Grace Within Reach

1 Kings 19:1-16 "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. [5] And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise [and] eat. [6] And he looked, and, behold, [there was] a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. [7] 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. [8] And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. [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? [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. [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. [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? [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. [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."

What causes a great warrior of God to fall and remain fallen? For that matter, what causes any believer, what causes YOU, whether you regard yourself to be great or no; what causes you to fall and remain fallen?

We tend to look at the Elijah's of Scripture as supernatural beings, those who never had a moment of doubt, those who could not fall, and regard them as a "breed beyond" us. They have a faith without failure. They, like Elijah, are people who were specifically faithful, those to whom we looked for inspiration, for guidance ... they are our examples. Elijah (called Elias in the Greek Text) is mentioned 30 times in the New Testament, and frequently throughout our Lord's ministry on the earth. Those who followed after Jesus believed Him to be Elijah resurrected and returned to Israel. This rumor was so prevalent that even the disciples knew of it:

Matthew 16:13-14 "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."

And, I dare say, some perhaps believed Jesus to be Elijah resurrected, though they did not say so to His face. Elijah and Moses, revered prophets, appeared at the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus:

Matthew 17:3-8 "And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only."

Was Elijah supernatural, an angel, a "super believer"? No, he was none of these things. Elijah was a man like you and I, subject to the same passions and failures that we are subject to. And this lesson that we have today teaches us that no matter who we are, or who we think we are, we are all subject to failure. Yet, even when we fall, we have a loving Father who stands ready to pick us up and put us back on our feet for Grace sake! Let's see what the text says.

1 Kings 19:1-4 "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"

Ahab was King of Northern Israel, and the Scripture leads us to believe that he was a capable leader. Yet Ahab had a serious problem. Though he believed in Yahweh, he COMPROMISED his belief by allowing Baal worship within the Kingdom. Baal worship was particularly evil, for it preach CHILD SACRIFICE as a way of approaching this demonic god.

Our text tells us, "Ahab told Jezebel ALL that Elijah had done ..." This is such a simple statement that we tend to overlook its significance. What were the things that Elijah had done? Elijah stood in Ahab's presence and predicted drought:

James 5:17-18 "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." (see also 1 Kings 17)

During this period of drought God fed Elijah, first by the brook Cherith using ravens, and later by the graciousness of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17.7-16).

"Ahab told Jezebel ALL that Elijah had done ..." This widow was so poor that she was nearly out of meal, yet God gave her an unlimited source of meal and oil for feeding Elijah.

"Ahab told Jezebel ALL that Elijah had done ..." When the woman's son died, Elijah raised her from the dead (1 Kings 17.17-24).

"Ahab told Jezebel ALL that Elijah had done ..." And, during this 3 1/2 year period of drought Elijah stood before the 400 prophets of Baal, challenged them to a duel between their god and the True God, and had these prophets killed when they failed to overcome Yahweh (1 Kings 18.1-40).

"Ahab told Jezebel ALL that Elijah had done ..." At the end of 3 1/2 years, rain was again allowed on Israel (1 Kings 18.41-46)

Ahab told Jezebel a great deal of things, and made sure that she knew ALL that Elijah had done. You see, the things that Ahab saw Elijah did impressed him, for he was a believer, but not so his wife Jezebel. Jezebel was an ardent Baal worshipper, and it was she who financed the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 "prophets of the groves" (1 Kings 18.19), the prophets of Asheroth. Jezebel HATED Yahweh, and actively supported Baal and Asherah, two pagan gods, while seeking out and destroying the prophets of the True God. When she heard that Elijah had her 850 prophets killed she was LIVID with rage.

