God can bring a blessing through an unclean vessel because the entire world is His. He gives us one step at a time, just like He did with Elijah. OBEDIENCE AND THE WILL OF GOD A) Prompt Obedience B) Perfect Obedience 3. The temptation to false ideas and harsh thoughts of God are so near. 6 He drank water from the brook, and ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and every evening. Has God forgotten me?. God was in control, He would not let His servant suffer needlessly. 1 King 17:2-7. 1) God commanded and the ravens came. God Led Him. Very difficult. Sometimes a Cherith experience is there to get the world out of us. The acquisition of spiritual power is impossible unless we hide ourselves from men and from ourselves in some gorge where we may absorb the power of the eternal God (Martin). In this way, God taught Elijah to depend on God . When he went there, there was a nice stream of water with plenty to drink. No matter the circumstances we will always find God adequate. Elijah told the current king (Ahab) that there will be a drought in the land of Israel. Elijah gets a command to go to Zarephath and the widow gets a command to feed Elijah; God promises to sustain Elijah and Elijah promises the widow that her cruse of meal will never finish. There is no doubt a measure of foresight behind this for as the reality of the drought increasingly set in and began to cost king and nation it would be matched by an increasing hatred of Elijah. And this length of time can only be obtained by allowing more than two years for Elijah's stay at Zarephath. Some Time Later, the Brook Dried Up. Look at verses 8-10. Could you observe air-drag on an ISS spacewalk? Be like Elijah trust and wait and Gods Word of guidance and help will come! It wasnt just for a little while that he stayed there, he continued day after day. Though Ahab might have at first ridiculed Elijahs announcement, yet when neither of these rains fell in their season, he was incensed against the prophet as the cause of the national judgment, and compelled him, with Gods direction, to consult his safety in flight. God Is the Single Source of Supply a) The Supply That Dried Up b) The Supplier That Spoke Up 2. But in this scripture, he was locked down at the Brook Cherith . Maintain your trust and continue your worship. Cherith is a place of isolation. Elijah obeys and goes to Zarephath . How could it last? How do we build on it. This must have come as a surprise to the prophet. Reading: 1 Kings 17. Have we not know this in our own Christian service? 1 Kings 17:3 Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.. 1 Kings Chapter 17. Remember that being in the centre of Gods will is not always made known by the flow of circumstances, that sometimes He removes blessings or changes circumstances even though we are being obedient to His revealed will. "Trusting God in Difficult Times" by Community Bible Church at their YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/cbcofbeaufort. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. They employed 850 prophets of Baal and his . How easy it is to make the service which God trusts us with a pedestal on which to display ourselves. rev2023.1.17.43168. As Christians, our duty is to trust God even when the brooks dry up and to keep moving forward, trusting that God will provide for and sustain His people. But birds carrying food wouldve aroused no interest. Elijah was obedient to God's word and he went to the Kerith Ravine. The name Kerith means a "cutting" or "separation." By this method God makes us dependent upon Him rather than upon ourselves. From Ahab's slaughterhouse. So Elijah comes into his presence and brings this word of judgement to Ahab. The "brook Cherith" (NASB), or the "ravine Kerith" (NIV), was one of the many waddies or ravines that emptied its waters into the Jordan from the mountains to the east. Let us remember that though such times may come upon us unexpectantly, but they are never unexpected to God. Either approach addresses the apparent contradiction, and some commentators, such as John Wesley, mention both and do not express a preference. There are 12 kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and 3 kings of the Southern Kingdom (the Kingdom of Judah). The nation had already had the tap of refreshing moisture turned off, and now having been given a prophet he is immediately removed. (1 Kings 18:1 NLT), And soon the sky was black with clouds. It is surely no coincidence that God lead him to a quiet place where the only continual sound would be the rippling of this brook. CHERITH, THE BROOK. Since our start, we've aided two companies in their pursuit to help victims of human trafficking and have donated over $1,000 to The Exodus Road as well as made donations to spread the Gospel by partnering with Living Waters and Answers in Genesis. Elijah had a clear statement of Gods will, and He obeyed. So it was in the third year of the drought that the rains came ending it. How we should make use of the opportunities God gives us lest they be taken from us. 1 Kings 17v7-16 1. As we are reminded in John 15 where Jesus said Abide in Me and I in you this fellowship of mutual abiding is ever our portion, and how more clearly are such times to explore and enjoy it. US English. Remember, in verse 1, Elijah confronted King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Even a river would have been regarded as insufficient. Now we now that Elijah was not here at the brook Cherith because he was running away from risky ministry; nor because he thought it wise or best, in fact he may have thought otherwise. What we have in view, of course, in the first place, is the servant of the Lord. 2 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. As we accomplish one thing from the Lord we neither give ourselves to idleness as if there is nothing more to do, nor do we give ourselves over to despair wondering how we will do what comes next for as we step out in faith we know we will find that God has prepared a stepping stone, and another each appearing as we come to it. - 1 Kings 18:40 : Elijah asks God for heavy rains to end the drought. 1 Kings 17:2-9. In the dynamics of divine Providence, Elijah was scheduled to experience another miracle in another place. Keil and Delitzsch call this the "most simple and natural" understanding: The time given, "the third year," is not to be reckoned, as the Rabbins, Clericus, Thenius, and others assume, from the commencement of the drought, but from the event last mentioned, namely, the sojourn of Elijah at Zarephath. I read about George Mueller during the week and I thought this man is unbelievable. 