The life of the prophet Elijah is one of the most compelling in the Old Testament. The books of I and II Kings feature the man’s servitude to his Lord, often accompanied by marvels. A direct Elijah issues this to the powerful yet wicked King Ahab—“As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years…” The people of the northern kingdom had been worshipping the false god Baal, a deity attributed with power over weather; and the severe drought would be punishment for the land that bowed before it. A curious sequence of events follows—Elijah would not face the king for another three years. Instead, the prophet is led to a brook where he is to hide and then to a widow’s home.
At last, the prophet is led to stand not only before King Ahab but also before the hundreds of prophets of Baal and Asherah and the people of Israel on Mount Carmel in a contest of power and faith. “The fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice…” The blood of the false prophets drenches the soil and perhaps their sacrifice; but fire falls only to the altar of Elijah. The prophets of Baal are executed after the victory, followed by the first rainfall in years.
The next chapter uncovers another, more human side of the prophet. “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow…” Jezebel, enraged by the death of her prophets, warns Elijah that he would meet the same fate within twenty-four hours. The prophet flees to a distant city and journeys even farther into the wilderness. “It is enough…” Elijah, who had witnessed miracles even before Mount Carmel and whose word had hindered the fall of rain and summoned fire from heaven, prays for the end.
Young person, how easy it would be to criticize the prophet; but sit under the juniper tree in Elijah’s stead and see if you can rise again. The worship of false idols is sponsored by the government, incited by a union between the king and a former priestess of Tyre. You are led not to immediate results but to abide alone in Cherith and then to Zarephath to undergo unusual tests of faith for several years. “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” Upon your return, King Ahab blames you and not the sin of Israel for the famine. A hundred prophets of God are in hiding; thus, you stand alone on Mount Carmel. “I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD…” Even after victory, the monarchs will not recognize the true God; rather, they will kill you for exposing the falseness of theirs. In hiding, alone once again, would you still condemn the prophet?
"Teenager, we may feel alone at times in our work for the Lord but we are never truly by ourselves."
Teenager, we may feel alone at times in our work for the Lord and echo Elijah’s cry—“…I, even I only, am left…”—but we are never truly by ourselves. “And the ravens brought him bread and flesh…” The Lord sent ravens in Cherith. “…I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” The Lord prepared a widow in Zarephath. “There was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water…” The Lord sent an angel to the juniper tree and later spoke in a still, small voice in Horeb. He strengthened the heart of His prophet with these words—“I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal…” Thousands of years later, we may still trust in the faithfulness of our Lord and find encouragement in those who have not bowed to the world.
In your youth group, you may feel that you are one of few—or perhaps the only one—following the leading of God. You may feel that you are the only young man or lady who cares for the lost souls of your city and prays for the condition of the world, but you are not alone in your service. Seven thousand children of Israel had not bowed to Baal, and thousands more today stand with you. They are your parents, pastors, youth pastors, Sunday school teachers, church members, fellow laborers, and other godly influences around you and across this globe. Like Elijah on Mount Carmel and under that juniper tree, you may be by yourself—but you are never truly alone, not in God’s work and never with God.
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