and
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: your father's family have You have abandoned the Lord's commands
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: and followed the bales. First Kings eighteen eighteen then Elijah
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: proposed a public test that would settle once and for
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: all the question of which God was real and powerful.
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: He told Ahab to gather all the people of Israel
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred fifty prophets
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: of Bail and the four hundred prophets of a Sherer
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: who ate at Jezebel's table. Mount Carmel was the perfect
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: location for this confrontation. It was a prominent mountain that
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: could accommodate large crowds, and it was also traditionally associated
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: with the worship of Baal, since Baal was supposed to
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: be the god of storms and fertility. If Baal had
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: any power at all, this should have been the place
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: where he would demonstrate it most clearly. When the massive
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: crowd had assembled, Elijah addressed the people with words that
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: cut straight to the heart of Israel's spiritual problem. First
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: Kings eighteen twenty one records his challenge, how long will
• 43:01
  Speaker 1: you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God,
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: follow him, but if Bail is God, follow him. The
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: people's silence in response to this question showed that they
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: knew they had been trying to serve both God and Bail,
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: and they realized this was impossible. Elijah then proposed a
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: simple but decisive test. Two bulls would be prepared for sacrifice,
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: one for the prophets of Baal and one for Elijah.
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: Each side would call on their god to send fire
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: from heaven to consume their sacrifice. The God who answers
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: by fire, he is God, Elijah declared First Kings eighteen
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: twenty four. The people agreed that this was a fair test.
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: The prophets of Bail went first, and what followed was
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: one of the most dramatic demonstrations of the powerlessness of
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: false gods ever recorded. From morning until noon, they called
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: on Bale's name, danced around their altar, and performed their rituals,
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: but nothing happened. When Elijah began to mock them, saying
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: perhaps their God was sleeping or had gone on a journey,
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: they became even more frantic. First Kings eighteen twenty eight
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: tells us that they shouted louder and slashed themselves with
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: Despite all their efforts, their passion, their self inflicted wounds,
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: and their desperate cries, Thal remained completely silent, no fire
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: came down, no voice answered them, and their sacrifice remained
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: unchanged on the altar. After hours of fruitless effort, it
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: was clear to everyone watching that Bal either didn't exist
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: or was completely powerless to help his followers. When it
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: was Elijah's turn, he began by repairing the Altar of
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: the Lord that had been broken down, probably during the
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: years when Jezebel was systematically destroying places of worship dedicated
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: to the True God. He used twelve stones to rebuild
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: the altar, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, and he
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: dug a trench around it. Then he arranged the wood,
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: cut up the bull, and placed it on the altar,
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: just as the prophets of Baal had done with their sacrifice.
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: But then Elijah did something that seemed to make his
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: task much more difficult. He ordered that four large jars
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: of water be poured over the sacrifice and the wood.
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: This was repeated three times until the altar was completely
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: soaked and water was running down into the trench around it.
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: First Kings eighteen thirty five tells us that the water
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: This use of water was particularly significant because water was
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: extremely precious during the severe drought. The fact that Elijah
• 45:59
  Speaker 1: was willing to pour out so much water showed his
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: complete confidence that God would answer his prayer. It also
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: made the test more impressive because wetwood is much harder
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: to burn than dry wood, and a completely soaked sacrifice
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: would seem impossible to ignite under normal circumstances. When everything
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: was prepared, Elijah stepped forward and offered a simple, powerful
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: prayer that stands in stark contrast to the hours of
• 46:29
  Speaker 1: frantic shouting and self mutilation that the prophets of Bale
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: had performed. First Kings eighteen thirty six thirty seven records
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: his words, Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: let it be known today that you are God in Israel,
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: and that I am your servant and have done all
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: these things at your word. Answer me, Lord, Answer me,
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: so these people will know that you, Lord, are God,
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: and that you are turning their hearts back again. The
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: response was immediate and overwhelming. First Kings eighteen thirty eight
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: tells us what happened. Then The fire of the Lord
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones,
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: and the soil and also licked up the water in
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: the trench. This wasn't just a small flame that gradually
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: consumed the offering. This was a supernatural fire that came
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: down from Heaven with such power that it completely consumed
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: not only the sacrifice and the wood, but even the
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: stones of the altar and the soil around it, and
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: it evaporated all the water that had been poured out.
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: The reaction of the people was immediate and dramatic. When
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: they saw this incredible display of divine power. They fell
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: prostrate and cried out, the Lord he is God, The
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: Lord he is God. First Kings eighteen thirty nine. There
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: could be no doubt about what they had witnessed. The
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: God of Israel had demonstrated his reality and his power
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: in a way that was undeniable and overwhelming. The demonstration
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: of God's power on Mount Carmel had settled the question
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: of which God was real once and for all. But
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: Elijah knew that the spiritual battle was not yet complete.
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: The prophets of Bail, who had just been shown to
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: be false teachers, were still alive and still capable of
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: leading people astray in the future. According to the law
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: that God had given to Moses. False prophets who led
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: people away from the True God were to be put
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: to death. Elijah commanded the people, seized the prophets of
• 48:37
  Speaker 1: bal don't let anyone get away first Kings eighteen forty.
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: The crowd, still overwhelmed by what they had witnessed and
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: now fully convinced that these men had been deceiving them,
• 48:49
  Speaker 1: seized all four hundred and fifty prophets of Bail. Elijah
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: then led them down to the brook Kishon, where they
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: were executed according to the Divils divine law. This action
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: might seem harsh by modern standards, but it was necessary
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: to complete the spiritual cleansing that had begun on Mount Carmel.
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: These men had not only been teaching false religion, but
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: they had been part of a system that had led
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: to the persecution and murder of true prophets of God.
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: They had supported and participated in practices that had brought
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: divine judgment on the entire nation in the form of
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: the three and a half year drought. The execution of
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: the false prophets also demonstrated that there are serious consequences
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: for leading people away from God. It wasn't enough to
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: simply prove that bal was powerless. Those who had been
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: actively promoting false worship and deceiving the people needed to
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: be removed so that the spiritual renewal of Israel could begin.
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: This decisive action sent a clear message throughout the kingdom
• 49:56
  Speaker 1: that the time of compromise and divided loyalty was over.
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: The people had seen conclusive proof of who the real
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: God was, and now they needed to commit themselves completely
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: to serving him alone. The removal of the false prophets
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: eliminated a major source of spiritual confusion and deception that
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: had been poisoning the nation for years. With the false
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: prophets removed and the people's allegiance to the true God
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: publicly re established, it was time for the final demonstration
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: of divine power, the ending of the drought that had
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: lasted for three and a half years. Elijah told King Ahab,
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: go eat and drink, for there is the sound of
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: a heavy rain First Kings eighteen forty one. Even though
• 50:45
  Speaker 1: there were no visible signs of rain at that moment,
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: Elijah was confident that God was about to fulfill his
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: promise to end the drought. While Ahab went to eat
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: and drink, Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: to pray. This wasn't a quick, casual prayer, but an intense,
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: sustained time of intercession. First Kings eighteen forty two tells
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: us that Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: down to the ground, and put his face between his knees.
• 51:14
  Speaker 1: This was a posture of humility and desperate dependence on God,
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: showing that even though Elijah had just witnessed an incredible miracle,
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: he still recognized his complete reliance on the Lord's power
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: and timing. Elijah sent his servant to look toward the
• 51:31
  Speaker 1: sea seven times, watching for any sign of approaching rain clouds.
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: Six times the servant returned with the report that there
• 51:39
  Speaker 1: was nothing to be seen. But the seventh time he
• 51:42
  Speaker 1: came back with exciting news. A cloud as small as
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: a man's hand is rising from the sea. First Kings,
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: eighteen forty four. This tiny cloud was the beginning of
• 51:54
  Speaker 1: God's answer to Elijah's prayer. The prophet immediately sent word
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: to Ahab, hitch up your chariot and go down before
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: the rain stops you. What happened next was a dramatic
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: demonstration of how quickly. God can change circumstances when he
• 52:10
  Speaker 1: decides to act. First Kings eighteen forty five describes the transformation. Meanwhile,
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a
• 52:21
  Speaker 1: heavy rain started falling, and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.
• 52:25
  Speaker 1: The drought that had lasted for more than three years
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: ended suddenly and completely. The rain that came wasn't a
• 52:32
  Speaker 1: light drizzle or a brief shower. It was a heavy,
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: sustained downpour that made up for years of dry weather.
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: The same God who had withheld rain to demonstrate his
• 52:44
  Speaker 1: power was now sending abundant rain to show his mercy
• 52:48
  Speaker 1: and faithfulness to his promises. What happened next was another
• 52:53
  Speaker 1: supernatural demonstration of God's power working through his prophet. As
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: King Ahab prepared to travel back to his winter palace
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: in Jezreel, racing to get there before the heavy rain
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: made the roads impassable, something amazing occurred. First Kings eighteen
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: forty six tells us that the power of the Lord
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: came on Elijah, and, tucking his cloak into his belt,
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: This wasn't just a case of a man in good
• 53:24
  Speaker 1: physical condition out running a horse drawn chariot. The distance
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: from Mount Carmel to Jezreel was approximately seventeen miles, and
• 53:33
  Speaker 1: Elijah not only kept up with the royal chariot, but
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: actually ran ahead of it for the entire journey. This
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: was a supernatural enabling that demonstrated God's power working through
• 53:45
  Speaker 1: his servant. In yet another way, the significance of this
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: supernatural run went beyond just the physical miracle. By running
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: ahead of the king's chariot, Elijah was symbolically leading the
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: way in Israel's return to proper relationship with God. The
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: spiritual victory that had been one on Mount Carmel was
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: now being followed by this dramatic physical demonstration of divine power.
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: This act also showed honor and respect for the king's position,
• 54:15
  Speaker 1: even though Ahab had been leading the nation in the
• 54:18
  Speaker 1: wrong direction spiritually. Elijah could have used this moment to
• 54:22
  Speaker 1: humiliate the king or to assert his own spiritual authority
• 54:26
  Speaker 1: in a prideful way. Instead, he served as a herald,
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: running ahead to announce the king's arrival in a way
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: that showed proper respect for the office, even while maintaining
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: his prophetic authority, the supernatural run also served as a
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: final conformation to King Ahab and to anyone who witnessed it,
• 54:47
  Speaker 1: that the events of the day had indeed been the
• 54:50
  Speaker 1: work of the True God. If there had been any
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: lingering doubts about whether the fire from Heaven had been
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: real or whether Elijah was truly God prophet, this additional
• 55:01
  Speaker 1: miracle would have removed them completely. When King Ahab returned
• 55:06
  Speaker 1: to Jezreel and told Queen Jezebel everything that had happened
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: on Mount Carmel, the confrontation with the prophets of Bail,
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: the fire from Heaven, the execution of her false prophets,
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: and the ending of the drought, her reaction was swift
• 55:21
  Speaker 1: and violent. Instead of being impressed by the obvious demonstration
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: of God's power or humbled by the defeat of her
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: religious system, she became furiously angry and determined to get revenge.
