Stephen Whitehouse - Class 4 - The Still Small Voice

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain. And many commentators suggest various things about this meal. I suggest it's a meal of fellowship. It's a fellowship meal between Ahab and Yahweh, the God of Israel. But I'd like you just to notice that phrase at the end of verse 41, a sound of abundance of rain.

2. 0:21

   In your margin it says, a sound of a noise of rain. In the ears of Elijah, rain was pouring down. Yet we know, when he sends his servant out, that the sky was cloudless. It's the Apostle Paul to Galatians, it's Galatians chapter 3 and verse 2, that describes the hearing of faith. And I suggest to you that this is a wonderful example of the hearing of faith.

3. 0:49

   What is faith? Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Yet God had promised his prophet that rains would come. If our ears were more attentive to the still small voice of calm that comes from the lips of our heavenly Father.

4. 1:12

   Then we would hear his promises coming. We wouldn't get distracted. We would walk in faith. And we would see those promises coming upon the earth. There's the exhortation. And Elijah looked and he saw. Now, we see then, Elijah commences this very intense prayer. And it says that he prostrates himself upon the ground.

5. 1:39

   I just want to pick up in verse 43 now. As he prays, he has his servant. And he asks his servant to go and see whether there are clouds coming in the Mediterranean sky. It says there in verse 43, Go up now, said Elijah, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, there is nothing.

6. 1:57

   And he said, go again seven times. So there's the power of prayer, brethren and sisters. He asked his servant to go seven times. Seven is the number of the covenant. And Elijah had already burst upon the scene, hadn't he? Speaking of Yahweh Elohim of Israel that liveth. That is the title of the covenant.

7. 2:16

   That's God's memorial name of the covenant. But surely the direct exhortation that we take to ourselves is that we need to be patient with prayer. Elijah was patient. He persisted with his God. Seven times. Seven times. Until a cloud was to be seen. Now, when the cloud was seen, we see that it took on the smallest of dimensions.

8. 2:40

   Look at that at the middle of verse 44. Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea. It's like a man's hand, the servant says, to Elijah. A man's hand. God had already fed. The widow and her son and Elijah with a handful of meal. What could God do with a handful of water upon this dry earth?

9. 3:11

   We read in Psalm 104, verse 28. Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. I want you to turn to Isaiah chapter 40 now. Just to develop a little further, this picture of God's hand. Isaiah chapter 40 then. I want to draw your attention to verse 12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in the balance.

10. 3:52

    Now, you can see that verse in isolation. It's a wonderful link to 1 Kings chapter 18. But we as Bible students know, brothers and sisters, that Isaiah chapter 40 relates to John the Baptist and the future work of Elijah. To prove that, look at verse 3. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord.

11. 4:12

    Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. That's Malachi 3, verse 1. It goes on. Look at verse 25 of Isaiah 40. To whom then will ye liken me? Or shall I be equal, saith the Holy One? Well, what's that about? That's a contest upon Carmel, is it not? Is it going to be Baal or Yahweh?

12. 4:33

    Verse 27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from God? Do you remember the stones? The stones that Elijah assembled for the altar, there were 12 stones according to the sons of Jacob. But Israel shall be thy name, 1 Kings 18, verse 31.

13. 4:55

    It carries on, verse 28. Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, Yahweh, the creator of the ends of the earth? And that was the contest. Who was the creator? Who was the God of fertility? Was it Yahweh or Baal? And then, verse 29. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have might, he increases strength.

14. 5:19

    Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. And these words apply to Elijah now, because the spirit now rests upon Elijah, and he runs ahead of the chariot, all the way down to the valley of Jezreel, with Ahab in his chariot.

15. 5:47

    The Lord God there renewing his strength, and lifting him up as wings of an eagle. It's lovely, isn't it? Now, when we come back to 1 Kings chapter 18, it's just worth noting that he runs to war, or in front of the chariot. I just want to make a cross-reference here. I want you to go to 1 Samuel chapter 8, and there's many suggestions.

16. 6:15

    What was the mind of Elijah as he ran ahead of the chariot? And it's very clear, because 1 Samuel chapter 8, Samuel spells out the roles and the responsibilities of the king, and the duties of his subjects. Verse 10, then, of 1 Samuel 8, And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king.

