Login . For it was from here that Elijah began the journey to Mt Carmel. Have you ever felt God lead you to something that doesn't last? It is part of the lesson that has to be learned at Cherith. When our actions are regulated by the Word of God and our lives are lived in the centre of His will, we have nothing whatsoever to fear. Elijah demonstrated his complete dependence on God by waiting for Him to tell him what to do next. In this instance, should Elijah have taken the bull by the horns and run off and found his own path? It was a time of isolation when he had no resources of his own. By implication then, the removal of Elijah form the scene was not merely a symbolic but indeed a literal removal of the voice of God from the people. In other words he was to return home, but not to the comforts of home for he is told to hide . If at this time you have yielded to this temptation to throw in the towel of faith and to rely on your own thoughts or on someone else, if your zeal for Christ has diminished, your spirit of devotion is dying, if you find no delight in prayer, nothing to give praise and thanksgiving for, and can find nothing about you to stir you up and encourage you remember Him who said of His vineyard in Isaiah 27:3, I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; I will even keep it night and day. And of whom it is said in Psalm 84:11, No really good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.. (6) The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. How easy it is to make the service which God trusts us with a pedestal on which to display ourselves. - 1 Kings 17:9-11 . zar'-e-fath (tsarephath; Sarepta): The Sidonian town in which Elijah was entertained by a widow after he left the brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:9).Obadiah refers to it as a Canaanite (probably meaning Phoenicia) town (Obadiah 1:20).It appears in the Greek form Sarepta in Luke 4:26 (the King James Version), and is said to be in the land of Sidon. Because this is a short lesson, there is time for reviewing all of the books of the Old Testament that the students are learning so far. Every now and then a Christian cries, perhaps youve done it, Lord, what happened? He or she has been doing the Lords positive will as outlined in the Bible when suddenly disaster struck. Even more, they were also a practical confirmation of Gods approval of where he was, that he was indeed where God wanted him, doing what God wanted him. a cutting; separation; a gorge, a torrent-bed or winter-stream, a "brook," in whose banks the prophet Elijah hid himself during the early part of the three years' drought ( 1 Kings 17:3 1 Kings 17:5).It has by some been identified as the Wady el-Kelt behind Jericho, which is formed by the junction of many streams flowing from the mountains west of Jericho. Her faith in Elijah's words saved her life and that of her son. As Elijah thought. He went through a kind of boot camp at the brook Cherith. There is hope in Jesus. Elijah went to the brook of Cherith as directed by God. When we feel God is saying something to us we should actually act on it. 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'. - 1 Kings 18:40 : Elijah asks God for heavy rains to end the drought. Last week we noted that by sending Elijah to the Brook Cherith God was doing several things - He was declaring to Ahab and the nation an act of judgment, such that the Word of God which had been despised was now removed, a famine of the Word; and he was declaring to Elijah that he could fully depend on God and His Word, and daily finding opportunity to . 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. June 15, 2022 by Kelly Henderson. Why is water leaking from this hole under the sink? The downward slide - from faith to fear to depression, Blindness, self focus and the replacing of Elijah, Elijah, Ahab and the arrow shot at random. The answer lies in the fact that God is not just interested in imparting faith; He is interested in its development, in its improvement. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook. It is what John later spoke of when in exile on Patmos he revealed that yet he had sweet communion with His Lord. 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. Prior to this, but after the beginning of the drought, Elijah lived by the brook Cherith for an unspecified length of time (1 Kings 17:5). Disclaimer for the links below: I am currently an affiliate with Answers in Genesis and will earn a commission if the links below are clickedat no extra cost to you. As I was walking him the other day a lady said to me that she could tell that it was my dog because even when it was doing its own thing, it always had one eye on me. Would Marx consider salary workers to be members of the proleteriat? Elijah orders the people to execute the prophets of Baal at Brook Kishon. 1 Kings Chapter 17. 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.". 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'. God knows that faith only develops under pressure. 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. Elijah had just had a very heady experience. But God will not share His glory, so Elijah is told to go to a lonely place. Sometimes God has to force us into it. This exegesis is based on the juxtaposition . There would be none here for Elijah to be tempted to parade himself before. 1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. He had been to the court of this king as the Ambassador of the King of kings, he had done something that was not only courageous, it was spiritually significant. And in that he certainly had a taste of heaven, of communion with God. 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. God always speaks when it is needed, not beforehand. No doubt he thought it was all a joke. Remember Saul as he talked with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus? Difficult. God knows that faith only develops under pressure. Lesson: God provides For Elijah And Widow. Jesus said in John 15:14 'You are My friends if you do what I command.' He never sent out flyers presenting his needs. So this is the second lesson. It also teaches us that life is not meaningless, there is always more to do. If we are where God wants us to be then we can be assured that God will work and direct miracles rather than see us perish for lack! Careful precaution has to be made when making a modern application to today's life as to not take the passage of scripture out of context. It doesnt come easy. js photo studios. In this even Jesus was not exempt, for in Hebrews 5:8 we read that, Think about that for a moment. - 1 Kings . 4 The brook will supply you with water to drink, and I have commanded ravens to bring you food there." 