• 55:35
  Speaker 1: First Kings nineteen two records the threatening message she sent
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: to Elijah, May the Gods deal with me, be it
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do
• 55:46
  Speaker 1: not make your life like that of one of them,
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: referring to the prophets of Bail, who had been executed.
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: This was a direct death threat from the most powerful
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: and dangerous woman in the kingdom, a woman who had
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: already demonstrated her willingness to kill prophets, and who had
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: the resources and authority to carry out her threats. The
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: effect of this threat on Elijah was dramatic and unexpected.
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: This was the same man who had boldly confronted King Ahab,
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: who had challenged four hundred and fifty false prophets in
• 56:19
  Speaker 1: front of the entire nation, who had called down fire
• 56:23
  Speaker 1: from heaven, and had just witnessed the most spectacular display
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: of divine power in generations. Yet, when he received Jezebel's threat,
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: First Kings nineteen three tells us that Elijah was afraid
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: and ran for his life. This reaction shows us that
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: even the greatest servants of God are still human beings
• 56:44
  Speaker 1: with normal human emotions and limitations. The spiritual and emotional
• 56:50
  Speaker 1: intensity of the confrontation on Mount Carmel, combined with the
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: physical exhaustion from the supernatural run to Jezreel, had left
• 56:59
  Speaker 1: Elijasure in a vulnerable state. The threat from Jezebel coming
• 57:04
  Speaker 1: so soon after what should have been a moment of
• 57:06
  Speaker 1: complete triumph triggered a crisis of faith and confidence. Elijah
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: fled south toward Beersheba, which was in the Kingdom of
• 57:16
  Speaker 1: Judah and outside of Jezebel's immediate jurisdiction. But even when
• 57:21
  Speaker 1: he reached this place of relative safety, he didn't stop. Instead,
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: he left his servant there and continued alone into the
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: desert wilderness, carrying with him the overwhelming sense of discouragement
• 57:33
  Speaker 1: and despair that had driven him to flee in the
• 57:36
  Speaker 1: first place. The man who had just experienced one of
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: the greatest spiritual victories in Israel's history was about to
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: face one of the darkest periods of his own spiritual journey.
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: Elijah's journey into the wilderness after fleeing from Jezebel's threats
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: led him to a state of complete physical and emotional exhaustion.
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: He traveled for a full day into the desert beyond
• 58:01
  Speaker 1: Beersheba until he could go no further. Finding himself under
• 58:05
  Speaker 1: a solitary broom tree, he collapsed and prayed a prayer
• 58:10
  Speaker 1: that revealed the depths of his despair. First Kings nineteen
• 58:14
  Speaker 1: four records his anguished words, I have had enough, Lord
• 58:19
  Speaker 1: take my life. I am no better than my ancestors.
• 58:21
  Speaker 1: This wasn't just physical tiredness speaking. This was the cry
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: of a man whose faith had been shaken to its core.
• 58:29
  Speaker 1: Despite having just witnessed one of the most spectacular displays
• 58:33
  Speaker 1: of God's power in human history, Elijah felt like a
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: complete failure. The spiritual victory on Mount Carmel seemed meaningless
• 58:42
  Speaker 1: now that Jezebel was still in power and still determined
• 58:45
  Speaker 1: to destroy him. He felt alone, defeated, and convinced that
• 58:50
  Speaker 1: his ministry had accomplished nothing lasting. But God's response to
• 58:55
  Speaker 1: his discouraged servant was marked by incredible tenderness and care.
• 58:59
  Speaker 1: Instead of rebuking Elijah for his lack of faith or
• 59:03
  Speaker 1: reminding him of the great miracle he had just witnessed,
• 59:06
  Speaker 1: the Lord sent an angel to provide for his physical needs.
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: The angel touched him gently and said, get up and
• 59:15
  Speaker 1: eat First Kings nineteen five. When Elijah looked around, he
• 59:20
  Speaker 1: found fresh baked bread and a jar of water that
• 59:24
  Speaker 1: had been miraculously provided for him. After eating and drinking,
• 59:29
  Speaker 1: Elijah lay down again, but the angel returned a second
• 59:32
  Speaker 1: time with the same gentle command, get up and eat,
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: for the journey is too much for you, First Kings,
• 59:40
  Speaker 1: nineteen seven. This second provision wasn't just about immediate hunger.
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: It was preparation for a long journey that lay ahead.
• 59:49
  Speaker 1: God knew that Elijah needed both physical and spiritual restoration
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: before he could receive the new directions that were coming.
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: Strengthened by this supernatural food, Elijah traveled for forty days
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: and forty knights until he reached Mount Horeb, also known
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 1: as Mount Sinai, the same mountain where God had given
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 1: the Ten Commandments to Moses centuries earlier. This wasn't a
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: random destination. Horib was the mountain of God, the place
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 1: where the covenant between God and Israel had been established
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 1: and where many of the greatest encounters between God and
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: his people had taken place. When Elijah arrived at Mount Horeb,
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 1: he found a cave where he could shelter, and there
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 1: he spent the night. It was in this cave that
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 1: God came to him with a question that went straight
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 1: to the heart of his spiritual crisis. The Lord asked him,
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: what are you doing here, Elijah, First Kings, nineteen nine.
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 1: This wasn't because God didn't know where Elijah was or
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 1: why he had come it was an invitation for the
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: prophet to express his feelings and concerns. Honestly. Elijah's response
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 1: revealed the full extent of his discouragement and his sense
• 1:01:05
  Speaker 1: of isolation. In Verse Kings nineteen ten, he poured out
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 1: his heart. I have been very zealous for the Lord
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 1: God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: your altars, and put your profits to death with the sword.
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: I am the only one left, and now they are
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 1: trying to kill me too. Despite the victory on Mount Carmel,
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 1: Elijah felt like nothing had really changed and that he
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 1: was completely alone in his faithfulness to God. The cave
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 1: at Mount Horeb became a place of divine encounter where
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 1: God would teach his prophet some of the most important
• 1:01:42
  Speaker 1: lessons about his character and his ways of working in
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 1: the world. This wasn't just a hiding place from Jezebel's threats.
• 1:01:50
  Speaker 1: It was a class room where Elijah would learn truths
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: that would reshape his understanding of ministry, leadership, and God's
• 1:01:58
  Speaker 1: purposes for his people. God's response to Elijah's complaint was
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 1: to give him a dramatic object lesson about his character
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 1: and his ways of working in the world. The Lord
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 1: told Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: because he was about to pass by. What followed was
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 1: one of the most significant revelations of God's nature in
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 1: the entire Old Testament. First came a powerful wind that
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 1: was so strong it tore the mountains apart and shattered rocks.
• 1:02:28
  Speaker 1: But First Kings nineteen eleven tells us that the Lord
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: was not in the wind. This wasn't the way God
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: was choosing to reveal himself to his discouraged prophet. After
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 1: the wind came an earthquake that shook the very foundations
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 1: of the mountain, but again, the Lord was not in
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 1: the earthquake. Then came a fire, perhaps reminiscent of the
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 1: dramatic fire that had consumed the sacrifice on Mount Carmel.
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 1: But once more the Lord was not in the fire.
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 1: After all these dramatic displays of natural power, something completely
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 1: different happened. First Kings nineteen twelve describes it as a
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 1: gentle whisper or in some translations, a still small voice.
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: This wasn't a shout or a dramatic announcement. It was
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 1: a soft, quiet communication that required careful listening to hear.
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 1: When Elijah heard this gentle whisper, he immediately recognized it
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 1: as the voice of God. He pulled his cloak over
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 1: his face and went out to stand at the mouth
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: of the cave, showing proper reverence for the divine presence.
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 1: This experience taught Elijah that God doesn't always work through spectacular,
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 1: overwhelming displays of power. Sometimes his most important work is
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: done quietly, gently, and in ways that might be easily
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: overlooked by those who aren't paying careful attention. The fire
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 1: from Heaven on Mount Carmel had been necessary to demonstrate
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 1: God's power to the nation, but the gentle whisper at
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 1: Mount Horeb was God's preferred way of communicating with his
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 1: servant in this moment of crisis and confusion. The voice
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: asked Elijah the same question again, what are you doing here? Elijah,
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: First Kings, nineteen thirteen. The prophet gave essentially the same
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 1: answer as before, expressing his sense of failure and isolation.
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 1: But now God was ready to give him new instructions
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: that would redirect his ministry and help him understand that
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 1: he was not as alone as he thought. God's new
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: instructions for Elijah were specific and far reaching. Verse Kings
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen to sixteen records the divine command, go back
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 1: the way you came and go to the desert of Damascus.
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: anoint Jehu son of Nimshi, king over Israel, and anoint Elisha,
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: son of Shaffat from Abel Mehola to succeed you as prophet.
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: These instructions involved major political and spiritual changes that would
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: affect not just Israel, but the surrounding nations as well.
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: The fact that God was giving Elijah three specific anointing
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 1: tasks shows that his ministry was far from over. Despite
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 1: his feelings of failure and discouragement, he was being called
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 1: to participate in God's long term plan for bringing justice
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 1: and judgment to the corrupt systems that had taken root
• 1:05:34
  Speaker 1: in Israel and the surrounding region. These anointings would set
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: in motion a series of events that would ultimately accomplish
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 1: everything that the confrontation on Mount Carmel had begun. God
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 1: also gave Elijah an important correction to his sense of
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 1: complete isolation. The Lord told him in First Kings nineteen eighteen,
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 1: Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel, all whose his
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 1: knees have not bowed down to bow, and whose mouths
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 1: have not kissed him. Elijah had thought he was the
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 1: only faithful person left in the entire nation, but God
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 1: revealed that there were actually seven thousand people who had
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 1: remained true to him despite all the pressure to worship
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 1: false gods. This revelation must have been incredibly encouraging to Elijah.
• 1:06:25
  Speaker 1: He wasn't alone in his faithfulness, and his ministry hadn't
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 1: been a complete failure. There were thousands of people throughout
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: Israel who had been strengthened and encouraged by his bold
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: stand for truth. Even if he couldn't see them or
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: wasn't aware of their existence. God's work in the hearts
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 1: of his people was much more extensive than the prophet
• 1:06:46
  Speaker 1: had realized. The first two anointing tasks that God gave
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 1: to Elijah involved political leaders who would play crucial roles
• 1:06:56
  Speaker 1: in bringing divine judgment upon the corrupt systems that had
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 1: taken root in Israel and the surrounding nations. These anointings
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 1: were part of God's long term strategy for cleaning up
• 1:07:09
  Speaker 1: the spiritual and political mess that had developed during the
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: reigns of Ahab and Jezebel. Haziel was to be anointed
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: as king over Aram, which was also known as Syria.
