Out of Control Hope
(1 Kings 16:29 – 17:1-8)
We can be out of control, whether believer or unbeliever. We have so many responsibilities in life; family, job, spouse, children, parents, homes… that we may turn to coping mechanism that are helpful…but many turn to coping mechanism that create an out of control life:
a. Drugs
b. Alcohol
c. Risky behavior (sex and fast cars/bikes)
Let’s turn to 16:29 – 17:1-8
They were dark days indeed…58 earlier the reign of Solomon had ended and the kingdom of Israel split into the Southern and the Northern Kingdoms. The South was ruled by a cruel and callus king named Rehoboam and the North was ruled by a gifted but godless king called Jeroboam. In the North there were a series of revolts and the results were ever increasing wickedness until it climaxed in the reign of Ahab. Ahab took for a wife a woman by the name of Jezebel and rather than Jezebel taking on the God of Israel, Ahab turn to serve the god of Jezebel.
- 16
[29] In the thirty-eighth year of Asa (harming or physician) king of Judah, Ahab (resembling the father) the son of Omri (pupil of Jehovah) became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
a. We know that the kingdom is split, but there is already the hint that something is just not right when you’re the king of Israel and your capitol is in Samaria.
[30] Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.
b. They were all terrible, but Ahab has the distinction of being the worst of the worst.
[31] And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as a wife Jezebel (unchaste) the daughter of Ethbaal (with Baal), king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.
c. He had seen the other wicked kings and their families come to ruin in their sin, yet he too is here treating sin as a “trivial thing.”
i. Why do we tend to see our own sin as trivial? How does God see our sin?
Exodus 20:3-4 (NKJV) “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image…”
Turn with me to Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (NKJV) “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the LORD’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you.”
d. What is the Bible saying, “No other gods, no idols, if you turn aside…then no rain…
[32] Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
e. The royal city of Jerusalem had the temple of the Living God and so, as to mock God, he sets up the temple of his false god in his royal city to deceive the people.
2 John 1:6-7 (NKJV) “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
[33] And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
f. Second time that it is stated that he was worst king of all.
g. “Wooden images” or dead wood – (a grove typically to worship Asherah) – Instead of setting up dead wood, we should be getting rid of the dead wood in your life.
i. Why is it hard to purge certain habits or people out of our lives?
[34] In his days Hiel (God lives) of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram (my father is exalted) his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub(exalted) he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which he had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.
Joshua 6:26 (NKJV) “Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, ‘Cursed be the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.’”
h. Not sure whether they died by curse or by child sacrifice, but either way the word of the Lord is made true.
i. Summary (A warning and an example) – the king is doing wickedly and is going against the Word of God. There are warning of consequences for going against God (no rain) and an example of a curse being meted out against Hiel.
2. 17
[1] And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
James 5:16-17 (NKJV) “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”
2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
a. Elijah “rightly divided the word” and prayed according to the to the truth. “Your word says that if they go after other gods and worship them that there will be no rain.”
[2] Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
b. Typically this is the way we read about a prophet receiving the “word of the Lord” and then prophesying, but here it is after he has proclaimed to Ahab that the rain will be stopped.
[3] “Get away from here and tun eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith (cutting), which flows into the Jordan (descender).
c. God instructs Elijah one step at a time; as much as safety for Elijah and to remove the blessing from the people of Israel.
d. Point #1 – An out of control life keeps us from getting ahead of God…if Elijah would have went out under his own thinking, then he would have missed out on the miracle of raising the widow’s son and the victory at Mount Carmel against the prophets of Baal.
[4] “And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
e. God could have fed Elijah supernaturally anywhere, but He said go “there” and I will feed you “there.”
f. How often to you know that the Lord has asked you to do something “there” and yet you still have your agenda “here?”
i. Why do choose our own agenda versus Gods agenda?
[5] So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
g. Elijah trusted God and went.
Psalm 22:4 (NKJV) “Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them.”
h. You can count on God.
[6] The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
i. Matthew 6:11 (NKJV) “Give us this day our daily bread.”
j. Point #2 – It allows us the opportunity to get enriched in our knowledge of the Lord…the bread kept coming down (Matthew 6:11).
i. What are some of the excuses we make for not reading our Bibles everyday?
[7] And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
k. Life is now out of control. Do you think Elijah might have been saying, “wait a minute…God you sent me here…and I obeyed…but now the brook is drying up!”
l. He can choose to work out of this situation on his own strength, or he can wait on the Lord.
Psalm 130:5 (NKJV) “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.”
[8] Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
m. Elijah waited for the word of the Lord…THEN he went out from the Brook Cherith…
n. Point #3 – It reminds us to trust in Jesus for our future and our hope (“Then” is stated twice vs. 17:2 & 17:8).
i. What are some of the reasons we don’t wait on the Lord?
o. Elijah “study to show himself approved unto God” and he said, “king…no rain…”
p. Next, the brook dried up…life appeared to be out of control…but he waited on the Lord and miracles happened.
- If you are looking toward your:
a. Spouse
b. Program
c. Ministry
d. Job
e. Church
f. Children - For satisfaction you going to frustrated and without peace…
Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
- Remember, that all of us have a future and a hope in Jesus no matter where we are.
a. You will have no peace until you are at peace with the Prince of Peace – namely Jesus Christ.