26th Day of Bible Food

We've done a lot of reading in the bible and from here we should know two things clearly; the children of Israel had a tough time keeping God's commandments.

So today we are going to begin in 1 Kings chapter 17

Here Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, went to Ahab telling the king, "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."  We will soon learn that Elijah was a very powerful prophet of the Lord.

The Lord really took care of Elijah, even during this famine; he had the birds and the raven bring him food twice a day and he drank at the brook.  He had the life... Then he was told to go to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: because God had commanded a widow woman there to care for him.  Trusting in God and doing His will; he will take care of you on every side.

The lady cared for Elijah and the Lord took care of both of them all the days of the famine.  The lady's son fell sick and died; and Elijah prayed to God to revive the child and the child was revived.  Faith in God can do this, even today!

1 Kings 18

Elijah is being sent back to Ahab and Samaria is struggling with this famine.  The Lord sees the wickedness of the 10 tribes and Judah and at this point God is sending very strong prophets to correct the people.  Not prophets that just prophesy; but men who can shut heaven up for 3 years, raise the dead, and challenge false prophets in the face of government leaders.

³And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

They went through the land to find grass so they can feed their animals and not lose them all.  Obadiah was a prophet of the Lord who saved a lot of prophets that Ahab's wife was killing.  

In Obadiah's path, he runs into Elijah, and Elijah tells him to tell Ahab that Elijah is back.  Nevertheless, Obadiah feared that Ahab would kill him for not capturing Elijah.

Ahab had sent for Elijah those 3 years looking for him diligently; so for Obadiah to turn and say I saw Elijah and he is coming to you it would look odd.  Plus Obadiah perhaps had a guilty spirit because he was hiding a lot of prophets already.

¹⁷And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
 ¹⁸And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

Ahab blamed Elijah for the drought and said he was troubling Israel; but he over looked the fact that he wasn't following the Lord's commandments and was serving another god called baalim.  So it was Ahab who was troubling Israel.  So Elijah had the king bring the host of Israel; and challenged his 450 false prophets in an effort to get the people's heart back on the true and living God.

And it came to pass that they were attempting to see whose God will answer them.  The 450 prophets of Baal called on Baal and no response for 6 hours.  Elijah mocked them: ²⁷...and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

When Elijah dressed his sacrifice, and prayed to the Lord to show the people He is God; God answered in a moment and the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, "The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God."  Then Elijah had those prophets of Baal summoned; and didn't let none of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.  I told you real preachers and prophets were pretty rough back then.

The rain finally fell; a great rain to end the famine in Israel.  Isn't that enough to believe and serve God?

1 Kings chapter 19

Ahab report all that Elijah did and how he killed her prophets and she sent a letter to Elijah that as he killed her prophets, he will be killed tomorrow.  Elijah takes off, scared for his life, and goes to the wilderness and professes that working for God is enough, that God should kill him in the wilderness.
All these years how God had preserved him and taken care of him; now he gets one threat on his life, by a woman, and he skips town.  An angel of the Lord wakes him up from sleep and gives him water and a meal.  Elijah eats and is full; then the angel showed up a second time:

⁷And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
 ⁸And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

Now the angel is feeding him because God is going to meet with him in Mt. Horeb for 40 days and 40 nights.  When he was there the Lord asked him, what is he doing in the mount?

¹⁰And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
 ¹¹And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
 ¹²And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

So Elijah gives his reason why he's hiding, even though he is a prophet the Lord sent to correct the people; and the Lord shows Elijah his power in a great wind, earthquake, and fire and then asked him again, what are you doing here?

Elijah gave him the same answer.  He should have said; "you're right Lord; I'm tripping, let me get back on my job."  So the Lord retired him, telling him to go anoint a new king in Syria, Samaria, and a new prophet in his office name Elisha.  We thought when our bosses had us train someone who took our job started with them; nope right here in the bible.

And the Lord told Elijah that the person who gets by Hazael sword, Jehu will get, and those who get by Jehu's sword, Elisha will kill.  Then the Lord left a 'by the way'.  The Lord has 7,000 in Israel that have never bowed their knew to Baal, nor have their mouths kissed him.  These are not people who have repented; but who have never served Baal.  

This is message to us today; do not think you are the only one reading the Bible with understanding or serving God diligently.  This earth is vast, many nations and people, and God always has a remnant of people who are doing exactly what He commands and have never bowed a knee to strange gods.
Then Elijah went and picked up Elisha.

