Stay Zealous for the Gospel :: 1 Kings 19:(3-10) 11-21
So [Elijah] arose and [ran for his life], and he came to Beer-Sheva, which belongs to Judah. ... Then he went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and he came and sat under one broom tree. And he asked [that might] die. He said, “It’s too much. Now, YHWH, take my very being because I’m [no better than] my fathers.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.
And behold this: An angel touched him. And he said to him: Arise. Eat. And [Elijah] looked and behold, at his head [was] a baked cake and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and he lay down again. Then מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה ... the Angel of the Lord ... came again and touched him and said: Arise. Eat, for the journey is too much for you. And he arose and ate and drank, and he went with the strength of that food forty days and nights until [reaching] the mountain of God, Horeb. There, he came to the cave, and he lodged there. And behold the דְבַר־יְהוָה ... the Word of the Lord ... [came] to him and said, What [are you doing] here, Elijah? (1Kgs 19:3-10).
[Prayer]
O God and Father, when the devils of the world are all too eager to devour us, give us your Word that comforted Elijah and encouraged him to stay zealous for you and your way. Grant us Your Word that announces that though we die, yet shall we live on account of our Lord’s death and resurrection. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
[Introduction]
He felt alone and afraid. He didn’t know what to say any more. He didn’t know what to do any more. He didn’t know where else to go. He was ready to quit. And he wanted to die.
There was a time when Elijah the Tishbite was zealous for God ... calling men to repentance ... taking care of widows and orphans ... breaking bread ... preaching the Gospel ... delivering life and salvation to those who had faith. But the ruling class wasn’t interested in listening to him. The ruling class wanted nothing to do with him. In fact, after hearing his calls to repent, the ruling class ... in essence ... was saying, How dare he say we’re sinners who sin! We need to silence him. Then we can live the way we want, and do what we want, and worship the way we want.
When you start reading the books of Kings, it’s shocking just how evil the ruling class becomes. First, there was Solomon, who allowed all of his wives to turn his heart after other gods. Then came Rehoboam and Jeroboam and Abijam. To be sure, Asa was good. But then came Nadab, Baasha, and Elah. Zimri only reigned for a week. But then there was Omri, and in today’s reading, Ahab. Ahab ... under the spell of Jezebel ... was more evil than all the kings before him. One by one, these men ignored God’s covenant, despised His Service, destroyed God’s altar, attacked His Word, and killed those who spoke it. They bowed to Baal and worshiped Asherah, the goddess of fertility.
3. So God sent one of the most zealous men who ever walked the earth, Elijah the Tishbite.
Few men can be compared with Elijah, whose name means ‘My God is Yah.’
It was Elijah who fed the poor and raised the dead. It was Elijah who destroyed the prophets of Baal and Asherah. It was Elijah who was carried into heaven on chariots of fire. It was Elijah who appeared alongside Moses with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. And it was Elijah, to whom Jesus likened John the Baptizer. ... Why? ... They boldly preached the Gospel. Yes, Elijah had been very zealous for God (vv 10, 14).
Yet, this morning, we find him hiding on Mount Horeb, which is Sinai. Why Elijah came here ... some 350 miles to the south ... is curious. Was he really worried about his life? Or had he become simply overwhelmed by the sin surrounding him? Our text doesn’t really tell us. I have to think it was sin overwhelming him.
The prophets of Baal ... like all the other false prophets of the world ... preached something the Jezebels of the world long to hear: self-idolatry ... which is a form of worship that is alive and well today. We aren’t exaggerating by calling the worship of Baal perhaps the most vile form of idolatry. The basic tenets of Baal worship are child sacrifice, immorality, and worship of creation ... just like today! Saint Paul describes those who embrace it in 2 Timothy 4[:3-4]. He writes: They won’t endure healthy doctrine. But according to their overwhelming lust, they will accumulate for themselves teachers that excite their ears, turn away from hearing the truth, and wander off into myths.
2. This is why God sent men to be as zealous as Elijah.
Elijah shows us that YHWH cannot be manipulated or bribed. He is holy and just.
And you don’t get to meet YHWH on your terms. He meets you on His.
The god who permits worshipers to do what they want, how they want, when they want is not the True God. He is an idol. The god who exalts your feelings is not the True God. The god who permits self-indulgence at the expense of family is not the True God. False gods don’t answer your prayers. False gods don’t deliver the forgiveness of sins. False gods don’t save you from eternal fire. But ...
IN HIS ZEAL FOR YOU, THE TRUE GOD FINDS YOU, CALLS YOU, AND SAVES YOU
Just like Elijah. This is where our reading begins.
[דְבַר־יְהוָה came to Elijah and said]: Go out and stand on the mountain before YHWH. And behold, YHWH was passing by. And a great and strong wind was tearing the mountains apart and breaking the rocks before YHWH. [But] YHWH [was] not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake. [But] YHWH [was] not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire. [But] YHWH [was] not in the fire. And after the fire, a voice, a fine whisper. And as Elijah listened, he wrapped his face in his cloak, and he went out and stood [at] the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice [came] to him: What [are you doing] here, Elijah? (vv 11-13).
1. Whereas the world allows jealousy to devour itself while trying to silence the Gospel ... the zeal of God meets you where you are ... in the fine voice of his Word.
He doesn’t always answer prayer through fierce winds, earthquakes, and fire. But when we listen, we can still hear him speak through the fine voice of the Scriptures. And in his Word, we hear his call to return to him and receive the Gospel.
YHWH said to Elijah, Go. Return to your way toward the wilderness of Damascus. And come and anoint Hazael [as] king over Syria. And anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, [as] king over Israel, and anoint Elisha, the son of Shaphat, [as] a prophet under you. And it will be [that] the one escaping from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will put to death; and the one escaping from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will put to death. And I will cause in Israel seven thousand to remain, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. And Elijah went from there, and found Elisha, the son of Shaphat (vv 15-19).
This Gospel reminds us that though we often feel weak and unprepared, God provides and God saves. Sometimes he uses evil to defeat evil for his good ... just like he did by means of Hazael. Sometimes he uses other means, just like he did with Jehu. But he does it most prominently through His Good Word that preserves for us a remnant of the faithful, just like the seven thousand who did not bow to Baal but continued listening to the Gospel.
You know this Good Word well. Jesus took the evil of our idolatry and self-indulgence upon himself and shed his precious blood for our redemption. Jesus was beaten, mocked, spit upon, and crucified for you. In his zeal to finish the Good Work of God, Jesus silently went to the cross, where he was crucified for you and died for you. And because God is zealous for all that is good and holy ... he then raised Jesus from the dead ... He is now risen! ... And we see him and receive him in the Divine Service.
[Conclusion]
Don’t hide this good news from the world around you. Don’t keep it to yourself.
If Israel could fall so far into evil, so too can we.
Instead, continue listening to the fine whisper of God’s Word. It sustained Elijah with a blessing when he was all alone, and it will do the same for all of you who listen to it. It will continually feed and nourish you ... just like Elijah. It will lead God’s people from sin and death into eternal life. Let the zeal for the Lord train up your families, teaching them to listen, too. Bring them to Sunday School and Church so that they know that ... when they are with God’s people ... they too are never alone. Stay zealous for this Gospel ... in Jesus’ name.