Month: June 2025

ELISHA – MAN WHO RECEIVED “A DOUBLE PORTION”

SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 19:19-21; 2 Kings chaps 2-13

INTRODUCTION: In today’s vernacular, we would say that Elijah’s was a tough act to follow. In other words, after all the miracles performed by Elijah, what do you do for an encore?!? But as we shall see, Elisha’s faith had become so strong as he watched God work through his master Elijah, that he believed God could do even more. His faith was well founded, for God said to Jeremiah, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” [Jeremiah already knew the answer to that question — see Jeremiah 32: 17. There is nothing too hard for God!!]

One day D. L. Moody heard a preacher say, “It is yet to be seen what God can do through one totally yielded person.” Mr. Moody left that meeting determined to become that person! No doubt this same spirit prevailed in the breast of Elisha. May the dear Holy Spirit kindle a desire in our hearts today to experience more of the power of God in our lives, as did Elisha–the man who received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah!!

1 .ELISHA WAS HUMBLE IN HIS BEGINNINGS He Was Busy at Home – 1 Kings 19:19 In response to God’s command ( 19: 16) Elijah comes to Abel-meholah to anoint Elisha as his successor and finds him laboring in the field on his father’s farm. Elisha was a faithful

He Was Busy at Home – 1 Kings 19:19 In response to God’s command ( 19: 16) Elijah comes to Abel-meholah to anoint Elisha as his successor and finds him laboring in the field on his father’s farm. Elisha was a faithful worker, doing his best in the work at hand. Elisha had character, and this is much more important to God than talent! Be faithful to perform the task at hand to the best of your ability if you would desire God to call you to greater things.

He Was Obedient to His Call – 19:20-21 Elisha responded at once to the call of God given through Elijah. This spirit of surrender without reservation to the will of God reminds us of Samuel and also of Isaiah. Samuel was very young and did not yet know the Lord. But when Eli explained that it was the Lord calling, Samuel responded submissively saying, “Speak; for thy servant heareth.” And in the midst of Isaiah’s awesome encounter with God, he heard the voice of the Lord asking – “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” His answer is a classic expression of total surrender: “Here am I; send me.” Have you been obedient to the call(s) of God in your life? Four important calls are: salvation, separation, soul winning and service.

He Was Content to be Servant to the Man of God – 19:21 b Notice the words “ministered unto him.” In 2 Kings 3: 11 we gain a little more insight into this as we learn that Elisha “poured water on the hands of Elijah.” In other words, he was the personal servant, valet, and errand-boy for Elijah. This illustrates the truth Jesus taught His disciples in Matt 23: 10-12, namely, the greatest thing we can do is serve! Jesus said that the servant is greatest of all. No wonder Elisha achieved such greatness, for he delighted in serving–he was a man of true humility!

2. ELISHA WAS BOLD IN HIS DESIRES – 2 Kings 2: 1-9 The persistence of Elisha is simply amazing and seems so out of character for one who had been so much in the background–just the body servant of the great man of God! Would we not say he was audacious, even presumptuous? Oh, but God delights in such behavior when it is a direct expression of faith in Him! God is looking for men who will stand in the gap before Him and make up the hedge. (For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. 2 Chr 16:9) God delights to show Himself strong through thirsty, yielded men and women. Remember, “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Elisha saw the need of his people–he knew that even though Elijah had had a great ministry, there was still much wickedness and idolatry in Israel, and they needed a man who would not only display the power of God, but would also rebuke their sin.

3. ELISHA WAS SUCCESSFUL IN HIS CLAIM

He Was Persistent – 2 Kings 2: 1-6 Elisha would not be turned aside from his goal–he would not go back from following Elijah, because he wanted a special blessing! We must realize that Elijah was not trying to hold back the blessing–rather, he was simply testing Elisha’s will and determination in the matter. Consider Luke 11:9-13; Isa 44:3. Here is a principle that operates in the whole sphere of prayer, not just in the matter of obtaining power. (See also Luke 18: 1-8) Far too many Believers today are either not sincere in their desire for power, or else they give up too soon. We must learn to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK!!

His Faith Became Sight – 2 Kings 2: l 0-12 This reminds us again that believing is seeing and not the other way around. See John l l:23-26, 40. How many wonderful things we would see if only we would believe!

He Received the Power He Sought – 2 Kings 2: 13-13:2 With 16 miracles, compared to 8 recorded for Elijah, it is clear that God honored Elisha’s request for a double portion of the spirit and power which rested upon Elijah!!!

