The last lesson we should learn from Elijah’s life is found in 2 Kings 1. Maybe you could quickly read it. You’ll find it on this link:
I love the way by which the Lord sent Elijah to get a message to Ahaziah. Elijah had to intercept the king’s messengers on their way to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron. It’s like when Christians pray that the Lord Jesus reveals Himself to Muslims when they wait on revelation from Allah during their Ramadan, and He does it. In any case, the message Elijah had to bring was: “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?”
How often do we act as if there’s no God? Don’t we run to friends first for advice, to doctors first for healing, to money first for help? When nothing works anymore and we’re really getting desperate, then we remember there is a God somewhere. I don’t know about you, but I get really frustrated when I know I can help someone and they know I can help them, but they don’t ask me for help. Have you experienced it before? They first consult all the people who don’t know before asking you, if they do? How does that make you feel – unwanted, not trusted or maybe inferior? Can you understand how the Lord feels when we ignore Him, the Almighty, and turn to people for help? Had Ahaziah acknowledged the Lord, He would have healed him, but because he ignored Him he died. How about us? If we turn to the Lord first, help may come faster than when we turn to people and Mammon first.
There’s also lesson in the occasion where the Lord zapped the disrespectful soldiers who came to fetch Elijah (v9-14). What we need to learn from Elijah here is that we as Christians need to stand our ground. We represent the Almighty God, and part of trusting Him is not to allow the ungodly to belittle you or the Lord. Elijah knew who he was in God and made sure this cocky king and his soldiers understood it clearly.
The Apostle Paul also stood his ground. “But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out,” (Acts 16:37) and “As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” (Acts 22:25). He also stood his ground before Festus and King Agrippa in Acts 25 and 26.
Sometimes it’s not by might or by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord (Zechariah 4:6) and sometimes we need to be still and know that the Lord is God who will fight for us (Exodus 14:14, Psalm 46:10). But sometimes we need to glorify the Lord by getting the world to understand that our great God needs to be respected together with us as His “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light,” (1 Peter 2:9). Once again we need to walk in the Spirit to know what to do at the time.
Lord, teach me to acknowledge you and to stand my ground to your glory.
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