5 Elijah obeyed the Lord 's command, and went and stayed by Cherith Brook. Here he was to be alone for at least a year without human company. If you treat a dog properly it will actually respond to you and it will want to please you. Elijah 's message and the meaning of his name go together like a fresh glass of milk and warm cookies. God instructs Elijah to hide near the brook Cherith, where the ravens would feed him. Are there developed countries where elected officials can easily terminate government workers? It is a spiritual law of thermodynamics: the increase of heat upon faith produces a parallel increase expansion of faith. How could this be? He just committed everything to God. Our natural inclination would be to begin to think of the next task. It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. After a while, the brook dried up that had provided Elijah with the nourishment of water. How strange the reply mustve been to him: Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told you what you must do. Just one step at a time Saul thats how I operate. How easy in such times our joy quickly turns to sadness! Encyclopedia. The acquisition of spiritual power is impossible unless we hide ourselves from men and from ourselves in some gorge where we may absorb the power of the eternal God (Martin). Have you not from time to time seen such changes happening in your life? Its important here to note this against the background of v.1 where we read of the close identification between the word of the prophet and God my word said Elijah though it was Gods Word. Life itself is a diminishing provision. The story of Elijah the prophet is first mentioned in 1 Kings 17, where the prophet steps onto the page without any prior mention. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. One of them was that he had 10,000 children, all of which he provided for all by faith and prayer. God directed him to Zarephath, the land of Sidon. Last time we looked at the state of Israel at the time Elijah came on the scene. Did his hopes diminish also? So it was in the third year of the drought that the rains came ending it. He did not say 'No, I don't really want to do this can I go a different direction?' I hope you have seen also how God in such times brings our greatest good out of our worst disasters. How easy it is to make the service which God trusts us with a pedestal on which to display ourselves. Elijah didnt get his local hiking map out and go looking for another source of water, waterholes which he may have known about from previous travels in this area. Cherith, as mentioned earlier, means 'a cutting away'. Let's look at 1 Kings 17:6: And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 1 King 17:2-7. That which had driven him to hunt Christians, now drove him to serve Christ. The funds will help assist in rescue operations, providing shelter, and recovery programs to those in bondage. VERSES: 1 Kings 17:1-7 MEMORY VERSE: 1 Kings 17:4 ".thou shalt drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Song of Solomon.Write "Song Of Solomon" on small slips of paper and hand out at the end of class. But then despite months of living by faith in dependence upon God in obedience to Gods word and enjoying Gods blessing in that place, that things suddenly and dramatically changed. Despite the outward appearances of peace and prosperity, Elijah declared this reality to the godless king Ahab, stressing that it would continue until Elijah once more came to the king. There are so many distractions that demolish our best plans. Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, Elijah - The background and introduction to his times, The Widow at Zarephath and the Provision of God, Elijah, resurrection and the fear of Ahab. Each number is a person. So Elijah is at this place watching his provision dwindle. Do you remember the story of His disciples when they went out to preach and did all these wonderful miracles and came back to Him really glorying in all that had happened? 250 combinations! What if we see the hard times coming in advance? Elijah is told by the Lord to go into hiding by the brook Cherith, a tributary of the river Jordan. Dont throw in the towel but wait on the Lord. New merchandise has been added! It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there." How we should make use of the opportunities God gives us lest they be taken from us. 'Come aside to a quiet place,' He said. Over the course of the 22 years covered in 1 Kings, Israel has 20 kings that are wicked in God's sight. How did John the Baptist have the "spirit and power of Elijah"? And God loves you far more than these things! You can only live a certain amount of time without water, but he stayed put. 6 He drank water from the brook, and ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and every evening. Elijah was obedient to God's word and he went to the Kerith Ravine. Bible; 0 comments; April 16, 2014; I Kings 17:1-7 - "And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead (his name means 'God is Jehovah'; he is considered one of the greatest of the Prophets; he is brought on the scene by the Holy Spirit without fanfare, and even without introduction), said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel lives, before Whom I stand, there shall . But it's not acting out of fear. 1 Kings 17:5-6 So he did what the LORD had told him. Jesus was the same. The evidence in support of the Bible: The Lie: Evolution/Millions of Years. "Of the brook you will drink, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you", Gd promised him. when suddenly there was a knock on the door and a baker was there who said 'God has kept me awake all night and I knew I had to bake an extra three batches of bread for you.' He realised that there was actually too much of self in what they had just been doing. The God who gives water can also withhold it. There was a famine in Canaan. He was being removed by God. I see another principle here in scripture - sometimes God tells you ahead of time what is going to happen. So what do you do personally when you see your brook drying up? This widow's faith would once more be deeply testedand affirmedwhen her son was struck with a serious illness. Mentioned first in Genesis, 1 Kings 11:1 also reiterates God founding Israel through Abram (Abraham), 1 Kings gives a preview of 22 years of Israel's history with 15 kings. However, before long Jezebel tried to wipe out Yahweh's name from the land. 1 Kings 17:2-9. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.". God is disciplining Israel with a drought. Elijah went through a similar spiritual training process. It is so easy to think that God has forgotten us, or to enter in a false morbid introspection of blaming ourselves for some error when in fact God may merely be saying it is time to learn a new lesson in the school of faith. God may teach and test us but He never deserts us. The first was learning obedience. Below is a sermon by Community Bible Church entitled "Trusting God in the Difficult Times," covering 1 Kings 17:1-7. See His absolute sovereignty and power that even birds contrary to natural instincts do His bidding on behalf of His people. 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