Now faith is the [a]substance of things hoped for, the [b]evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV). Faith is believing beyond what our human eyes can see. Substance is defined as “the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence.”[1] Therefore faith is the solid, tangible reality of our greatest hopes. It is there that we see beyond our human eyes and ears to recognize the truth of God. His truth rises within our hearts and minds presenting inexpressible joy. That undeniable exuberance of joy, however fleeting it may be, points us to a faith evidencing truth beyond sight. How else could it be possible to experience love that lifts us higher than can be imagined. Or joy that goes beyond our imagination with the simplest of pleasures.
It is precisely that kind of faith Elijah experienced. He was a simple man of whom we are given little introduction. We first hear of him in I Kings 17: 1 KJV
And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
That is it. We are not given a genealogy. He most likely was either from the tribe of Manasseh or Gad. Still, he was God’s chosen man who remains a part of the future prophecies as well. He it is that stood with Jesus and Moses on the mount of transfiguration in Luke 9. So, what was it about this simple prophet’s faith evidencing truth beyond sight that we may learn from.
Elijah Boldly Speaks to the King
We begin with Elijah telling King Ahab that a severe drought was coming, and God had placed Elijah in charge of pronouncing it’s beginning and it’s end. Although this came as direct judgment from God on the sins of Israel, one can imagine how King Ahab took this. King Ahab is known as being one if not the most evil King of Israel.
30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the sight of[ag] the Lord than all who were before him. 31 As if following in the sinful footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat were not bad enough, he married Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. Then he worshiped and bowed to Baal.[ah] 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal he had built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole; he[ai] did more to anger the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. I Kings 16: (NET)
Deuteronomy 16:KJV 21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee.22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy God hateth.
In direct disobedience to God’s commands in the law
11 “Obey[w] what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out[x] before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 Be careful not to make[y] a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare[z] among you. 13 Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles.[aa] 14 For you must not worship[ab] any other god,[ac] for the Lord, whose name[ad] is Jealous, is a jealous God.
15 Be careful[ae] not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when[af] they prostitute themselves[ag] to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you,[ah] you will eat from his sacrifice; 16 and you then take[ai] his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods as well. 17 You must not make yourselves molten gods. Exodus 34: (NET)
God had even given them the why for this. Take no prisoners, for they may defile you. There are times we too must be very careful. We cannot believe that in the name of Christ we must go forth and compromise with the truth just to get along.
Psalm 1: (NKJV)
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the [c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Who Was Baal?
Baal was the god of Fertility who also controlled the weather, particularly rain and rainstorms. He was the one whom the people presented their babies to be burned as sacrifice.
A Faith Evidencing Truth Beyond Sight from the Beginning
Now back to Elijah. It was into this backdrop that God sent Elijah. Remember all the Levite priests had gone south to Judah. The true believers had departed to the caves. Yet God asks Elijah to go and tell Ahab it will not rain, nor dew until I say so, thus saith the Lord God Almighty. No wonder God then immediately told him to leave.
2 And the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Go from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan [River]. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there [with food].” 5 So he went and did in accordance with the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he would drink from the brook. 7 It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. I Kings 17
Sometimes God tells us to stand and sometimes He tells us to go.
Elijah listened well to God’s instructions.
7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” I Kings 1:17 (ESV).
James said,
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 land for three years and six months. James 5:17 (NKJV)
As we examine his faith, perhaps it is comforting to know he was a man with a nature like ours. He had his moments of doubt; yet, in spite of them he did whatever God instructed him to. It was God teaching him how to experience Faith evidencing truth beyond sight.
Sharing His Faith with Another
12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
When Faith Is Shaken
Then the widow’s son died. Such heartbreak! Had she not listened and obeyed God’s words through the prophet? Then why? Well for Elijah it was another step of faith required to prepare him for the next step of the journey. He took the child upstairs into a room where he prayed earnestly. Three times he pleaded with God. He did not waiver when it appeared that God was not answering. Instead, he continued constant in prayer. The boy’s life returned. Both the widow and Elijah were strengthened in a faith evidencing truth beyond sight. Sight said, the boy is dead. Truth was God had not spoken yet.
Then, God told Elijah to go confront Ahab. Now remember there has been a drought and famine throughout the land. King Ahab had been searching for him to kill him. But now Elijah with God on his side went to see King Ahab
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” I Kings 18 (ESV)
A Hope in That Which Is Not Real
So, he did. Everyone gathered at Mount Carmel where Elijah and God were about to have a throw down with all these false prophets. The stage was set. God against Baal. As a gentleman, Elijah let the 850 false prophets go first. The challenge was whose God could burn the sacrifice and therefore had the power to restore the rain.
They went first. The calf was cut to pieces and laid on the altar. All they had to do was to call out to Baal to light the fire.
26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered, no one paid attention.
And so, it is when we humans trust in false idols, trusting them to be our hope.
Faith Evidencing Truth Beyond Sight
Then it was Elijah’s turn. Now the people who were watching were the Israelites. He instructed them to pour water on the sacrifice Elijah prepared and the wooden altar. Not just once but twice, he instructed them to cover it with water. Additionally, he built a trough around the altar and filled it with water. Now water was a scarcity, but the crowd had waited all day to see a miracle. They did as told and poured drenched the sacrifice and the wood. I guess in a sense this too was an act of faith if not one of desperation.
36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 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. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” I Kings 18
And the false prophets?
40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. I Kings 18 (NKJV)
Perseverance in prayer.
Elijah had no doubt that God would answer and restore the rain to the land; but again, had to have a faith evidencing truth beyond sight.
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”
So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, [j]‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So, Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded[k] up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. I Kings 18:
Concluding thoughts:
Faith evidencing truth beyond sight comes from trusting in a Sovereign God who rules with righteousness, justice, sprinkled with mercy and love. God had shown His Glory, and Elijah trusted him. Although as we see next week. Even the greatest of believers can at moments fall into moments of despair.
[3] https://truthingrace.com/2009/02/16/baal-worship-then-and-now/
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
For Prayer or Comments
If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here
Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here
PREVIOUS
DISCLOSURES
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Photo licensed through Goodsalt.com