_Go, show thyself unto Ahab._ AHAB, OBADIAH, AND ELIJAH;- What are the general lessons as affecting Ahab, Obadiah, and Elijah? 1. It is possible for a man to be very bad in one direction and very tolerant in another. It was so in the case of Ahab. He was the worst of the kings of Israel, yet he k... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house._ OBADIAH There are men in sacred story, and in every history, who play a secondary place in the strange stirring drama of human progress--lieutenants to the great leaders--men with firm wills, stalwart hearts, gifts of energy, wisdom, and r... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself._ SEPARATED: AND NO TEARS AT THE PARTING They separated; and I am sure there were no tears shed on either side at the parting. Never were two men more utterly unlike. Never were associates more ill-matched. How they managed for... [ Continue Reading ]
_I thy servant real the Lord from my youth._ FEARING THE LORD FROM ONE’S YOUTH There are two valuable lessons we are to carry away from these words of Obadiah. I. The importance of early decision for God. It was a favourite idea, a hobby in short, of that singular and austere sage Thomas Carlyle,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Art thou he that troubleth Israel?_ THE SOURCE OF A SINNER’S TROUBLE Our theme lies in this controversy between Ahab and Elijah as to the cause of the trouble which had come upon Israel. Ahab accused the prophet of being the cause of the trouble, while of course Elijah had nothing to do with it. H... [ Continue Reading ]
_When Ahab saw Elijah._ DELIVERANCE FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LION I. The wonderful protection of the prophet; II. The unjust accusation brought against him; III. The bold language he uses; and, IV. The secret power he exercises. (_F. W. Krummacher, D. D._) ELIJAH MEETING AHAB I. That in darkest t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel._ THE PRIESTS OF BAAL Mendelssohn has wrought the harmonies and discords of this scene into a grand oratorio, and the painter or poet can find in it abundant material for his art. The actors are a king and royal court, hundreds of p... [ Continue Reading ]
_How long halt ye between two opinions?_ ELIJAH’S APPEAL TO THE UNDECIDED I. First, you will note that the prophet insisted upon the distinction which existed between the worship of Baal and the worship of Jehovah. II. In the second place, the prophet calls these waverers to an account nor the am... [ Continue Reading ]
_The God that answereth by fire, let him be God._ “THE GOD THAT ANSWERETH BY FIRE” Here are some lessons suited to all times, certainly not least to our time. The God that answereth by fire. I. The religion of God must bring the proofs of its Divine origin. Elijah stands as the very type and embl... [ Continue Reading ]
_He repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down._ I. The significance of broken altars. That is a simple line from an old chronicle, but it is the present root of many a pathetic human tragedy. It sets out in terms of quite harmless simplicity an apparently incidental fact; really it unveils... [ Continue Reading ]
_Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel._ ELIJAH’S CREED Let us consider the creed of this “loftiest, sternest spirit of the true faith,” as Dean Stanley called him. We may glean its articles from that prayer made under circumstances which would have trie... [ Continue Reading ]
_All the people _. .. _ said, The Lord, He is the God._ CHRISTIANITY ACKNOWLEDGED SUPREME In the Introduction to his _Analogy of Religion, _Bishop Butler says: “It has come to pass--I know not how--that Christianity is discovered to be victorious.” Why, that was nearly two hundred years ago! I won... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape._ THE TRUE NARROWNESS Elijah was intolerant--narrow, as some would call it. Dr. Cadman says that some things must be narrow in order to do their work. “You want a narrow edge on your razor. About the broadest thing in the world is the Desert o... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Elijah said unto Ahab._ THE CONQUEST OF FAITH This passage:-- I. Indicates the bent of a good man’s mind. Both Ahab and Elijah “went up,” but how different their purposes. One “went up” to eat and drink, the other “went up” to pray. One event may produce various impressions on different mind... [ Continue Reading ]
_And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea._ THE SERVANT OF ELIJAH I. That to aim upwards in our thoughts and actions is the best way to obtain relief in times of danger or difficulty. Elijah went up to the topmost position of Mount Carmel, and he bade his servant go up still higher,... [ Continue Reading ]