God Speaks and is not Silent 1 Kings 17 and 18

Tim Linton

1Kings • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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God Speaks and is not Silent

Good morning Church family. We are continuing our series in 1 Kings and our text this morning comes from 1 Kings chapters 17 and 18, so you might want to turn to this in your Bibles.

You might have read this week of the first ever sermon prepared and delivered by ChatGPT an Artificial Intelligence program in a Lutheran church in Germany! I would like to reassure all of you today, that I am real, I am human, and I am neither a robot, nor an avatar. I have prepared this sermon myself and will be reading from the Bible, the word of the living and true God.

Well after that somewhat surprising bombshell, buckle up and lets get into it.

If you have been following along it might seem somewhat depressing reading in recent weeks. The grandeur of the kingdom under David and then Solomon has passed. We observe the huge cracks in society that are now really opening up - and it started at the top. It started with Solomon and all his idolatrous wives at the end of his reign. It also triggered the beginning of a national turning away from God. Things got worse. The kingdom was split up into Judah in the south and Israel in the North. The Northern kings of Israel were particularly bad and, starting with Jeroboam each subsequent king was worse that the previous, right down to Omri and now Ahab. I wonder what it was like to be an Israelite in those days? I wonder if most people were tempted simply to give up on God and do their own thing? I wonder if they thought that God did not exist, or if he did, that he was silent, or that he did not care. Sound familiar?

I wonder if you ever feel like that? Does God speak today? How does he speak? Is he distant? Or is he near and close by? Lets pray and ask God to help us as we read and learn from the Bible today.

Prayer

Someone said to me very recently that they had asked God lots of times to show Himself to them, but nothing had happened and so they had given up on God. I would have liked to explore this a lot further with them but was unable at the time. What exactly were they looking for? And Why? How were they expecting God to show himself? Or was this all a smoke screen for a heart that was hardened towards God? Or perhaps God was speaking, perhaps even shouting, but they were not listening. How do you expect God to speak to you?

Our text this morning has multiple lessons we could consider and you may like to explore more of these in your home groups, but one aspect of God that shone through for me is that despite the darkness of apostasy in the nation that was called to follow God, God was still very present and speaking and acting. I do hope we can see that clearly as we go. However the outcome that I would really like to see occur for all of us including myself is that we all consider two important questions:

1. How is God speaking to me today?

Firstly: How is God speaking to me today? What is he telling me, asking me, commanding me? How is God interacting in my life these days, in my circumstances?

2. What is my response?

Of course the corollary second question is this: What is my response? How am I responding to God’s actions in my life today?

Last week we reflected on the moral and spiritual disintegration of the nation of Israel and were introduced briefly to King Ahab. We read in 1Kings 16:30 that “Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.” He married Jezebel a Sidonian princess and ended up worshipping the god Baal. In 1 Kings 16:33 we read “And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.” Ahab and his wife Jezebel led all of Israel into the worship of the god Baal and built altars to Baal and worshiped at Asherah poles or trees devoted to the godess Asherah. Baal was a storm god and was supposedly responsible for the fertility of the land by sending rain at the appropriate time.

God Speaks - and Commands

In 1Kings 17 1 we are introduced suddenly to the prophet Elijah who pronounces a drought on the nation: “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.”” God of course is sovereign. He can do what he likes. Moreover it is not the storm god Baal who is responsible of rain or drought or crops. No created being has this much control and certainly no mere idol. God is a living God and anything he wishes to happen will happen. It is God who commands the drought that plagues Israel and surrounding regions for 3 and 1/2 years.

God Speaks - and Directs

We read in 1 Kings 17:2-7 “And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.”

God here directs Elijah to the brook Cherith where he is fed and watered for a period of time. Note: Elijah obeys.

God Speaks - and Provides

God is also responsible for the daily bread and meat provided by ravens morning and night. He provides for Elijah during the drought. The brook Cherith supplies his water.

God Speaks - and Protects

Let’s carry on. In 1 Kings 17:8-16 we read of God’s provision and protection not only for Elijah but also for a widow and her son who lived in Zarephath in Sidon. We read that she was busy gathering some firewood to make a final little meal for herself and her son before all her provisions fully ran out and she expected to perish from the drought. Elijah promises her that her little handful of flour and the last little bit of oil in her jug would not run out until the Lord sent rain again on the land. Elijah stayed there for many days. God provided for these three individuals in the middle of a drought. They lived in a little township that was the heartland of Baal worship, and there were also worshippers of the goddess Astarte in that region. God Protects as well as provides. Baal is powerless to help in these circumstances - but God is active and well and he protects whomever he wishes.