And to express that rage, she sent a messenger to Elijah who said:

1 Kings 19:2 ".. 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."

Jezebel said, "You're going to die, or I'm going to die. But you better believe it, Bub, I'm coming after you". So Elijah, this man of God, this mighty warrior who brought drought on a nation, who raised the dead, who destroyed a false religion, who's every necessity was PERSONALLY SUPERVISED by Yahweh -

Elijah ran like a scalded dog! He took his eyes off of the Lord who was providing for him, and put his eyes on Jezebel - and ran. When he took his eyes off of Jezebel, he looked at WHAT HE HAD DONE IN RUNNING and, like so many others have done,

1 Kings 19:4 "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."

Do you see what he did? Elijah first looked at Jezebel and ran as a result of it. Next, he looked at his own failure, and CONDEMNING himself, asked that God take his life. I wish that I could say that I've never been in this predicament, but to be honest, I have. And, dear friends, if you were honest with yourselves, you would admit that there are times when you have condemned yourself for some failure you have made between yourself and God. If not, I'm scared of you, for you're truly unbalanced!

Mighty believers fail God. It is not only the weak, the effeminate, the carnal that slip out of fellowship, but mighty warriors fall from what God expects of us.

King David pursued a woman that was married to another, and murdered Uriah in order to marry Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12.7-10). King David "numbered" the army of Israel (2 Samuel 24.10), and placed his trust in these numbers rather than in God - and thus brought God's hand on Israel. David failed God.

Moses, mighty Moses, led two million headstrong Israelites through parted water. Moses, believing in Yahweh, brought forth water where there was none. He made bitter water sweet with his rod, and God gave Israel manna from Heaven because of his leadership. This same Moses allowed anger to overtake him and say:

Numbers 20:10-12 "And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them."

The Scripture is full of stories of mighty men and women who have taken their eyes off of Christ, and in so doing have fallen into sin. Elijah fell, then, while in this fallen state fell further by NOT RETURNING HIS EYES TO HIS SAVIOR. Yes, he fell. Yes, he should have trusted God and not run from Jezebel. Yes, he should have known that:

2 Timothy 1:7  "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Yes, he sinned. But there is a remedy for us when we walk away from our Creator. That remedy is not to browbeat ourselves, nor to say, "I'm no better than anyone else". God has not called us, His children, to curse ourselves when we fall. He has not asked us to beat ourselves down, to go into endless guilt trips, to go into some sort of ancient whipping ritual. No, when we fail, when we fall, we need to turn our eyes away from that which caused our failure. We need to turn our eyes away from ourselves. We need to turn our eyes TOWARD GOD'S GRACE.

1 Kings 19:5-8 "And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise [and] eat. [6] And he looked, and, behold, [there was] a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. [7] 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. [8] And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God."

As Elijah lay next to the juniper tree feeling sorry for himself, feeling ashamed, condemning himself, he lay in this sorry state until his depression exhausted him. And, in the midst of this depression, Elijah fell asleep.

People often try to escape depression by sleep, or by drugs, or by any one of a number of methods. Alcohol is one method. Yet the only cure I know of for emotional (not chemical) depression is REALIZATION THAT YOU ARE OF WORTH to God.

Elijah was wakened from his sleep when he felt a hand lightly touching him. I imagine that Elijah awoke disoriented, expecting perhaps Jezebel's guards come to kill him. Perhaps, when he saw it was an angel from Jesus, he expected to be lambasted for his failure. "How dare you run away from Jezebel? Haven't I shown you that I'm in charge! You are such an idiot, Elijah!" Yet, dear friend, this did not happen, for this is not the pathway of God's Grace. Yes, Elijah failed, but his greatest failure was not that he had run from Jezebel. His greatest failure was in NOT TRUSTING JESUS, who had always shown him loving kindness.

Humans are sensual creatures, and we respond to touch, to a hug. The angel touched Elijah - not harshly, but lovingly - and said, "arise, eat". Elijah neither earned nor deserved this food, but it was given because our Lord is gracious, our God is Love! Elijah laid down again, slept once more, and the angel woke him up again with a touch. "Arise, eat, for the journey is too great for thee". This food would sustain Elijah as he traveled for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, the Mountain of God. Grace would sustain Elijah as he returned, both mentally and physically, to fellowship with God.

If you have ever failed God you need to know that self condemnation is useless and counter productive for the believer. Have you failed God? Then you are in the company of thousands. Do you think self condemnation will return you to fellowship? No, but Grace will!

1 Kings 19:9-16 "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? [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. [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. [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? [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. [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."

