Sermon Tone Analysis

When we last left Elijah he was on his way to Mount Sinai, for 40 days and 40 night Elijah walked through the freshly watered wilderness toward the mountain of God.

Elijah had been sustained for this journey by being supernaturally fed by an angel of God in the middle of the wilderness.

on this journey no doubt Elijah was thinking...

about his battle with the prophets of Baal,

How Baal was incapable of answering the cries of his prophets

Remembering the intensity of the fire that poured down from heaven upon the alter

How all Israel repented and said they would follow YHWH

He was no doubt thinking...

What it could have been like if Israel walked faithfully before God

What it could have been like if Ahab had a spine and was willing to stand up for what is right in front of Jezebel.

However, Elijah’s thoughts always brought him back to this reality:

Israel is cursed.

Jezebel no doubt has killed Obadiah and the prophets he hid in the cave

How no matter what signs God showed them, they would not follow him.

How Israel has become no different than the Canaanites,

And Jezebel wants to kill Elijah, she wants to cut him in to pieces like he did the prophets of Baal

After he looked around and determined that Israel was again under the judgement of God, he walked out of the city.

So as he walks to Sinai, he is thinking through all of these things, and he knows that Israel needs to be destroyed.

Eventually he arrives at Sinai, and finds a cave, and he sets up camp in the cave.

Before we look at what happens in the cave I want you to understand why he went to Sinai.

Elijah Comes to Sinai to Testify Against Israel

Elijah is a prophet, and prophets are part of God’s council.

Whatever God decides to do on earth, he first consults with his prophets.

And when his prophets likewise will come back to the council of God and report concerning the people he is sent to prophecy to.

So the reason Elijah comes to Sinai is to stand before God as a council member and report what has happened in Israel.

Prophets will make suggestions to God as to what should happen.

They will interseed for the people, or they will ask God to judge the people.

So Elijah comes to Sinai to report to YHWH and his council concerning Israel and their hard heartedness toward God.

Paul says that Elijah appeals to God against Israel

this is courtroom language

Elijah goes to Sinai to bring a legal charge against Israel, saying that they are corrupt, and are deserving of judgement.

So Elijah sets up camp in a cave on Sinai and waits for the council to begin.

Ok, Look with me at

Elijah Comes to Testify Against Israel

Elijah, lodged in the cave, is startled when the word of the Lord comes to him.

The word of the Lord is delivered to Elijah by an angelic being.

And the angel asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

This is not a condescending question as if he was saying

what are you doing here?

shouldn’t you be in Israel?

Why have you come to this cave?

no, this is an angel asking Elijah to state his business, or his report, before he stands before the Judge of Israel, YHWH himself.

So the angel is asking Elijah to state charges against Israel

And Elijah does so in verse 10

Elijah starts by saying, “I have been very Jealous for YHWH, The God of hosts (or the God of armies)

When Elijah says he is jealous for the Lord, what this means is that he is zealous for God.

He is passionate about the ways of God, and he is dedicated to see God glorified in all the earth.

this is the same sort of zeal Paul has when he states that he is zealous for God

EXAMPLE

Imagine if you were praying to God one morning and all of a sudden, an angel of God appeared to you and asked you, “are you zealous for God? are you serious about your faith?”

Do you serve your king faithfully?

Have you pledged your unyielding allegiance to Christ?

and looking at your life, would you be able to say, as Elijah did, I have been very zealous for God?

You see, when we read and study the scriptures we must not be satisfied with intellectual stimulation.

We must not be satisfied with having our moral compass recalibrated

When we read the bible we are not only interpreting what a passage means, but the passage is also interpreting us.

When we come to the scriptures we must recognize that the Spirit of God is preparing to undo us.

He is preparing to expose us and make us very uncomfortable...

Hebrews says

The bible is the living and active word of God - it is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And no creation is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

There is no hiding from God, and that very uncomfortable reality that God’s word is about exposing our shame, is nothing less than a marvelous expression of God’s love for his people.

For he is faithful to not leave us in our sin, in our filth, but like a surgeon he is exposing and removing our sinful habits that left unchecked will result in us being just like Ahab - spineless, pathetic, maggots who whore after idols.

So let this passage interpret you…

So, if an angel of the Lord appeared to you and asked, “are you zealous for God, do you take your faith seriously?”

how would you answer?

You would have to look at your life, your habits, your priorities.

You would have to evaluate your affections and loves

You would have to see how you spend your time, your money, your influence.

And after this evaluation, would you be able to say your zealous for God?

Would you be able to say that you’re passionate for the things of God?

Would you be able to say that you seek to bring all things under the submission of King Jesus?

The word of God leaves us naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

The beauty of the gospel is that our nakedness and exposer has ultimately been remedied in Christ.

He has clothed us in his righteousness, and he has secured us in his covenant love.

However, do we live as if thats a reality?

Because if you do, than you would be able to answer the angel as Elijah did, “I am jealous for the Lord”

Church, may we, before the one whom we are all to give an account be able to say we are zealous for Christ!

Elijah contrasts his covenant faithfulness with Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness

Elijah brings three charges against Israel

They have forsaken your covenant (They have not obeyed God)

They have thrown down your alters (They have not worshiped God_

And they have killed your prophets with a sword (They have not listened to God)

He then concludes that He is the only prophet left.

As a prophet this is the report he is bringing to the council of God.

And when the angel hears the report he tells Elijah to go and stand before YHWH and give him this report.

And before Elijah can even walk to the entrance of the cave something terrifying happens…

1k 19

What is happening here?

This is the same sort of event that happened when Moses was at Sinai and God came down upon the mountain.

We see often that God is described as traveling through creation on his chariot, and when he arrives he does so with terrifying effects.

So what is happening here?

YHWH arrives on his chariot

YHWH Arrives on His Chariot

Elijah is not brought to God in a vision, he does not ascend beyond the clouds to meet YHWH in order to give him his report.

But instead, YHWH himself comes down like locomotive!

YHWH comes to mount Sinai riding his chariot.

The same chariot that will again come with fire to take Elijah to heaven.

(2 k 2)

The same chariot that God used to come down to mount sinai in the days of Moses with Wind, earthquakes and fire.