|
|
| |
And the Fire of God Fell
 |
And the Fire of God Fell
Betty Seiley
Oct 01, 2005
"Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." James 5:17-20
Do you think it is pleasing to the Father when someone steps between the enemy and a saint or sinner, with the Sword of the Spirit, God's Word, to help that person turn from the error of his way? Absolutely, because we know our Father is full of compassion and mercy, and it is not His will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
It is also true that the bearer of the "turner" message has already been through the Laver of Living Water, the Word of God, and the Brazen Altar of Heaven, so that the bearer can give the message from a pure heart, with clean hands. Aren't you glad that the Glorious Laver of God's Everlasting Word is ever present that we might be washed by It, as the Mirror of the Word shows us the spots and blemishes that need to be expunged by that clear and sparkling water of the Word, and that the fire of His everlasting love consumes the dross in us? The messenger always has to be washed and cleansed first, before giving God's message. We have all experienced this as the Lord sends us with His message.
Anyone who knows me, knows that my favorite message to speak or write is that of the beautiful fellowship that we have with the Bridegroom as His Bride. In reality, though, if we are honest before the Lord, we know that the "turner" message, if and when we need it, leads us directly to the "beautiful fellowship" place. Without clean hands and a pure heart, ascending to the hill of the Lord is not possible, according to the psalmist.
Continuing our look at the ministry of Elijah, who was, as the Word says, "a man with a nature like ours." Elijah had power with God and with man, so much so, that the Lord either held back or released the rain from the sky at Elijah's prayers, and he was unafraid to walk up to a wicked king and give him the Word of the Lord.
In 1 Kings 18, which gives the account of the showdown of the God of Israel and the false god, Baal, we know that Elijah was coming against great evil. First, Ahab was king of Israel at that time. Of Ahab, God said, "Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him." "Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him." 1 Kings 16:30, 33 Added to that evil, Jezebel was Ahab's wicked wife, who made no pretense at obeying the God of Israel, to say the least. She fought against the Lord and his prophets until her dying day. Jezebel's wickedness earned her the reputation of being the biblical symbol of wickedness and spiritual adultery in many passages in the Word of God.
After the heavens had been shut up for three and a half years, with no rain, the Lord spoke to Elijah, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth." 1 Kings 18:1 So Elijah immediately obeyed, even though he knew he was dealing with great wickedness in Ahab and Jezebel. He knew he was walking right into the hornet's nest, but, Elijah believed God, therefore, he was not daunted, but completely obedient to the call and anointing which the Lord had placed on him.
On the way to present himself before Ahab, Elijah met a man named Obadiah, who was over Ahab's household, but he feared the Lord greatly, showing due respect to Elijah as the man of God. When Elijah told Obadiah to go and say to Ahab, "Behold, Elijah is here," Obadiah feared that he would be put to death for announcing the arrival of Elijah, knowing that the Spirit of the Lord might carry him away before Ahab could seize Elijah and kill him. Just another example of the wickedness of Ahab. Wisely, Obadiah decided he would be obedient to Elijah's directive, and he went to tell Ahab that Elijah wanted to see him. Coming out to meet Elijah, Ahab asked his famous question of disdain, "Are you the one who troubles Israel?" Elijah answered him, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed Baal. Now, then, send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." 1 Kings 18:18-19 Elijah was prepared for the showdown-the Living God vs. Baal. Elijah was prepared because he had been in that "beautiful fellowship" place with the Lord where God's power is infused into His people, both then and now. Both his hands and heart were clean before God. He looked toward the Cross when the Messiah would die for him, and he was obedient to the Lord to the death.
20 So Ahab summoned everyone in Israel, particularly the prophets, to Mount Carmel.
21Elijah challenged the people: "How long are you going to sit on the fence? If GOD is the real God, follow him; if it's Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!" Nobody said a word; nobody made a move.
22Then Elijah said, "I'm the only prophet of GOD left in Israel; and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.
23Let the Baal prophets bring up two oxen; let them pick one, butcher it, and lay it out on an altar on firewood--but don't ignite it. I'll take the other ox, cut it up, and lay it on the wood. But neither will I light the fire.
24Then you pray to your gods and I'll pray to GOD. The god who answers with fire will prove to be, in fact, God." All the people agreed: "A good plan--do that!"
25Elijah told the Baal prophets, "Choose your ox and prepare it. You go first, you're the majority. Then pray to your god, but don't light the fire."
26So they took the ox he had given them, prepared it for the altar, then prayed to Baal. They prayed all morning long, "O Baal, answer us!" But nothing happened--not so much as a whisper of breeze. Desperate, they jumped and stomped on the altar they had made.
27By noon, Elijah had started making fun of them, taunting, "Call a little louder--he is a god, after all. Maybe he's off meditating somewhere or other, or maybe he's gotten involved in a project, or maybe he's on vacation. You don't suppose he's overslept, do you, and needs to be waked up?"
28They prayed louder and louder, cutting themselves with swords and knives--a ritual common to them--until they were covered with blood.
29This went on until well past noon. They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to make something happen on the altar, but nothing happened--not so much as a whisper, not a flicker of response.
