Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 154

Lessons from their lives, talk 20 – John the Baptist

 

Welcome to talk 20 in our series, Lessons from their lives. Today our subject is John the Baptist.

 

Jesus said he was the greatest man who ever lived!

Filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb…

…he had been chosen by God to prepare the way of the Lord.

He preached that people should repent – and they did!

All Jerusalem and all Judea went out to be baptised by John in the Jordan.

No wonder Jesus said he was the greatest… (11)

 

And yet…

THE GREATEST OF THE PROPHETS IS OVERWHELMED WITH DOUBT!    

 

Let’s read Matthew 11:2-11

2 When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples

3 to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see:

 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.

9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

10 This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’

 11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

 

So John was questioning whether Jesus really was the one he had devoted his life to proclaiming.   Are you the one? (v.3)

 

Let’s consider:

The nature of his doubt, the cause of his doubt, the remedy for doubt.

 

The Nature of his Doubt.   He was doubting:

 

His own testimony – one mightier than I – the Lamb of God…

 

The testimony of Scripture (Isa. 61) – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…

 

The testimony of God himself (Jesus’ baptism) – This is my beloved Son

 

The Cause of his Doubt

Circumstances – he was in prison v.2, the victim of injustice. Why?

Lack of fellowship

The apparent non-fulfilment of a promise (‘set the prisoner free’). Why not?

 

The Remedy for Doubt – 5 things

 

Talking to Jesus about it

John sent a message to Jesus

 

Hearing from God afresh

Jesus had an answer for John

 

Recognising the need for fellowship

v4 ‘GO, and show…’

 

Emphasising the promises that HAVE been fulfilled (v.5)

In this connection we need:

         Patience – not all God’s promises are fulfilled at the same time.

         Right understanding of Scripture  (spiritual fulfilment)

 

Submitting to the will of God (v.6)

We must not be offended by God’s will for our lives. When John did that, deliverance came! He was set free from the prison – but not as he had expected!

 

Some promises – especially with regard to the body – will not reach final fulfilment until the redemption of the body at the resurrection.

 

Is God cheating us in this way? By no means. We have no grounds for resentment. See Hebrews 11:35

 

Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain A BETTER RESURRECTION.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 153

Lessons from their lives Talk 19 – Mary

Welcome to talk 19 in our series lessons from their lives. Today our subject is Mary the mother of Jesus.

 

The passage we will be looking at is Luke 1:26-56. The version I am using today is the ESV. It would be good, if you can, to have your bible open in Luke 1. As it is a lengthy passage I won’t take time to read it all, but here’s a brief summary.

 

A young woman called Mary is pledged to be married to a man named Joseph. The passage makes it very clear that Mary is still a virgin. The angel Gabriel appears to her and tells her that she will conceive and give birth to a son and that she is to give him the name Jesus. Naturally Mary is puzzled by this and asks:

 

34. ‘How will this be… since I am a virgin?’

 

The angel replies that this miracle will be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon her and that nothing is impossible with God – no word from God will ever fail. Mary answers:

 

 I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled

 

and the angel leaves her. Mary goes to the home of her cousin Elizabeth and as soon as Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting the baby in her womb leaps for joy and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaims in a loud voice:

 

42… ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  43. But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44. As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  45. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!’

 

To which Mary responds:

 

46. …My soul glorifies the Lord
47. and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48. for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49. for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name…

Now obviously Mary’s experience is unique in human history.

The child she wants to bear was unique and so her experience will never be repeated. But that does not mean that there are no lessons that we can learn from it. We can learn certain principles which teach us what makes a miracle possible.

 

Now clearly it is God himself who makes a miracle possible and so we will begin by looking at the divine perspective. However, human cooperation is often necessary for the miracle to take place and we will consider the human perspective as well.

 

The Divine Perspective

Mary’s experience teaches us that miracles are possible because of:

 

Who God is

37. For no word from God will ever fail. (Or, nothing will be impossible with God).

 

His favour (grace)

30. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. (Cf. V.28 highly favoured). Cf. Luke 4:18ff.

 

His presence

28. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’

 

His power

34. ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’
35. The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

 

His promises

31. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
32. and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.’

 

Note: the personal promise to Mary – you will conceive…

The universal promise to us all – he will reign etc.

The human perspective

 

Mary has a very clear word from God

 

26. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth

 

Mary believes the promise

 

45. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!’

 

Mary gives thanks to God

 

46. And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord

 

Despite the great privilege that God has granted her, Mary remains humble

 

47. and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48. for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

 

Mary submits to God’s will and dedicates her life to God’s service

 

38. ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.”

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 152

Lessons from their lives Talk 18

Zechariah and Elizabeth

 

Luke 1:5-25

5. In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
6. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
7. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9. he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshippers were praying outside.
11. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
14. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
15. for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
16. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
17. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’
18. Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well on in years.’
19. The angel said to him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
20. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.’
21. Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple.
22. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realised he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23. When his time of service was completed, he returned home.
24. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
25. ‘The Lord has done this for me,’ she said. ‘In these days he has shown his favour and taken away my disgrace among the people.’

 

1. Good people have problems
2. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
3. But they were childless…

 

2. Our problems should not keep us from serving the Lord
3. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God…
4. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him…

 

3. Our problems should not stop us from praying
4. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.

 

4. Long-standing problems should not cause us to doubt God’s word
5. Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well on in years.’

 

Contrast Mary:    34. How will this be?

 

5. It is our timing that is often wrong
6. …you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.

 

6. God fulfils his promises despite our doubts
7. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant…

 

7. God has a purpose for the old as well as the young
8. His mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
9. Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied

 

We may have to learn obedience through discipline, but it is God’s will for young and old alike that we:

 

• Be filled with the Spirit
• Praise God
• Prophesy

Lessons from their lives Podcast Episode 151

Lessons from their lives talk 17 – Jonah

Welcome to talk 17 in our series Lessons from their lives. Today our subject is Jonah. To remind ourselves of the story we’ll read the first chapter and then a few verses from chapters 2 and 3.

 

Jonah 1:1-17

1. The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:
2. ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’
3. But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
4. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
5. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
6. The captain went to him and said, ‘How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.’
7. Then the sailors said to each other, ‘Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.’ They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
8. So they asked him, ‘Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?’
9. He answered, ‘I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’
10. This terrified them and they asked, ‘What have you done?’ (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)
11. The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, ‘What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?’
12. ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ he replied, ‘and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.’
13. Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
14. Then they cried out to the Lord, ‘Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.’
15. Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
16. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.
17. Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

 

2:1, 10

2:1. From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God…

10. And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

 

3:1-5, 10

3:1. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:

2. ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’
3. Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.
4. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.’
5. The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

 

10. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

 

Why was Nineveh to be destroyed?

The book of Jonah doesn’t tell us much about Nineveh’s wickedness, but Nahum, prophesying over a century later, does. Nineveh was guilty of:

• Plotting against God (Nahum 1:7-9, 11)
• Cruelty in war (3:1-3)
• Idolatry, prostitution and witchcraft (3:4)

 

Plotting against God (Nahum 1:7-9, 11)

7. The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,
8. but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.
9. Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.

 

11. From you, Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the Lord and devises wicked plans.

 

Cruelty in war (3:1-3)

1. Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!
2. The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots!
3. Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses

 

Idolatry, prostitution and witchcraft (3:4)

4…all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.

 

No wonder God said it was to be destroyed (Jonah 3:4)

But it wasn’t destroyed! Why?

Because Nineveh believed and repented (3:5)

God had compassion on them (3:9-10)

God’s anger at sin is because of his love.

 

But this story raises the problem of unfulfilled prophecy.

In Jonah 1:2 God says:

 

‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’

 

In Jonah 3:4 we read

Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.’

 

Was Jonah adding to the message God had given him?

Or had he received further clarification on what God was saying?

Either way the fact that God did not do what he had originally said is covered by the general principle taught in Jeremiah 18:7-10:

 

7. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,
8. and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.
9. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,
10. and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

 

The fact that Nahum, prophesying over a century later was predicting the downfall of Nineveh shows that Nineveh’s repentance was only temporary.