God Speaks - and Gives Life

The next little section reminds us that God is also the giver and sustainer of life. In 1Kings 17:17-24 we read of the episode where the widow’s son becomes ill and dies and Elijah is initially blamed for his death. Elijah takes the boy to his upper room, stretches himself out on the boy 3 times and cries to the Lord. Chapter 17 v 22-24 tell us what happened: 1 Kings 17:22-24 “And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”” The writer of 1 Kings wants us to know that life and truth are bound up in the word of the Lord. God is a communicating GOD and His word is truth, it is 100% reliable. More about this a little later.

God Speaks - and Confronts

We come now to 1 Kings 18 where God through his prophet Elijah confronts wicked King Ahaz, the prophets of Baal and Asherah and the nation of Israel as a whole and challenges them to worship him alone and he does this through his prophet Elijah. Firstly God instructs Elijah to show himself to King Ahab in order to tell him about the end of the drought and coming rain. In passing we learn actually that there is a God- fearing man named Obadiah who is in charge of the King’s household. He has been secretly hiding a hundred prophets of God in 2 caves, 50 of them in each cave. He has been supplying then with bread and water. God has his people exactly where he wants them in order to fulfil his purposes in his good time. We would do well to remember that.

We then move on to the meeting of Ahab and Elijah. In 1Kings 18:17-18

1 Kings 18:17–18 ESV

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals.

A common problem in people who are estranged from God is to blame all their problems on someone else even on God himself. Elijah was in the firing line here but he responds again with the truth. It is Ahab himself who has abandoned GOD and who is directly responsible as head of state for leading the whole nation of Israel into apostasy. It is Ahab who is to blame for the severe drought and he has brought this trouble on all Israel.

Elijah gathers all of Israel to Mt Carmel along with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah and issues his challenge: 1 Kings 18:21

1 Kings 18:21 ESV

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

He instructs the people to arrange for two bulls to be provided, one for the prophets of Baal and one for himself. Each party was to call on their God to provide the fire for the sacrifice of the bull. The prophets of Baal spent all day in a frenzy calling on their god Baal to answer them - but of course nothing happened. So now it is Elijah’s turn. He repairs the broken down altar of the Lord out of 12 large stones representing the tribes of Israel. He digs a trench around the altar, puts the wood on the altar and the bull on top and then drenches the whole edifice three times with water till the trench was overflowing.

Lets read from 1 Kings 18:36-40 “And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.”

There is no question that this is one of the most dramatic portions of recorded history in the whole of the Bible. This episode showed Ahab, the false prophets of Baal and Asherah, Elijah and the people of Israel that there is only one God who exists. The fiery sacrifice was a dramatic indication of this reality. It was a vivid revelation out of grace and mercy to an apostate people that challenged their wanton idolatrous thinking and behaviour. In this event it also turned out to be a severe judgement on the prophets of Baal who had been so obviously leading Israel away from the true God.

Why was it a revelation of grace and mercy? It was because the people of Israel, God’s people had for the previous 60 years progressively turned away from the true God. They had ignored the previous 400 plus years of their history and of God’s provision for them, God’s instructions, and God’s love. They did not deserve anything - but God answered Elijah’s prayer and the people turned back to God (not for long - as we shall see in coming weeks)

God Speaks - and Judges

We do need to feel disturbed at the brutal slaughter of the prophets of Baal. From our perspective in the 21st Century, it seems horrific and harsh - and it is! But at the same time we need to understand that these were brutal people themselves who for years had indulged in child sacrifices of the most appalling nature and had given themselves over to widespread cultic prostitution throughout the land. It was painful to reflect on the abuses that would have been so rampant through the land.

We turn to the final little event in these two chapters.

God Speaks - and Blesses

God does eventually send rain, and it comes in bucket fulls. In 1 Kings 19:41-46 we read of Elijah sending his servant to look toward the sea seven times. On the seventh time he sees a little cloud in the distance, and Elijah gets up and runs ahead of Ahabs chariot as together they made their way home.

Well, what are we to make of all these various episodes in these 2 chapters?