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: This was a powerful nation to the north and east
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 1: of Israel that had been both an ally and an
• 1:07:29
  Speaker 1: enemy at different times. The anointing of Haziel was significant
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 1: because it meant that God was raising up a foreign
• 1:07:37
  Speaker 1: leader who would serve his purposes in bringing judgment upon
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 1: Israel's unfaithfulness. Sometimes God uses other nations as instruments of
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: discipline for his own people when they persist in rebellion
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 1: against him. The biblical record shows that this anointing task
• 1:07:56
  Speaker 1: was eventually carried out, though not necessarily by Elijahid himself,
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 1: in a direct ceremonial way. Second Kings eight sevent ti
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 1: fifteen describes how the prophet Elisha later encountered Haziel and
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: prophesied that he would become King of Aram. Hazael did
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: indeed become a powerful ruler who caused significant military pressure
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 1: on Israel during the reigns of several kings, serving as
• 1:08:23
  Speaker 1: an instrument of divine discipline for the nation's continued unfaithfulness.
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 1: The second political anointing involved Jehu, the son of Nimshi,
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 1: who was to be anointed as king over Israel. This
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 1: was perhaps even more significant than the anointing of Haziel
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: because it involved a complete change of dynasty within Israel itself.
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: Jugu would be called to bring an end to the
• 1:08:50
  Speaker 1: House of Ahab and to destroy the worship of Bal
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 1: that Jezebel had established throughout the kingdom. This anointing was
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 1: also of eventually accomplished through Elisha rather than directly by Elijah.
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: Second Kings nine one to thirteen describes how Elisha sent
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: one of the young prophets to anoint Jihu secretly while
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: he was with his fellow military commanders. When the anointing
• 1:09:17
  Speaker 1: was revealed, Ji Whu's companions immediately proclaimed him king and
• 1:09:22
  Speaker 1: supported his rebellion against the existing royal house. Ji Who's
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 1: reign turned out to be exactly what God had intended,
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 1: a time of violent but necessary cleansing that removed the
• 1:09:34
  Speaker 1: influence of Baal worship from Israel. Second Kings ten eighteen
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: to twenty eight describes how Jihu systematically destroyed the prophets, priests,
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 1: and worshippers of Baal, along with their temples and sacred objects.
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: He also killed Jezebel and eliminated the entire royal family
• 1:09:54
  Speaker 1: that had been responsible for leading Israel into idolatry. These
• 1:10:00
  Speaker 1: political anointings show us that God is sovereign over the
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: affairs of nations, and that he raises up leaders to
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: accomplish his purposes, even when those leaders may not fully
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 1: understand or acknowledge his authority. Both Hazael and Jehu served
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 1: as instruments of divine judgment, bringing consequences upon those who
• 1:10:21
  Speaker 1: had persistently rebelled against God's commands and led others into
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 1: spiritual darkness. The fact that God gave these anointing tasks
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 1: to Elijah also shows that the prophet's ministry had a
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 1: much broader scope than just dramatic confrontations and miraculous demonstrations.
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: He was being called to participate in God's long term
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 1: political strategy for the region, helping to set in motion
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 1: changes that would take years or even decades to fully unfold.
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 1: The third anointing task that God gave to Elijah was
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 1: perhaps the most important of all, the anointing of his
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 1: successor as prophet. This wasn't just about finding someone to
• 1:11:06
  Speaker 1: continue his work after he was gone. It was about
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 1: preparing for a transition that would bring the prophetic ministry
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 1: in Israel to a new level of influence and effectiveness.
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 1: God had specifically named the man who was to be
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 1: Elijah's successor, Elisha, the son of Shaffat from Abel Mihullah.
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 1: This wasn't a random choice or a decision that Elijah
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: was left to make on his own. God had already
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: identified the exact person he wanted for this crucial role,
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: and he had given Elijah clear instructions about where to
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 1: find him and what to do. When Elijah went to
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 1: Abel Mehola to find Elisha, he discovered him engaged in
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: the very ordinary work of plowing a field with oxen.
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: First Kings nineteen nineteen tells us that Elijah went up
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 1: to him and through his cloak around him. This simple
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 1: action was loaded with symbolic meaning. The prophet's cloak represented
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 1: his calling, his authority, and his connection to God's power.
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 1: By throwing it around Elisha, Elijah was symbolically transferring these
• 1:12:16
  Speaker 1: things to the younger man. The fact that Elisha was
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 1: plowing with twelve yoke of oxen when Elijah found him
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 1: tells us several important things about his background and character. First,
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 1: it shows that he came from a prosperous farming family.
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 1: Twelve yoke of Oxen represented considerable wealth and a substantial
• 1:12:36
  Speaker 1: agricultural operation. This wasn't a poor man desperately looking for
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 1: a way to escape his circumstances. This was someone who
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 1: was giving up a comfortable and successful life to follow
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: God's call. Second, the fact that Elisha was actively working
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 1: in the field, apparently driving the twelfth yoke himself, shows
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 1: that he wasn't afraid of hard work and that he
• 1:13:02
  Speaker 1: was willing to do whatever was necessary to get the
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 1: job done. These character qualities would serve him well in
• 1:13:09
  Speaker 1: the demanding life of a prophet, where he would often
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 1: face difficult and dangerous situations that would require both physical
• 1:13:17
  Speaker 1: and spiritual endurance. Elisha's immediate response to Elijah's symbolic action
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 1: was significant. He understood right away what was being offered
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: to him, and he was willing to accept the call. However,
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: he asked for permission to say good bye to his parents. First,
• 1:13:36
  Speaker 1: let me kiss my father and mother good bye, and
• 1:13:39
  Speaker 1: then I will come with you first Kings nineteen to twenty.
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 1: This was a reasonable request that showed his respect for
• 1:13:47
  Speaker 1: his family and his understanding of the magnitude of the
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 1: decision he was making. Elijah's response was somewhat puzzling at
• 1:13:55
  Speaker 1: first glance. Go back, what have I done to you?
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 1: First Kings, nineteen twenty Some interpreters see this as a
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 1: test of Elisha's commitment, while others see it as Elijah
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: giving him complete freedom to make his own choice without
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 1: any pressure or coercion. In either case, it was clear
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 1: that Elisha would have to make his own decision about
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 1: whether to follow the prophetic calling. What Elisha did next
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 1: showed the depth of his commitment and the finality of
• 1:14:29
  Speaker 1: his decision. He went back to his oxen, killed a them,
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 1: and used the wooden plowing equipment as fuel to cook
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 1: the meat. Then he gave the meat to his fellow
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 1: workers as a farewell feast. This wasn't just saying good bye.
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 1: This was burning his bridges behind him. By destroying his
• 1:14:49
  Speaker 1: farming equipment and slaughtering his oxen, Elisha was making it
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 1: impossible to return to his former way of life. First
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 1: Kings nineteen twenty one one concludes this important encounter by
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 1: telling us that then he set out to follow Elijah
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: and became his servant. The word servant. Here doesn't mean
• 1:15:10
  Speaker 1: that Elisha became a slave or a menial worker. Rather,
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: it indicates that he entered into an apprenticeship relationship where
• 1:15:18
  Speaker 1: he would learn from Elijah and gradually take on more
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 1: and more responsibility in the prophetic ministry. The sacrifice of
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 1: Elisha's oxen and the destruction of his plowing equipment was
• 1:15:31
  Speaker 1: one of the most significant moments in the entire process
• 1:15:34
  Speaker 1: of prophetic transition from Elijah to his successor. This wasn't
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 1: just a ceremonial gesture or a symbolic act. It was
• 1:15:43
  Speaker 1: a complete and irreversible commitment to the new life that
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 1: God was calling him to live. By killing the oxen
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 1: that had been his means of livelihood and burning the
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 1: wooden yokes and plow that were his farming tools, Elisha
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: was demonstrating several important spiritual principles. First, he was showing
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: that his commitment to follow God's call was absolute and unconditional.
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: There would be no looking back, no second thoughts, and
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 1: no possibility of returning to his former way of life
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 1: if the prophetic ministry turned out to be more difficult
• 1:16:20
  Speaker 1: than he expected. Second, the sacrifice showed that Elisha understood
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 1: the cost of following God's call. He wasn't naive about
• 1:16:31
  Speaker 1: what he was giving up or unrealistic about what lay ahead.
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 1: He knew that the life of a prophet was dangerous, demanding,
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: and often lonely. By voluntarily destroying his means of returning
• 1:16:43
  Speaker 1: to a comfortable life, he was acknowledging that he was
• 1:16:47
  Speaker 1: choosing the harder path because he believed it was what
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 1: God wanted him to do. Third, the public nature of
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 1: the sacrifice and the feast that followed served as a
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 1: testimony to his family, friends, and community about the decision
• 1:17:04
  Speaker 1: he was making. Everyone who ate the meat from the
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 1: sacrificed oxen would remember this moment and understand that Elisha
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 1: had made a permanent commitment to serve God as a prophet.
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 1: This public declaration would also serve as a source of accountability,
• 1:17:21
  Speaker 1: making it harder for him to change his mind later
• 1:17:24
  Speaker 1: when difficulties arose. The feast itself was significant because it
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 1: showed that Elisha's decision to follow God's call was not
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 1: just about personal spiritual fulfillment. It was about serving others
• 1:17:39
  Speaker 1: and providing for their needs. Even in the act of
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 1: leaving his old life behind, he was already demonstrating the
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 1: heart of a servant that would characterize his entire prophetic ministry.
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: The sacrifice also demonstrated Elisha's faith in God's ability to
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 1: provide for him in his new calling. By destroying his
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 1: sold of income and his means of producing food, he
• 1:18:03
  Speaker 1: was placing himself in a position of complete dependence on
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 1: God's provision. This act of faith would be remembered and
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 1: strengthened throughout his years of ministry as he witnessed God's
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: faithful care for those who trust him completely. The timing
• 1:18:19
  Speaker 1: of this sacrifice was also important. Elisha didn't wait until
• 1:18:24
  Speaker 1: he had gradually phased out of farming or until he
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 1: had built up alternative sources of income. He made a clean,
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 1: immediate break with his past, showing that when God calls,
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 1: the appropriate response his immediate obedience, rather than gradual transition
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 1: or careful preparation for all possible contingencies. This moment also
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 1: established the pattern that would characterize Elisha's entire relationship with
• 1:18:52
  Speaker 1: Elijah and his approach to learning the prophetic ministry. He
• 1:18:56
  Speaker 1: didn't try to maintain his independence or keep his operas open. Instead,
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 1: he committed himself completely to learning from his mentor and
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 1: serving the purposes of God, regardless of personal cost or inconvenience.
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 1: After Elisha's dramatic farewell to his former life, he began
• 1:19:18
  Speaker 1: a period of intensive training and preparation under Elijah's direct supervision.
• 1:19:24
  Speaker 1: This wasn't a brief orientation or a short term internship.
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: It was an extended apprenticeship that would last for several
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 1: years and would prepare Elisha thoroughly for the demanding ministry
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: that lay ahead of him. The relationship between Elijah and
• 1:19:40
  Speaker 1: Elisha during this period was characterized by close companionship and
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 1: mutual respect. Elisha didn't just observe Elijah's ministry from a
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: distance or receive occasional instruction when convenient. Instead, he became
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 1: Elijah's constant companion, traveling with him, assisting him in his
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 1: daily activities, and learning through direct participation in the work
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 1: of a prophet. Second Kings three eleven gives us a
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 1: glimpse into the nature of this relationship when it mentions
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 1: that Elisha used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.