LESSONS:

1. One we have noted before in this series: Do not seek for position or promotion– rather, do the task at hand, regardless of how menial and obscure it may be, and God will exalt you in due time. (James 4:6, 10)

2. Our power will be proportionate to our hunger for it “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

3. Faith honors God — much faith honors God greatly!

ELIJAH – MAN OF REVIVAL POWER!

SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 17-22; 2 Kings 1, 2

INTRODUCTION: Elijah is one of the most amazing and exciting men in all the Word of God! There is also an element of mystery about him, for he appears on the scene in Israel so suddenly with no explanation of his background or where he came from. (Sort of like the Lone Ranger, he appears out of nowhere and just in the nick of time!) Elijah was motivated by his love for God and his burden for sin-sick Israel, especially the idolatrous Northern Kingdom, led by wicked King Ahab. In today’s lesson we will see that God used this mighty man of faith and prayer to bring about, almost single-handedly, a Great Revival.

1. ELIJAH WAS A MAN OF POWER! – 1 Kings 17: 1 Wicked King Ahab is on the throne of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) following the wicked rule of Omri, his father, and of Zimri and Baasha before him. Israel is in a very bad state spiritually: Baal has been made the god of the people, and 1 Kgs 16:33 says,” … Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.” Will the people be destroyed? Is there no one to care, to tum the people back to God?? ….. And, then, Elijah comes out of nowhere in power! ! God is obviously speaking through His man–notice that Elijah had been standing before the Lord. No wonder he could make the announcement that he has been appointed Chief Meteorologist of Israel and that “It won’t rain until I say so!”

2. ELIJAH WAS A MAN OF PRAYER- James 5: 16-18 We thrill at the boldness and power of Elijah as he “beards the lion” and tells wicked Ahab “No more rain!” But when we tum to the book of James, we learn the “secret” source of Elijah’s power. 1 Kings 17: 1 tells us that Elijah had been standing before the Lord, but the cited verses in James reveal what he had been doing. It was his fervent praying that moved God to shut up the heavens! Elijah was so burdened because of his people’s sin, and he was so desperate that he asked God to get the attention of the whole nation by bringing a drought on the land. Wonder what great things we could see take place today if we became as burdened as Elijah was and prayed as fervently as he did?!?

3. ELIJAH WAS OBEDIENT– l Kings 17:2-18:2 Notice especially verses 17:5, 10 & 18:2.

Each time God told Elijah to do something, he obeyed at once and did exactly what God said to do. Obedience is the key to spirituality, and it is vital that we place our lives fully under the authority of the Word of God! If you want a clear understanding of the importance of our obedience to God, study Samuel’s words to Saul (1 Sam 15:22-23) in which he states that obedience is better than sacrifice! Elijah’s instant obedience not only proved his trust in God, but showed his sincere love for God. Jesus said, “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me … ” (Jn 14:21a — see also 14: 15) John said, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 Jn 3:22) We cannot expect God to hear and answer us unless we are careful to listen to Him and obey gladly His commands. Certainly, for the Christian, His commands are not grievous!

4. ELIJAH WAS A MAN OF FIRE- 1 Kings 18:21-39; 2 Kings 1:8-15; 2:1-11

o God Answers With Fire – l Kgs 18:21-39 What an exciting manifestation of God’s power! This has all the dramatic elements of an Old West shoot-out! All we are told of God’s directions is given in 18:1–God told Elijah to show himself to Ahab and then promised to send rain. But no doubt God was leading him in all the details of this show-down with Baal. Whether intentionally or not, Elijah “set up” the enemy–without revealing his intentions, he simply tells Ahab to call all Israel, including the prophets of Baal and of the groves, to Mt. Carmel. When they are assembled, he presents the challenge – 18:21-24! Under the circumstances, the false prophets could hardly decline to participate. Elijah had some fun at their expense, which served to emphasize the truth that their god was a dead god – ” … there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.” Then, at the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah calls all the people near, repairs the altar of the Lord, puts the wood and the bullock on the altar, and has twelve barrels of water poured on it! (Think about where the water came from and the effort required to get it to the top of the mountain!) And then Elijah prays a simple prayer asking that God make Himself known as the God in Israel and that he has done all this at the Word of the Lord. And Poooof! ! Notice the response of the people in v 39!