17. 6:33

    And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you. He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself for his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before his chariots. So what Elijah was doing, very dramatically, as he ran ahead of the chariot, he was saying, This is the king.

18. 6:54

    This is the Lord's anointed. Just as David said concerning Saul. This is the Lord's anointed. And he'd just seen Ahab eat this meal of fellowship on the top of Mount Carmel. And in the mind of Elijah, all was good. The prayer had been answered. The hearts had been turned. But as we've just read in 1 Kings chapter 19, the hearts had not been turned.

19. 7:23

    That's the future work of Elijah in Malachi 4 verse 6. To turn the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers. I want to read now concerning the time when these hearts will be changed. I'd like you to turn to Hosea now. Hosea chapter 2. And just as we see in Isaiah chapter 40, how that chapter is peppered with themes concerning Elijah.

20. 7:50

    We will see similarly in Hosea chapter 2. It's a chapter that shouts out the life of Elijah. Hosea chapter 2 then, and picking up in verse 16. Hear the prophet talking about a future time. Hosea chapter 2. And it shall be at that day. What day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi?

21. 8:15

    Or notice in your margin that they will call God my husband. Now Jezebel means Baal is husband. Baal means husband. But they call him Yahweh Ishi. And thou shalt call me no more Baalai, my Lord. For I will take away the names of Baalim. That's exactly what Elijah was trying to do with the children of Israel on Carmel.

22. 8:39

    Out of her mouth. And they shall no more be remembered by their name. That was the contest. Whose name was the God of creation? Yahweh or Baal. And they will no longer remember their name. It's a future time, isn't it? Look at verse 19. And you see now, and you spot the themes of Elijah here.

23. 9:00

    And I will betroth thee unto me forever. No longer Baal, husband. No longer Jezebel, Baal his husband. The betrothal there at Carmel. Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness. And in judgment and in loving kindness. And in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness. And thou shalt know Yahweh.

24. 9:20

    And it shall come to pass in that day. I will hear, saith the Lord. I will hear the heavens. And they shall hear the earth. And God had heard in the heavens. And he'd answered in the heavens, had he not. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oil.

25. 9:35

    And they shall hear Jezreel. God sows. And where was it? It was upon Mount Carmel. And at the base of Carmel was the valley of Jezreel. God sows. God was sowing his word in their hearts. So they could become trees of righteousness. And I will sow. Verse 23. Jezreel. I will sow her unto me in all the earth.

26. 9:57

    And I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy. And I will say to them which are not my people. Thou art my people. And they shall say. Thou art my God. That's the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children. The children to the fathers. Malachi 4 verse 6.

27. 10:16

    What a wonderful chapter we have before us here. In Hosea chapter 2. Well, because of time we need to go back to 1 Kings chapter 19 now. And the rains poured. And I want you to imagine. Ahab. Going down. Down to the valley of Jezreel. Torrents of water flowing from heaven. And there's Elijah.

28. 10:37

    This figure. With the face of a lion. As swift as a rope on the mountains. He's bounding down the mountain. His heart is in absolute jubilation. God has answered his prayer.

29. 10:50

    The covenant has been rekindled. And what is Ahab going to say to Jezebel? Well, as we glance down verses 1 to 2. We know the account, I'm sure, very well. Ahab was very economical with the truth. And he focuses on all the things that Elijah had done. Not a mention of the God of Israel.

30. 11:11

    All the things that Elijah had done. And Jezebel, this queen of Baal, is totally incensed. Uncensed. And so, in bloodthirsty revenge, she devotes herself to her gods. And she vows to them that Elijah would be dead within the day. And she writes a letter to be sent to Elijah. Now, on face value, as we read those verses, Baal had already failed, hadn't he?

31. 11:41

    What had Elijah got to fear? Well, we know at this time that Jezebel cut off. If you look at the New King James Version, it says massacred the prophets of Yahweh. There was much to fear. And so then, let's pick up in verse 3. And when Elijah saw that, he arose and went for his life.

32. 12:05

    And he came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. Now, it's a very important verse, verse 3, because as we look at the life of Elijah, this is unique because it's the only time that we find that he goes from one place to another without the word of the Lord coming to him.

33. 12:24

    He goes out of his own volition. He's compelled to go because he receives this letter. He's in fearful state of his life. And he goes and he runs for his life and he goes to Beersheba.

34. 12:37

    Now, we know from the Scriptures that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. It's a very simple verse, isn't it? What an appropriate verse here. We are to walk or we are to run by faith, not by sight. And if somehow Elijah could have applied that verse in this particular situation, he wouldn't have run away, would he?

35. 12:59

    He hadn't seen a cloud in the sky. Yet he knew it was coming. Yet all of a sudden, the tangible and the visible things became very important to Elijah. And he ran for his life. He was a man of like passions, bread and sisters. He experienced extreme highs, but very deep lows. He thought that all his work for Israel was done in vain.

36. 13:25

    So he runs down there to Beersheba. Now, we know some 90 miles as well, and he didn't stop. He runs all the way down to Beersheba. And he doesn't stop there because we know, just as a cross-reference for those taking notes, 2 Kings 8 verse 18, it tells us that Judah at this time was run by Jehoshaphat, and his son had married the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.

37. 13:50

    Well, so there's going to be no safety in Judah, no safety in Beersheba at all. So he goes again. Now, obviously, we know the account well, but as we're reading this, we should ask ourselves, was it, did he leave Beersheba because he wasn't safe? Or did he have something in his mind? Did he have a specific location?

38. 14:11

    I suggest he did, brothers and sisters. Throughout Elijah's life, and hopefully we've shown that to you, he was experiencing the life of Moses. And he knew that God had spoken to Moses face to face at Horeb. He knew that God's covenant had been established at Horeb. And the children had said everything that he had said, we will do.

39. 14:37

    And so I would suggest to you that his mind was desperate to get down into Horeb, to challenge his God, to ask him what had happened to the covenant, why he was so forsaken, why God of armies had not destroyed those that stood against him. And so in the mind of Elijah, he's going down there into Horeb, where Moses spoke to him face to face, to challenge his God.

40. 15:07

    I want us to get into the spirit of Elijah now. There he is, travelling down south, down into Horeb, with one thing on his mind, I'm going to speak to my God.

41. 15:19

    But he was going with the wrong spirit, brothers and sisters. The wrong spirit entirely. Now we see here in verse 4, but he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and he came and sat down under a juniper tree, and he requested for himself that he might die. Now what an irony.

42. 15:35

    He was running for his life, and now he requested he might die. And he said, is it enough now, O Lord, take away my life, for I'm not better than my father's. Now, the juniper tree is a desert bush, it grows 8 to 10 foot, it's a very common bush. But I want to just make a connection here, to Psalm 120, because I believe the psalmist here, picks up the sentiments of Elijah, and we begin to see the state of mind, that this prophet was in.

43. 16:04

    Psalm 120. I think here we get into the mind of Elijah, as he sat under the juniper tree. And again, you see with this psalm, how these words just jump out from the page, and tells us, this is Elijah. Verse 1 then, In my distress, I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.

44. 16:24

    There's Elijah in distress. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue. The lying lips began in 1 Kings chapter 19, and verse 1, where Ahab had told Jezebel, all the things that Elijah had done. What shall be given unto thee, or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?

45. 16:44

    Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. Interesting, that is. Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedah. My soul hath long dwelt with him, that hateth peace. I am from peace, but when I speak, they are for war. See that? Elijah had left Carmel in a state of peace.

46. 17:11

    A meal of fellowship had taken place, with God and Ahab, we would suggest. And there he is, Elijah, standing at the gate of Jezreel, hoping now that there was peace, final peace, between the prophets of Yahweh, and the prophets of Baal. But no, I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

47. 17:33

    And so now, Elijah calls for Yahweh of armies. You see that? He had called for the covenant God. Not now. Not when he sat under the juniper tree. He wants Yahweh of armies, and as he goes down into Horeb, he speaks to God as Yahweh of armies. But notice verse 4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

48. 17:58

    In the English Standard Version, that has a rendering, a warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree. So they're going to war with these arrows, and the roots, the hot roots of this juniper tree. You can see, surely, brothers and sisters, the state of this man's mind, it reflects in what he was thinking.

49. 18:19

    Now, brothers and sisters, Elijah, in a situation like this, is no better than ourselves. Our hopes can be so easily dashed at times, when we believe that we understand God's intentions.

50. 18:34

    He longed for Israel to be converted. He had prayed that their hearts would be turned. Remember the words of Moses, no need to turn to it, but in Numbers chapter 11, Moses says, I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. Then he goes on to say, in Numbers 11, verse 15, kill me, I pray thee, out of thy hand.

51. 18:57

    So even in this prayer, he takes on the figure of Moses. Elijah, is pretending to be Moses, we will suggest. He believes, he's the character of Moses. Now, if we bring the exhortation to ourselves, brothers and sisters, in our own lives, we do providentially see the hand of God in our lives. With that, there is no doubt.

52. 19:24

    I'm sure all of us at times have felt, as we sit under our juniper tree, it is enough. I can't go on anymore. It is enough. And this is the wonderful character that we have with Elijah, because we can see someone who reflects ourselves. We've seen his life, moments of tremendous valour, but moments then of deep, deep despair.

53. 19:53

    And so that's a wonderful, heartening exhortation for ourselves, great men such as Elijah, who will be in the kingdom. Yet at times, no better than ourselves. Let's go back then to 1 Kings chapter 19, and this is the love of God. It was Elijah thinking that God was Yahweh of armies, but this is a God of love.

54. 20:11

    And Elijah was going to learn that. And he learns it, or tries to learn it, well, here in verse 5, and he lay and slept under a juniper tree. Behold, then an angel touched him and said unto him, arise and eat. Psalm 127 verse 2 says, that God giveth his beloved sleep. Sleep is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

55. 20:34

    Calms the troubles. It re-energizes our spirits. And if we've had a good night's sleep, we think very differently, do we not, in the morning, about our condition. And this is what happened with Elijah. Or this is what God wanted to happen to Elijah. An angel of God. And there was Elijah upon Mount Carmel, and he's about to say to Horeb, I'm alone.

56. 21:01

    I'm alone, God. And he wakes up, and there's an angel. An angel there, who's baking him a cake. That's the love of God. That's the God that we serve. Verse 6, and he looked to behold, there was a cake, bacon on the coals, and a cruise of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and he laid him down again.

57. 21:28

    Now we shouldn't be surprised. We sometimes start, do we not, when we look at that verse, and think, wow, an angel of the Lord, waking up Elijah and feeding him. We shouldn't really, brothers and sisters. the angel of the Lord encampeth around those that fear him. We shouldn't be surprised at all. I just want to go to Psalm 78.

58. 21:52

    What did this angel have for him as he woke? It's fitting, isn't it, that he had a cake? He would have been reminded of the cake. He'd asked a widow to give him a cake. And when we come to Psalm 78, we have this psalm that talks about the experiences of Israel in the wilderness.

59. 22:17

    Look at verse 12, marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt. He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, and he made the waters to stand as a heap. And we have a long catalogue of the things that the Lord God had done for the nation of Israel.

60. 22:30

    Then, verse 24, and he rained down manna upon them to eat, and he hath given them corn of the heaven. Man did eat angels' food. He sent them to meat to full. You'll notice in your margin, the bread of the mighty. So the manna here is likened to angels' food. We've already said that Elijah and figure received the manna at Cherith, the manna at Zarephath, and now he has the manna here under the juniper tree.

61. 23:07

    God was with him. He was Moses. But this was given now by an angel. This literally was angels' food. Isn't that wonderful? The angel, this mighty angel, now gives this man food to eat. And so then, in this mind of despair, God was encouraging him and saying, you're not alone, Elijah. I'm still with you.

62. 23:35

    as I look over the nation of Israel, and as I looked after my great prophet Moses, I will look after you. And I do see you as a prophet likened unto Moses. I do see you as a prophet likened unto Moses. And this would have given him, surely, tremendous heart. 1 Kings 19 then, in verse 7, Elijah then goes back to sleep.

63. 24:00

    He doesn't seem startled that an angel of the Lord had just fed him. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him and said, arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. Maybe the angel waited till the morning to give him angels' food. Remember at Cherith?

64. 24:18

    Morning and the evening, morning and the evening, morning and the evening. And here, a morning and the evening at the hand of the angel himself. Why did Elijah need to eat again? Because the journey is too great for thee. Elijah had not uttered a word to his God. But God knew where he was going.

65. 24:41

    But more importantly, brothers and sisters, God wanted him to get there. He wanted that confrontation at Horeb. He wanted to speak to his prophets. He wanted to speak to Elijah about a greater work to come. And so then, verse 8, and he arose and did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights until Horeb, the mount of God.

66. 25:10

    Now we might be amazed that he went for forty days and forty nights. But we shouldn't be, brothers and sisters. The God that could give the increase of the meal and the cruise of oil, who could multiply the loaves and the fishes, could energize this bread and allow Elijah to go all the way down into Horeb.

67. 25:34

    So then we see in verse 8 that he travels there forty days and forty nights. We've already highlighted this day for a year principle. The children of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years. If we apply that day for a year principle of Ezekiel chapter 4 and verse 6, Elijah now travels in the same wilderness for forty days.

68. 25:57

    Again, a figure of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness. He took on the figure of Israel. But God spoke to Moses in the mount for forty days. And here Elijah, there, for forty days. I want to develop this. I want to go back to Ezekiel chapter 34 now. And I want you to note the similarities between Elijah and Moses.

69. 26:24

    Exodus chapter 34. It's very important that we see these similarities because we're not going to truly understand what's being said at Horeb. Exodus chapter 34 then. And I just want to put in context when God spoke to Moses in the mount face to face. Significant, isn't it? That when Moses is in the mount, we see in verse 5, and the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of Yahweh.

70. 26:51

    That was the contest. What was the name? And Yahweh passed by before him and proclaimed Yahweh, Yahweh, El and the characteristics of the Lord God. Then verse 14. For thou shalt worship no other gods. For Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Well, they've just been serving Baal and Baalim. See the context, brothers and sisters.

71. 27:15

    Then you come down to verse 27. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words, I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He did neither eat bread nor drink water, and he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

72. 27:36

    So there then, Elijah takes on the figure of Moses. But I want to now go to Deuteronomy chapter 5, because here, the prophet tells us that it was in Horeb that God spoke to Moses face to face. And that's what Elijah wanted. He wanted to speak to God face to face.

73. 27:56

    Deuteronomy chapter 5, then verse 1, And Moses called all Israel and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them and keep and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with this in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us who are all of us here alive this day.

74. 28:18

    The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount, in the midst of the fire. So Elijah had many questions on his mind and he wanted to ask his God why the children of Israel had forsaken him and why the judgments had not been poured.

75. 28:38

    Now, in 1 Kings chapter 19, it says that he goes to a cave. I'm sure you all know that the cave there, what should be, it's a definite article, it should be the cave. The very cave that Moses saw the glory of God. But there's more than that, brothers and sisters. What happened at Horeb?

76. 28:59

    And I'd like just to, again, get into the mind of Elijah. I want you to go back to Exodus chapter 3. He goes to Horeb. He knows the covenant has been cut at Horeb. He knew that God spoke to him face to face at Horeb. But what happened other than that at Horeb?

77. 29:15

    Well, when we come to Exodus chapter 3, we see then, now, Moses kept the flock, verse 1, of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the backside of the desert and he came to the mountain of God even to Horeb. Elijah would have known this. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush.

78. 29:35

    So as Elijah goes down to Horeb, he knew that God answered in fire, at fire in Horeb. Let's go to Exodus chapter 17, now. Exodus chapter 17, this marvelous chapter where Moses strikes the rock. Just pick out verse 6. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock and there shall come water out of it.

79. 30:01

    So as he goes down to Horeb, he knows that God answers by fire and he also knows that God answers by water. Look down at the end of chapter 17 and we have this fight with the Amalekites. Verse 13, which happened at Horeb and Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

80. 30:19

    Verse 16, for he said, the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. So Elijah goes down to Horeb, he knows that God answers by fire, he knows that God answers by water and he knows that God destroys his enemies.

81. 30:38

    And we've already seen that he knew that God spoke to Moses face to face when the covenant was made. So as Elijah goes all the way down into Horeb, he knew that God had already answered by fire. The fire had consumed the altar upon Mount Carmel. He knew that God had opened the heavens and the waters had poured upon the scorched earth.

82. 30:58

    The two things that Elijah wanted from God was the covenant to be reestablished because he felt that only he was left and God would destroy his enemies that Yahweh of armies would be unleashed upon Samaria and the nation of Israel. That was the mind of Elijah brothers and sisters. When we go back to 1 Kings chapter 19 because the word of the Lord had not told Elijah to go there we see there in verse 9 the word of the Lord came to him.

83. 31:35

    Elijah had not even said to his God where he was going but God was watching and observing from afar. God was figuratively brothers and sisters he was waiting for him and he had all the answers he had all the answers for Elijah and the word of the Lord comes to him what doest thou hear Elijah.

84. 31:57

    Now was that a word of rebuke? I don't think it was brothers and sisters he loved his prophet he dearly loved his prophet and we see here in the development of the next few verses that God works with Elijah as a father does with his son and as a father would always or should allow his son or his daughter to speak first and to explain the situation God similarly gives Elijah the opportunity to explain and he does explain in verse 10 he said I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant thrown down thine altars and slain thine prophets with the sword and I even I am left and they seek my life to take it away it's a wonderful word jealous it literally means envious or zealous and very practical excitation we can apply to ourselves is that how we view the word of God we are zealous for it we will protect it at any cost that was the mind of Elijah here but I want you to notice the title the title that Elijah uses he calls God the Lord God of hosts or Yahweh Elohim of armies now that's a very unusual phrase in fact it's the first time Elijah uses it it's the first time that that phrase ever comes out of the mouth of a character in the word of God so it's very very important you see what Elijah is doing go back to 1 Kings chapter 17 when Elijah bursts upon the scene and speaks to Ahab he says there in verse 1 as Yahweh Elohim

85. 33:42

    of Israel liveth notice that of Yahweh Elohim of Israel liveth now when you go over to chapter 18 now and when you look out to verse 15 you see Yahweh of hosts liveth now why do you think Elijah changed the title well surely brothers and sisters when Elijah went into the court of Ahab he used the covenant title of God because Ahab had broken the covenant Yahweh Elohim in chapter 18 he wants judgments to be poured so he calls Yahweh of hosts but when we come to 1 Kings chapter 19 do you see what's happened he's combined the two titles of God he's combined the title of the covenant and the title of judgment and so what's Elijah saying to God I want you God to establish your covenant through judgment God couldn't do that could he it's free will is it not it's out of our own volition that we serve our God we can only do it through our hearts God can touch our hearts through the still small voice he's not going to reap judgments upon the earth to convert the masses no Elijah was entirely wrong and it was very inappropriate that he used this title there he is he's saying he's all alone they've cast down the altars they've forsaken the covenant only he was left brethren sisters he fails now God had given him all these opportunities to be like Moses let's see what Moses did let's go to Romans chapter 11 Romans chapter 11 verse 1 notice that he gets to Horeb God had been with him he was just like Moses God's desperate for Elijah to be

86. 36:09

    like Moses to love his people to bring them out to spiritual Egypt and he fails at Horeb he intercesses against them Lord they have killed thy prophets and dig down thine altars and I am left alone and they seek my life but what saith the answer of God unto him I have reserved to myself 7000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal even so then at this present time also

