Elijah: The Humble Hero

1 Ki 17:7-12

He was the toughest professor in the whole business department. He was every Junior’s worst nightmare. Bobby Bush took great delight in his role of weeding out students who weren’t tough enough to make it in the business world.

I remember his opening speech in my first business management class. “Rule one: don’t be late. When the bell rings, the door shuts and I don’t care if you are standing in the doorway. Once the door shuts, you are absence without excuse.” I remember the first couple of unfortunate souls who didn’t believe he meant it. No one was late after that.

“Rule Two: Be prepared for class. If you get the answer wrong, the whole class gets the answer wrong.” Wow, talk about pressure. Every class started out with a one question pop quiz and the name of a student.

Dr. Bush was a tough teacher, but those of us who survived his class, carried a sense of confidence we didn’t have before. I wanted to get a tee-shirt that said, “I survived Bobby Bush”. It was an important part of our education, because the business world is tough and doesn’t accept excuses or failure.

I became friends with Dr. Bush over the next 3 years and found he was a much nicer guy outside of class than in class. However, friend or not, I was never late for a single class and I was always ready for his classes.

God did something similar with Elijah. He needed him to be prepared to be God’s servant to the nation of Israel. He need someone who would listen to his instruction even when it didn’t seem to be the smartest move.

PRAYER

I. Elijah’s Test

A. The test of first impressions

1. Elijah spent some time next to a stream in the desert eating bits of food that ravens brought to him.

2. Then one day the brook dries up and God tells him to go to Zarephath where a widow would take care of him.

3. He treks across the wilderness for about 100 miles and comes to the town very thirsty.

4. He sees a widow gathering sticks and figures this is the woman God had told him about.

5. He asks for some water and then something to eat.

6. She has some water, but barely enough to feed her child and herself a small piece of bread before they die.

7. Imagine his surprise!

a) This was the person who was supposed to provide for him?

b) He probably expected a little better than the food the ravens brought him only to find out this widow has no food and is gathering sticks to cook one last meal before she dies of starvation.

c) That’s how God is going to care for him?

B. Have you ever been caught off guard by first impressions and then found out things were worse than you expected?

1. Chuck Swindoll tells a story about when he became an intern at a church in California. He got to the church on a Saturday evening and the minister was there. None of the staff was there to greet him, in fact the place was empty and it took 3 phone calls to find someone home and tell him what he needed to do!

2. Welcome to your new church!

3. Many of us probably have a similar story of really bad first impressions.

4. The trick to that is looking at what we can learn from the situation.

5. Will it make you stronger? Have you learned a truth that will help guide you through your life?

6. That test of first impressions can actually be a test of what kind of character you are made of.

C. The test of physical impossibilities

1. Elijah is a quick learner and a man of faith.

2. Most of us would have seen this situation in a bad light, but Elijah looks beyond the obvious problem and puts his faith in God.

3. READ vs. 13-14

4. The widow was focused on the impossibilities, Elijah was focused on God.

5. How often have we as individuals or as a church sold ourselves short because we focused on the impossibilities rather than possibilities of God’s faithfulness.

6. Milam’s faith has always impressed me in that he can always see the possibilities of what God can do rather than dwelling what is impossible for us to do on our own.

II. Four Principles Worth Pondering

A. God’s Leading is often surprising; but don’t analyze it.

1. Elijah may not have understood why God led him to Zarephath, but he didn’t try to analyze it, he trusted God’s leading.

2. You may find yourself in a difficult situation, but if you have the peace that God has led you there, don’t analyze it or run away from it. Stay put.

3. I read a bulletin article the other day blasting anyone who says God has led them to do something. They said God doesn’t work like that today. I completely disagree. Now obviously he won’t lead you in something that goes against scripture, but I believe he motivates our hearts and gives us a sense of peace in decisions if we ask his will and are open to his answers.

B. The Beginning days are often the hardest; don’t quit.

1. It would have been easy for either Elijah or the widow to look at the situation and quit.

a) It didn’t seem possible to feed another person.

b) Elijah had to feel that this definitely wasn’t a step up in his life.

2. Have you ever had a job that had a steep learning curve to get started? You feel like you’ll never be able to learn everything or do things right, but if you keep at it, the job gets better and pretty soon you can feel happy and comfortable in what you are doing.

3. Following God is the same way.

a) Keep you faith. You’ll find that confidence in him is contagious.

C. God’s promises often hinge on obedience; don’t ignore your part

1. This whole episode started with God saying, “Elijah, arise and go.” So Elijah got up and went.

2. Elijah told the woman to go and prepare the meal and she did.

3. God’s promises were only realized after they obeyed his command.

4. Many churches preach a gospel of passivity.

a) All you have to do is accept Jesus and life is just a ride after that.

b) You don’t have to do anything.

c) Folks that just doesn’t match up with scripture.

d) God does expect us to obey and do what he tells us.

e) Christianity is resting in the Grace of God, but it also obeying him in faithfulness.

D. God’s provisions are often just enough; don’t fail to thank him.

1. God never promised us easy living.

2. He promised to provide our needs.

3. Sometimes he lavishes us with provision and sometimes gives us just enough of what we need.

4. Either way we need to thank him.

5. We need to be aware of his provision in our lives.

6. I struggle with this. I want to be comfortable. God hasn’t lavished me with provision, he gives me just enough. I need to be thankful that I have just enough because it sure beats NOT having enough.

7. It’s hard to be content with just enough when we live in a very materialist world that always wants more.

8. Be glad with what God has given you.

9. Maybe you don’t have the job you wanted, but you do have a job.

10. Most of all be glad he his given you spiritual provision.

11. No matter what happens here on earth, He has provided Heaven for your soul for all eternity.

12. That’s where our focus needs to be fixed.

E. God trained and tested Elijah to make sure he was ready for his mission.

F. He is training and testing you.

G. On the road to spiritual maturity, we must pass through Zarephath.

H. Trust God’s faithfulness in his promises and keep to the path he has set before you.