o Elijah Calls Down Fire on His Enemies – 2 Kgs. 1:8-15 This incident has been often misunderstood, and some have even been so foolish and so bold as to slander God about this! “Well, what about these 102 innocent men–why would God kill them?” Just as God destroyed the native Canaanites and gave their land to Israel because of their idolatry and perverted lifestyle, so these men upon whom Elijah called fire were Baal worshipers and servants of wicked King Ahaziah and deserved what they got! This is an example of what is known in hermeneutics as “The Illustrative Principle.” Simply stated, this is the action whereby God judges various sins in such a way as to make them illustrations or warnings of His judgment. Usually, He speaks in this fashion only once, and after that He forebears and keeps silent until the day of reckoning. And for good reason–if He visited every sin with immediate judgment, He would very soon depopulate the earth!! (A familiar N.T. example of the Illustration Principal Is God’s dealing with Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Ghost.)

o Elijah is Taken to Heaven in a Chariot of Fire – 2 Kgs 2: l-11 What an appropriate mode of departure for such a man of fire!! Fire is associated with judgment, and thus the message from Elijah’s life to Israel is clear: “Judgment is coming!” Unfortunately, Israel continued her downward slide away from God (in spite of Elijah’s supernatural ministry in her midst) and 160 years later, she was carried away captive into Assyria. We would do well to remember the words of Peter informing us that this present earth is “reserved unto fire against the day of judgment!” And surely, that day cannot be far away.

5. ELIJAH WAS A MAN OF FAITH – 1 Kings 18:41-46 Hardly any part of Elijah’s life could be examined without seeing the evidence of faith, but this episode is one of the more dramatic ones. At this point it has been 3 1/2 years since any rain has fallen on Israel. Jehovah has shown His power as the true God in the contest with Baal by sending fire from Heaven, and the people confessed that “He is the God!” So now, Elijah is ready to ask God for rain. He prayed six times, and six times his servant looked out to the west over the Mediterranean and saw nothing but blue sky. But that didn’t phase this mighty man of prayer, and the 7th time he prayed his servant came back and reported a cloud, just a little one, shaped like a man’s hand. And Elijah, God’s Weatherman, gave the word to Ahab to get down off the mountain because of the great rain coming! [Do you know what prompted Elijah’s strong faith in this matter of praying for rain? See 18: 1 !] Oh, that we would claim the promises of God as Elijah did–then we could see God work in our lives and in our nation! (See Matt 17:14-20.)

6. ELIJAH WAS A MAN OF FEAR – l Kings 19: l-4 This is an amazing turn of events for a fire-breathing, false-prophet-killing man of God, wouldn’t you agree?! After praying down fire from heaven and killing 450 prophets of Baal, you wouldn’t think Elijah would give a second thought to Jezebel’s threat to kill him. But he did, and I believe the primary reason God recorded this in His Word is to prove what James said in 5:17. He was human just as we are, and, like Peter, he took his eyes off the Lord for a short space and got them on the circumstances. The results will always be embarrassing for the child of God whenever he lets this happen, so let this be a warning to us!

LESSONS:

1. One person can make a difference! Although there were 7,000 in Israel at this time who had not bowed the knee to Baal, Elijah prayed and worked single-handedly to bring Revival in Israel.

2. Perhaps the greatest lesson from Elijah’s life is the power available through prayer!

3. Obedience is the measure of true spirituality as well as a prerequisite to answered prayer.

4. Elijah’s faith was anchored in the promises of God!

5. It is almost certain that we will “mess up” when we take our eyes off the Lord.

DAVID – THE MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART

SCRIPTURE: I Sam 16-11 Sam 24

INTRODUCTION: David means “beloved.” He was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, and the second and greatest of Israel’s kings. He was an eloquent poet and one of the greatest figures in the history of the world. He was also used by the Holy Spirit to pen a number of the Psalms. Volumes have been written about this mountain peak among Bible characters. David’s father was a simple man who lived in the obscure little town of Bethlehem and trained young David to tend his sheep. (The statement in I Sam 17:12 ” … and the man [Jesse] went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.” is quite significant. It is indicative both of his prowess and his character–he was respected and even admired by other men–and gives us a hint as to the source of some of David’s character development.) It pleased God to take David from such humble beginnings and set him upon the throne of Israel. There are so many aspects of David’s life that merit careful study; but due to limited time, our major focus will be on the things he learned which prepared him for stellar success as Israel’s king! The key Principle of Leadership in David’s life is LEARNING TO RULE. He learned in

Stage ONE – as a Son how to

1. get along with difficult people (his brothers)

2. endure criticism (from the family)

3. respond to authority (he was obedient, dependable)

Stage TWO – as a Shepherd (while still a son) to

1. spend time alone wisely (honing his skills with the harp and with the sling)

2. walk with God (he meditated on God’s Word and wrote some of the Psalms at this time)

3. be faithful to duty (fought off a lion, fought off a bear protecting the sheep)

4. perform humble tasks

Stage THREE – as a Servant (while still a shepherd) to

1. look after the needs of others (he ministered to Saul while still handling responsibilities at home)

2. handle several responsibilities simultaneously

3. delegate authority – 17:20

4. not neglect his responsibilities – 17:22

Stage FOUR – as a Soldier (while still a servant) to

1. fight God’s enemies, not God’s people! (David refused to fight Saul.)