I have emphasised that despite how awful it looked in the nation of Israel back in around 850 BC, God was in action. He had his people in place, fulfilling his commands and ready to obey him. That included Elijah, the widow of Zarephath, Obadiah, and 100 hidden prophets of the Lord. Was life easy for them? Not at all!

So, does God speak today? Or does everything seem depressingly iniquitous and out of control? Or are we just kidding ourselves and life has no more meaning that some artificial platitudes that could be created by robots? Does he provide and protect and confront and judge and bless? You bet he does.

It is not that long ago that we read in Heb 1:1-3

Hebrews 1:1–3 ESV

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The Bible tells us that God has spoken through his own Son, the creator and sustainer of this world. He is also our Saviour.

We recognise that God was speaking to Ahab and the people of Israel through his prophet Elijah. We also learn that God is still speaking.

We read in John 1:1-5

John 1:1–5 (ESV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

God is a communicating GOD. He is eternal, an uncreated being, he is the giver of life. He is also described as the Word. We read in John 1:14 that this word became flesh

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

And he dwelt among us. And so we realise that God, the Almighty God, the eternal God, Creator God, Life sustaining God - has made himself known to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

We read in these verses that he brought life and light. In Hebrews we also read that he made purification for sins and this was referring to his sacrifice of himself on the cross to take away the judgement of God that was appropriate for us. Of course that was not the end, as God raised him from the dead and we recognise that God has indeed paid the price for all of our waywardness and sin.

This issue is of supreme importance and cannot be ignored. We cannot afford to discount what God has done by revealing himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ, nor can we underestimate the significance of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God has spoken indeed and confronts our sin and challenges us and invites us into a restored and renewed fellowship with him, our creator.

There is so much more. Does God care about our day to day lives? Of course he does.

We learn so much more from the Logos - the Word of God - from Jesus our Saviour.

We read in Matt 6:25-34 in the sermon on the Mount that God is very well aware of every detail of our lives and cares about us.

He invites us in Matt 6:33

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

to Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness - in other words to acknowledge God as the supreme being in our lives, our king and the God whom we worship. In following God we will find that the essentials of life are looked after. However our priorities are to be God aligned.

So we return to the the two questions for today. What is God doing and saying in your life at the moment? How are you responding to Him?

At the very least we need to reflect on and understand that we are to consider whether He is God in our lives. Is God acknowledged and worshipped as God in our lives? We cannot afford to limp about between conflicting options. Either God is God and we align ourselves with Him or we do not. There is no middle ground.

We need to reflect and consider the meaning and significance of the Word (that is Jesus Christ) becoming flesh and becoming a sin sacrifice on our behalf. This inevitably leads to a choice and to consider becoming a follower of Jesus Christ and becoming part of the family of God. We must understand that none of us can ever meet God’s holy and righteous standards - we are all sinners. But John 3:16-17 reminds us that God loves us, cares for us, and wants to rescue us:

John 3:16–17 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

He has provided the means to be rescued and to be saved by his own son, the Logos of God. God is still communicating with you now.

But there is so much more. You may be going through hardship and trials now. You need to reflect and understand that despite pain and suffering, God cares deeply for you. There is much to be learned on this topic that I cannot address today. In fact there is so much in todays message that I expect is puzzling and challenging and confronting and even mysterious to many of you. I would like to invite you to talk over your situation with people that are godly and wise and that you can trust. There are many people here today who can testify to God’s command, direction, provision, protection, challenge, discipline and blessing. It may not come in such dramatic fashion as we have read today from 1 Kings, but in conjunction with reading and studying God’s Word the Bible, and most importantly applying this to our lives, we become aware that God is still speaking to us today, and still wishes us to follow Him closely.

So we come now also to the second question for us to consider. How are we responding to God’s voice in our lives today. How are you applying his Word and direction in your life? Are you deriving salvation from the one and true God? Do you find comfort and strength in following Him no matter what your circumstances may be? This is something you will need to reflect on not just today, but every day, and I pray you will find your true hope and trust in God alone.

I wish to read in closing from Psalm 121 to remind you that people all down the ages from centuries ago right until the present day have found their hope and comfort and refuge in the one and only true God and his Son Jesus Christ. I hope you also find comfort in Psalm 121 as we head into community worship, communion and then a new week. It is a song, a poem, a prayer and an attitude of worship. I hope you can make it your own also.

Psalm 121 ESV

A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.