 

Who was Jonah?

The son of Amittai (1:1). Also mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25.

He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, the king of Israel from 793-753 BC. This means that he lived at the same time as Elisha and may have been one of Elisha’s school of the prophets.

 

As we have seen, God told Jonah

 

‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’

 

Yet Jonah didn’t want to go! He didn’t like what God had told him, so he ran away. In the opposite direction- west instead of east! Why?

He thought the people might repent! He didn’t want God to have mercy on Nineveh.

 

Lessons to be learned from all this

 

God has a plan for your life (1:1-2)

The word of the Lord came… Go

 

God gives you a choice about it (1:3)

Jonah ran away. God does not force us. We can say no.

 

God is very persistent (1:4)

The Lord sent a great wind.

 

Our disobedience may affect others

E.g. the sailors and Nineveh

 

 

God is in charge of circumstances

1:4 the Lord sent a great wind

1:7 the lot fell on Jonah

1:14 you, Lord, have done as you pleased

1:17 the Lord provided a huge fish

2:1 the Lord commanded the fish

 

If you go astray, and repent, God can put you back on track (1:12+17)

I know that it is my fault… the Lord provided…

 

No matter where you are, you can never get away from God (2:1).

Even inside a fish!

 

The purpose of it all – the salvation of sinners (3:10)

Jonah, like Israel in general, had forgotten that it was their mission to share God’s love with others (Genesis 12:3). Are we in danger of doing the same?

 

 

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 150

Lessons from their lives – Talk 16 – Daniel – Innocence, Character, Gifting

Welcome to Talk 16 in our series, Lessons from their lives. Today our subject is Daniel, a man whose life powerfully affected world rulers and brought them to acknowledge the greatness of God. After the well known story of Daniel’s deliverance from the den of lions, listen to what the powerful emperor Darius wrote:

26. I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. ‘For he is the living God and he endures for ever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.
27. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions (Daniel 6:26-27).

Note:

• God is still very much alive – he is the living God and he endures for ever
• It is possible to know him personally – the God of Daniel
• He does solve very real problems – he rescued Daniel from the power of the lions
• He most certainly does work miracles – he performs signs and wonders
• He does still intervene in human affairs – his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.

What kind of a man was Daniel who could demonstrate to the world of his day the reality and power of God? As we examine the story of his life we discover that Daniel was:

• Innocent in the sight of God
• A man of character
• A man gifted by God

Daniel was innocent in the sight of God

Note first that those who tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent  (v.4)

But more importantly verse 22 tells us that he was innocent in the sight of God.

My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty (v.22).

Daniel was innocent in the sight of God? Isn’t that taking things a bit far? Surely no one is perfect. Absolutely right. The Bible says:

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God

We all like sheep have gone astray

If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.

What then of Daniel? Look at verse 23.

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

Here we see the reason for Daniel’s right standing with God. His innocence before God is linked with his faith in God. He trusted in God. He believed in his God.

I see in this a parallel with Genesis 15:6 where we read that Abraham believed in the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness.

The apostle Paul quotes this verse in Romans as he takes up his great theme of justification by faith. In chapter 3 we read:

Therefore no-one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. 20.

…a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 28.

And in Romans 5:1-2 we read:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…

But faith in what?

Romans 3:22-25

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood – to be received by faith…

Daniel was a man of character

In chapter 1 we discover that when Daniel went for training in the king’s palace…

Daniel 1:5, 8

5. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself in this way.

The king’s meat and wine had been offered to idols and Daniel knew it. He could not pretend that he did not know it.

He knew that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

A choice lay before him:

disfavour with the king or disfavour with the Almighty God?

Daniel resolved not to defile himself.

He knew what was right and he stuck to it. No matter how much it cost.

Now let’s go back to the story of Daniel and the lions in chapter 6 and look at it in more detail.

Daniel had been appointed as one of three chief ministers in the kingdom.  He distinguished himself so much among them by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

So the chief ministers tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so because he was trustworthy and wasn’t corrupt or negligent.