2. trust God’s power and not his own strength and ability – 17:37, 45-47

3. give God the glory!

4. to obey orders and carry out his duties in a wise manner – 18:5, 14

We may also view David from some other perspectives. Here are some brief thoughts on David’s life as

1. A WARRIOR- 1 Sam 17:40; II Sam 5:7 David was courageous as a young champion

and a great soldier. His fight with Goliath is unsurpassed in the annals of history.

2. A MUSICIAN – Because he was a skillful player on the harp, David was called to play

in the presence of wretched King Saul. Only David’s music could soothe the king, from whom the Spirit of God had departed.

3. A SINNER – David’s yielding to gross sin in a period of ease (II Sam 11) should give ample warning to every Christian that the flesh can never be trusted, no matter how spiritual one is or how high he rises!

4. A SAINT – In spite of David’s brief fling with sin, he was nevertheless a child of God, and the trend of his life was spiritual (I Sam 13:14; I Kings 15:5!) The Bible stresses the fact that David followed hard after God, and his Psalms are living proof of the God-ward bent of his life. [In fact, as you study Israel’s subsequent history, you will find that David’s life was the standard by which the later kings were judged.] However, I believe the chief reason he was called the man after GOD’s own heart is found in his response to King Saul’s hatred. After all Saul did to him, not a court in the land would have condemned him for killing Saul–it would have been a matter of self defense. But David forgave and would not take revenge in his own hands.

5. A PROPHET – David was one of those “holy men of old” moved by the Holy Spirit to set forth many glorious details about the coming, the suffering, and the coming again as King of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and the Messiah!

LESSONS From David’s Life:

1. The key to advancement (promotion to greater responsibilities) is the faithful performance of the task(s) at hand, no matter how menial or insignificant.

2. The enemy is “out there.” How it behooves God’s people today to learn the lesson of David’s response to Saul’s persecution!

3. It only takes one “boo-boo” to mess up a great record and get a blotch on one’s name. It is also significant that such an incident always brings reproach against God.

4. When the “laws of the harvest” kick in, there is a heavy price tag on sin!

AHAB – A LIFETIME OF SIN

Scripture: 1 Kings 16:25 thru chap 22

INTRODUCTION: Two men are prominent in this passage of Scripture–Elijah and Ahab. Today we will study the sordid life of Ahab, a man in every way the opposite of Elijah. Ahab is a pathetic picture of what sin will do to any person when it is allowed full sway in one’s life. As we learn some lessons from Ahab’s lifetime of sin, let us not only take warning, but let us offer thanks to God for how He has kept us from some of these tragic effects of sin by the work of His grace in our lives!

WICKED PARENTS If ever a Bible character illustrated the truth of Ex 20:5, it is Ahab. God said He would visit “the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me.” This doesn’t mean that God punishes the children or grandchildren directly for their parents’ sins; rather, it is a matter of cause and effect. Paul’s statement to the Galatians gives us insight as to how this works, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (See Gal 6:7-8) Ahab really had two strikes against him because of the wickedness of his parents (1 Kgs 16:25- 26). Omri is specifically mentioned here, but his mother must have been evil as well, else she could have balanced out some of Omri’s evil influence on Ahab. As would be expected, the curse of wickedness mentioned in Ex 20:5 continued in Ahab’s son, Ahaziah (1 Kgs 22:51-53.) Notice in v 52 the words “in the way of his mother,” indicating a greater than usual influence of the mother.

WICKED PARTNER Having been brought up by wicked parents, it is no surprise that Ahab chose a wicked woman as his wife. And it seems that Jezebel worked just like a catalyst in a chemical reaction to bring out the worst in Ahab (see 1 Kgs 21 :25-26.) (Teacher, here is an opportunity to stress to older teenagers the extreme importance of finding the will of God in this second most important decision of one’s life — choosing a wife or husband. One must first be fully yielded to God’s will in the matter. Then care must be taken in dating so that those who do not share the same philosophy of life and spiritual goals are quickly screened out. Of course, a Christian should never date an unsaved person. In Ahab’s case as a Jew, we would note that he violated the law of God by taking a heathen–a non-Jew–as his wife and queen of the kingdom.)