• 1:20:20
  Speaker 1: This was a reference to the common practice of servants
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 1: helping their masters with personal hygiene and daily needs. However,
• 1:20:28
  Speaker 1: in the context of prophetic training. This kind of personal
• 1:20:31
  Speaker 1: service had much deeper significance. It showed that Elisha was
• 1:20:36
  Speaker 1: learning to be a servant before he would be called
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 1: to be a leader. During this apprenticeship period, Elisha would
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 1: have witnessed many aspects of Elijah's ministry that are not
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 1: recorded in the biblical narrative. He would have seen how
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 1: Elijah prayed, how he heard from God, how he dealt
• 1:20:57
  Speaker 1: with difficult people and challenging situations, and how he maintained
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 1: his faith during times of discouragement and opposition. This kind
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 1: of close observation and hands on learning was much more
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 1: valuable than any theoretical instruction could have been. The apprenticeship
• 1:21:15
  Speaker 1: also provided Elisha with opportunities to gradually take on more
• 1:21:19
  Speaker 1: responsibility and to develop his own spiritual gifts and abilities.
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: While Elijah remained the senior prophet and the primary leader,
• 1:21:29
  Speaker 1: Elisha would have been given increasingly important tasks and would
• 1:21:33
  Speaker 1: have begun to exercise his own prophetic calling under Elijah's
• 1:21:36
  Speaker 1: careful supervision and guidance. This extended training period was important
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: for several reasons. First, it ensured that when Elisha eventually
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 1: took over the prophetic ministry, he would be thoroughly prepared
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 1: for all aspects of the work. He wouldn't have to
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 1: learn through trial and error or figure things out on
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 1: his own during times of christ. Instead, he would have
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: the benefit of extensive training and experience under one of
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: the greatest profits in Israel's history. Second, the apprenticeship allowed
• 1:22:12
  Speaker 1: for a gradual transition of leadership that wouldn't leave a
• 1:22:15
  Speaker 1: gap in the prophetic ministry. When Elijah was taken away,
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 1: the people would already know Elisha and would have seen
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: evidence of his calling and abilities. This continuity would be
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 1: crucial for maintaining the effectiveness of the prophetic witness during
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 1: a time of ongoing spiritual and political challenges. Third, the
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 1: close relationship between Elijah and Elisha during this period created
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: a bond of trust and affection that would be important
• 1:22:46
  Speaker 1: in the final stages of the transition. When the time
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 1: came for Elijah to be taken up to Heaven, Elisha
• 1:22:52
  Speaker 1: would be emotionally and spiritually prepared for the loss, even
• 1:22:57
  Speaker 1: though it would still be difficult and painful. The apprenticeship
• 1:23:01
  Speaker 1: period also provided opportunities for Elisha to observe how God
• 1:23:06
  Speaker 1: worked through his profit in a variety of different situations.
• 1:23:10
  Speaker 1: He would have seen miracles, witness divine guidance, observed the
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 1: fulfillment of prophecies, and learned how to distinguish between God's
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 1: voice and other influences. This comprehensive training would give him
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 1: confidence and wisdom for his own future ministry. As the
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 1: time for Elijah's departure from Earth approached, he and Elisha
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 1: began making a series of visits to schools of Prophets
• 1:23:38
  Speaker 1: that had been established in various cities throughout Israel. These
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 1: schools were communities of men who were being trained for
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 1: prophetic ministry and who served as centers of spiritual learning
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 1: and religious instruction during a time when formal religious education
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 1: was often neglected. The first stop on this farewell journey
• 1:23:59
  Speaker 1: was Gilga, a city that held special significance in Israel's history.
• 1:24:04
  Speaker 1: This was where the Israelites had first camped after crossing
• 1:24:07
  Speaker 1: the Jordan River into the Promised Land, and where Joshua
• 1:24:11
  Speaker 1: had set up twelve stones as a memorial of God's
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 1: faithfulness in bringing them safely across the river. The School
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 1: of Prophets at Gilgal represented a return to the spiritual
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 1: foundations that had made Israel strong in earlier generations. From Gilgal,
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 1: Elijah and Elisha traveled to Bethel, another city with deep
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 1: spiritual significance. This was where Abraham had built an altar
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 1: and called on the name of the Lord, and where
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 1: Jacob had his famous dream of the ladder reaching to heaven. However,
• 1:24:48
  Speaker 1: Bethel had also become associated with idle worship when Jeroboam
• 1:24:53
  Speaker 1: had set up one of his golden calves there. The
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: presence of a school of prophets in Bethel represented Godd's
• 1:25:00
  Speaker 1: determination to reclaim this important city for true worship. The
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 1: third and final stop was Jericho, the first city that
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: the Israelites had conquered when they entered the Promised Land
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 1: under Joshua's leadership. Jericho was located near the Jordan River
• 1:25:17
  Speaker 1: and served as an important gateway between the wilderness and
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 1: the settled areas of Israel. The school of prophets there
• 1:25:25
  Speaker 1: would have been strategically positioned to influence both the established
• 1:25:29
  Speaker 1: communities and the travelers who passed through the area. At
• 1:25:33
  Speaker 1: each of these schools, the prophets in training seemed to
• 1:25:37
  Speaker 1: be aware that something significant was about to happen. They
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 1: approached Elisha and asked, do you know that the Lord
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 1: is going to take your master from you today second
• 1:25:48
  Speaker 1: Kings two three five. This suggests that God had revealed
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 1: to the prophetic community that Elijah's time on earth was
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 1: coming to an end and that a major transition was
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 1: about to take place. Alicia's response to these questions was
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 1: always the same, yes, I know, so be quiet second
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: Kings two three five. This wasn't rudeness or unwillingness to
• 1:26:13
  Speaker 1: discuss the situation. Rather, it showed that Elisha was aware
• 1:26:18
  Speaker 1: of what was coming, but was choosing to focus on
• 1:26:21
  Speaker 1: making the most of his remaining time with his mentor,
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 1: rather than dwelling on the sadness of the approaching separation.
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 1: These visits to the schools of prophets served several important purposes. First,
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 1: they provided Elijah with an opportunity to give final instructions
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 1: and encouragement to the younger men who would carry on
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 1: the prophetic ministry after he was gone. His presence and
• 1:26:47
  Speaker 1: blessing would strengthen their resolve and give them confidence for
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 1: the challenging work that lay ahead. Second, the visits allowed
• 1:26:56
  Speaker 1: Elisia to be formally introduced to the prophetic community as
• 1:26:59
  Speaker 1: Ill Elijah's designated successor. The men at these schools would
• 1:27:04
  Speaker 1: be his colleagues and supporters in the years ahead, and
• 1:27:07
  Speaker 1: it was important for them to understand the transition that
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 1: was taking place and to give their recognition and support
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: to the new leadership. Third, the journey to these three
• 1:27:20
  Speaker 1: cities created opportunities for final conversations and instructions between Elijah
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 1: and Elisha. As they traveled together and participated in the
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 1: activities at each school, they would have had time to
• 1:27:34
  Speaker 1: discuss important matters and to complete any unfinished business in
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 1: Elisha's training. The fact that profits at all three schools
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 1: were aware of Elijah's impending departure shows that this wasn't
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 1: a sudden or unexpected event. God had been preparing the
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 1: prophetic community for this transition, and the visits to the
• 1:27:56
  Speaker 1: schools were part of the careful, orderly process by which
• 1:28:00
  Speaker 1: the change of leadership was being accomplished. As Elijah and
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 1: Elisha completed their visits too the schools of prophets and
• 1:28:10
  Speaker 1: prepared for the final stage of their journey together, supernatural
• 1:28:14
  Speaker 1: signs began to appear that confirmed the approaching end of
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 1: Elijah's earthly ministry. These signs served as divine confirmation of
• 1:28:24
  Speaker 1: what was about to happen and helped prepare both Elisha
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 1: and the watching prophetic community for the extraordinary event that
• 1:28:32
  Speaker 1: was coming. Throughout their journey from city to city, there
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 1: had been an unusual sense of anticipation and solemnity. The
• 1:28:41
  Speaker 1: profits at each school had displayed supernatural knowledge of what
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 1: was about to happen, asking Elisha if he knew that
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 1: his master was going to be taken from him that
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 1: very day. This widespread awareness among the prophetic community wasn't
• 1:28:57
  Speaker 1: based on natural observation or logical did layduction. It was
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 1: the result of divine revelation that God was giving to
• 1:29:05
  Speaker 1: his servants. The supernatural atmosphere became even more pronounced as
• 1:29:10
  Speaker 1: Elijah and Elisha made their way toward the Jordan River
• 1:29:14
  Speaker 1: for the final phase of their journey together. At each
• 1:29:17
  Speaker 1: stop along the way, Elijah had tested Elisha's commitment by
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 1: suggesting that he stay behind while Elijah continued alone. Each time,
• 1:29:27
  Speaker 1: Elisha had refused to be separated from his mentor, declaring
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 1: with increasing intensity, as surely as the Lord lives, and
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 1: as you live, I will not leave you second Kings
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 1: two two four six. This repeated testing wasn't because Elijah
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 1: doubted Elisha's commitment or wanted to discourage him from continuing
• 1:29:49
  Speaker 1: the journey. Rather, it was a final confirmation that Elisha's
• 1:29:53
  Speaker 1: dedication was complete and unconditional. The supernatural events that were
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 1: about to unfold would require absolute faith and unwavering determination.
• 1:30:04
  Speaker 1: Any hesitation or uncertainty at this crucial moment could have
• 1:30:08
  Speaker 1: disqualified Elisha from receiving the full inheritance that God intended
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 1: for him. As they approached the Jordan River, they were
• 1:30:18
  Speaker 1: followed by a group of fifty prophets from the School
• 1:30:21
  Speaker 1: a Jericho who wanted to witness whatever was about to happen.
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 1: These men positioned themselves at a distance where they could
• 1:30:28
  Speaker 1: observe the events without interfering, showing their respect for the
• 1:30:33
  Speaker 1: sacred nature of what was taking place while also demonstrating
• 1:30:37
  Speaker 1: their recognition that they were about to witness something unprecedented.
• 1:30:42
  Speaker 1: The supernatural signs that had been building throughout the day
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 1: were about to reach their climax at the Jordan River,
• 1:30:49
  Speaker 1: where God would demonstrate his power in a way that
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 1: would remove all doubt about the divine nature of the
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 1: transition that was taking place. The very air seemed charged
• 1:31:00
  Speaker 1: with expectation as they approached the water that had played
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 1: such an important role in Israel's history and would now
• 1:31:07
  Speaker 1: serve as the setting for one of the most remarkable
• 1:31:10
  Speaker 1: events in the entire Biblical record. The presence of the
• 1:31:15
  Speaker 1: watching prophets, the supernatural knowledge that had been revealed to
• 1:31:20
  Speaker 1: the prophetic community, and the solemn atmosphere that surrounded the
• 1:31:24
  Speaker 1: entire journey all served as confirmation that this wasn't just
• 1:31:29
  Speaker 1: the end of one man's ministry, but the beginning of
• 1:31:32
  Speaker 1: a new chapter in God's relationship with his people. The
• 1:31:37
  Speaker 1: signs and portents that had been building throughout the day
• 1:31:41
  Speaker 1: were preparing everyone involved for a demonstration of divine power
• 1:31:45
  Speaker 1: that would establish Elisha's authority and confirm God's continued presence
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 1: with his prophetic servants. The Coombe supernatural elements surrounding Elijah's
• 1:31:58
  Speaker 1: final day on earth also served to distinguish this event
• 1:32:03
  Speaker 1: from ordinary human death and departure. This wasn't going to
• 1:32:07
  Speaker 1: be a normal passing from one generation to the next,
• 1:32:10
  Speaker 1: but rather a unique translation from earthly to heavenly existence
• 1:32:15
  Speaker 1: that would demonstrate God's special relationship with his faithful servant
• 1:32:19
  Speaker 1: and would provide a powerful sign to all who witnessed
• 1:32:23
  Speaker 1: it or heard about it in the years to come.