30Then Elijah told the people, "Enough of that--it's my turn. Gather around." And they gathered. He then put the altar back together for by now it was in ruins.
31Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob, the same Jacob to whom GOD had said, "From now on your name is Israel."
32He built the stones into the altar in honor of GOD. Then Elijah dug a fairly wide trench around the altar. 33He laid firewood on the altar, cut up the ox, put it on the wood, and said, "Fill four large jars with water and drench both the ox and the firewood."
34Then he said, "Pour it again," and they did. Then he said, "Pour it a third time,"
35and they poured it a third time. The altar was drenched and the trench was filled with water.
36When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, "O GOD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I'm doing what I'm doing under your orders.
37Answer me, GOD; O answer me and reveal to this people that you are GOD, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance."
38Immediately the fire of GOD fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water in the trenches.
39All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship, exclaiming, "GOD is the true God! GOD is the true God!"
40Elijah told them, "Grab the Baal prophets! Don't let one get away!" They grabbed them. Elijah had them taken down to the Brook Kishon and they massacred the lot.
41Elijah said to Ahab, "Up on your feet! Eat and drink--celebrate! Rain is on the way; I hear it coming." 1 Kings 18:20-35
42Ahab got up and ate and drank. Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees.
43Then he said to his young servant, "On your feet now! Look toward the sea." He went, looked, and reported back, "I don't see a thing." "Keep looking," said Elijah, "seven times if necessary."
44And sure enough, the seventh time he said, "Oh yes, a cloud! But very small, no bigger than someone's hand, rising out of the sea."
"Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, "Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.'"
45Things happened fast. The sky grew black with wind-driven clouds, and then a huge cloudburst of rain, with Ahab rushing in his chariot for Jezreel.
46And GOD strengthened Elijah mightily. Pulling up his robe and tying it around his waist, Elijah ran in front of Ahab's chariot until they reached Jezreel. 1 Kings 18:20-45 (The Message)
This passage may seem long, but it is power-packed. (The children of Israel trembled before the Word of the Lord, in repentance, while they were standing in heavy rain. Ezra 10:9) We see that Elijah challenged the people, saying, "How long are you going to sit on the fence, or, how long will you halt between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, and if Baal is god, follow him." No more sitting on the fence!
Elijah told all the people, both Israel and the followers of the demon god, Baal, " We're gonna see who is God, the Lord God of Israel, or Baal." He told the prophets of Baal, "You call on your god, and I'll call on the Name of the Lord. The God Who answers by fire, He is God." Everyone agreed to Elijah's challenge. The oxen, the wood, the stones, and the water were all prepared, as Elijah commanded. No fire was put under the sacrifice. Baal's prophets yelled out for Baal to ignite the fire. Nothing. They even resorted to cutting themselves to show their extreme commitment to Baal, but he did nothing. Elijah mocked them, saying, "Maybe he's gone on vacation, or maybe your god is asleep." One translation says that no one paid attention to Baal's prophets in their utmost effort to hear from him. They raved until the evening sacrifice. Still nothing.
Then Elijah called the people of Israel, and he did something very significant. He repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. How many altars of the Lord in the heart need to be repaired today? Each of us must answer that question individually. Jesus wants to come into every chamber of our hearts. Are there doors that have been shut so long to the Lord in our hearts, that the hinges are so rusty that they need to be repaired? Is there room in our hearts for Jesus, or is the world there? Jesus is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all, to borrow a statement from earlier days. This statement is still true.
We can rebuild the altar in our hearts through repentance of all sin, giving our hearts and lives completely to Him, and following wherever He leads, whether it is to our prayer closets, our families, our workplaces, our cities…wherever He leads. Elijah made a trench around the altar, "then, he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, 'Fill four large jars of water and pour it on the offering and on the wood. Do it a second time, and they did.' " Elijah said, "Pour the water on the sacrifice a third time, and they did. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench." Verses 30-34
When Elijah called to the Lord, saying, "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, today let it be known that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have TURNED THEIR HEART BACK AGAIN." GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST! Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. verse 38
What was that??? The fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench! A closer look at this verse will help us to appreciate what a miracle this was, when God revealed Himself that day, and we can apply it to our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit, Our Comforter.
First, when the fire of the Lord fell, it consumed the burnt offering. How does the burnt offering relate to us as God's children through faith in Jesus? God was looking forward to the Cross of Calvary when He consumed the burnt offering. "And not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own Blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the Blood of Christ Jesus, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:12-14 The Father was seeing the greater tabernacle, not made with hands, in our hearts, and the better covenant that He would seal with the precious Blood of Jesus, which is the only sacrifice for mankind's sin. The fire of the Lord consumed…the burnt offering.
The fire of the Lord fell and consumed…the wood. Why did the Lord consume the wood with His fire? "According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder, I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble, each man's work will become evident: for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as by fire." 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 Do we have wood, hay, and stubble in our service to the Lord? The Lord will answer us, if we will ask Him to search our hearts and lives.