Finally they said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’ So they hatched a plot and went to the king and suggested that the king should issue a decree that anyone who prayed to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to the king himself should  be thrown into the lions’ den. So King Darius put the decree in writing.

Once again Daniel was faced with a choice, to obey God or to obey men. His decision is well known. When he learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before (Daniel 6:10).

When the men found Daniel praying and asking God for help they reported it to the king who, sorry though he was to do it, ordered Daniel to be thrown into the den of lions. We’ll continue the story by reading Daniel 6:16-23:

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!’

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.

Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’

Daniel answered, ‘May the king live for ever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.’

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

The whole story reveals Daniel to be a man of faultless character, a man of faith and courage, a man prepared to die rather than disobey God.

Daniel was gifted by God

Natural ability

When Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem he led away captive certain of the most able young men to be trained in his royal palace.

Daniel 1:3-4

3. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility –
4. young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.

Daniel was one of those young men, but he was not the only one. There were others like him. What made Daniel stand about from among the rest?

Supernaturally gifted

But Daniel’s gifts extended beyond the natural. He was supernaturally gifted. Daniel 1:17 reveals both the natural and supernatural dimensions in his life:

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

As we read on in chapters 2, 4 and 5, Daniel’s supernatural ability to understand visions and dreams of all kinds is illustrated very clearly.

In chapter 2 he is able not only to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, but to tell him what the dream was! Daniel’s prophetic interpretation of this dream was of great historical significance revealing the course of world history for centuries to follow and culminating in the universal and eternal kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daniel 2:44-45

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure for ever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands – a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. ‘The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.’

Note the impact this had on Nebuchadnezzar:

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honour and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.’ (vv.46-47).

Compare Daniel 4:34-37 where Nebuchadnezzar praises God after coming out of a period of insanity that Daniel had predicted by his interpretation of another of the king’s dreams:

At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes towards heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honoured and glorified him who lives for ever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No-one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’ At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honour and splendour were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisors and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

How we need more people of prophetic insight in the church today through whom world leaders will be brought to their knees!

To summarise, Daniel was a person who was innocent in God’s sight because of his faith, a man of uncompromising integrity to whom God had given great natural and supernatural gifts. As a result he demonstrated to powerful world leaders that:

• There is a God who is the living God and who endures for ever
• It is possible to know him personally
• He does solve very real problems – he rescued Daniel from the power of the lions
• He most certainly does work miracles – he performs signs and wonders
• He does intervene in human affairs – his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.

Of course, we can’t all be like Daniel. But we can pray that God will raise up a prophetic voice that will change the hearts of national and world leaders. And if we are innocent in God’s sight because of our trust in Jesus, we can make sure that we are people of integrity and look to God to endow us with the supernatural gifts of the Spirit that will equip us for the task he has for each of us to do.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 149

Lessons from their lives Talk 15 – Ezekiel

Welcome to talk 15 in our series lessons from their lives. Today our subject is Ezekiel. In our last talk we were looking at Jeremiah who was called by the Lord to minister to God’s people in Jerusalem. Ezekiel lived at the same time in Babylon and prophesied to God’s people who were exiled in captivity there.

Ezekiel 1:1-3

1. In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2. On the fifth of the month – it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin –
3. the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the River Kebar in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him.

Note:

Ezekiel and the people exiled with him were in a bad situation

Psalm 137:1-3

1. By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
2. There on the poplars we hung our harps,
3. for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’

Despite this, he experienced amazing manifestations of God’s presence

1. the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2. the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, …the hand of the Lord was on him.

But this didn’t happen immediately

2. …it was the fifth year of the exile…

God sometimes keeps us waiting before the heavens are opened

As we shall see, there are many parallels between the situation then and the situation in which we find ourselves as Christians today.