• 1:32:26
  Speaker 1: When Elijah and Elisha reached the banks of the Jordan River,
• 1:32:30
  Speaker 1: they stood before the same waters that had played such
• 1:32:33
  Speaker 1: a crucial role in Israel's history. This was the river
• 1:32:37
  Speaker 1: that the Israelites had crossed when they first entered the
• 1:32:40
  Speaker 1: Promised Land under Joshua's leadership, where the waters had been
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 1: miraculously held back to allow the entire nation to pass
• 1:32:48
  Speaker 1: through on dry ground. It was also the river where
• 1:32:52
  Speaker 1: Nam and the Syrian would later be healed of leprosy,
• 1:32:55
  Speaker 1: and where Jesus would be baptized by John the Baptist
• 1:32:59
  Speaker 1: centuries later. Standing at the water's edge with fifty prophets
• 1:33:04
  Speaker 1: watching from a distance, Elijah took off his cloak, the
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 1: same mantle that he had thrown around Elijah years earlier
• 1:33:13
  Speaker 1: when he first called him to follow. This wasn't just
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 1: any piece of clothing. It was the symbol of his
• 1:33:19
  Speaker 1: prophetic office, the visible sign of his authority as God's spokesman,
• 1:33:24
  Speaker 1: and the tangible representation of the divine power that had
• 1:33:28
  Speaker 1: worked through him for so many years. With deliberate ceremony,
• 1:33:34
  Speaker 1: Elijah rolled up the cloak and struck the waters of
• 1:33:37
  Speaker 1: the Jordan with it. The result was immediate and spectacular. Second,
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 1: Kings two eight tells us that the water divided to
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 1: the right and to the left, and the two of
• 1:33:47
  Speaker 1: them crossed over on dry ground. This miracle was clearly
• 1:33:51
  Speaker 1: reminiscent of the great works that God had performed through
• 1:33:54
  Speaker 1: Moses at the Red Sea and through Joshua at this
• 1:33:58
  Speaker 1: very same river generation earlier. The dividing of the waters
• 1:34:02
  Speaker 1: served multiple purposes beyond simply providing a way for the
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 1: two prophets to cross the river. First, it was a
• 1:34:10
  Speaker 1: powerful demonstration to the watching prophets that the same divine
• 1:34:15
  Speaker 1: power that had worked through the great leaders of Israel's
• 1:34:18
  Speaker 1: past was still present and active in Elijah's ministry. This
• 1:34:23
  Speaker 1: miracle would give them confidence that God's power would continue
• 1:34:27
  Speaker 1: to be available through Elisha as well. Second, the miracle
• 1:34:32
  Speaker 1: established a clear parallel between Elijah and the great leaders
• 1:34:36
  Speaker 1: who had gone before him. Just as Moses had divided
• 1:34:40
  Speaker 1: the Red Sea and Joshua had caused the Jordan to
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 1: stop flowing, Elijah now demonstrated that he possessed the same
• 1:34:48
  Speaker 1: kind of divine authority and power. This parallel would be
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 1: important for establishing Elisha's legitimacy when he performed a similar
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 1: miracle on his return journey. Third, the crossing of the
• 1:35:03
  Speaker 1: Jordan on dry ground symbolically represented a transition from one
• 1:35:08
  Speaker 1: phase of ministry to another. Just as the Israelites had
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 1: crossed from the wilderness into the promised land, Elijah and
• 1:35:16
  Speaker 1: Elisha were crossing from the old era of Elijah's ministry
• 1:35:21
  Speaker 1: into the new era that would be characterized by Elisha's work.
• 1:35:25
  Speaker 1: The dry ground beneath their feet was a sign of
• 1:35:28
  Speaker 1: God's supernatural provision for this crucial transition. The miracle also
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: served as a final test of faith for both prophets.
• 1:35:38
  Speaker 1: Elijah had to believe that God would honor his act
• 1:35:41
  Speaker 1: of striking the water with his cloak, while Elisha had
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 1: to trust that it was safe to follow his mentor
• 1:35:48
  Speaker 1: across the divided waters. This shared act of faith strengthened
• 1:35:52
  Speaker 1: the bond between them and prepared them both for the
• 1:35:55
  Speaker 1: even greater miracle that was about to follow. As they
• 1:36:00
  Speaker 1: walked across the river bed together, surrounded by walls of
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 1: water held back by divine power, both men must have
• 1:36:07
  Speaker 1: been acutely aware that they were participating in something that
• 1:36:12
  Speaker 1: very few human beings had ever experienced. They were walking
• 1:36:16
  Speaker 1: in the footsteps of Moses, and Joshua, demonstrating that the
• 1:36:20
  Speaker 1: God of their fathers was still the same yesterday, to
• 1:36:24
  Speaker 1: day and forever. The crossing also provided them with privacy
• 1:36:31
  Speaker 1: for their final conversation together. Away from the watching eyes
• 1:36:36
  Speaker 1: of the fifty prophets and in the supernatural silence of
• 1:36:40
  Speaker 1: the divided river, they could speak freely about the momentous
• 1:36:44
  Speaker 1: events that were about to unfold and about the responsibilities
• 1:36:48
  Speaker 1: that Elisha would soon inherit. Once they had safely crossed
• 1:36:53
  Speaker 1: to the other side of the Jordan, Elijah turned to
• 1:36:56
  Speaker 1: his faithful companion and made an offer that revealed both
• 1:36:59
  Speaker 1: his love for Elisha and his confidence in God's plans
• 1:37:03
  Speaker 1: for the future. According to Second Kings two nine, he said,
• 1:37:08
  Speaker 1: tell me what can I do for you before I'm
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 1: taken from you. This wasn't just a casual question or
• 1:37:16
  Speaker 1: a polite gesture. It was a genuine invitation for Elisha
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 1: to express his deepest desire for his future ministry. Elisha's
• 1:37:26
  Speaker 1: response was both humble and bold. He said, let me
• 1:37:30
  Speaker 1: inherit a double portion of your spirit Second Kings, two p. Nine.
• 1:37:35
  Speaker 1: To understand the full significance of this request, it's important
• 1:37:39
  Speaker 1: to know that in ancient Israel, the firstborn son typically
• 1:37:43
  Speaker 1: received a double portion of his father's inheritance. Elisha wasn't
• 1:37:48
  Speaker 1: asking to be twice as powerful as Elijah or claiming
• 1:37:52
  Speaker 1: that he deserved more than his mentor. Instead, he was
• 1:37:56
  Speaker 1: requesting the inheritance rites of a spiritual first born son.
• 1:38:01
  Speaker 1: This request revealed several important things about Elisha's character and
• 1:38:06
  Speaker 1: his understanding of the ministry that lay ahead of him. First,
• 1:38:10
  Speaker 1: it showed that he understood the magnitude of the challenges
• 1:38:13
  Speaker 1: he would face as Elijah's successor. He knew that the
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 1: spiritual opposition in Israel was fierce, that the political situation
• 1:38:23
  Speaker 1: was complex and dangerous, and that the people's need for
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 1: divine intervention was greater than ever. He realized that he
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 1: would need extraordinary spiritual power to be effective in such circumstances. Second,
• 1:38:38
  Speaker 1: the request demonstrated Elisha's complete dependence on God's supernatural provision
• 1:38:44
  Speaker 1: rather than his own natural abilities. He wasn't asking for
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 1: better training, more education, or improved circumstances. He was asking
• 1:38:53
  Speaker 1: for a greater measure of the same divine spirit that
• 1:38:57
  Speaker 1: had empowered Elijah's ministry. This showed mature spiritual insight and
• 1:39:03
  Speaker 1: proper priorities for a man who was about to assume
• 1:39:07
  Speaker 1: enormous responsibilities. Third, Elisha's request revealed his deep love and
• 1:39:14
  Speaker 1: respect for his mentor. By asking for a double portion
• 1:39:18
  Speaker 1: of Elijah's spirit, he was essentially saying that he wanted
• 1:39:22
  Speaker 1: to continue and expand the work that Elijah had begun.
• 1:39:28
  Speaker 1: He didn't want to start his own independent ministry or
• 1:39:31
  Speaker 1: establish his own reputation. Instead, he wanted to build upon
• 1:39:35
  Speaker 1: the foundation that Elijah had laid and carry forward the
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 1: same spiritual legacy. Elijah's response to this request was both
• 1:39:45
  Speaker 1: encouraging and sobering. He said, you have asked a difficult thing.
• 1:39:50
  Speaker 1: Yet if you see me when I am taken from you,
• 1:39:52
  Speaker 1: it will be yours. Otherwise it will not Second Kings
• 1:39:57
  Speaker 1: two ten. This answer that the granting of Elisha's request
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 1: was not entirely within Elijah's power to give the double
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 1: portion would come from God himself, and there were conditions
• 1:40:10
  Speaker 1: that had to be met. The condition that Elijah specified
• 1:40:14
  Speaker 1: that Elisha must see him when he was taken away
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 1: wasn't arbitrary or capricious. It was a test of spiritual
• 1:40:22
  Speaker 1: perception and faith. To see Elijah's departure would require spiritual
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 1: eyes that could perceive divine activity even in extraordinary circumstances.
