Elijah-A Man of Courage
“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.” I Kings 17:1
The prophet Elijah is one of the men of scripture who seems to appear out of nowhere. There is no mention of his father or mother, only that he was a Tishbite from Gilead. It is unknown exactly where Tishbeh was located, but was in Gilead, a mountain region east of the Jordan River. This area encompassed the land from the Sea of Galilee southward to the Dead Sea and bordered by Bashan, Moab, and Ammon. Some of the Jews, because of the mystery surrounding his life, thought he was an angel sent by God, but James 5:17 tells us that he was a man just like us, except that he was sent by God for a very difficult, yet important mission, which was to challenge the evil king Ahab and Ahab’s wife Jezebel, whom I always refer to as a “mean, razor-totin’ woman”.
It is apparent that Elijah was a godly man and also a man of strong convictions and strong passions. The atmosphere of the time in which he lived was eviler and more sinful that at any time in Israel’s history. (I wonder how their evil would compare to ours today). He was the right man for the task of which God assigned to him. God uses the personality of those he chooses for various tasks and enhances their abilities in order to be successful at their duties. (The Apostle Peter is a good example of how God used his assertive personality to be bold in preaching the gospel. Paul is another good example of one who was determined, and incentivized before and after he came to Christ.) God knows who is best suited for the work. He can also take one whom no one would ever think could accomplish great work for the LORD and make them a mighty servant for Him. God is not hindered by man’s limitations.
God sent Elijah to confront and warn Ahab of a coming drought which would cause a famine in Israel. There are folks today who believe that man controls the weather, and that climate change is a result of pollution and modern conveniences such as cars, planes, etc., but scripture tells us that God is the controller of weather and uses floods, droughts, and storms as warnings to wake people up to their sinful lifestyles such as the case here in Elijah’s day. Any severe changes we have in our weather pattern is, I believe, God’s warnings to us. If man’s defiance against God wasn’t so serious, I think God might be getting a good laugh at the misinformed ideas that man has about the weather and just about everything else for that matter. However, rather than laugh, I think that He is very sad at how men and women have ignored Him and taken credit for things over which they have no control but think that they do. For some folks, it takes drastic measures to convince them that they are on the wrong road, but some will still not be convinced and thus not willing to repent, just like Ahab. This drought would last for about three and one-half years, long enough to dry up rivers, streams, and lakes.
The LORD returned again to Elijah and instructed him to head eastward and hide himself by the brook Cherith which was east of Jordan and thought to be in Elijah’s land of Gilead. It was necessary for Elijah to hide out during this time of drought for at least two reasons. The first reason was to keep him away from Ahab and the people of Israel who would search him out and beg him to reverse God’s punishment which he, of course, had no power to do or to search him out to kill him. The second reason was that if Elijah saw how much the people were suffering from the drought and famine, it would affect him negatively. Therefore, it was for Elijah’s own protection that God commanded him to hide out.
God had already made provisions for him (as He always does). The brook would supply fresh water to drink, and food would be supplied by ravens who would bring bread and meat, once in the mornings and again in the evenings. Elijah complied with the LORD’s command, took his journey to the brook Cherith, and set up camp. It wouldn’t surprise me if God had arranged for some materials to be available in that location for Elijah to make a shelter. After all, God provided food and water. Would He not also provide shelter for His obedient servant? I would imagine that the highlight of Elijah’s day in camp was seeing the ravens fly overhead and drop food. Most folks look forward to mealtime, and Elijah was likely no exception. While Israel suffered without food and very little water, Elijah was well fed and hydrated. God takes care of His own. If there was anything that bothered him, it was probably the loneliness of his isolation. People were made for relationships. However, this time alone gave him time to think and pray. As a prophet, he may have been accustomed to being ostracized by the public. From what we know about prophets, most of them were what we might call “loners”. While that might not sound like a favorable description, a measure of solitude is necessary in order to gain a closer walk with the Lord. Constant busyness and distractions hinder intimacy between Christ and His followers. One on one relationships can provide knowledge and insight that one might not receive in a social gathering. It’s hard to hear God’s voice over many voices.
God was Elijah’s constant companion, and his only companion for a time, but He was really all Elijah needed just as the Lord is really all we need. I wonder, where is today’s Elijah?