Tuesday, March 9, 2010

1 Kings 18

6 comments:

Denise said...

"Although the prophets of Baal "raved all afternoon," no one answered them. Their god was silent because it was not real. The gods we may be tempted to follow are not idols of wood or cause us to depend on something other than God. Power, status, appearance, or material possessions can become our gods if we devote our lives to them. But when we reach times of crisis and desperately call out to these gods, there will only be silence. They can offer no true answers, no guidance, and no wisdom."

"God flashed fire from heaven for Elijah. He will also help us accomplish what he commands us to do. The proof may not be as dramatic in our lives as in Elijah's, but God will make resources available to us in creative ways to accomplish his purposes. He will give us the wisdom to raise a family, the courage to take a stand for truth, or the means to provide help for someone in need. Like Elijah, we can have faith that whatever God commands us to do, he will provide what we need to carry it through."

Unknown said...

This time around I was struck by the character of Obadiah. "Obadiah was in charge of the king's palace. He was a true follower of the Lord." v3

What a task is ours to be "true followers" in the midst of a corrupt culture that rubs us on every side seeking to condition us to its worldview.

Obadiah had guts enough to do what was right. He had clarity of purpose enough to put himself on the line when it came to standing up for what was right. I'm fascinated by his little story, tucked away in this chapter today.

Mac an Rothaich said...

I was really drawn to the story of Obadiah. He assumed the Lord's Spirit would whisk Elijah to safety and had been doing this and I thought it was pretty cool how he understood God's protection of his prophet but I suppose he didn't really understand God's willingness to protect him too cuz he had to make sure it was all going to work out not for his harm. It was an interesting part of the story I hadn't taken note of before.

Love the rebuke Elijah gave Ahab. Ahab just sounded ridiculous calling Elijah the troubler of Israel and he set him straight 'I have not troubled Israel; but you have , and your father's house...' The king was so completely blind to his faults!

Mac an Rothaich said...

Like Elijah, we can have faith that whatever God commands us to do, he will provide what we need to carry it through.

SO TRUE! There is no mystery about whether God will complete what he told us to do, he WILL!

Mac an Rothaich said...

"He will give us the wisdom to raise a family, the courage to take a stand for truth, or the means to provide help for someone in need."

Specifically needed the part about wisdom raising a family. Had a rough morning with my daughter... I know it is true that the Lord is directly interested in our family life but it can be so hard to hear in the middle of kid craziness.

Jude said...

A powerful chapter! I never tire of hearing about what God can do...of hearing how much larger than my imagination he really is.

I had never even noticed Obadiah in this chapter before. What a faithful and brave man! I can't imagine how encouraged Elijah must have been to find out that he was not actually the last of the Lord's prophets.