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A Mantle About Your Head


2bLikeJesus

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After Elijah had just had the greatest victory in his ministry with the slaying of over 400 prophets of Baal, he is frightened to death by one woman.

 

1 Kings 19:1-4 (KJV)
1  And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
2  Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, 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 about this time.
3  And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
4  But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

 

Thus Elijah runs for his life.  God at first sends comfort and strength to Elijah in his "pity party" by sending an angel to minister to him.  Giving him much needed sleep and rest, and twice providing food prepared by an angel that he would survive in the strength thereof for 40 days and 40 nights.  

 

BUT at the end of those days, where does God find Elijah?

 

1 Kings 19:9 (KJV

9  And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 


 

He finds Elijah hiding in a cave with his "thumb in his mouth" still wrapped up in his pity party, when Elijah answers God...

 

1 Kings 19:10 (KJV)
10  And 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 thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 

 

Elijah is crying to the Lord that "he has worked very hard and has been very jeolous in his work for the children of Israel, and look what it has gotten me.  They throw down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword"  AND now the pity tears really start to flow when he says he is all alone in the world, "I, even I only, am left, and they seek MY life, to take it away."

 

So God puts on a demonstration to remind Elijah who He is, and how He works...

 

1 Kings 19:11-12 (KJV)
11  And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12  And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

 

And here is Elijah's reaction upon hearing the "still small voice" that he had been listening to throughout his entire ministry.

 

1 Kings 19:13 (KJV)
13  And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 

 

Picture that...He in essence did what little children do by sticking their fingers in their ears, turning their backs, and saying na na na...I can't hear you.  

 

So God asks him one last time, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" (remember God never asks a question that He doesn't already know the answer to), to demonstrate the Elijah hasn't changed his heart one bit.

 

Elijah's answer?

 

1 Kings 19:14 (KJV)
14  And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 

 

Exactly, word for word what he said at the beginning in v. 10.  

 

Elijah has been ministered to by angels, he has been coddled for 40 days and 40 nights, he has been reminded of the power of God, and then reminded of how God talks to him, but he is having none of it.

 

So God tells him "Go train your replacement".  

 

1 Kings 19:15-16 (KJV)
15  And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16  And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

 

Elijah has been and still IS a great man of God, and I believe could very well be one of the two witnesses in the end times, but he has stopped listening to God's word.  it was time for him to be replaced.

 

I have seen now on this wonderful OB board that some wonderful men of God have simply put their fingers in their ears and have refused or have stopped listening to God's word.  No amount of sharing the word of God with them will turn them.  It may be time to "replace" them if they will no longer listen.

 

Please understand that my spirit is one of reconciliation of a brother, but if they "will not" listen to the word of God any longer, there is nothing more that I or anyone can do for them.  God can and will continue to use them, but no longer in the path they were on before. 

 

Bro. Garry

In His will.  By His power.  For His glory.

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I think from now on when I see a thread where a mountain of scripture has been given to refute some heresy, and the person spreading that heresy simply refuses to listen, I will just say "his mantle is about his head" and drop it at that.   :bang:  

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One mistake that we in IFB church leadership often make, in my OBservation, is equating 'our sharing the Word with someone' from our understanding, with 'God telling them'.
Since we can, and are at times, all capable of mistakes and lying, this is a higher estimation of ourselves than we should have.
This is not to say that you are wrong Brother Garry, this was an excellent thread and point.
This is simply the other side of this coin, that many times the person who thinks he is rebuking heresy, is actually the heretic.
I'm sure there are some on here who would point that finger at me, though I've done nothing but put up Scriptural proof texts for what God's Spirit shows me , and have not once quoted any man.
Still, what I say can be wrong...just like anybody else's words.

Now, I have to go rewrap my mantle, and prepare my successor.

B)

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After Elijah had just had the greatest victory in his ministry with the slaying of over 800 prophets of Baal, he is frightened to death by one woman.

 

1 Kings 19:1-4 (KJV)
 

Bro. Garry

In His will.  By His power.  For His glory.

 

 Not that it is any big point of contention, but it is stated that Elijah slew over 800 prophets of Baal. The Scripture actually says it was 450. In any event, it was a lot.  :)  Thanks for posting Garry

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 Not that it is any big point of contention, but it is stated that Elijah slew over 800 prophets of Baal. The Scripture actually says it was 450. In any event, it was a lot.  :)  Thanks for posting Garry

Good catch.  Thank you for that.  I was careless and have edited the opening statement to be accurate.  