• 1:40:33
  Speaker 1: It would also require the kind of unwavering attention and
• 1:40:37
  Speaker 1: commitment that refuses to be distracted even when amazing things
• 1:40:42
  Speaker 1: are happening. This condition also ensured that if Elisha did
• 1:40:46
  Speaker 1: receive the double Portion, it would be because he had
• 1:40:49
  Speaker 1: demonstrated the spiritual maturity and faithfulness necessary to handle such
• 1:40:54
  Speaker 1: power responsibly. The ability to see Elijah's translation would be
• 1:40:59
  Speaker 1: evidence that Elisha possessed the kind of spiritual sensitivity that
• 1:41:04
  Speaker 1: would be essential for his future ministry. The conversation about
• 1:41:09
  Speaker 1: the double Portion also served to heighten the anticipation and
• 1:41:14
  Speaker 1: solemnity of the moment. Both men now knew that the
• 1:41:18
  Speaker 1: next few minutes would determine not just the manner of
• 1:41:20
  Speaker 1: Elijah's departure, but also the spiritual resources that would be
• 1:41:24
  Speaker 1: available for Elisha's ministry. The stakes couldn't have been higher,
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 1: and both profits were acutely aware of the eternal significance
• 1:41:32
  Speaker 1: of what was about to unfold. As Elijah and Elisha
• 1:41:36
  Speaker 1: continued walking and talking together on the far side of
• 1:41:39
  Speaker 1: the Jordan, the moment that had been building throughout the
• 1:41:42
  Speaker 1: entire day finally arrived. What happened next was one of
• 1:41:47
  Speaker 1: the most spectacular and unprecedented events recorded anywhere in scripture,
• 1:41:52
  Speaker 1: an event so extraordinary that it has captured the imagination
• 1:41:56
  Speaker 1: of believers for thousands of years. Second Kings two eleven
• 1:42:02
  Speaker 1: describes the miraculous scene. As they were walking along and
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 1: talking together, Suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of
• 1:42:10
  Speaker 1: fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah
• 1:42:14
  Speaker 1: went up to Heaven in a whirlwind. This wasn't a
• 1:42:18
  Speaker 1: gradual disappearance or a quiet departure. It was a dramatic,
• 1:42:22
  Speaker 1: supernatural translation that left no doubt about its divine origin.
• 1:42:27
  Speaker 1: The appearance of the chariot and horses of fire was
• 1:42:30
  Speaker 1: a manifestation of heavenly power and glory that few human
• 1:42:34
  Speaker 1: beings have ever been privileged to witness. Fire in scripture
• 1:42:39
  Speaker 1: often represents the presence and power of God, and the
• 1:42:43
  Speaker 1: fiery chariot served as a divine vehicle that would transport
• 1:42:47
  Speaker 1: Elijah from Earth to Heaven without experiencing death. This was
• 1:42:52
  Speaker 1: only the second such translation in Biblical history, the first
• 1:42:56
  Speaker 1: being Enoch, who walked faithfully with God. Then he no
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 1: more because God took him away. Genesis five twenty four.
• 1:43:04
  Speaker 1: The horses of fire that pulled the chariot represented divine
• 1:43:09
  Speaker 1: strength and power beyond anything that earthly horses could provide.
• 1:43:14
  Speaker 1: These weren't ordinary animals enhanced with supernatural abilities. They were
• 1:43:19
  Speaker 1: manifestations of heavenly beings created specifically for this momentous occasion.
• 1:43:25
  Speaker 1: Their fiery appearance emphasized the other worldly nature of what
• 1:43:28
  Speaker 1: was taking place and the fact that Elijah was being
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 1: transported into the very presence of God. The whirlwind that
• 1:43:37
  Speaker 1: caught up Elijah was another manifestation of divine power. Throughout scripture,
• 1:43:44
  Speaker 1: whirlwinds and storms are often associated with God's presence and activity.
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 1: When God spoke to Job, it was out of a whirlwind.
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 1: When Ezekiel saw his vision of God's glory, it came
• 1:43:56
  Speaker 1: with a great wind storm. The whirlwind that took Elijah
• 1:44:00
  Speaker 1: was not a natural weather phenomenon, but a supernatural force
• 1:44:04
  Speaker 1: directed by God himself. The timing of this translation was
• 1:44:09
  Speaker 1: perfect in every way. It occurred at the moment when
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 1: Elijah's earthly ministry was complete and his successor was ready
• 1:44:17
  Speaker 1: to take over. It happened in the presence of the
• 1:44:20
  Speaker 1: one person who needed to witness it in order to
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 1: receive the spiritual inheritance that had been promised, and it
• 1:44:26
  Speaker 1: took place in a location that provided both privacy for
• 1:44:29
  Speaker 1: this sacred moment and visibility for the one who needed
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: to see it. The manner of Elijah's departure also served
• 1:44:38
  Speaker 1: as a powerful testimony to the reality of life after
• 1:44:41
  Speaker 1: death and God's power over mortality. Unlike every other human
• 1:44:46
  Speaker 1: being who had lived before him, except for Enoch, Elijah
• 1:44:50
  Speaker 1: did not have to experience death and burial. Instead, he
• 1:44:54
  Speaker 1: was transformed directly from earthly existence to heavenly life, demonstrating
• 1:44:59
  Speaker 1: that God has power over the grave and that there
• 1:45:02
  Speaker 1: is indeed life beyond this present world. For Elisha, witnessing
• 1:45:08
  Speaker 1: this incredible event was both a tremendous a privilege and
• 1:45:13
  Speaker 1: a sobering responsibility. He was seeing something that no other
• 1:45:17
  Speaker 1: person on earth would see that day, and his ability
• 1:45:20
  Speaker 1: to perceive and understand what was happening would determine whether
• 1:45:24
  Speaker 1: he received the double portion he had requested. The spiritual
• 1:45:28
  Speaker 1: eyes that allowed him to see the fiery chariot and
• 1:45:31
  Speaker 1: horses also qualified him to receive the spiritual power he
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 1: would need for his ministry. The translation of Elijah also
• 1:45:40
  Speaker 1: served as a fitting conclusion to a ministry that had
• 1:45:43
  Speaker 1: been marked by supernatural power from beginning to end. The
• 1:45:47
  Speaker 1: same God who had sent fire from heaven to consume
• 1:45:51
  Speaker 1: the sacrifice on Mount Carmel was now sending fire from
• 1:45:55
  Speaker 1: heaven to transport his faithful servant to his eternal reward.
• 1:46:00
  Speaker 1: The consistency of divine power throughout Elijah's life and at
• 1:46:04
  Speaker 1: his departure demonstrated God's unchanging nature and his faithful care
• 1:46:10
  Speaker 1: for those who serve him. As the fiery chariot disappeared
• 1:46:15
  Speaker 1: into the heavens, carrying Elijah away, Elisha was left standing
• 1:46:19
  Speaker 1: alone on the far side of the Jordan River. The
• 1:46:23
  Speaker 1: sight he had just witnessed was so overwhelming and extraordinary
• 1:46:28
  Speaker 1: that his immediate response was one of grief and loss,
• 1:46:31
  Speaker 1: despite the supernatural wonder he had experienced. Second Kings two
• 1:46:36
  Speaker 1: twelve tells us that Elisha saw this and cried out,
• 1:46:39
  Speaker 1: my father, my father. The chariots and horsemen of Israel,
• 1:46:44
  Speaker 1: and Elisha saw him no more. The cry my father,
• 1:46:48
  Speaker 1: my father revealed the deep emotional bond that had developed
• 1:46:52
  Speaker 1: between the two prophets during their years together. Elisha wasn't
• 1:46:56
  Speaker 1: just losing a mentor or a teacher. He was losing
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 1: the spirit ritual father who had guided him, protected him,
• 1:47:03
  Speaker 1: and prepared him for the ministry that now lay before him.
• 1:47:08
  Speaker 1: The term father in this context also acknowledged Elijah's role
• 1:47:12
  Speaker 1: as the senior prophet in Israel and the source of
• 1:47:15
  Speaker 1: spiritual authority that Elisha had looked to for guidance. The
• 1:47:20
  Speaker 1: phrase the chariots and horseman of Israel was a recognition
• 1:47:25
  Speaker 1: of Elijah's role as the true defender of the nation.
• 1:47:29
  Speaker 1: While Israel had literal chariots and horsemen for military protection,
• 1:47:34
  Speaker 1: Elijah had been the spiritual warrior who had fought against
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 1: the forces of evil and had called down divine power
• 1:47:42
  Speaker 1: to protect and preserve God's people. In calling him the
• 1:47:46
  Speaker 1: chariots and horsemen of Israel, Elisha was acknowledging that the
• 1:47:50
  Speaker 1: nation was losing its most powerful defender. In his grief
• 1:47:54
  Speaker 1: and shock, Elishah tore his clothes in two, which was
• 1:47:58
  Speaker 1: a traditional express of mourning and distress in ancient Middle
• 1:48:02
  Speaker 1: Eastern culture. This wasn't just an emotional outburst. It was
• 1:48:07
  Speaker 1: a formal acknowledgment of the magnitude of the loss that
• 1:48:10
  Speaker 1: had just occurred, and a proper response to the end
• 1:48:14
  Speaker 1: of an era in Israel's prophetic history. But even in
• 1:48:18
  Speaker 1: the midst of his grief, Elisha noticed something that would
• 1:48:22
  Speaker 1: prove to be of crucial importance for his future ministry.
• 1:48:26
  Speaker 1: Elijah's cloak, the same mantle that had been thrown around
• 1:48:29
  Speaker 1: Elisha years earlier when he was first called to follow,
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 1: The same cloak that had been used to divide the
• 1:48:35
  Speaker 1: waters of the Jordan just minutes before, had fallen to
• 1:48:38
  Speaker 1: the ground when Elijah was taken up in the whirlwind.
• 1:48:43
  Speaker 1: The fact that the mantle had been left behind was
• 1:48:46
  Speaker 1: not an accident or an oversight. It was a deliberate
• 1:48:50
  Speaker 1: provision by God for the continuation of the prophetic ministry.
• 1:48:54
  Speaker 1: The cloak represented the authority, the calling, and the spiritual
• 1:48:58
  Speaker 1: power that had character rised Elijah's work, and now it
• 1:49:02
  Speaker 1: was being passed on to his successor in the most
• 1:49:05
  Speaker 1: literal and tangible way possible. When Elisha picked up the
• 1:49:10
  Speaker 1: fallen mantle, he was doing more than just retrieving a
• 1:49:13
  Speaker 1: piece of clothing. He was accepting the full responsibility and
• 1:49:17
  Speaker 1: authority of the prophetic office that Elijah had held. The
• 1:49:22
  Speaker 1: mantle would serve as a visible symbol to himself and
• 1:49:26
  Speaker 1: to others that he was now the senior prophet in Israel,
• 1:49:30
  Speaker 1: and that the same divine power that had worked through
• 1:49:33
  Speaker 1: Elijah was now available to work through him. The transfer
• 1:49:37
  Speaker 1: of the mantle also fulfilled the symbolic action that had
• 1:49:41
  Speaker 1: begun years earlier when Elijah first threw his cloak around
• 1:49:45
  Speaker 1: Elijah in the field. What had started as a call
• 1:49:48
  Speaker 1: to follow had now been completed as a transfer of
• 1:49:52
  Speaker 1: full authority and responsibility. The circle had been closed, and
• 1:49:58
  Speaker 1: the transition was complete. This moment also marked the fulfillment
• 1:50:03
  Speaker 1: of the condition that Elijah had established for Elisia's reception
• 1:50:07
  Speaker 1: of the double portion. Because Elisha had seen Elijah when
• 1:50:11
  Speaker 1: he was taken away, because he had witnessed the supernatural
• 1:50:15
  Speaker 1: translation with his own eyes, he was now qualified to
• 1:50:19
  Speaker 1: receive the spiritual inheritance that had been promised. The mantle
• 1:50:24
  Speaker 1: was both a symbol and an instrument of this inheritance.
