his humanity. I love his juniper tree experience—the place where God met him. There are times when many Christian workers come to the juniper tree, weary, ready to say, “Is it worth while? Do the results justify the sacrifice?” Mor rison reached it in China, when he labored years without a convert, Judson in India, and David Liv ingstone -in Africa cried out, “0 God! Send someone here to heal this sore spot of the world.” The sin was so great, the slavery so terrible, the degradation so deep, that Livingstone was unable to cope with the situation. Every mission ary who has gone to Africa since the days of Livingstone has been an answer to his prayer. Now, let us take a look at Eli jah. He comes from nowhere. He meets Ahab. He1speaks. “As the L ord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but ac cording to my word.” God speaks to Elijah! “Get . . . hence . . . turn eastward . . . hide . . . by the brook Cherith . . . drink of the brook . . . I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” Eli jah obeyed. “And the rav en s brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.” Then tragedy comes! “The brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.” God speaks to Elijah again. “Get thee to Zar- ephath, which helongeth to Zion . . . dwell there . . . I have com manded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” Again Elijah obeyed. He went to Zarephath. At the gate of the city he saw a widow woman gath ering two sticks. Elijah spoke to the widow. “Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” As She was going, he called again. “Bring me . . . a morsel of bread in thy hand.” Then Elijah got his reply. “As the L ord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold I am gath
ering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” In my Bible right after this text —I have written two words, “Con dition Desperate.” Now comes the test! Will the woman actually obey the com mands as Elijah gives them? Listen! He speaks. “Fear not.” Those are familiar words in the Bible. Isaiah used them to comfort Israel. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God” . . . then he promises strength and help and upholding power. Jesus used them as He came walking on the water toward the fearful dis ciples. He told Jairus, “Fear not: believe only,” as He was on His way to heal his daughter. After his “Fear not,” Elijah con tinues. Listen to what he says. “Go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the L ord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.” And the record says, “she went and did according to the saying of Elijah.” She baked first the little cake. She took it to the preacher. And again the record says, “and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.” I have often wondered, as to what would have happened if the woman had not obeyed Elijah and “baked first” the little cake for him. What if she had said, “You old fool! Do you think I’m going to believe that fairy story of yours? The barrel of meal shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil fail? Silly! It’s against all the laws of reason and nature.” And so it was. But the God of Elijah made the laws of reason and nature. And He had the power to suspend those laws if it were for His glory. In this case it was for that. We read in the book of James the laws of reason and nature were suspended by means of prayer.
“Elias [Elijah] was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain.” God is the God of all laws as well as the laws of reason and nature. Often when I speak to someone concerning tithing, I get a reply something like the widow of Zar ephath might have given—but did n’t. These people think that tithing is taking their money away from them, when in reality it is not. What I am asking them to do is to give God His share so that they can prove Him. I’m asking them to give the tithe of. their income to God’s work so that He can “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.” I’m ask ing them to become partners with God. When one becomes a tither the entire attitude of his giving has been changed. He no longer doles out a dollar in the collection plate on Sunday. He feels now' that the money he gives does not belong to him. It belongs to God. His spiritual vision begins to take in things beyond his local church. The world needs dawn on him. He gives to missions as he never gave before. Soon the tithe is exhausted. He breaks over into the 30%. The government allows 30% deductions for benevolences. Often the tither goes beyond that. Some time ago a friend of mine told me this story. “As a young man I started out tithing. I have long since gone past that mark.” He was a Sunday school superintendent. He was giv ing 50% of his income to God’s work—and it was a big income. Pardon a personal reference. The last year I was on salary I gave 40% of my salary to Christian work. How about it? Do you tithe? Do you get God’s blessing from tithing? Don’t you want it? I do. That’s why I am a tither. END. Next month The King's Business will have an article on "Storehouse Tithing" by Charles L. Feinberg.
15
SEPTEMBER 1956
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker