Title: Trials After Glory (1 Kings 19:1-8)
If we were to evaluate the prophet Elijah in one word, it could be said that he was a “man of trials.” If you look at the words of 1 Kings 17-19, you can see that Elijah's trials and sufferings are recorded in detail. However, what we can discover from these words is that the trials he faced were not meaningless or only harming his life. Therefore, regarding the importance and benefit of trials, the Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:3-4:
“We rejoice even in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, and character, and character, hope.” The Bible says that there will be hardships for those who want to live according to God's will. Then why do Christians have trials and tribulations because Christians are people of God.
Elijah's ordeal began after he challenged Ahab's kingship by saying, "As the Lord lives, there will be no rain for many years without my word." After that, the ordeal reached its climax when the miracle of falling the fire from the sky on Mount Carmel and pouring rain on the ground that had suffered from one foot for three and a half years was performed. This shows that great trials await after great glory.
Then what will the ordeal come through?
First, it comes through material poverty.
Elijah, who challenged Ahab, lived by the brook Cherith and ate the bread and meat the ravens gave him, and he lived day to day. After that, the family of the widow of Zarephath, who had to stay away from the pursuit of Ahab and Azebel, did not lead a prosperous life. Even today, we Christians can have these kinds of financial pain and trials. For one reason, living according to the will of faith, there are cases where we have to live in an extreme economic ordeal that shows no sign of improvement at all.
The second trial also comes through people.
Verses 1-2 of the text show that trials can come through people.
In fact, Elijah's work on Mount Carmel was a saving work for the nation.
Nevertheless, Jezebel's attempt to kill Elijah was an ordeal. In the end, Elijah had to wander in Beersheba, and struggled alone in despair and frustration. This ordeal is bitter. If the glory that Elijah tasted was great, it can be said that the trials were also great.
Then, what are the lessons God gives you through trials?
First, don't trust anyone.
Elijah's work, which sent down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel and brought rain to the parched earth, really made King Ahab angry. This was an opportunity to greatly change Ahab's perception of Elijah. In 1 Kings 18:44,46 we see here that the relationship between Elijah and Ahab begins to soften and draw closer. However, Ahab was not a person to be approached by a man of God. He was a murderer who brought in Baal idols, made all the Israelites worship idols, and killed Naboth by his private greed. So, he was an unrighteous man who caused many prophets to make false prophecies and died in the war with Syria.
Therefore, God used Jezebel to drive Elijah out into the wilderness to separate Elijah from this unrighteous and evil Syrian. In the Forbidden City, China, there is a small well where the Qing Dynasty emperor's favorite concubine Jinbi was killed by her mother-in-law Empress Dowager during the Allied invasion of China in the 1900s. As such, humans are evil beings. They are also weak beings, and they are beings that hatch and hang out. Therefore, trusting and approaching people is the same as walking on the path of self-destruction.
The second trial means not believing in yourself.
People tend to fall into self-conceit after doing great things. It was a great work to bring down the fire of heaven and to make rain on the parched earth with the power of prayer. This shows that conditions were growing in him to be proud of himself. In 1 Kings 18:46, this is recorded. “The power of the Lord came upon Elijah, and he girded himself and ran in front of men everywhere they went into Israel.” He slowly began to appear in front of the people. It was not appropriate for a person who had received God's power to step forward and flirt before the unrighteous Ahab rather than God's work. The Bible says that pride is the forerunner of destruction (Proverbs 16:18), and he who thinks he is standing must be careful lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Therefore, God worked through Jezebel to prevent pride from growing in Elijah's heart. That's right. Trials are God's work that teaches us humility.
The third ordeal is to rely only on God.
The word relying only on God here has a complex meaning: seek God alone, pray to God, and obey God.
In verse 4, Elijah, who was chased by Jezebel and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, fell under a broom tree and finally said, "O LORD!" I found God. When human beings face trials and tribulations, they finally seek God. When the prayer of “Jehovah” comes out of the mouths of the saints who are in trials, it is all over. That's when things started to work out.
As Psalm 23 says, we humans are fragile beings who cannot carve out our own path and cannot live on our own. Therefore, we should always seek God, even when there are difficulties. Just like Elijah, when we shout “Jehovah” in a desperate moment of being chased, God will start working for us from then on. For Elijah who cried like this, God provided bread and water.
He gave me strength that would not fade even if I ran forty days and forty nights.
He gave me a new mission with a small voice in the cave of Mount Horeb.
Saints! Tribulation is patience, patience is refinement, and refinement is hope.
Do not be afraid of the temporary trials that come after the glory of the world, but seek God. God will comfort you and sustain you with an amazing work.