• 1:50:29
  Speaker 1: The weight of what had just happened must have been
• 1:50:31
  Speaker 1: almost overwhelming for Elisha. In the space of a few minutes,
• 1:50:36
  Speaker 1: he had witnessed one of the most spectacular miracles in
• 1:50:39
  Speaker 1: human history, had lost his beloved mentor and spiritual father,
• 1:50:45
  Speaker 1: and had inherited the responsibility for the prophetic ministry in Israel.
• 1:50:50
  Speaker 1: The mantle in his hands represented both enormous privilege and
• 1:50:55
  Speaker 1: enormous responsibility. With Elijah's mantle now in his possession, Elisha
• 1:51:02
  Speaker 1: faced his first test as the new senior prophet of Israel.
• 1:51:07
  Speaker 1: He was standing on the wrong side of the Jordan River,
• 1:51:10
  Speaker 1: separated from the fifty prophets who had been watching from
• 1:51:13
  Speaker 1: a distance and who would need to see evidence that
• 1:51:16
  Speaker 1: the transition of power had indeed taken place. The river
• 1:51:20
  Speaker 1: that had been divided for their crossing now stood between
• 1:51:23
  Speaker 1: Elisha and the beginning of his independent ministry. This was
• 1:51:28
  Speaker 1: a crucial moment that would determine how Elisha's ministry would
• 1:51:32
  Speaker 1: be received by the prophetic community and by the nation
• 1:51:37
  Speaker 1: as a whole. If he could demonstrate that the same
• 1:51:40
  Speaker 1: divine power that had worked through Elijah was now available
• 1:51:43
  Speaker 1: to him, it would establish his authority and give people
• 1:51:47
  Speaker 1: confidence in his leadership. If he could not access that power,
• 1:51:51
  Speaker 1: his claims to be Elijah's successor would be questioned and
• 1:51:55
  Speaker 1: his effectiveness would be severely limited. Standing at the water's edge,
• 1:52:01
  Speaker 1: Elishah took the mantle and struck the water, just as
• 1:52:05
  Speaker 1: Elijah had done during their crossing together, but the first
• 1:52:08
  Speaker 1: attempt was unsuccessful. Nothing happened, and the waters remained undivided.
• 1:52:14
  Speaker 1: This moment of apparent failure could have been devastating for
• 1:52:18
  Speaker 1: a new prophet trying to establish his credentials, but Elisha's
• 1:52:22
  Speaker 1: response showed both wisdom and faith. Instead of giving up
• 1:52:27
  Speaker 1: or becoming discouraged, Elisha cried out, where now is the Lord,
• 1:52:33
  Speaker 1: the God of Elijah Second Kings two fourteen. This wasn't
• 1:52:38
  Speaker 1: a question born of doubt or frustration. It was a
• 1:52:41
  Speaker 1: declaration of faith and an appeal to the same divine
• 1:52:44
  Speaker 1: power that had just transported his mentor to heaven. Elisha
• 1:52:48
  Speaker 1: was essentially saying that he knew God was still present
• 1:52:52
  Speaker 1: and still powerful, and he was calling upon that power
• 1:52:55
  Speaker 1: to work through him. When he struck the water again,
• 1:53:00
  Speaker 1: the result was immediate and spectacular. Second Kings two fourteen
• 1:53:04
  Speaker 1: tells us that the water divided to the right and
• 1:53:07
  Speaker 1: to the left, and he crossed over. The same miracle
• 1:53:11
  Speaker 1: that had been performed through Elijah was now being performed
• 1:53:14
  Speaker 1: through Elisha, demonstrating conclusively that the divine power had indeed
• 1:53:20
  Speaker 1: been transferred to the new prophet. This successful demonstration of
• 1:53:26
  Speaker 1: divine power served several important purposes. First, it confirmed to
• 1:53:31
  Speaker 1: Elisha himself that he had indeed received the spiritual inheritance
• 1:53:36
  Speaker 1: that had been promised. The ability to perform the same
• 1:53:40
  Speaker 1: kind of miracle that Elijah had performed was evidence that
• 1:53:44
  Speaker 1: the double portion of spirit had been granted and that
• 1:53:47
  Speaker 1: God's power was available to him. Second, the miracle provided
• 1:53:53
  Speaker 1: visible proof to the watching prophets that Elisha was truly
• 1:53:57
  Speaker 1: Elijah's legitimate successory. They had seen Elijah divide the waters,
• 1:54:02
  Speaker 1: they had witnessed his supernatural translation, and now they were
• 1:54:06
  Speaker 1: seeing the same power manifested through Elisha. This would give
• 1:54:10
  Speaker 1: them confidence too accept his leadership and to support his
• 1:54:15
  Speaker 1: ministry in the years ahead. Third, the miracle established a
• 1:54:19
  Speaker 1: pattern that would characterize Elisha's entire ministry, a pattern of
• 1:54:24
  Speaker 1: divine power being made available to meet practical needs and
• 1:54:29
  Speaker 1: to demonstrate God's continuing presence with his people. This wouldn't
• 1:54:34
  Speaker 1: be the last time that Elisha would use supernatural power
• 1:54:38
  Speaker 1: to overcome natural obstacles or to provide for human needs.
• 1:54:44
  Speaker 1: The fact that Elisha's first attempt was unsuccessful but his
• 1:54:47
  Speaker 1: second attempt succeeded also taught an important lesson about persistence
• 1:54:52
  Speaker 1: in faith and prayer. Even divinely appointed leaders don't always
• 1:54:56
  Speaker 1: succeed on their first try, and the key to spiritual
• 1:55:00
  Speaker 1: effectiveness is not perfection, but perseverance in trusting God's power
• 1:55:06
  Speaker 1: and calling upon his help. When Elisha crossed back over
• 1:55:11
  Speaker 1: the Jordan River after successfully dividing the waters, he was
• 1:55:15
  Speaker 1: met by the fifty prophets who had been watching the
• 1:55:18
  Speaker 1: extraordinary events of the day from their vantage point near Jericho.
• 1:55:22
  Speaker 1: These men had witnessed Elijah's translation and had seen Elisha's
• 1:55:27
  Speaker 1: demonstration of divine power, and their response was immediate and unanimous.
• 1:55:33
  Speaker 1: Second Kings two point fifteen records their reaction. The company
• 1:55:38
  Speaker 1: of the prophets from Jericho who were watching said, the
• 1:55:42
  Speaker 1: spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha, and they went
• 1:55:45
  Speaker 1: to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
• 1:55:48
  Speaker 1: This formal acknowledgment was crucial for establishing Elisha's authority throughout
• 1:55:53
  Speaker 1: the prophetic community and ensuring a smooth transition of leadership.
• 1:55:59
  Speaker 1: The phrase the spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha
• 1:56:03
  Speaker 1: was more than just an observation about what they had witnessed.
• 1:56:07
  Speaker 1: It was a theological statement about the nature of prophetic
• 1:56:11
  Speaker 1: authority and the way God's power is transferred from one
• 1:56:15
  Speaker 1: generation to the next. They understood that the same divine
• 1:56:20
  Speaker 1: spirit that had empowered Elijah's ministry was now empowering Elisha's ministry,
• 1:56:26
  Speaker 1: making him the legitimate heir to his mentor's authority and responsibilities.
• 1:56:32
  Speaker 1: The act of bowing to the ground was a formal
• 1:56:35
  Speaker 1: gesture of respect and submission that acknowledged Elisha's new status
• 1:56:40
  Speaker 1: as the senior prophet in Israel. This wasn't just politeness
• 1:56:44
  Speaker 1: or social courtesy. It was a recognition of divine appointment
• 1:56:48
  Speaker 1: and an acceptance of his leadership authority over the prophetic community.
• 1:56:53
  Speaker 1: From this moment forward, Elisha would be looked to as
• 1:56:57
  Speaker 1: the primary spiritual leader among God's profits in Israel. The
• 1:57:02
  Speaker 1: unanimity of this recognition was significant because it meant that
• 1:57:06
  Speaker 1: there would be no division or competition within the prophetic
• 1:57:10
  Speaker 1: community about who should succeed Elijah. All fifty of these
• 1:57:15
  Speaker 1: trained prophets agreed that Elishah was the rightful heir, and
• 1:57:19
  Speaker 1: their united support would be crucial for the effectiveness of
• 1:57:23
  Speaker 1: his future ministry. However, the response of these prophets also
• 1:57:27
  Speaker 1: revealed that they didn't fully understand everything that had just
• 1:57:31
  Speaker 1: taken place. They offered to send fifty strong men to
• 1:57:35
  Speaker 1: search for Elijah, suggesting that perhaps the spirit of the
• 1:57:39
  Speaker 1: Lord had picked him up and set him down on
• 1:57:42
  Speaker 1: some mountain or in some valley second Kings two sixteen.
• 1:57:46
  Speaker 1: This showed that while they had witnessed the supernatural events,
• 1:57:50
  Speaker 1: they hadn't fully grasped the permanent nature of Elijah's departure.
• 1:57:54
  Speaker 1: Elijah initially refused their offer to search for Elijah, knowing
• 1:57:59
  Speaker 1: that it would be futile because Elijah had been permanently
• 1:58:02
  Speaker 1: translated to heaven, But when they kept urging him, he
• 1:58:06
  Speaker 1: finally gave permission for the search, perhaps understanding that they
• 1:58:10
  Speaker 1: needed to convince themselves that Elijah was truly gone before
• 1:58:15
  Speaker 1: they could fully accept the new reality. The three day
• 1:58:20
  Speaker 1: search that followed was unsuccessful, as Elisha had known it
• 1:58:24
  Speaker 1: would be. When the searchers returned empty handed, it served
• 1:58:29
  Speaker 1: to confirm what Elisha had told them and to help
• 1:58:32
  Speaker 1: them understand that the transition from Elijah to Elisha was
• 1:58:36
  Speaker 1: complete and permanent. There would be no going back to
• 1:58:39
  Speaker 1: the old way of doing things and no possibility of
• 1:58:43
  Speaker 1: Elijah returning to resume his former role. This recognition by
• 1:58:49
  Speaker 1: the prophetic community was the first step in Elisha's public ministry,
• 1:58:54
  Speaker 1: but it was also representative of the broader acceptance he
• 1:58:58
  Speaker 1: would need to gain through throughout Israel. If the trained
• 1:59:02
  Speaker 1: prophets who had worked closely with Elijah could recognize and
• 1:59:05
  Speaker 1: accept Elisha's authority, it would be easier for ordinary people
• 1:59:10
  Speaker 1: to do the same when they encountered his ministry. Shortly
• 1:59:15
  Speaker 1: after his recognition by the prophetic community, Elisha faced his
• 1:59:19
  Speaker 1: first opportunity to minister to the practical needs of ordinary people.
• 1:59:25
  Speaker 1: The men of Jericho came to him with a problem
• 1:59:28
  Speaker 1: that was affecting their daily lives and their economic prosperity.
