Title: Give First to God
Contents
The saw blade must be sharpened while resting / 1 Kings 17:1-24
After Solomon's death, Israel was divided into north and south. The south was called "Judah" and the north "Israel". The 7th king of northern Israel “Ahab” was not a good king. They worshiped idols and rebelled against God, as the kings of northern Israel usually did. Ahab's wife, Jezebel, was also a bad queen. When he married King Ahab, he brought idols into the land of Israel. Because of Queen Jezebel, King Ahab also became idolatrous. In addition, Queen Jezebel was an evil woman who captured and killed the prophets of God. So God warned King Ahab. The prophet Elijah was sent to deliver a warning message. He said it wouldn't rain for years to come.
1 Kings 17:1. “Among those who sojourned in Gilead, Elijah the Tishphite said to Ahab, As the LORD, the God of Israel whom I serve, lives, there will be no rain for many years without my word.”
That means it won't rain for many years. It's not normal for it to rain for years, not a month, not two months. It cannot be said that all droughts are God's warnings, but at least this drought in the Bible today was clearly a warning from God. It was God's warning to stop idolatry. What should you do when God gives you a warning? must repent You must stop doing your sinful behavior. Ahab and Jezebel should stop worshiping idols and return to God. But many ignore God's warnings. Think of God's warning as a coincidence. Sometimes through an accident, sometimes through a disease, sometimes through a child, warnings are given, but they think it is a coincidence and pass it on. But Jesus said it was no coincidence. “Are not two birds sold for a farthing? But not one of them will fall to the ground unless your Father permits it.” (Matthew 10:29)
There is nothing in this world that God does not allow. So we need to hear God's voice through everything that happens. In today's Bible, if we apply to us the years of drought, it means that great difficulties have arisen in our lives. When difficulties arise, we must listen to God's voice. you have to take a look at yourself “Have I ever sinned against God? Have any of my children sinned against God?” will have to look back Job in the Old Testament did just that. He said this when he was in a great disaster. Job 1:5. “… Job said, Perhaps my sons have sinned and have betrayed God in their hearts.”
But King Ahab did not heed God's warning. Despite giving warnings through drought, they did not realize at all and did not cure the sin of idolatry. Rather, he rebelled against God. They wanted to kill Elijah, the man of God who declared a drought. Instead of repenting, he committed a greater evil. Then God told Elijah to hide in the depths of the mountains by the brook Cherith. “The word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, “Depart from here and go east, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is before the Jordan.” (2-3)
We do not know why God did not judge Ahab immediately. Rather, I don't know why he makes Elijah avoid him. We cannot comprehend all that God is doing. God looks forward a thousand years, and we can't see an inch ahead, so how can we understand God? What should I do when I don't understand? just have to believe “There must be a will of God. A God without mistakes must have a plan.” You have to believe.
God sent Elijah to the brook Cherit. The brook Grit was deep in the mountains. It was a place that King Ahab could not find. Elijah had only time to fellowship with God here. A time to stop all activities and meet only God. Such a time is what we really need. It takes time to have a deep communion with God. You should stop working one day a week and have time to meet only God. Only then can you live a happy life. Speaking of this, there are people who say how can I leisurely meet God when my immigrant life is busy. If so, please listen carefully to the following story.
A woodcutter was cutting wood with a saw. Cut trees all day long. I was very tired, but I had a goal to achieve that day, so I forced myself to work. I was annoyed and complained. Seeing that, some wise person advises. “Take a break and do it.” The woodcutter answered, “I want to rest too, but I don't have time. There is still so much work to be done.” Then the wise man gave this advice: “Take a break and sharpen your saw blade.” But the woodcutter answered. “I am so busy I don’t even have time to sharpen the saw blade.
Time to stop working and fellowship with God is never wasted time. Time to sharpen the saw blade of life. If the saw blade is dull, no matter how much work you do, the efficiency will not increase. Sharpen your spiritual saw blade while resting and become a worker. That way you can cut a lot more trees. The reason God sent Elijah to the brook Cherit was to sharpen the saw blade. Elijah must cut many trees in the future, but he cannot work with a dull saw. You need a sharp saw blade to carry out your mission. What is a sharp saw blade? It means spiritual power. Only when we have spiritual strength can we fight against the evil devil and Satan and win. The brook of Grit was a place of training prepared by God. It was a place to develop spiritual strength. God often prepares a place for us to develop our spiritual strength. He leaves the world and hides us. make you work Stop working and let only God meet.
I stopped all activities for 4 months from May to September 2001. I gave up everything I could. I went to Seattle and had a bone marrow transplant, but nothing happened. He lived his life, looking only at God, almost breathing. That time was a time to develop spiritual strength for me. When I returned from Seattle, my body was weak, but my spirit was strongest. I came back in September 2001, and by that time our church had only about 70 adults. Either way, it didn't revive. However, when we stopped the ministry for 4 months and returned with spiritual strength, our church was able to revive several times.
No matter how hard you try with a blunt saw blade, life is just tiring. I hope that you will become a new challenger by sharpening the saw blade while resting in God. Amen.