We will be concentrating on the first three chapters of the book of Ezekiel and will be considering:

• The people to whom he was called to minister
• The nature of his call
• The outworking of his call

The people to whom he was called to minister

Notice how God describes them in Ezekiel 2:3-8:

3. He said: ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.
4. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says.”
5. And whether they listen or fail to listen – for they are a rebellious people – they will know that a prophet has been among them.
6. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.
7. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.
8. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.’”

So Ezekiel’s audience were rebellious, obstinate and stubborn.

God describes them as briers, thorns and scorpions.

Some people are like that today, but by no means everyone. Some are just waiting to hear the good news. We must speak God’s word to all, whether they listen or not (v7).

The nature of his call

In chapter 1 Ezekiel describes an awesome vision of the chariot throne of God. This is one of the hardest passages of scripture to understand. But it’s clear that he saw a vision of God’s transcendent power and majesty.

25. …the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
26. Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.
27. Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.
28. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.
29. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Note:

The frequent repetition of the word like

The reference to God appearing like a man

The effect this had on Ezekiel

The disciples had similar experiences in the NT (Acts 2 tongues like fire)

So there’s no reason that we can’t too.

However, God does not always call in such a dramatic way (fishermen in Matthew 4).

Today the God’s glory has been revealed in the person of Jesus

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

The outworking of his call

Ezekiel was called to speak for God whether or not the people listened. So are we.

To do this he would need:

Strength – an equally stubborn determination to stand for the truth

Ezekiel 3:7-9

7. But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.
8. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.
9. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.’

The Spirit

Ezekiel 2:2

As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

Ezekiel 3:12, 14, 24

12. Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.
13. The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me.
14. Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: ‘Go, shut yourself inside your house.

Until the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost few people had any personal experience of the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel says twice in this passage the Spirit came into me. However, as Christians we have the privilege of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

The effect of the Spirit coming to Ezekiel was to put him on his feet.

Note also how the Spirit is connected with Ezekiel hearing God speak.

The Scroll 

Ezekiel 2:8-3:4

8. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.’
9. Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me.
10. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.

 

1. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.’
2. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3. Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.’ So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4. He then said to me: ‘Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.

The scroll contained God’s words. We need to feed on God’s word every day. We need to be filled with it. Whatever we speak to other people must be based on his word. The message contains a warning of judgment, which to many is unpalatable, but to us it is sweet!

To sit among the people

Ezekiel 3:15

I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the River Kebar. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days – deeply distressed.

If we really want to reach people for Jesus we must:

Come to them

Sit among them

Identify with their predicament

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 148

Lessons from their lives Talk 14 – Jeremiah

Welcome to Talk 14 in our series, Lessons from their lives. Today our subject is Jeremiah. If you can, please have your Bible open at Jeremiah chapters 1 and 2. We will be considering:

1. The people to whom he was called to minister
2. The privilege he enjoyed in this situation
3. The preparation he received for this formidable task
4. The pronouncements of judgement he was called to deliver
5. The protection he was given from those who would oppose him.

The people to whom he was called to minister

Jeremiah was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem approximately 600 years before Christ. The task to which God called him was by no means easy. The people to whom he was called to minister were particularly rebellious.

This is made clear in chapter 2 of his prophecy where God complains that, despite all his goodness to them in the past (6-7), the nation has changed its gods (11).

They have exchanged the glory of God himself for worthless idols.

They have committed two sins (12):

• They have forsaken God, the spring of living water
• They have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

The fundamental problem was that they did not ask, Where is the Lord? (6).

What’s more, even the religious leaders did not ask, Where is the Lord? The lawmakers did not know him and the leaders rebelled against him (8). 

What a picture of modern society!

Now back to chapter 1.

The privilege Jeremiah enjoyed in this situation

The word of the Lord came to him! And not just once. It kept on coming. What a privilege it is to know specifically when God has spoken to us.

1. The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
2. The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah,
3. and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

4. The word of the Lord came to me…
5. But the Lord said to me…

11. The word of the Lord came to me…
12. The Lord said to me…

13. The word of the Lord came to me again…
14. The Lord said to me…

The preparation he received for this formidable task

Before his birth

5. ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’

Before Jeremiah was born, God was creating him in his mother’s womb

Before God created him he knew his purpose for Jeremiah’s life

He set Jeremiah apart for this purpose and appointed him to fulfil it.