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Excellent post, Gary. I like what you have written, and I fully agree.

 

But it got me thinking....

 

I know how utterly rung out, used up and completely alone and unworthy I feel sometimes after just preaching one message. I look at Elijah's ministry and how he was on the run for his life for years...

 

the hard preaching for years,...

 

the horrible confrontation with 450 opposing prophets with no support, "amen" or back-up, for the entire day...

 

the prayer that brought fire from heaven,...

 

the literal, bloody bodily execution of 450 men,...

 

the race down off the mountain...

 

and then the immediate death threat at the time of his greatest triumph. I shudder to think what Elijah was feeling inside. Sometimes I look at that passage and see the beautiful grace of God to an old warrior who has been completely, totally used up in battle. The only warrior in the history of mankind who earned a triumphant entry into glory in his own, personal chariot of fire.

 

Now, I'm not being contentious, My Friend. Like I said, I think you are right on the money. I just wanted to add a little to what you so ably addressed, and share some of the thoughts that this powerful passage brings to me. :th_tiphat:

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I don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but I'd like to ask about this...

 

I've always assumed (I know, that's what you get for assuming!)...anyway, I've always assumed that Elijah slew all of the false prophets that he sent for...

 

1 Kings 18:19
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.

 

So, there were 850 total...450 of Baal and 400 of the groves.

 

I know that when Elijah slew them, the Bible says that he slew the prophets of Baal, and the emphasis of the account is on the prophets of Baal; however, we also see this...

 

1 Kings 19:1-2

1   And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
2   Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, 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 about this time.

 

I guess that I "assumed" that since the prophets of the groves ate at Jezebel's table (1 Kings 18:19), and she became so angry that he had slain "all the prophets", then he must have slain the prophets of the groves too. Plus, since this was a contest to see who the real God was, I would again "assume" that he would have done away with all opposing prophets.

 

Do you assume that I assume too much?   :nuts:

 

I know...just let the Bible say what it says.  :hide:

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I think (and therefore I get into trouble) that possibly the "prophets of the groves" are prophets of the other false gods that Israel worshiped meeting in groves of trees on hilltops. They are listed separately. These might include Ashtoreth, Tammuz and Molech. It reads to me like Elijah called them as well, as you point out in I Kings 18:19, but they didn't come. Only Baal's prophets show up.

 

But that's just my own assumption, and I'm hiding under the chair right next to you :th_popout:

 

:hide::hide:

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The Holy Spirit has been beating me up all day today after what you posted Weary Warrior.  I should never have come across in my thread as belittling or disrespectful to an incredible man of God.  If the Lord himself had not already said that no prophet was better than John the Baptist,  then I might have called him the greatest.  To characterize him in any way as a childish "thumb sucking" weak man mired in his own pity party was entirely uncalled for.  Elijah certainly was not a weak man, though that was undeniably, and completely understandably, his weakest moment.  My entire goal was to point out that he indeed had "stopped" listening to God and refused to listen any longer, and at that point, his full usefulness to God on this earth at that time was over.  I still believe Elijah, since he never died, may very well be one of the two witnesses in the tribulation (a possible interesting discussion on another thread).

 

I pray that Elijah will forgive me.  He could sure be a rough character, and I sure wouldn't want to be on his bad side.  

 

Bro. Garry

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The Holy Spirit has been beating me up all day today after what you posted Weary Warrior.  I should never have come across in my thread as belittling or disrespectful to an incredible man of God.  If the Lord himself had not already said that no prophet was better than John the Baptist,  then I might have called him the greatest.  To characterize him in any way as a childish "thumb sucking" weak man mired in his own pity party was entirely uncalled for.  Elijah certainly was not a weak man, though that was undeniably, and completely understandably, his weakest moment.  My entire goal was to point out that he indeed had "stopped" listening to God and refused to listen any longer, and at that point, his full usefulness to God on this earth at that time was over.  I still believe Elijah, since he never died, may very well be one of the two witnesses in the tribulation (a possible interesting discussion on another thread).

 

I pray that Elijah will forgive me.  He could sure be a rough character, and I sure wouldn't want to be on his bad side.  

 

Bro. Garry

 

Bro. Gary, I was in no way whatsoever speaking against your post. I apologize very much if it came across like that. I was simply expanding on the thought of Elijah and that time. I did not take your post as belittling or disrespectful in any way, and I'm pretty sure Elijah wasn't cross either. :)

 

All of your points were good and viable. I don't think you should be hard on yourself, Brother.

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