Sermon Tone Analysis

Elijah and Elisha 6.

- It is the dark days of Israel.

[P] Just like we are in dark days spiritually today.

The king has married into the royal family of the nation to the north of them, a land that worshipped Baal.

And the whole nation had been led into idolatrous worship, forsaking יהוה.

The nation was ripe for judgement, and it came in the form of a drought.

They had forsaken יהוה, so He forsook the land and declined to send rain upon it.

The whole nation had gone astray.

But there were a few who had not; there were individuals who had remained true to יהוה.

There was Elijah, the man of God [P] יהוה’s spokesman.

There was a widow who found life through faith [P], but she was a Gentile, in another country.

Then there was Obadiah [P], the servant of יהוה, but we saw that perhaps his loyalty was divided.

But as a whole, the nation had followed Baal.

Last time we saw this confrontation between this false religion and the true God on Mount Carmel [P].

The whole nation was gathered there!

It was to be a showdown – a demonstration of who was really God.

That was, and is, the real issue.

“If יהוה is God, then follow Him”.

We saw this last desperate and futile show of this false religion.

They submitted themselves to harsh rituals, were at it all day – but nothing happened.

This is how it will be at the end: there will be a rise in religion – but there will be no reality, no God there.

So FINALLY we come to when יהוה Himself intervenes.

[P] A demonstration of the reality of the TRUE and LIVING GOD! Hallelujah! Don’t you long for יהוה to act?!

For all to see that יהוה is mighty!

Turn to 1 Kings 18. [P] The false prophets had been at it all day, [P] now Elijah has his turn: [1 Kings 18:30–46 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.”

So all the people came near to him.

And he repaired the altar of יהוה [P] which had been torn down.

Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of יהוה had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”

So with the stones he built an altar in the name of יהוה, and he made a trench around the altar, [P] large enough to hold two measures of seed.

(that is about 10 litres, the picture gives the wrong impression, the altar would have been much smaller) [P] Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.

And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”

[P] And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time.

And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.

The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

[P] At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, [P] “O יהוה, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word.

“Answer me, O יהוה, answer me, that this people may know that You, O יהוה, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”

[P] Then the fire of יהוה fell and consumed the burnt offering 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, [P] they fell on their faces; and they said, “יהוה, He is God; יהוה, He is God!” [P] Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.”

So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.”

So Ahab went up to eat and drink.

But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees.

[P] He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”

So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.”

And he said, “Go back” seven times.

It came about at the seventh time,[P] that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.”

And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’

” [P] In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower.

And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.

Then the hand of יהוה was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.]

We saw last time that there was a deliberate rejection of God [1 Kings 18:30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.”

So all the people came near to him.

And he repaired the altar of יהוה which had been torn down.]

So after a day-long calling upon Baal, Elijah’s turn came to call upon His God.

Elijah called the people to come near – for there was to be no loud demonstrative ranting.

He wanted them near to see and hear what took place.

In order to see God’s deeds, to hear His voice, we must come near.

The altar of יהוה had been torn down.

It hadn’t fallen down, fallen into disrepair.

It was torn down: a deliberate and wilful act.

It was a deliberate rejection of the worship of יהוה.

You can remove Baal by destroying idols and, though you can tear down places where יהוה is worshipped and kill His followers, you cannot get rid of יהוה because He is God!

He is I AM! Hallelujah!

He exists, He is present everywhere, He cannot be destroyed!

In coming near to יהוה what has been destroyed must be healed, restored, mended, built back up again.

When there has been a turning away from יהוה there needs to be RESTORATION [P].

Have you ever felt that you are not as close to God as you once were?

That is when restoration is needed.

The altar; place of worship, of sacrifice, of meeting with יהוה, of offering up to Him must first be restored.

Elijah built up that which had been torn down.

The foundations must be re-laid.

For there to be restoration we need to go Back to basics [P] [1 Kings 18:31 Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of יהוה had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”]

Elijah re-laid the foundation stones – he went back to the basics.

He went back to the very beginning of יהוה establishing a covenant relationship with Israel.

He took 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes (not 10 - he included Judah and Benjamin who were now a separate nation) – the 12 sons of Jacob, not the sons of Israel.

Elijah went back to the time of the twister, the deceiver, the man going his own way, out of relationship with יהוה, the one who wrestled with God and was changed to Israel.

Name is a big deal in the Bible – his name changed from Jacob to Israel.

The word of יהוה came to him and he was no longer the same, a new man.

He went back to the time when Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, the time relationship was established, the time Israel first came into existence by the word of יהוה.

To what יהוה said, to His promise.

For restoration we need to get back to God’s Word.

This is what Elijah brought them back to.

It all started with יהוה – he was bringing them back to that place where it all began.

They had torn down their very roots, their foundation, rejecting Him who brought them into being.

Elijah went back and rebuilt that foundation, brought them back to basics, to the origins, back to יהוה [1 Kings 18:32–33 So with the stones he built an altar in the Name of the יהוה, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.

Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.]

Name is a big deal – he rebuilt the altar in the name of יהוה – based on His character and nature, not mixing with some other God.

Then Elijah did something unusual: [1 Kings 18:34 And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”

And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time.

And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.]

He ordered water to be poured over the altar.

Elijah intended to prove the greatness of God; making it difficult to set alight, he made the task harder for God.

There would be no excuse that tinder dry conditions had allowed spontaneous combustion, a spark from a stone etc.

The people were going to see that יהוה is ALMIGHTY!

This was the hand of God Himself, no accident.

They would see that there is no obstacle that we can place that will stand in His way and prevent Him doing what He is going to do.

[1 Kings 18:35 The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.]

The whole thing was sodden with water, even the trench around the altar.

Nothing was less likely to be consumed by fire.

We may think that we are impervious, but the fire will fall.