We want to bring gold, silver, and precious stones to the Lord, as we stand before Him. Wood, hay, and stubble represent unstable and temporary building materials. False doctrine and false teaching would certainly be considered wood, hay, and stubble, while the gold, silver, and precious stones portray the pure Word of God, which has been tried in the fire seven times, and found to be flawless. The logos, written Word, and the rhema word, spoken to hearts by the Holy Spirit, are gold, silver, and precious stones. The fire of the Lord consumed…the wood.
The fire of the Lord fell and consumed…the stones. At what temperature do you think stones and rocks will melt? Molten lava, which is about 2000 degrees, as it surfaces, forms rocks and stones as it cools. Now, we are beginning to see the magnitude of the miracle God performed on Mt. Carmel that day.
What do rocks and stones represent spiritually? A gardener, Who our Father is, must remove the rocks and stones from the soil if he expects his garden to produce from the planted seed. As we look into our hearts, what are the names of some of the rocks and stones we might see? Unforgiveness, resentment, bitterness, outbursts of anger, disappointment, fear, doubt, unbelief, hatred, malice, envy, strife, immorality, idolatry, dissensions, factions, drunkenness, carousing…the list goes on.
Most of these rocks are the same as the works of the flesh, and they don't belong in the temple of the Holy Spirit, which you and I are. These choking rocks and stones form just like volcanic rock does-under great pressure and heat during trials of life, when we don't run to the Rock of Our Salvation, Jesus. Our Father is greater than the stones in our hearts. When we submit to the hammer of His Word, He will break the rocks into pieces, making them so small that they are indistinguishable from the soil. "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29 The rocks and stones will do nothing but hinder your walk with the Lord. They may feel good to the flesh for a season, but they will choke your "beautiful fellowship" with the Lord, and all of them are places for the devil to stand in your life. Give no place to the devil, because, if we do, he will surely oblige us. God forbid!
Father also melts the rocks that are found in our hearts from time to time, with the fervent heat of His love for us. No ungodly stone can withstand God's love. Let the Lord pour His love for you into your heart, and you will see how quickly the stones and rocks disappear. There is nothing anywhere that can withstand the love of God. Many people have never experienced the glorious, chain-breaking, life-giving love of God. Ask Him to show you His love, even to the point of breaking your heart and the stones in it. It will be the most wonderful broken heart you've ever had. You will never be the same again, once you have tasted of the matchless love of God. I can personally testify to that. It will change you into the person God wants you to be and the person that your heart longs to be. He carries us from glory to glory. 2 Corinthians 3:18
The fire of the Lord consumed…the dust. Can you imagine a fire so hot that it consumes dust? Only the fire of the Lord can perform such a miracle. Walking down the dusty paths in this world will always cause the dust of this world to cling to your shoes, feet, and clothes. It is much better to walk the mountain tops with the Great Shepherd in the summer pastures on the high mountains of Israel, but, when, in our frailty, we don't, God's cleansing fire will consume the dust, and His Word will wash it off our wedding garments and feet. God's fire won't burn you-it will warm your heart and set you on fire with His fire. Aren't His ways past finding out, as the Scripture says?
The only thing that was left to be burned up was the water in the trenches. To me, this is the most awesome of the miracles the Lord performed that day, if one can be more awesome than the other. The fire of God on Mt. Carmel even licked up the water in the trenches! Have you ever seen natural fire burn water? I haven't. Fire will boil and evaporate water, but it won't burn it, in the natural. Water is used to put fires out, but this consuming fire of God burned the water in the trenches.
What does the water in the trenches represent in our daily lives? As I was preparing to teach a Sunday School lesson on this chapter, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, and said, "The water in the trenches represents the religious things people do to try to please God." Churchianity, religiosity, and false sacrifices are some of the futile efforts signified by the water in the trenches. Speaking of the Lord with the lips, while the heart is far from Him, is this kind of water. Living on yesterday's manna is water in the trenches. Resisting the move of God is water in the trenches. Building man's kingdoms, which are destined to fall, instead of building the eternal kingdom of God is water in the trenches. "…Behold, to obey, is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22 People do all kinds of things, in an effort to please the Lord, while He is looking for faith and obedience. "For without faith, it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 6:11 Trust God for He is trustworthy, trust His Word for it is forever settled in heaven, and obey what He tells you. When you fail, and we all do at one time or another, run to Him, for He will abundantly pardon. Trust and obey. The fire of the Lord fell and consumed…the water in the trenches.
At the end of this showdown between God and the devil, Elijah prayed for rain, and finally, after continuing in prayer, his servant saw a cloud the size of a man's hand. In faith, Elijah, proclaimed, "I hear the sound of abundance of rain!" The Holy Spirit gave Elijah supernatural strength to outrun Ahab's chariot as the drought-breaking rain fell.
God is no respecter of persons. The spiritual drought-breaking rain will fall upon us, as we will allow the fire of God to fall and do its work in our hearts. What an awesome and loving God we serve! I hear the sound of abundance of rain! "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the Way Everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24
May the Lord bless His Word to every heart.
Betty Seiley
Redeemer Revival Ministries
http://glassysea.net www.revivalwaters.net
|
|
|
|
|