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    so Elijah intercessed against Israel let's see what Moses did in the same mount let's see his prayer Exodus chapter 34 Exodus 34 and after God had expressed his name and described his characteristics hear the prayer of Moses in the very same mount and Moses verse 8 made haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worship and he said if not now I have found grace in thy sight O Lord or Yahweh let my Yahweh should be in the Hebrew I pray thee go among us for it is stiff necked people and pardon our iniquity notice and our sin and take for us or take us for thine inheritance you see that so the use of the pronoun our iniquity and our sin he intercessed for Israel as a figure of a high priest and so Elijah failed now think of that brothers and sisters he'd been at Cherith Zarephath and the juniper tree God had fed him manna just like the children of Israel he'd gone into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights likening himself to the children of Israel there he was for 40 days and 40 nights as Moses was in Mount Horeb as God spoke to face to face he should have been just like Moses but he didn't love his brethren and he thought he was alone but the love of God was brothers and sisters that Elijah was going to hear the still small voice and God was going to send Elijah out again and say yes I love you so much you will be like Moses but you will be like Moses when Jesus returns and

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    as Moses brought out the children of Israel out of Egypt you similarly will take on that role and you will not intercess against Israel for that time you will intercess for them for you will convert them for the hearts of the fathers to the children the children to the fathers see the mind of God brothers and sisters it's awesome isn't it how he loves his servants there he was wrestling with his soul Elijah and God gives him the still small voice and we need to consider the still small voice because time is against us we go back to 1 Kings chapter 19 and God answers him and the wind and the earthquake and the fire come and we have the utter destruction the mountains broken in pieces the very foundations are rumbled and quaked hills are collapsed and the fire comes in verse 12 and we see then at the end of verse 12 after the fire there was the still small voice rotherham translates that a silence or a calm or a whisper the voice of a gentle whisper and the centuigent a gentle whisper and if we have a time and you go through the account when God spoke to Moses at the mount we see the wind and the earthquake and the fire and then at the end we read of a voice that comes it's a repeat it's an exact entire carbon copy but it's different isn't it brothers and sisters because God doesn't tell Moses to go into the cave because the law repelled men God calls him to come out of the cave because the gospel is an invitation

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    I want to go to psalm 170 the still small voice this is a lovely reference brothers and sisters because we pick up the word still here and we see it as the work of the Lord Jesus Christ we see the work of the new covenant psalm 107 and verse 28 then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he bringeth them out of their distresses he maketh the storm calm so that the waves thereof are still then are they glad because they be quiet so he bringeth them unto their desired heaven oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his children or wonderful works to the children of men the analogy there is a stormy sea and what did Jesus say peace be still and the waters were made still and that word still small voice is the word calm there in verse 29 he maketh the storm a calm the law of Moses was a storm brethren sisters the words of the Lord Jesus Christ was a calm Elijah when he was down there in Horeb was a storm the words go forth and he becomes a calm the work of the still small voice go back to Exodus chapter 16 we see here the new means of God's instruction to his great prophet Moses Exodus chapter 16 all these chapters dovetail so beautifully together Exodus 16 and verse 11 it relates to the manner and the Lord spake unto Moses saying I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel they speak unto me saying at even ye shall eat flesh and in the morning ye shall

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    be filled with bread that was Elijah and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God verse 14 then and when the Jew that lay was gone not behold upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing that word small is the same Hebrew word as the still small voice Elijah had received the manna at Cherith the manna at Zarephath the manna under the juniper tree and now he receives the manna at Horeb and just as God brothers and sisters had sustained the nation of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness why because he loved them and he wanted to give them the kingdom the assurance that Elijah now receives I love you Elijah just as I have not forsaken my nation the children of Israel I will not forsake thee I want to go to Hebrews chapter 12 just want to go to two passages rather quickly Hebrews chapter 12 here the writer to the Hebrews brings out the contrast between the two mounts that have called the children of God verse 18 of Hebrews 12 for ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched and that burned with fire nor unto blackness and darkest and tempest and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words which the voice that they heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore verse 21 and so terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake verse 22 but ye are come unto mount Zion and unto the city of the living God what did Elijah say Yahweh liveth that was the

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    title he continually used Yahweh liveth and the God that we serve here is the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to a nuberal company of angels now here brothers and sisters we see the sequence the law the terrors of the law were going to come before the blessings of the still small voice the gospel message that's the love that God had for his son Elijah the prophet he was going to show him how he was going to work with mankind the law will go forth but one will come who will dispense with the still small voice