We might say that God genetically programmed Jeremiah specifically for the task to which he would call him.

This is true for all of us. Discovering God’s will for our life involves recognising the natural talents and strengths he has built into us.

Have you discovered God’s purpose for your life yet? Are you willing to fulfil it?

At his call

6. ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am too young.’ 7. But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am too young.” You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.
7. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.
8. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I have put my words in your mouth.
9. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’

God’s command

7. ‘Do not say, “I am too young.” You must go…

God’s presence

8. I am with you and will rescue you

God’s word

9. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I have put my words in your mouth.
10. The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see the branch of an almond tree,’ I replied.
11. The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’

God’s authority

10. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’

The authority God gave here was specific to Jeremiah. The lesson for us is that God gives us authority for whatever task he calls us to do.

Compare  what God says to Jeremiah in these verses with what he says to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20:

Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’

Note Jesus’ authority, his command, his word and his presence.

The pronouncements of judgement he was called to deliver

13. The word of the Lord came to me again: ‘What do you see?’ ‘I see a pot that is boiling,’ I answered. ‘It is tilting towards us from the north.’ 14. The Lord said to me, ‘From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land.
14. I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,’ declares the Lord. ‘Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah.
15. I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshipping what their hands have made.

The message God gives us may well be different from that which he gave to Jeremiah. However, the principle remains true. God will not tolerate sin. As Christians we must not be afraid to deliver God’s message of judgement as well as the glorious opportunity of salvation.

The protection he was given from those who would oppose him

17. ‘Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.
18. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land – against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land.
19. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.

God reassures Jeremiah of his protection, but this does not mean that he would not face considerable problems as he fulfil God’s will for his life. But God saw him through, and he will see us through if we surrender to his will. In the words of the apostle Paul:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.

So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 147

Lessons from their lives Talk 13 – Uzziah – Secrets and Dangers of Success

Welcome to Talk 13 in our series, Lessons from their lives. Today our subject is Uzziah, the king of Judah who was highly successful in many ways, but who in the end failed miserably. His story is found in 2 Chronicles 26.

But first, let’s make it clear that it is God’s will for his people that they should be successful!

Joshua 1:7-8

7. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
8. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalms 1:1-3

1. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2. but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
3. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.

The first 15 verses of 2 Chronicles 26 teach us a great deal about the nature and secrets of Uzziah’s success. The remaining verses teach us a sad lesson about the dangers of success.

Ways in which Uzziah was successful

He defeated the enemy

6. He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines.
7. God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites.

Of course, the Philistines remind us of the story of David and Goliath. The Philistines were a source of constant fear among God’s people. But God helped him against the Philistines. We cannot be successful if we are constantly in fear, but thank God he is able to help us.

He prospered materially

8. The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.
9. Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them.
10. He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain.

 He was respected internationally

8. The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful. 

15. …His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.

 The Secret of his Success

…he was helped (15)

He helped himself

In verse 8, where NIV translates

he had become very powerful

KJV has

he strengthened himself exceedingly

And although the word himself is not part of the original text, it is clear from the surrounding context that Uzziah worked extremely hard. He was engaged in a vast amount of building activity.

2. He was the one who rebuilt Elath… 

6. He … rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines.

9. Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them.
10. He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain.

He was helped by the people

11. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials.
12. The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. 13. Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies.

Why did they help him?

Not just because he was the king.

He was achieving things

He looked after them

14. Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armour, bows and slingstones for the entire army.

He was helped by God

His name means YAWEH IS MY STRENGTH

7. God helped him…

 Why?

4. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord… 

5. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God.

 As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.

 

The Danger of Success 

16. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
17. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in.
18. They confronted King Uzziah and said, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honoured by the Lord God.’
19. Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.
20. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.
21. King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

His heart

16. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God…

 Cf. His father Amaziah

He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.

2 Chronicles 25:2

His transgression

16. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.

 His punishment

19. Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.
20. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.
21. King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house – leprous, and excluded from the temple of the Lord.

