July, 1939
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
263
I N T E R N A T I O N A L L E S S O N Commentary %ndc ExP°sition Blackboard Lesson Childrens Division Golden Text Illustration Object Lesson B y B. B. S utcliffe B y G retchen S ibley B y H elen G ailey B y A lan S. P earce B y E lmer L. W ilder Points and Problems B y A lva J. M c C lain
AUGUST 6, 1939 ELIJAH : A LIFE OF COURAGE 1 K ings
was that the glory of the Lord might be seen (v. 37). There will be more of answered prayer among us today when this desire holds first place in our hearts. The words, “Let it be known . . . that I am thy servant” (v. 36) were not spoken by Elijah with any selfish wish for per sonal glory, but that he might be recognized as the representative of God against Baal. Furthermore, Elijah’s prayer had the restor ation of God’s people in view. In response to the prophet's petition, the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the sacrifice, giv ing assurance that the true God was present, that His power had not waned, and that He was ready to forgive the sin of His people. III. R estoring G od ’ s P eople (39) The confession which the people made was the result of their awe at the exhibi tion of power rather than of true repent ance for their sinfulness. Indeed, there was no confession of sin: real faith was absent, and the people were ready to turn again to false gods as soon as the influënce of this miracle passed. It is not faith in the works of God that moves the heart, but faith in the words of God. "Repaired the altar o f the Lord that was broken down ” (1 Ki. 18:30). This is the very first act of the prophet in reestab lishing fellowship between the true God and His people. And let us not go wrong here. The “altar” here does not stand for prayer, as we popularly talk about setting up a “family altar.” The “altar” stands for blood sacrifice. It was the place where the animal victim died as a substitute for the sinner. It was only on the basis of a blood-stained altar that God could have any dealings with a sinful people. Apart from such an altar He could not even listen to their prayers. In the antitype, therefore, there is only one way today that we can establish a "family altar”—that is, to ap propriate by simple faith the altar God has already established, which is the shed blood of Calvary, and place it at the center of our lives, our homes, our churches. After we have done this, we can begin to call upon God in prayer. Apart from this blessed altar, there can be no such thing as prayer. 2. “ Fill four barrels with water" (v. 33). The four barrels of water were poured on the altar, the wood, and the sacrifice. And this was done not merely once, but three times. Where did all this water come from so quickly? Recall that a great drought had come upon the land, and the streams were dried up. Furthermore, it could not well have been brought from the sea within the brief space of time indi cated. The historian Josephus says there was a copious spring near the traditional Points and Problems 1.
18:1-46 believers—is still one body, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. For this great truth we may well thank God. In the second place, we should see that if any revival is to come in our day, it will begin at the rebuilt altar of God. In the very act of building the altar "in the name of the Lord” (v. 32), Elijah con fessed the departure of the people from their God. As one has expressed the con dition: their sin and idolatry was "an erup tion because of corruption, because of dis ruption.” Even today there is need for warning against idolatry, for it is the pre valent sin that involves disunion from, dishonor to, and desertion of, God. II. R evealing G od ’ s P resence (32-38) Elijah’s confidence in God’s presence is seen in the manner in which the sacrifice was prepared. By the method of soaking the sacrifice, there could be no charge of trickery, deceit, or false miracle. To expect a fire, unlighted by human hands or visible means, to burn up all there was on the altar seemed like a foolish expectation, when the worshipers of Baal had cried all day and had received no answering fire. Baal had been proclaimed as the "owner of the heavens and the sun,” and therefore he could, if the claim was true, send fire. But he failed, and was shown to be a false god. Elijah’s confidence in the true God was revealed in the very stipulations of the test. Though the conditions were impos sible to meet, humanly, Elijah knew that God was able to vindicate His own cause. It is this sort of trust that we need today —to believe in the presence of the living God and to act publicly on that belief. Elijah’s appeal to God should be care fully considered. It was made at the time of the evening sacrifice (cf. Ex. 12:6). It was at this hour of the day also that our Lord’s sacrifice of Himself on the cross was made (cf. Matt. 27:45, 50, “the ninth hour”). In reality, Elijah was appealing to God on the ground of what was to take place at the cross. Doubt was removed from Elijah’s mind as he reminded God of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The underlying desire of his prayer BLACKBOARD LESSON
1 Kings 18:30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33 And 'he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock 'in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36 And it came to pass the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, ana of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and con sumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 'And when all the people saw it , they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is Golden Text: “The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Prov. 15:29). Devotional Reading: Eph. 6:10-20. Outline and Exposition I. R emembering G od ’ s P urpose (30-32) A FTER the failure of the prophets of r \ Baal, Elijah called the people, and L J l directed their thoughts toward Jeho vah. Elijah acknowledged God’s suprem acy among them by rebuilding the altar of God which had been thrown down. He also recognized God’s purpose for them by building that altar of twelve stones, repre senting the number of the tribes of Israel. Whatever divisions had come among them, involving even their separation into two kingdoms, they were still one before God: and they were still God’s people in spite of their sinfulness. The lessons of this passage have also a present-day application, W e should note, first, that however numerous may be the divisions among the Lord’s people, what ever lack of recognition there may be be tween different groups, the church—the body of Christ composed of all born-again [These lessons are developed from out lines prepared by the Committee on Im proved Uniform Lessons of the Interna tional Council. The outlines are copy righted by the International Council of Religious Education and used by permis sion. Scripture portions quoted are from the King James Version unless otherwise stated.] the God; the Lord, he is the God. Lesson Text: 1 10. 18:30-39.
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