Turns his focus to the northern kingdom
1 Kings 16:29-33, 18:4
1 Kings 7:1-7
Elijah, a man of God who seems to appear out of nowhere, takes a stand against Ahab. But instead of getting instantly rewarded, his life gets harder for a while. He has to flee, and get fed by birds. And then the brook dries up. Which shouldn’t be a surprise, since he had told Ahab that there was going to be a severe drought, but still – that’s rough.
Q: If you were Elijah, how would you be feeling right about now?
-I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t think that I would be saying, “Thank you Lord that the brook has dried up.”
Elijah wanted to be used by God, and here he was sitting by himself. OK maybe there’s a drought, but Ahab and his awful wife Jezebel are still on the throne. Baal worship is as strong as ever.
Q: What are some reasons God might put Elijah in a situation like this?
Quote from Nee from page 1.
Q: What are some things about a person that would hinder the Lord’s work?
Q: What might be some ways a person could short-circuit this process?
The only way to know that God hasn’t forgotten about us is because of his character.
-Gospel: no matter where you are in life, God sees you and wants to provide for you. His first provision is forgiveness.
1 Kings 17:8-17
Interaction with the widow:
Q: What do you think she was feeling when God asked her to do this?
God calls us to give to him first. It’s so easy to say, “Lord, once I get things figured out and have a little extra time/money/energy – then I will give to you.” But God knows that if you don’t start doing it now, you will never get to the point where you feel like you have extra. You will always feel like you don’t have quite enough. That’s why Jesus says in Matt 10, “If you cling to your life you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”
-This is the key point to realize. 1Kings 16:14-16. If this woman hadn’t given the food to Elijah as God had commanded her, she would have run out the next day. But by being obedient, and giving all she had to God, she and her son and Elijah were fed for many days.
Final test: widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17-20)
Q: What does this reveal about her view of God?
Q: What do you think the relationship is between the way God has been working in Elijah’s life and the way he is now working in the widow’s life?
2Cor 6:4-10 – this will not be an easy life, but it is worth it!