But that’s not the end of the story!

Isaiah 6:1-3

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’

GOD is still on the throne.

Uzziah dies, but Isaiah is commissioned.

His name YAWEH IS SALVATION summarises his message of:

The virgin-born Immanuel

The child born and the son given, whose name is

Wonderful, counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the prince of peace

The branch from the root of Jesse

The king who shall reign in righteousness

The one who feeds his flock like a shepherd

The servant in whom God finds his delight

The man of sorrows and acquainted with grief

The lamb brought to the slaughter

Salvation to the ends of the earth

The worldwide reign of the Messiah

New heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells.

The most successful of men may fail, but not the Lord Jesus.

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 11:15.     

Hallelujah!

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 146

Lessons from their lives Talk 12 – Elisha

 

Welcome to Talk 12 in our series, Lessons from their lives. Today our subject is Elisha.

 

Elisha is one of the best known of the Old Testament prophets.

He is well known for the amazing miracles he performed. These are mainly found in 2 Kings chapters 2-6 and include:

 

• Parting the waters of the Jordan (2 Kings 2:14)
• Multiplying the widow’s oil (4:1ff)
• Restoring the Shunamite’s son to life (4:8ff)
• Curing Naaman’s leprosy (5:1ff)
• Floating the iron axe head (6:1ff)
• Smiting the Aramaens with blindness (6:18).

 

What was the secret of his powerful ministry?

 

He was chosen by God and anointed for service

 

1 Kings 19:15-16

 

15.The Lord said to him (Elijah)…

16. … anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.

 

Elisha’s call was expressed in a very simple way

 

19. So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.

 

Elisha was eager to follow Elijah

 

20. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,’ he said, ‘and then I will come with you.’ ‘Go back,’ Elijah replied. ‘What have I done to you?’

 

Elisha was willing to make a complete break with the past

 

He was prepared to say goodbye to his family

 

20. … ‘Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,’ he said, ‘and then I will come with you.’ ‘Go back,’ Elijah replied. ‘What have I done to you?’

 

He sacrificed the material things which had given him security

 

21. So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the ploughing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

 

He became Elijah’s servant and was willing to play second fiddle to him

 

21. …Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

 

All this was before he even started.

To see the start of his ministry we must now turn to:

 

2 Kings 2:1-15

 

1. When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel.
3. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?’ ‘Yes, I know,’ Elisha replied, ‘so be quiet.’
4. Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went to Jericho.
5. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?’ ‘Yes, I know,’ he replied, ‘so be quiet.’
6. Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them walked on.
7. Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan.
8. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ ‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.
10. ‘You have asked a difficult thing,’ Elijah said, ‘yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise, it will not.’
11. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
12. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
13. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
15. The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, ‘The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.’ And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

 

In this passage we see even more clearly the secrets of Elisha’s success. We’ve already noticed his eagerness to follow Elijah. As we shall see, is rooted in his longing for:

 

• Fellowshhip with Elijah
• The power of Elijah
• The God of Elijah.

 

Fellowship with Elijah

 

2. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel.

 

4. Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went to Jericho.
5. Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them walked on.

 

11. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

 

The power of Elijah

 

9. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?’ ‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.
10. ‘You have asked a difficult thing,’ Elijah said, ‘yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise, it will not.’
11. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
12. Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
13. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

 

The God of Elijah

 

14. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

 

How does all this apply to us?

One way to understand the passage we’ve just been looking at is to see Elijah’s departure into heaven as a prophetic symbol of Christ’s ascension described by Luke in Acts 1.

As Elisha saw Elijah taken from him into heaven, so the disciples saw Jesus taken from them.

Elijah’s cloak symbolises the Holy Spirit. Just before his ascension Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:48).

As Elisha picked up the cloak that fell from Elijah and struck the water with it miraculously parting the water as Elijah had done,

so the disciples received the Holy Spirit who was sent by Jesus shortly after his ascension and were immediately involved in miraculous signs and wonders attesting that they had received the Spirit of Jesus.

 

And the same power is available to us today.