After the angel of God cared for Elijah, he traveled for forty days and forty nights to get to the Mountain of God called Horeb. For years I read this passage, thinking that God had asked Elijah to take this trip. Yet this was not the case. Elijah had NO NEED to go to Horeb to find God, for our God is everywhere:

Psalms 139:2-13 "Thou knowest (YADA = TO PERCEIVE, KNOW FOR A CERTAINTY) my down sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit?   or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, (SHEOL = THE UNDERWORLD, REALM OF THE DEAD, GRAVE) behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead (NACHAH = TO GUIDE OR LEAD. ORIGINALLY USED OF LEADING TROOPS INTO BATTLE) me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb."

King David understood that our God is everywhere, and there is no where where He is not at this very moment. Heaven cannot contain God:

2 Chronicles 6:18 "But will God in very deed (UMNAN, INTERROGATIVE OF DOUBT = INDEED? WILL HE NOW?) dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain (KUWL = KEEP IN ALL OF, HOLD IN, RECEIVE FULLY) thee; how much less this house which I have built!"

... and if Heaven cannot contain Him, nor the Temple that Solomon built, then how can Elijah believe that Mount Horeb will be where he regains his fellowship with God. Elijah did not need to travel to Horeb to return to fellowship with God. Yet Elijah traveled for he did what we so often do -

When we fall, we feel that there's something we can do to "make it up" to God. We feel that we can perform some ritual, some action, some self punishment that will make us "all right in God's eyes". Elijah still could not return to fellowship with God. Not because God wanted him to "do" something, but because Elijah felt that he needed to punish himself, to make himself better before God would accept him back.

This is clearly evident when you consider two things. First, God is omnipresent - that is, He is everywhere. He is not just at Horeb, but He was with Elijah while he rested, despondently, next to the juniper tree. Second, look at what God asks Elijah TWICE:

1 Kings 19:9, 13  "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? ... 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?"

God twice asks Elijah, "What are you doing here? Why are you here, Elijah, and not going about my business?" Each time Elijah responds "I have been good, Lord, but my life is in danger". Yet I want you to notice that the Father never responds to Elijah's fear, nor his failure, but tells him to GET ON WITH THE WORK HE WAS CALLED TO DO.

I supposed the greatest truth that the Christian can ever learn is that we all fail sometimes. Or, as that silly Geico commercial says, "We all do dumb things sometimes". That's true. We not only do dumb things, we do TERRIBLE things. Moses struck the Rock he was supposed to speak to. David fell into terrible fornication. Elijah took his eyes off of Jesus, put them on Jezebel, then started seeing how he could "make it better" by doing penance before God.

Our Lord does not want penance, nor self condemnation. He expects us all to, when we get our eyes off of Him, to RECOGNIZE our fallen state. Then, rather than walk for forty days to where we think God is, CONFESS our failure to Him. Exercise the promise of 1 John 1.8-9:

1 John 1:8-9 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

God is faithful, even when we fail. Jesus paid for ALL our sins, past - present - and future. What was Elijah's duty? Was it to fall into self condemnation, to beat himself up, to walk to Horeb? No, this was not what God called him to do. His job was to RECOGNIZE that he had fallen out of step with the Father, then to GET BACK in step. His job was to RELY on God for Grace, to rely on God for protection, and to "follow the colors", keep his eyes on what the Father told him to do. The Apostle Paul, in recalling this moment, said:

Romans 11:2-6 "God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged 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 seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."

God is in control! His Grace is in control! Though Jezebel threatens, though the whole world seem to be against you, though you are painfully, pitifully human - Jesus is yet in control.

He bought you at a terrible price. Do you not think that He cannot keep what He bought? I close with this:

1 Corinthians 7:20-24 "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God."

Yes, you were bought at a terrible price. Jesus our Lord, racked with pain, paid what no other would pay for you. He bought us this Grace that we live in, He bought us this peace that we now enjoy. Do not cheapen the purchase price of His blood by lightly dallying with sin. Do not cheapen the purchase price of His blood by believing that it is not enough to keep you in the family if you, like Elijah, do fall. That which saved you is more than capable to keep you, both now and into eternity. God's Grace is always within reach, and that still small voice speaks to remind you He is only a whisper away.

God Bless you all.

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