Saul, like Ahab, had an ill-timed showing of mercy. In Saul’s case, it almost led to the end of the Jews. Ben-Hadad means “son of Hadad.” Hadad, a West Semitic bearded god of storms, carried a club in one hand and a thunderbolt in the other—not a very nice fellow. Well, Ben-Hadad was more thunder […]
The mountaintop is the place of vision; the valley turns that vision into hard-fought reality. In our previous segment, we saw how the gracious Lord gave victory to His undeserving people over the Syrian troops. I’m amazed—and deeply grateful—at the many times the Lord has done the same for me. But, said the Lord’s prophet, […]
The retreat with God at Horeb was over. Elijah had work to do; it was now time to advance. Elijah was sent to “anoint Hazael as king over Syria…Jehu…as king over Israel. And Elisha…as prophet in your place” (1 Ki 19:15-16). It isn’t as bleak as Elijah imagines. Says the Lord, “I have reserved seven […]
Read More… from April 24, 2024 — What God & The Enemy Both Want
If we’re listening, the gentle voice of God will drown out the rantings of our wicked enemies. There’s little doubt Elijah had hit bottom, there under a tree in the Sinai wilderness: “He prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my […]
The fact that God shows up when we have given up is proof that He hasn’t given up on us! At Carmel, the prophets of Baal had been exposed for the criminal co-conspirators they were, and were executed beside the Brook Kishon. Seeing the evidence of the crater before them where the altar, wood, sacrifice, […]
Read More… from April 22, 2024 — A Detour Through Discouragement
The one prominence you notice on the Israeli coast is the Carmel range pushing into the sea. From Carmel’s heights on a clear day one can see the whole land. The Hebrew karmel means “vineyard,” and it was time for the Lord to tread out the vintage. Addressing the people, Elijah first makes an appeal […]
One year. Two years. Three years had passed with cloudless skies, barren fields, and empty tables. After three arid years, had Ahab learned the lesson? Later, the Lord would say, “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities…yet you have not returned to Me” (Amos 4:6). Yes, “there was a severe famine in […]
Meet the first one immortalized in the words, “Women received their dead raised to life again” (Heb 11:35). Each morning at the little house in Zarephath, the flour and oil brought fresh cause for thanks to the Lord. But then one day that changed. “It happened after these things that the son of the woman […]