He told the people who worked there to get all the children to sit down and give thanks. They naturally think, Whats going on Wheres the blessing? Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, livesthe God I servethere will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word! (1 Kings 17:1 NLT), Later on, IN THE THIRD YEAR of the drought, the LORD said to Elijah, Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Come what will, come what may. So when God sent Elijah to Cherith, it was as though God sent him through a time machine, back to an era filled with these stories, and the saints of old such as Miriam, Aaron, Moses, Caleb and . Yet it did. In v.2 we read, Though great and terrifying are temporal judgements upon a people, none is so great as the removal of His Word and instruction and prayer based on that Word. Elijah had delivered the message of God's judgment to Ahab, the wicked king of Israel. He can only talk about what had happened with God now that will keep the fleshly pride down! You were getting good at doing what you were doing. NO! Enter your e-mail address to have our posts sent directly to your inbox. What was God doing? Elijah and the Widow in Zarephath He is sent to the widow of Zarephath 17. It happens when Gods provision stops coming from a particular direction. . How do cessationists interpret James 5:13-18? So this is the second lesson. In verse 7, the brook dried up because there was no rain. It is a place where you are completely cut off and are totally dependent upon God and His resources. 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. do koalas have poisonous claws. What is asserted is that everything Elijah was doing was in accordance to the Word of the Lord, and even his leaving was not without the direction of the Word of the Lord. Then the company got sold and restructured and the job was gone. He said. Why do Luke and James both say the drought lasted 3 years and 6 months? Elijah had to have known that in order for him to survive, the ravens also had to survive. If I go anywhere on my property he's right there with me. It was here at the drying brook that Elijah was to learn an important lesson relating to this apparent problem in the Christian life that being in the centre of Gods will doesnt exclude the possibility of crisis, so when it comes wait on the Lord and dont throw in the towel in unbelief. And it's true. There was a bold and even aggressive determination about him as he desired to serve the Lord. But there were years and years of isolation in obscurity. Applications of super-mathematics to non-super mathematics. It is a cutting of all the things of the self-life so that Elijah (and you and I) can be used of God. He would go to Mt Carmel and achieve great things for God, but first he needed an education so God sends him to Cherith and to Zarapeth. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. It's all about dependence upon God. God has always given me what was needed. Why would the Lord even make him go live in an obscure dry place? Alistair Begg. Scripture does not tell us how long Elijah and the ravens remained at the Kerith brook. Even a river would have been regarded as insufficient. Yet God proved Himself adequate. He could do no work there, only meditate and pray. However, it was in that season of isolation that I grew tremendously in my intimacy with Christ, and my trust in Him increased significantly. God knows where Elijah is. 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. He waited for God to speak to him. They had spurned it, now they will be deprived of it. These are the testings of life that purify and build as they teach us to trust in the Lord and . An example of provision from the life of a great saint. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to receive a regular newsletter from Compassion with inspirational stories, poverty news and more. But its impact is also felt by Elijah, by which we see that God had in mind for Elijah to learn another lesson of faith. Most recently, Emma has released her first Bible Study Book, Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness. For Elijah every raven visit was a reminder not only of Gods loving provision but of Gods loving presence with him as well. Jesus instructs us to consider the birds of the air and how they are provided for. So what do you do personally when you see your brook drying up? Go show yourself is easy to hide yourself is hard! For God did not give him a word of rebuke, rather Gods Word came as a reward to him to guide his next step. And God loves you far more than these things! He led him to something that wasn't going to last. The period of drought and famine in Israel lasted for three and a half years. They argue that the two periods of rain in ancient Israel normally occurred in March and October, and that the king's anger would have driven Elijah away only after these rains failed: The early rain fell in our March, the latter rain in our October. The confrontation was off, at least temporarily. He just went and did what he was told. And woe betide then any church or nation when God removes His Word and its servants from it. Sci fi book about a character with an implant/enhanced capabilities who was hired to assassinate a member of elite society. It was here that God had said that 'I have commanded the ravens to feed him.' Did he lay aside his worship giving himself to anxiety, relentless pacing backwards and forwards? But according to the actual account in the Old Testament the drought was not even a full three years. I want to be a dad like yours - showing love in tangible ways no matter what., Trouble, challenges, pain, suffering, grief, transition, change and renewal come to us all. Our natural inclination would be to begin to think of the next task. He realised that there was actually too much of self in what they had just been doing. During his exile, Elijah drank from the brook in the ravine, and the ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and evening. Normally we want a road map on life. Jesus said in John 15:14 'You are My friends if you do what I command.' In the light of this we are to understand that the drying brook was an important trial to see if he had learnt the lessons up to this point which he had. Is this how we look at the trials in our Christian life as tests in Gods school of faith aimed to see if we have learned faiths lessons taught up to this point in our Christian life and are able to put them into practice? The first thing he did was to head for Egypt and what trouble he got into there! God provided for the whole lot. You were making plans to build a house near your brook so that you could stay there forever. That is the lesson that was being stamped on Elijahs heart and mind during this time and will be on ours as well, both by the Word this day and by Gods gracious dealings every day. Heres Elijah by a brook, day by day seeing a diminishing water flow. Jesus did the same with His disciples at the end of a tour of ministry, so full were they of the joy of success of their ministry, what they had been involved in: We ought not be surprised if our Father says. 1 Kings 17v7-16 1. Our relationship with God is not like the army where we are told what to do so we obey, otherwise we are going to be doing 40 press ups or running around a field forever. When he went there, there was a nice stream of water with plenty to drink. How easy it is to make the service which God trusts us with a pedestal on which to display ourselves. The first one is in verse 5 - it is actually obedience to three simple words. Here's something else to consider: How did Elijah know which spot along the brook Cherith to go If the brook was ten miles long, he could have been five or ten miles away from where the ravens were bringing him food. So Elijah here is put in a 'Cherith' situation and he has to be completely dependent on God - he has got water but he doesn't have anything to eat. Three times in the opening verses we have the phrase the Word of the Lord (v.2, 5 and also v.8). Elijah had just declared there would be no rain in Israel until he said so, and Ahab wasnt a very forgiving ruler. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green it has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.. A Change of scenery. How many stalls for horses and chariots did Solomon have? Why would God provide for Elijah in this way? by Winkie Pratney. brentford county court nick sang celtics. This might seem like a strange story to you. And the stories that you read about him are outstanding. What if Elijah had never left the brook? As Elijah thought. It is the same for you though hard times will come. There would be no rain until God's man gave the word. When we feel God is saying something to us we should actually act on it. Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." And the w So Elijah comes into his presence and brings this word of judgement to Ahab. Elijah was told to go to Cherith, immediately after he had prophesied a powerful word to King Ahab. That which had driven him to hunt Christians, now drove him to serve Christ. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years 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. In order for them not to eat his breakfast, God would also have to take care of the birds. How could this be? Elijah was commanded to depart from Samaria, to . That judgement was the application of the curse. Well Elijah didn't - he stayed put. This was a serious physical crisis because it had been his support during a very severe drought. One can live in the land of memory for a long time this way, gaining sustenance among the stories and wonders of the past. Here in the isolated region he would be safe from the searching and potentially murderous wrath of the king. This is the second message on Elijah and we are in 1 Kings chapter 17. It is a declaration that he is working our His eternal purposes, There is nothing in Scripture to indicate this on the contrary the implication is that he, Last week we saw there were lessons Elijah had to learn in going to the brook Cherith, and here we see them being put into practice as Elijah waited: (i), When our brook seems to dry and we are tempted to cry out. The brook dries up. He had an amazing man of the Lord for me at His perfect timing. There are three things I gleaned from this passage that I believe God was teaching Elijah. We first meet Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1 when he suddenly appears to challenge Ahab, an evil king who ruled the northern kingdom from 874 to 853 BC. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. We are His image-bearers, His adopted children, and His chosen ones. 'Let's get down to where things are a bit quieter and your dependence on God is more real.' Did his hopes diminish also? If Elijah had yielded to such things his faith wouldve also dried up, and his confidence wouldve disappeared like the brook. Thank you, Michael, for bringing me a new and more positive perspective on a difficult situation!! God's provision was with Elijah and though hard times came and the provision in that location started to dwindle, God still had other means available for His servant if he would simply wait and be obedient upon the word of God. May we have the courage like Elijah to follow the Lords leading and trust His purposes. As such he was not yet right for the Lords service. It is what John later spoke of when in exile on Patmos he revealed that yet he had sweet communion with His Lord. 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. Having passed one grade in the school of faith, it was now time for the next. Have you ever felt God lead you to something that doesn't last? We need to remember that and confess that Gods way are always right, His purposes are always good and that we can trust God in even the tragic events of life that we can never fully understand here on this earth. Now she can look back and say 'I can see God's hand in that'. When we get comfortable, we are no longer growing or having an impact on our environment. 9 Christians You Don't Want to Sit Beside on Sunday Morning, 7 Ways Anxiety Dominates the Christian Mind, 7 Tests to See if Your Worship Is Truly Christian or Pagan. These birds that I once considered pretty ugly, I now delight in the thought of how the Lord takes care of them and of me. During her ministry career, Emma recorded two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, ran the Refined Magazine, and served in music education for early childhood. Everything was done on his knees to His Father whom he knew would provide because he was committed to providing. When Elijah was in Cherith during a time of separation and preparation, God fed him by ravens. And Elijah would not live long in that climate without water. 1Kings 17:4 In a time of drought, Elijah had to sit by a stream of water. 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. When we are aware of the blessings that seem mundane and insignificant to us, we can see a clearer picture of the Fathers love for us. God, however, chose a bunch of ravens for the job, thereby dispelling rational theories.. The prophet has been alone with God in the secret place of prayer. He enjoys a relationship with God and dwells in communion with Him. The God who gives water can also withhold it. God had his reasons for isolating David and for isolating Moses and Joseph. Elijah could have thought that perhaps he should try to find a better place but this would have been a case of him trying to help God out in his own wisdom. We don't know how long God had Elijah down there, but verse 7 tells us, "Some time later, the brook dried up." Have you ever had a brook dry up on you? What God teaches Elijah, and us, at brook Cherith. As we are reminded in John 15 where Jesus said, The answer lies in the fact that God is not just interested in imparting faith; He is interested in its development, in its improvement. He leads staff development training primarily in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. That is what a 'Cherith' is. Ahab and Jezebel were the most wicked and evil rulers Israel had ever known. There was a brook for water, and at His command even the ravens helped provide for Elijahs needs. We need to capitalise on this great start! Do you go running off to look for water? Her article on InterracialMarriage was the number 1 viewed article on Crosswalk for the year 2021. He did not say 'No, I don't really want to do this can I go a different direction?' . He lived about 30 miles (roughly 50 kilometers) from Samaria, the capital of Israel. 3. 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