• 1:59:33
  Speaker 1: According to Second Kings two nineteen, they said, look, our Lord,
• 1:59:37
  Speaker 1: this town is well situated, as you can see, but
• 1:59:41
  Speaker 1: the water is bad and the land is unproductive. This
• 1:59:45
  Speaker 1: was a serious problem for a community that depended on
• 1:59:49
  Speaker 1: agriculture and livestock for its livelihood. Bad water meant that
• 1:59:54
  Speaker 1: crops would fail, animals would become sick, and people's health
• 1:59:58
  Speaker 1: would be endangered. The location of Jericho was excellent for
• 2:00:02
  Speaker 1: trade and agriculture because of its position near the Jordan
• 2:00:07
  Speaker 1: River and its favorable climate, but the contaminated water supply
• 2:00:12
  Speaker 1: was undermining all of these natural advantages. The fact that
• 2:00:17
  Speaker 1: the people of Jericho brought this problem to Elisha, rather
• 2:00:22
  Speaker 1: than trying to solve it through their own efforts or
• 2:00:24
  Speaker 1: by appealing to local authorities, shows that word of his
• 2:00:28
  Speaker 1: supernatural abilities had already begun to spread. They recognized him
• 2:00:33
  Speaker 1: as a man of God who might be able to
• 2:00:35
  Speaker 1: help them in ways that normal human solutions could not.
• 2:00:39
  Speaker 1: Elisha's response to their request was both practical and symbolic.
• 2:00:44
  Speaker 1: He asked them to bring him a new bowl and
• 2:00:46
  Speaker 1: to put salt in it second Kings two twenty. The
• 2:00:51
  Speaker 1: choice of these specific items was significant. A new bowl
• 2:00:55
  Speaker 1: represented purity and cleanliness, while salt was known for its
• 2:00:59
  Speaker 1: preservetive and purifying qualities. In the ancient world, salt was
• 2:01:04
  Speaker 1: often associated with permanence, covenant relationships, and the prevention of corruption.
• 2:01:11
  Speaker 1: When they brought him the bowl of salt, Elisha went
• 2:01:13
  Speaker 1: out to the spring that was the source of the
• 2:01:16
  Speaker 1: city's water supply. This wasn't just any spring, It was
• 2:01:21
  Speaker 1: the main source of water for the entire community, and
• 2:01:25
  Speaker 1: healing it would affect everyone who lived in Jericho. Standing
• 2:01:30
  Speaker 1: at the spring, Elisha threw the salt into the water
• 2:01:33
  Speaker 1: and declared, this is what the Lord says, I have
• 2:01:37
  Speaker 1: healed this water, never again will it cause death or
• 2:01:41
  Speaker 1: make the land unproductive Second Kings two twenty one. The
• 2:01:46
  Speaker 1: healing was immediate and permanent. Second Kings two twenty two
• 2:01:50
  Speaker 1: tells us that the water has remained pure to this day,
• 2:01:54
  Speaker 1: according to the word Elisha had spoken. This wasn't a
• 2:01:58
  Speaker 1: temporary improvement or a great gradual change. It was an
• 2:02:02
  Speaker 1: instant and lasting transformation that would benefit the people of
• 2:02:06
  Speaker 1: Jericho for generations to come. This miracle served multiple purposes
• 2:02:11
  Speaker 1: in establishing Elisha's ministry. First, it demonstrated that the divine
• 2:02:15
  Speaker 1: power he had inherited from Elijah could be used to
• 2:02:19
  Speaker 1: meet practical, everyday needs. This wasn't just spectacular power for
• 2:02:24
  Speaker 1: dramatic confrontations. It was compassionate power that could improve people's
• 2:02:30
  Speaker 1: daily lives and solve real problems. Second, the miracle showed
• 2:02:35
  Speaker 1: that Elisha's ministry would be characterized by healing and restoration
• 2:02:39
  Speaker 1: rather than judgment and destruction. While Elijah's ministry had often
• 2:02:43
  Speaker 1: involved calling down divine judgment on Israel's enemies and on
• 2:02:47
  Speaker 1: those who opposed God, Elisha's ministry would focus more on healing, helping,
• 2:02:53
  Speaker 1: and providing for people's needs. Third, the permanent nature of
• 2:02:59
  Speaker 1: the healing demonstrated that Elisha's supernatural work would have lasting effects.
• 2:03:05
  Speaker 1: This wasn't just temporary relief or short term help. It
• 2:03:08
  Speaker 1: was fundamental transformation that would continue to benefit people long
• 2:03:13
  Speaker 1: after the prophet had moved on to other work. The
• 2:03:17
  Speaker 1: choice to use salt in the healing was also significant
• 2:03:21
  Speaker 1: because it created a tangible connection between the miracle and
• 2:03:25
  Speaker 1: everyday life. Every time the people of Jericho used salt
• 2:03:29
  Speaker 1: in their cooking or their food preservation, they would be
• 2:03:32
  Speaker 1: reminded of God's power to heal and transform. The ordinary
• 2:03:38
  Speaker 1: substance became a permanent memorial to extraordinary divine intervention. The
• 2:03:45
  Speaker 1: healing of the waters at Jericho marked the beginning of
• 2:03:48
  Speaker 1: Elisha's public ministry and served as a foundation for his
• 2:03:52
  Speaker 1: growing reputation throughout the Kingdom of Israel. Word of the
• 2:03:56
  Speaker 1: miracle spread quickly, and people began to understand that a
• 2:04:00
  Speaker 1: new prophet was among them, one who possessed the same
• 2:04:03
  Speaker 1: kind of divine power that had made Elijah famous, but
• 2:04:07
  Speaker 1: who seemed to exercise that power in different ways and
• 2:04:11
  Speaker 1: for different purposes. The successful transition from Elijah to Elisha
• 2:04:17
  Speaker 1: represented more than just a change in leadership. It represented
• 2:04:21
  Speaker 1: continuity in God's care for his people. During a time
• 2:04:25
  Speaker 1: of ongoing spiritual and political crisis, the Northern Kingdom of
• 2:04:29
  Speaker 1: Israel was still dealing with the consequences of years of
• 2:04:33
  Speaker 1: idle worship and moral corruption under Ahab and Jezebel's influence.
• 2:04:39
  Speaker 1: The people needed to know that God had not abandoned
• 2:04:42
  Speaker 1: them and that his power was still available to help
• 2:04:45
  Speaker 1: them in their struggles. Ilisia's ministry began during the reign
• 2:04:49
  Speaker 1: of Jehoram, the son of Ahab, who had inherited a
• 2:04:53
  Speaker 1: kingdom that was facing multiple challenges. There were external threats
• 2:04:58
  Speaker 1: from neighbouring nations, internal divisions caused by religious confusion, and
• 2:05:04
  Speaker 1: practical problems like the contaminated water supply at Jericho that
• 2:05:08
  Speaker 1: affected people's daily lives. The new prophet would need to
• 2:05:12
  Speaker 1: address all of these issues and demonstrate that God's power
• 2:05:16
  Speaker 1: was relevant to every aspect of human existence. The manner
• 2:05:21
  Speaker 1: in which Elisha had received his calling and had been
• 2:05:24
  Speaker 1: prepared for ministry also set important precedents for future prophetic work.
• 2:05:30
  Speaker 1: His long apprenticeship under Elijah showed the value of careful
• 2:05:34
  Speaker 1: training and preparation. His dramatic reception of the Double Portion
• 2:05:39
  Speaker 1: demonstrated that spiritual power comes from God rather than from
• 2:05:43
  Speaker 1: human effort or natural ability, and his immediate success in
• 2:05:47
  Speaker 1: performing miracles showed that divine calling is accompanied by divine enabling.
• 2:05:53
  Speaker 1: The recognition that Elisha received from the prophetic community also
• 2:05:58
  Speaker 1: helped to establish the instantitutional framework that would support his
• 2:06:02
  Speaker 1: ministry throughout the years ahead. The schools of prophets that
• 2:06:06
  Speaker 1: he and Elijah had visited would continue to serve as
• 2:06:10
  Speaker 1: centers of spiritual training and religious instruction. The network of
• 2:06:14
  Speaker 1: relationships that had been built during Elijah's ministry would now
• 2:06:18
  Speaker 1: support and strengthen Elisha's work. The contrast between Elijah's dramatic
• 2:06:24
  Speaker 1: departure and Elisha's quiet beginning also illustrated different aspects of
• 2:06:30
  Speaker 1: God's character and his ways of working in the world.
• 2:06:34
  Speaker 1: Elijah's translation in the Fiery Chariot demonstrated God's power and
• 2:06:39
  Speaker 1: glory in spectacular fashion. Elisha's healing of the Bitter Waters
• 2:06:45
  Speaker 1: showed God's compassion and concern for practical human needs. Both
• 2:06:50
  Speaker 1: aspects were important for helping people understand the full nature
• 2:06:55
  Speaker 1: of divine love and power. The establishment of Elisha as
• 2:06:59
  Speaker 1: the new prophet of Israel, also fulfilled the promise that
• 2:07:02
  Speaker 1: God had made to Elijah years earlier at Mount Horeb,
• 2:07:07
  Speaker 1: when Elijah had felt discouraged and alone, God had told
• 2:07:11
  Speaker 1: him that he would anoint a successor who would continue
• 2:07:15
  Speaker 1: the prophetic ministry. Now that promise had been fulfilled, and
• 2:07:19
  Speaker 1: the work of calling Israel back to faithfulness would continue
• 2:07:22
  Speaker 1: under new leadership, the double portion of spirit that Elisha
• 2:07:27
  Speaker 1: had requested and received would prove to be exactly what
• 2:07:30
  Speaker 1: was needed for the challenges that lay ahead. The biblical
• 2:07:34
  Speaker 1: record shows that Elisha performed twice as many recorded miracles
• 2:07:38
  Speaker 1: as Elijah, demonstrating that God had indeed granted his request
• 2:07:43
  Speaker 1: for greater spiritual power. This enhanced anointing would enable him
• 2:07:48
  Speaker 1: to minister effectively during a time when Israel's needs were
• 2:07:52
  Speaker 1: particularly great and when the opposition to true religion remained strong.
• 2:07:58
  Speaker 1: The successful transition from Elijah to Elisha also provided a
• 2:08:03
  Speaker 1: model for leadership succession that would be important for future generations.
• 2:08:09
  Speaker 1: It showed that God's work continues from one generation to
• 2:08:12
  Speaker 1: the next, that proper preparation and training are essential for
• 2:08:16
  Speaker 1: effective ministry, and that divine power is available to each
• 2:08:20
  Speaker 1: generation of faithful servants who are willing to seek it
• 2:08:24
  Speaker 1: and use it according to God's purposes. If this story
• 2:08:28
  Speaker 1: has touched your heart and strengthened your faith, I encourage
• 2:08:32
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• 2:08:35
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• 2:08:39
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• 2:08:41
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• 2:08:49
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• 2:08:53
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• 2:08:57
  Speaker 1: hearts and strength to weary souls. Your share might be
• 2:09:01
  Speaker 1: exactly what someone needs to hear to day. Thank you
• 2:09:05
  Speaker 1: for joining me on this amazing journey through scripture. Until
• 2:09:08
  Speaker 1: next time, may you walk in the same faith and
• 2:09:11
  Speaker 1: boldness that characterize these two great men of God.