Year after year. Sin after sin. Apostacy after apostacy. There has been no godly king in Israel for over 50 years. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel now rule. In actuality "Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him"(1 Kings 16:33).
There appears a man out of nowhere in the royal court. He is "a hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist"(2 Kings 1:8). His name means "My God is Yahweh."
He walks into a palace that was built as a fortress for King Omri, to see a king that has the military ability to harm him. He never once acts like he is supposed to be polite. He has no protocols. No introductions. No deference to the royal position.
"As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years, except at my command"(1 Kings 17:1). No arguments. No negotiation. No compromise. No escape clauses.
This is the way it will be.
Elijah's name is synonymous with courage. He stands in a sharp contrast to his time. His story echoes through history and challenges us today. Will we stand for God as he did? Do we ever entertain the idea of living like him? Are we even found to be willing to pray for the Lord's strength to follow in such a way?
Let us learn from his journey. Let us attempt to follow him in boldness through the power of the Holy Spirit.
From there, we will address our world today with the posts to follow.
Great subject and well written;
ReplyDeleteI never thought of the prophets not being polite before, but you're right. They were very confrontational. Interesting. :) Perhaps in our day, we are sometimes to "politically correct" and need to be a bit more like Elijah.
ReplyDeleteGood looking blog, Wayne!
ReplyDeleteElijah walked from Carmel to Horeb, a distance equivalent to walking from Jasper to Red Deer to Provost, nearly to the SK border, on foot, alone. How long did that take him, one wonders?? A very tough guy. And he did it while in depression!
Does one need to be impolite to state what needs to be said? Christ showed other attributes as well when he intersected peoples' lives. Discernment might be a good ingredient in the stew.
ReplyDeletethanks Wayne Rob and Marla
ReplyDeleteWayne........... I LOVE your look. Congratulations on getting up and running. I can feel your heart in this... maybe it's the flames (LOL)....
ReplyDeleteBlessings for success in touching those who come to be challenged and encouraged.
Looking forward to reading more, nicely written.
ReplyDeleteSharon Morigeau