WICKED PRACTICES Without question Ahab sold out to the devil, giving himself over to work wickedness and to follow idols, with much the same fervor and commitment with which a J. Hudson Taylor or a David Livingstone went off to the mission field! Ahab was not just for evil, but, under the wicked influence of Jezebel, he was against good. We learn in 1 Kgs 18:3-4 that Ahab permitted Jezebel to kill the prophets of the Lord. By the way, here is an interesting principle: When evil is in the minority, it hollers for tolerance and equal rights–but, when evil is in power it denies any liberty or tolerance for good! (Example: teaching of evolution/creationism in public schools–60 years ago, when America was still basically Christian, the evolutionists were pleading for the right to teach both views. Now that the ungodly are in control, they deny the right of the creationist view to be presented!)

WICKED PERCEPTION

o Ahab accused the man of God of causing Israel’s trouble – 1 Kgs 18: 17-18. Isn’t this incredible?!,.-it makes as much sense as a man with cancer accusing the doctor  who diagnosed it of causing the disease! The simple truth is, Ahab was the cause and Elijah had the cure! But, believe it or not, unsaved men are still just as blind today–they have no perception of reality or of spiritual things.

o The Carmel experience was totally lost on Ahab – it changed him not one whit! (And this was one of the greatest miracles in Israel’s history!) Many people say, “Oh, if l could just see a miracle, I would believe.” Here is plain proof that that isn’t true. Believing is seeing, not the other way around. (See Luke 16:27-31)

• Concerning the campaign against Syria, Ahab believed the lying prophets instead of Micaiah, even after demanding that he tell him the truth. Overall, there is some humor in this incident, but in the final analysis it reveals the insanity of sin! Watch this:

1. Jehoshaphat, good King of Judah (who shouldn’t have been there in the first place!) asks if there is a prophet of the Lord they could inquire of.

2. Ahab replies in the affirmative, but admits that he hates Micaiah because he always prophesies evil against him (translation: “tells the truth about Ahab’s affairs!”)

3. At Jehoshaphat’s insistence, Ahab has Micaiah brought to them. At first he has a little fun at Ahab’s expense and tells him the same thing the lying prophets had said.

4. Ahab is indignant and demands that Micaiah tell him “nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord.”

5. Micaiah proceeds to do just that–the armies of Israel will be defeated and Ahab will be slain–and he even explains how the Lord had put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets to deceive him.

6. And what does Ahab do? Just what he had intended to do all along– go into battle against Syria! This cost Ahab his life; reminding us that lost men will continue to die and go to hell unless they allow the Word of God to light up their darkened souls.

WICKED PASSIONS

■ Ahab’s Pride – 20:30-34 Instead of being eager to destroy the wicked enemy of God, Benhadad, Ahab was more concerned about having his name on some street markers in Damascus. Pride always leads to wrong actions which, in tum, bring the judgment of God.

■ Ahab’s Covetousness – 1 Kings 21 This is one of the saddest stories in all of the Word of God, and certainly one of the most dastardly and infamous deeds ever perpetrated. (Note the parallel with Stephen in Acts 6: 11-13.) Naboth was a godly man who believed, as God had commanded, that the land was to stay in the family perpetually from generation to generation. After Jezebel had Naboth murdered and Ahab had taken possession of his vineyard, it looked as though evil had won out. But not so–the dogs drank Ahab’s blood and ate Jezebel’s body before it was all over. The wheels of God’s judgment may tum slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine!

LESSONS:

1. For parents, the lesson is obvious: see Pro 22:6 and Eph 6:1-4. The main goal of parents should be to raise up a godly heritage of children and grandchildren. Children that are brought up for God actually become weapons against Satan. (See Psa 127:3-5)

2. It is vitally important that we obey the injunction to separation given to Believers in 2Cor 6:14- 7: 1. Although Ahab was already wicked himself, he was goaded to greater depths of wickedness by heathen Jezebel, his queen whom he took from among the Baal- worshiping Zidonians, in disobedience to God’s command to the Jews.

3. We must guard our heart diligently, “for out of it are the issues oflife.” Ahab did not do this, and, thus, his wicked life reflected his wicked heart. As Jesus plainly stated, all these sinful practices come from the heart – Mark 7:21-23.

4. “Be sure your sins will find you out!” The sins of Ahab and Jezebel not only brought physical destruction, but they will yet have to stand before God at the Great White Throne judgment.