1 Kings 20

Here we see Benhadad of Syria going to war with Samaria (ten tribes).  A prophet told Ahab that he will kill the Syrian army; and he did and he trapped the king, Benhadad, but spared his life.  Another prophet then told Ahab that since he did not destroy Benhadad, Benhadad will destroy him and his people.
In 1st kings chapter 20 Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, very close by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.  And the king wanted the vineyard for his own.  If this was America, he would have just taken it and the government would have given what they thought the value of the vineyard was... however we are in Israel.


³And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

He couldn't give it to the king because it wasn't his.  When you receive an inheritance from your fathers, which was given by God; you are not in right to give it away.  So he declined the kings offer.  

Now Jezebel, his wife saw this and plotted against Naboth, bearing false witness against him.  This resulted in men stoning Naboth.  The law in Israel was for two or more witnesses is a fact established.  And two sons of the devil said that Naboth blasphemed God and the king.

Ahab hearing that Naboth was dead, went to take over his vineyard.  But as always the Lord sat there in HEAVEN and watched this like a clear day.  And God sent Elijah to Ahab and told the king that his house will be like Jeroboam and all the wicked kings before him.

²⁵But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
Ahab was a pretty bad king; he could not stop from trying to please man instead of pleasing God.  ²⁶And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

When Ahab heard this of Elijah, he humbled himself so the Lord held back killing him and his house till a generation after him; but the Lord still had the hit out for Jezebel.

1 Kings 22

Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel to deal with Ahab.  Ahab wanted Judah to go to war with him against Syria.  Jehoshaphat was a man after David's heart in that he would inquire from the Lord before he did anything and he asked Ahab to ask the Lord if it is meat to go to war.

⁶Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

These were false prophets; and I'm sure Jehoshaphat knew this or he would not have asked for another prophet.  Maybe these prophets called the name of Baalim or you knew clearly that they were not of the Lord's prophets; because for the king to ask for another prophet after 400 already made clear their prophesy it just doesn't make sense.

Jehoshaphat ended up going despite the prophesy of Micaiah, who was from the Lord, that Israel will be scattered and Ahab their king killed.  The Lord used a lying spirit in the mouth of all Ahab's prophets to entice him to go to war and be killed.

⁵⁰And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead.
 ⁵¹Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.

Jehoram took over after his father Jehoshaphat, and Ahaziah Ahab's son took over after his father passed.

2 Kings chapter 1

 ¹Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.  But Ahaziah got sick and was ill on his bed and called for the prophets of the gods of Ekron to see if he would survive this illness.

³But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?
 ⁴Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

Imagine that for bad news!  The king sent for Elijah and before a few miracles from the Lord consuming the captains and their 50 men; the third came humbly and the angel of the Lord consented to let Elijah go see the king.
And the king died because he did not trust the God of Israel; but trusted Baalzebub.  Ahaziah had no son; so Jehoshaphat, king of Judah's son, Jehoram took over the kingdom of Samaria, even though he was from Judah.

2 Kings 2

 ¹And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.  You read that right, the Lord was to take Elijah away in a whirlwind; so he had to pass the torch to Elisha.

⁵And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

It's funny, all of the Lord's servants know exactly what's going on around them.  They all knew the day when the Lord would take Elijah away.  The Lord reveals things to His servants.  So today you should know what's going on if you read the bible carefully and with understanding as we are.

This is the chapter where Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind and departs Elisha, who asked for double portion of Elijah's spirit.  That was a lot to ask and it was granted.

2 Kings chapter 3

Moab use to be cool with Samaria under Ahab; but when Ahab died they had bad relations and went to war.  So the king of Samaria called Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and called the king of Edom and they three went against Moab.
They went to enquire the Word of the Lord from Elisha; and his response is harsh; but it pays to be friends with someone with credibility.

¹³And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
 ¹⁴And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.

The Lord helped the kings slaughter Moab with the words from Elisha.

2 Kings 4

 ¹Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

This chapter deals with the faith of this woman and the miracle performed by the Lord through Elisha and helped the woman not have to go in bondage that her husband left on her.

Then Elisha met another woman who would do nice things for him, eventually the woman and her husband made a room for Elisha to stay in whenever he was around.  So Elisha returned the favor to her by telling her she would have son (because she was childless).  She was very happy; and had a son.  When the son was grown he got ill and died.

³³He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
 ³⁴And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
 ³⁵Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

Elisha was working for God with the same power that Jesus worked in His days in the flesh in raising the dead, and feeding many with few food.
This concludes todays reading; thank you for joining me and let us praise God in Jesus name.
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Peace & Grace

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