Pastor Joe Fuiten, July 9, 2006

 

Scripture Reading:  I Kings 19:9-14

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He replied, "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." 11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He replied, "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." (NIV)

 

            This is the story of Elijah and his complaint against the people of God.  Elijah, the great prophet was born in Israel’s territory in what is now Tishbe, Jordan.  He and Moses were the two greatest people in the Old Testament up until John the Baptist.  He did phenomenal exploits for God.  In this text, he had just completed his encounter with the prophets of Baal.  He called down fire from heaven upon the altar and the people killed all 750 of the false prophets.

            He wasn’t too happy with the people before and he is less happy now.  In fact, the wicked Queen Jezebel is trying to kill him (as she and her equally wicked husband, King Ahad had been trying to do for years.)

            For some reason, Elijah goes into a funk that we would call a clinical depression today.  He becomes fearful and runs for cover.

            Jeremiah had a similar problem:  Jer 9:2  “Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people.”

Elijah, whose names means “The Lord, He is God,” became discouraged by the sin around him.  You hear it in his complaint to God which he gives twice:  “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."  The Apostle Paul in Romans 11[1] calls this the appeal of Elijah against Israel.  We can sometimes be discouraged by the sin around us.  It can make us want to give up.

            He sees himself as quite faithful but tends to overlook what others were doing.  For example, Obediah was the head of the household servants under the very noses of Ahab and Jezebell, and he acts covertly to hid away 100 of God’s prophets and fed them right out of the king’s supplies.  But Elijah seems to ignore that.

            The people aren’t holy enough, they don’t keep the covenant as they should.  The people don’t worship enough, the altars are broken down.  The people don’t pray enough.  It is like they don’t really care.  The people don’t support the prophets of God as they should.  The people don’t get the petitions signed when the should and moral ballot measures don’t make it.  The people are not grateful.  I helped out a lot and nobody thanked me or even seemed to notice. The people don’t get involved.  They just want to receive a blessing but not to be a blessing.

            Elijah said, “I noticed all this so I decided to go to the cave that Moses was in on Mt. Sinai.”  At least that way I could be in the company of the other great one such as myself.

            Let’s admit that the cave of Moses on Mt. Sinai is a great place to be.  There are no failing people there.  There is just you and God and such great history.  Some 400 years after Elijah, Plato wrote “The Republic” and described the cave and its shadows of reality. 

            But it is so nice in the cave.  You can turn on Christian radio and hear all the best speakers. The worship is perfect.  You can adjust the volume and if you don’t like this station you can just switch to another.  You don’t have to get involved.  You don’t have to give.  If you do give, it is to a nice color brochure of a child who never disappoints.   It is just you and God and all that biblical history.  The shadows pleasantly dance on the wall of the cave.

            I visited one of those caves on our trip.  We were in Colorado Springs driving down the freeway.  I spotted this huge building about a mile away on the knoll.  I immediatley exited to see what it was.  It had white walls and blue metal roof with a cross on top.  I thought I was home, but it turned out to be Ted Haggard’s 14,000 member church.  We went through the place on a Saturday.  I had to come back on Sunday. 

The city itself is such a great city.  With scores of Christian ministries, it is like the cave of Moses on Sinai for ministries.  You can still pray in the public schools.

You have to love Haggard’s church.  The chapel of prayer is filled with the art of Thomas Blackshear, it being his home church.  The Sunday service opened with prayer.  Then the lights went down.  A fog rose from the platform.  Young leaders, Peter Blue wannabees, came out and led in choruses and one hymn.  I thought I was at Cedar Park except for the lekko lights and fog.  Then Haggard spent 15 minutes describing the marriage amendment that he preferred in Colorado and how they should sign petitions.  The people cheered.  Then he preached the Gospel.  I thought to myself, what must it be like to Pastor in Moses’ Cave in Colorado Springs?  I momentarily hankered for the cave.

           

            If you are a spiritual leader and sometimes you just want to escape, or you are tempted to escape, you are in good company.

Nehemiah had that experience too.  Sanballat was trying to get him to quit.  (Neh 6:5-16.)  He tried everything he could to get Nehemiah distracted.  5 Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter 6 in which was written:  "It is reported among the nations-and Geshem says it is true-that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king 7 and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: 'There is a king in Judah!' Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together."  8 I sent him this reply: "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head." 9 They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed."  [But I prayed,] "Now strengthen my hands." 10 One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, "Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you-by night they are coming to kill you." 11 But I said, "Should a man like me run away? Or should one like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!" 12 I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. 14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who have been trying to intimidate me. 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. NIV

You can be sure of this:  The temptation to fold up will be great, particularly when other people fail.

What does God do?  He puts Elijah through a similar drill as he gave Moses.  There was the strong wind, like the trumpet blast.  There was the earthquake.  There was the fire and smoke, but God was not in it.  Same mountain, same cave, same effects, but this time it was not God.  God had a simple question for Elijah, “What are you doing here?”  Is this where I called you?  Is this what I gave you to do?  If this is what I asked of Moses, must I ask the same of you or can I give you a different assignment?

God gave Elijah a simple directive.  Go back the way you came.  Go to the desert of Seattle (I mean Damascus).  That is where you should be.  Anoint Hazael king of Syria.  He will bring judgement on Israel.  Anoint Jehu King of Israel.  He will finish off the royal family of Ahab.  Anoint Elisha as your assistant.  He will help you and then carry on the work.1 Kings 19:15-18 “The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." NIV

 

God’s appearance is surprising.  Not at all like Moses.  But the bottom line was that God was back in charge.  He was directing Elijah again and Elijah was off to give the Word of the Lord.

            The answer for Elijah was for the meaning of his name to be reasserted.  El Jah, “The Lord he is God.”  God gets to direct our lives.  If we are called to stand for him when others fold, then we become the remnant that remains faithful.  God always has a remnant, even when you can’t see them, they are there.

            If you find yourself discouraged because of God’s people, don’t hide in a cave.  Let God put his word in your heart and give you direction.