52 ‘‘Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I w ill receive you.” Most of us need to be hid away some times. Most of us need a thorn in the flesh to keep us in our places as ser vants. Implicit, unhesitating ‘ obed ience, becometh God’s children. God had made provision for him there. "I have commanded the ravens.” The servant’'1, food,—water from the brook, bread from ravens! What food for a great prophet! Lord, could you not have turned the water into wine, and the stones into bread? God does not supply our wants, but our needs, and Elijah needed the very bill of fare provided. Meat from the mouth of foul ravens! But God feeds the ravens (Job 38:41). “W h o provide tli fo r the raven his food? When his young ones cry unto God, they wander fo r laek o f meat.” He supplies all the needs of His own (Psa. 34:9, 10). “ O, fear the Lord, ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him, The young lions do laek and suffer hun g e r; but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.” Men are never so great that they do not need to be taught, and the school by the brook is not a bad place for many of us, though we be not as great as Elijah. Here at Cherith Elijah was spared the sight of the misery of the dying cattle, the suffering people, the burnt earth. He was in fellowship with the Lord who was working out His plans by which all things were working for good. (3) THE PRESERVATION OF ELI JAH, vs. 8-10. Now God orders Elijah to change his hotel. He is to go to Zarephath, in Zidon; the region of Jezebel; the place of his enemy.' Zarephath means “ smelt ing furnace”—where the dross was taken from the metal. Here Elijah was to be refined. It was the last place to which one would naturally think God would send a man whom He wanted to hide, but “ God’s thoughts
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S are not our thoughts.” There were many widows in Zare phath, but Elijah is sent to but one (Luke 4:25, 26). God makes His choice of our residence if we permit Him to do so. He found his boarding house keeper at the gate, gathering sticks. He knew her at once and gave his orders for water and bread. Was he selfish in asking food for himself first? (Num. 15:21): “ Of the first o f your dough ye shall give unto the Lord an heave offering in your generations.” The widow, in giving Elijah her last loaf, learns to live from day to day. It was a test of faith for him, and a bless ing to her. We do not lose anything by sharing with others (Prov. 3:9, 10). “ Honour the Lord w ith thy substance, and w ith the first fruits o f all thine in crease, So shall thy barns be filled w ith plenty, and thy presses burst out w ith new wine.” (2 Cor. 9:6-8.) “ But this I say, He which soweth spar ingly shall reap also sparin gly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. * * * And God is able to make all grace abound toward you ; that ye, always hav ing all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good w ork.” What are the lessons for us? Believe God’s promise and obey it (John 2:5). “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do It.” We are lacking and losing because we are not listening. Our substance is diminishing because we are not sharing with others. How can any Christian thrive who withholds the Word of God from the starving? We cannot learn the lessons God has to teach us, unless we have the dross removed. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) Elijah’s weapon was the Word of God. (2) The servant of God is a master oilmen. (3) A raven has more sense than a rationalist. (4) Elijah lived from hand to mouth, but it was God’s hand. (5) If you stand before God-you will not fear to stand before men.
Made with FlippingBook Annual report