May God give us the same determination, commitment and zeal to stay close to Jesus, to receive his Spirit, and to use the gifts he gives us to perform mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God.

Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 145

Lessons from their lives Talk 11 – Elijah

 

Welcome to talk 11 in our series, Lessons from their lives.

Today our subject is Elijah and we will be looking at a variety of verses from 1 Kings 17-19. We’ll be considering:

 

The times he lived in

The kind of person he was

The results of his obedience to God

 

A.   The times he lived in

 

The times Elijah lived in, in many ways were similar to today:

 

1. The nation and its leadership were far from God

 

1 Kings 16:29-33.

30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him.

31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.

32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.

33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.

 

2. Any who did serve the Lord felt very much alone (19:14)

 

I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.

 

3. But there were more worshippers of God than they realised (19:18)

 

Yet I have seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.

B.   The kind of person he was

 

1. Elijah was just like us (James 5:17)

 

‘Elijah was a human being, even as we are’.

 

Why does James say this?

 

1 Kings 19:1-4 NIV

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets  (of Baal) with the sword.

So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness.

He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

 

2. He was a man of prayer (James 5:17-18)

 

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

 

Notice first the simplicity of his prayer for fire from Heaven:

 

1 Kings 18:36-37

 

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed:

Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.

 

Notice too his motive for praying this:

so these people will know that you, Lord, are God

 

Notice finally his persistence in praying for rain

 

1 Kings 18:42-46

So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

 

3. He was a man of the Word

 

Notice what it says in Deuteronomy 11:16-17

 

16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.

17 Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the LORD is giving you.

 

Had Elijah read this?

Did he receive revelation from the Scriptures (as he had them)

or direct from the Spirit but in harmony with the Bible?

 

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1)

 

James tells us that Elijah prayed that it would not rain.

1 Kings does not mention this.

Did he base his prayer on Deuteronomy 11?

Did he pray before or after his visit to Ahab?

 

Suggested order of events:

 

 

He is aware of Deuteronomy 11:16-17

He prays accordingly

He receives revelation as to what God will do

He acts upon it and goes to Ahab

 

This leads us naturally to our next point:

 

4. He was led by the Spirit

 

1 Kings 17:2-3

2 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah:

3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, 

 

17:8-9

8 Then the word of the LORD came to him:

9 “Go at once to Zarephath

 

18:1-15             

1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”

2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria,

3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD.

4 While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.)

5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.”

6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.

7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”

8 “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.'”

9 “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death?

10 As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you.

11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’

12 I don’t know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth.

13 Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water.

14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!”

15 Elijah said, “As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.”

 

N.B.

         Obadiah (12-14) sees the Spirit as totally random and unexpected

         Elijah (15) ‘I will present myself’

                                                   – the Spirit works to principles

                                                    – the Spirit does not force himself on us

 

5. He was obedient

 

1 Kings 17:5

So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there.

 

8. Then the word of the Lord came to him:
9. “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”
10. So he went…

 

1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 2 So Elijah went …

 

Note: In each of these passages, wherever God gives Elijah a command, it’s accompanied by a promise. (Cf. Matthew 28:19-21).

 

C. The results of his obedience

 

1. God provided for him

 

1 Kings 17:2-9

 

2.Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah:

3. “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan.
4. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
5. So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there.
6. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
7. Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
8. Then the word of the Lord came to him:
9. “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”

 

                          ravens 17:6                God in the natural

                          widow 17:7                God in the supernatural

Notice:

• God was in complete control – I have directed the ravens (4).     I have directed a widow (9)
• God met his needs, not necessarily his desires (bread and flesh, oil and flour) – monotonous diet!

 

2. He turned the situation around

 

18:30-39            We know the story well

 

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “ Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord —he is God! The Lord —he is God!”

 

Conclusion

 

Back to James 5:17 – just like us – we can do it!

But note the plural. God is not looking for a man, but for men and women.     

 

We can turn situations around.

We must be people:

 

of prayer

of the word

led by the Spirit

obedient to God

 

God will provide for us

God will use us.