Participants: Kelly Mowrer
Series Code: HWAL
Program Code: HWAL000550
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00:16 Hello, and welcome to His Words are Life.
00:18 I'm Kelly Mowrer, and today we're going to continue with the 00:21 story of Elijah in the book of first Kings. 00:23 But before we start, let's pray together. Dear God, thank you so 00:28 much for the word that we are going to read today. 00:31 Please, may your Holy Spirit come and bring us a deeper 00:35 understanding of you love, and the encouragement and strength 00:40 you gave to Elijah. Give us a portion of that, too. please. 00:43 We need to be strengthened to serve you better. 00:46 And we love you so much. Thank you for loving us. Amen. 00:49 When we were last together we were reading about 00:52 the big show down on Mount Carmel 00:54 between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. And Elijah had called 00:58 all of Israel together and he said to them, How long 01:01 are you going to keep going back and forth between 2 camps? 01:04 If Baal is God then follow him; but if the Lord God follow him. 01:11 And the people didn't answer. So Elijah proposed the test. And he 01:15 and the prophets of Baal each built an altar, and the prophets 01:18 of Baal called all day and there was no answering fire. 01:21 But when Elijah called to the Lord God of Heaven, 01:24 the fire came and consumed the altar and the sacrifice, 01:27 and even the stones, and the trench of water around the altar 01:32 and the people said, The Lord is God, and then Elijah gathered 01:37 together the prophets of Baal and slew them. 01:39 He prayed for rain and the 3 year drought came to an end 01:43 and Ahab returned to Jezebel and told her all that had happened. 01:48 And Jezebel was furious and she said, I am going to do the same 01:52 thing to Elijah that he did to my prophets of Baal. 01:54 And it's interesting in this story: all throughout, the Lord 01:58 is directing Elijah's to action. He tells Elijah to go to Ahab 02:02 in the first place and he sends him to the brook Cherith 02:04 and he sends him back to Ahab. But at this point in the story, 02:07 when Jezebel vows to kill Elijah, Elijah doesn't receive 02:12 a word from the Lord. He up and runs. And he is afraid for his 02:17 life, and he runs out into the wilderness. And that's where 02:19 we're going to pick up the story right now. 02:21 We're in 1st Kings, chapter 19, verse 5, and this is the 02:25 King James Version. And as he lay and slept under a juniper 02:30 tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, 02:35 Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake 02:40 baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. 02:43 And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 02:46 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, 02:50 and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; 02:53 because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, 02:58 and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat 03:03 forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 03:07 And he came thither unto a cave and lodged there; and behold, 03:12 the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, 03:15 What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very 03:22 jealous for the Lord God of hosts: 03:24 for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown 03:27 down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; 03:30 and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, 03:35 to take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand 03:40 upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, 03:44 and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, 03:48 and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; 03:51 but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind 03:56 an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 04:00 and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire 04:05 and after the fire a still small voice. 04:10 And it was so, when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his 04:15 face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering 04:19 in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, 04:23 and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 04:27 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God 04:31 of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken 04:34 thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy 04:37 prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; 04:41 and they seek my life, to take it away. 04:44 And the Lord said unto him, Go return on thy way to the 04:51 wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, 04:54 anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: and Jehu the son 04:59 of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: 05:02 And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint 05:09 to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, 05:12 that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; 05:17 and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. 05:21 Yet I have left me 7,000 in Israel, all the knees which have 05:28 not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. 05:32 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, 05:37 who was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen before him 05:40 and he was the 12th: and Elijah passed by him, and cast 05:45 his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, 05:50 and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, 05:54 and then I will folllow thee. And he said unto him, Go back 05:58 again: for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from 06:02 him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled 06:05 their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the 06:08 people, and they did eat. Then he arose and went after Elijah, 06:13 and ministered unto him. We're continuing in the book of 06:16 first Kings chapter 20, and this is the King James Version. 06:20 And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: 06:25 and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, 06:27 and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred 06:31 against it. And he sent messengers to Ahab 06:35 king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, 06:37 thus saith Benhadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; 06:42 thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine. 06:45 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, 06:50 according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have. 06:55 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad 07:01 saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt 07:05 deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy 07:09 children: yet I will send my servants unto thee tomorrow 07:13 about this time, and they shall search thine house, 07:16 and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever 07:21 is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, 07:25 and take it away. Then the king of Israel called all the elders 07:30 of the land and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man 07:35 seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my 07:38 children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him 07:42 not. And all the elders and all the people said unto him, 07:46 Hearken not unto him, nor consent. Wherefore he said unto 07:51 the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou 07:55 didst send for to to thy servant at the first I will do: 07:59 but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, 08:04 and brought him word again. And Benhadad sent unto him, 08:08 and said, The gods do so unto me and more also, if the dust 08:12 of Samaria shall suffice for the handfuls for all the people 08:15 that follow me. And the king of Israel answered and said, 08:18 Tell him, let not him that girdeth on his harness boast 08:22 himself as he that putteth it off. And it came to pass, 08:26 when Benhadad heard this message, as he was drinking, 08:29 he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto 08:33 his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves 08:37 in array against the city. And, behold, there came a prophet 08:42 unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the Lord, 08:46 Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will 08:51 deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know 08:55 that I am the Lord. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, 09:02 Thus saith the Lord, Even by the young men of the princes of the 09:06 provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? 09:10 And he answered, Thou? Then he numbered the young men of the 09:15 princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty 09:18 two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the 09:22 children of Israel, being 7,000. And they went out at noon. 09:26 But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, 09:29 he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him. 09:33 And the young men of the princes of the provinces 09:36 went out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, 09:40 saying, There are men come out of Samaria. And he said, 09:44 Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; 09:48 or whether they be come out for war, take them alive. 09:51 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came 09:55 out of the city, and the army which followed them. 09:58 And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; 10:02 and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria 10:06 escaped on an horse with the horsemen. And the king of Israel 10:11 went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew 10:15 the Syrians with a great slaughter. And the prophet came 10:19 to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself 10:23 and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the 10:28 year the king of Syria will come up against thee. 10:30 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, 10:33 Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were 10:38 stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, 10:42 and surely we shall be stronger than they. And do this thing, 10:48 Take the kings away, every man out of his place and put 10:51 captains in their rooms, and number thee an army, like the 10:54 army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot 10:57 for chariot, and we will fight 10:59 against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger 11:03 than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so. 11:07 And it came to pass at the return of the year, 11:11 that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, 11:14 to fight against Israel. And the children of Israel were numbered 11:18 and were all present, and went against them: and the children 11:22 of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; 11:25 but the Syrians filled the country. And there came a man 11:30 of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and spake unto the 11:31 king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the 11:35 Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not 11:38 God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great 11:43 multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am 11:47 the Lord. And they pitched one over against the other 7 days. 11:52 And so it was, that in the 7th day, the battle was joined: 11:56 and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred 12:00 thousand footmen in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, 12:05 into the city, and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven 12:09 thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, 12:13 and came into the city, into an inner chamber. And his servants 12:17 said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the 12:20 house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, 12:24 put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and 12:26 go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy 12:29 life. So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes 12:33 on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, 12:36 Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. 12:40 And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother. 12:45 Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing 12:49 would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, 12:51 Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. 12:57 Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come into 13:01 the chariot. And Benhadad said unto him, The cities, which my 13:04 father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt 13:07 make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made 13:10 in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this 13:14 covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away. 13:18 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his 13:22 neighbor in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. 13:26 and the man refused to smite him. Then said he unto him, 13:30 Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, 13:34 as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. 13:37 And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, 13:41 and slew him. Then he found another man, and said, 13:44 Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him so that in smiting 13:49 him he wounded him. So the prophet departed, and waited 13:52 for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes 13:56 upon his face. And as the king passed by, he cried unto the 14:00 king and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the 14:02 battle and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto 14:05 me and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, 14:09 then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a 14:12 talent of silver. And as thy servant was busy here and there, 14:15 he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, 14:17 So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it. 14:22 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; 14:25 and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. 14:28 Thank you for joining with me today to read the word of God. 14:32 Please join me again next time. Goodbye. |
Revised 2014-12-17