4 And it shall . Alistair Begg. That Elijah learned his lesson well is seen in what he said to the widow in v.13,14. We are not forsaken. He was living in the centre of Gods revealed will. Paul, straight after he was saved, spent virtually eleven years in obscurity in the desert. It is the very essence of faith to take hold of those truths and to trust implicitly in the wisdom and goodness of God especially when to our limited human wisdom and perspective everything seems to be absolutely irrational and totally out of Gods control. Elijah was destined for even greater heights of service, but he was not ready for that yet. But it was a self-originated zeal. James and Luke say the drought lasted for three and a half years. Zarephath: And Elijah would not live long in that climate without water. He stayed put right up until the brook dried up completely! Here he was to be alone for at least a year without human company. 69% off the Combat gear pack at AlphaDefense.com. He was fed by God. But God has commanded the ravens to actually feed him. If at this time you have yielded to this temptation to throw in the towel of faith and to rely on your own thoughts or on someone else, if your zeal for Christ has diminished, your spirit of devotion is dying, if you find no delight in prayer, nothing to give praise and thanksgiving for, and can find nothing about you to stir you up and encourage you remember Him who said of His vineyard in Isaiah 27:3, Intentionally Biblical, Confessional, Presbyterian and Reformed, Church Planting and School of Discipleship, Philippines. How many there are of whose worldly comforts it may be said: "After a while the brook dried up." One man is settled in life, with circumstances all that could be desired, and he contemplates the . So God's provision came in two ways to Elijah; there was the natural provision in that there was a brook from which he obtained the water he needed to survive. Life itself is a diminishing provision. God saw the need for Elijah to keep things in perspective, and there is nothing like quiet times where we are alone with the Lord to help us find that. In answering this let us note that Elijah's removal was: 1. This lesson plan is next in the series following Elijah confronts Ahab . Difficult. God told Elijah, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there" (1 Kings 17:9). It would have been a tragedy for the prophet to remain longer in the wilderness. There are three things I gleaned from this passage that I believe God was teaching Elijah. So what did Joseph do? Then he went through a type of crucible at a place called Zarephath. Well Elijah didn't - he stayed put. So this is the second lesson. (Luke 4:25 NLT). Libby. Login . God provided for Elijah here by using ravens to bring him food and the brook to provide him water. The shortest road distance between the brook cherith to Zarephath is 1870 Mi. Each appearance of the ravens was a reminder of being in Gods will, and in God was ministering to him through those unlikely instruments, and even in that apparently unlikely place of isolation. What a picture of human life this is! zar'-e-fath (tsarephath; Sarepta): The Sidonian town in which Elijah was entertained by a widow after he left the brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:9).Obadiah refers to it as a Canaanite (probably meaning Phoenicia) town (Obadiah 1:20).It appears in the Greek form Sarepta in Luke 4:26 (the King James Version), and is said to be in the land of Sidon. In this God was teaching Elijah to trust Him contrary to sight. The fact that the text says Elijah travelled day and night would presumably indicate at least 10-12 hours a day, leaving time for breaks and sleep. Take heart. At first we yield a timid obedience to the command of God which seems to involve a multitude of difficulties. God had commanded him to go and hide by the brook Cherith and had commanded the ravens to feed him there. The brook dries up! On The Road With Elijah To Zarephath (Pt.1) (2 of 13) Series: On the Road with Elijah Ken Trivette 1 Kings 17:8-16 Outline 1. There he remained until the brook dried up from lack of rain. US English. Let's look at 1 Kings 17:6: And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. Normally we want a road map on life. You can be the one to help make a difference by purchasing a shirt (coming soon to the blog in a few weeks) or by ordering a downloadable product currently in the store, in which proceeds will go to nonprofits that seek to give a voice to the voiceless. 1 /5. One morning Elijah noticed that the brook wasn't gushing over the rocks or running as freely as it had in days past. Moses was forty years in the backside of the desert. The third thing that interests me here is that God led him to a brook that was drying up. in 1 Kings 17:2 and 3 we read: And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan. Visit the store to grab your Be the Light shirt today before theyre gone! And indeed, twice daily, in the morning and in the evening, the ravens came and brought him bread and meat from the royal table of the King of Judah . Cherith, as mentioned earlier, means 'a cutting away'. Only you can answer that but you need to hear from God just as we saw that Elijah waited upon the Lord. Browse other questions tagged, Like any library, Christianity Stack Exchange offers great information, but, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site, Learn more about Stack Overflow the company. "The word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. Even with those things that never come clear to us we can still trust His goodness in them; we can rest in the confidence that God is doing and always does what is right. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. So Elijah did what the Lord had told him. Elijah 's message and the meaning of his name go together like a fresh glass of milk and warm cookies. God was determined there would be none to stand in the gap. How can we be sure the Old Testament is accurate if Elijah was the only prophet left? And in the same way that God commanded ravens, He would also command a widow to provide for His servant Elijah in yet another remarkable way. God always speaks when it is needed, not beforehand. 6. They had spurned it, now they will be deprived of it. 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