A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                             AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING PART I

"I, Naaman, live in Aram.... I am a very important person... I am the commander of the army.... The king regards me highly... I have led our army to many victories... I should be extremely happy.... Many people in my nation  may well be envious of me.... For not many people are as well thought of by the king as I am... But I have one major problem..... Not many people know about it.... The king knows about it, of course.... And so do the best physicians in the land....For my problem is a medical issue.... I am suffering from leprosy.... Unfortunately, I have not as yet been cured.... Of course, I have tried all kinds of medication... But none have helped me.... I am as sick as ever.... To be honest, I am getting very desperate.... I have never been in a situation where I could not solve a problem... And I have had to face quite a few very serious problems as commander of our army.... But this time it seems I am not able to overcome the problem.... I am beginning to wonder if there is a solution to my problem... Or am I destined to live my life as a leper?".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that a man called Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, has leprosy....


              ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                            AN INSTRUMENT FOR HEALING PART I

Sickness can come to all people, including important people as you can read in II Kings 5:1

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great  man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

Naaman is facing a problem he has no solution for even though he is the commander of the army of Aram.

                          A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                   THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXVIII

I, Elijah, the prophet of God, am like any human being such as yourself...At times I am full of faith.....At these times I display great boldness....At other times I display great fear....I may even feel depressed and have considered asking the Lord to take my life....Perhaps I need to take more care of myself at these times of depression....I remember the angel coming to me one time and feeding me with bread....And then putting me back to sleep before feeding me again.... I am sure the Lord wanted me to learn from that experience....I am sure He wants you to learn from my experience as well.... So do not get too tired.... And make sure you eat properly....And be aware of your enemy, the devil.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn what to look out for in your life so you will not experience depression as Elijah experienced....


           ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                   THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXVIII

 So what do these chapters tell you about the prophet Elijah? It tells you that at times Elijah had great faith and at such times displayed great boldness. Yes, at other times he displayed great fear, suffered from depression and became even suicidal. What may have been the reasons for his sudden fear, his sudden depression? I can think of a few reasons:

1. One thing could be that as part of his personality, he was inclined to perhaps overreact at times to situations as we have seen him do a few times.

2. He may still have been very tired the day after his victories. His tiredness would not just have been a physical tiredness but an emotional and mental tiredness. He may well have needed to take some time off. Even prophets of God are still human beings who are in need of food and rest, like the rest of us and Elijah may not have realised these things sufficiently.

3. Thirdly, the enemy would have been very angry and would have prepared a counter attack. It seems Elijah was not prepared for that to happen. Therefore, he was very vulnerable and completely broke down when the counter attack came.

Looking at these things perhaps you can now begin to agree with the words of James that "Elijah was a man just like us" for you too at times may display great faith and great boldness, while at other times you may be afraid, feel depressed and perhaps even get so depressed about life and its challenges that you would rather be in heaven with Jesus than continue on in this life.
Like Elijah, you too may need to consider that the reasons for your depression, you bouts of fear may be because:

1. You have a certain personality which might make you inclined to overreact at times. If that is the case then you need to ask God to help you change in these areas.

2. Secondly, you must make sure you take sufficient rest and eat properly.

3. Thirdly, you must be aware that you too have an enemy who will want to launch a counter attack any time you have been victorious in your walk with God.

Peter says that so clearly in I Peter 5:7-9

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. resist him, standing firm in your faith...

As for the assignments God had for Elijah, you most probably will never be called to stop the rain for three years. But you are called to be as obedient as Elijah was to fulfill the assignments God has for you, whatever they may be. And you can trust God to answer your prayers for you too are righteous in God's eyes because you are clothed with the righteousness of God in Christ as Paul writes in II Corinthians 5:21

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of  God.

So having had a closer look at Elijah's life, I believe you can at least begin to agree with James that,yes, Elijah was a man just like us....

P.S. We have come to the end of this story. Next week we will begin to look at a story called "An Instrument for Healing."

                    

                             A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                      THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXVII

I, Elijah, the prophet of God, waited for the Lord to speak to me again.... I expected Him to respond to my words... He did so but not in the way I expected Him to... For He did not tell that, yes, I was right.....That I was the only prophet left... Instead, He told me there are still seven thousand prophets left in the country.....Seven thousand!!... I should think they would include the one hundred prophets Obadiah has been able to protect....For God knows, of course, of them.... That means I am not the only prophet left in the country.... God has told me as well that He wants me to go back to where I have come from.... That is, no doubt, because the route I am on is of my own choosing.... God did not tell me to run from queen Jezebel.... I chose to do that.... I must now go back before I can fulfill His new assignments for me.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that God has many more prophets in Israel besides Elijah.....



               ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                  THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXVII

However, God does not take any notice of the prophet Elijah's complaints, nor does He take any notice of Elijah's earlier death wish. Instead, He tells him what his next assignment is, but Elijah has to go back first as you can read in I Kings 19:5-18

The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu son of Mimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel -  all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him."

The journey Elijah has been on has been by his own choice and is not part of God's plan for him. Therefore, he needs to go back to where he came from and he can then fulfill the assignments God has for him. God has not yet finished with him. There is still work for him to do regardless what the prophet may think or want. Moreover, God corrects Elijah by telling him that there are still seven thousand people left in Israel who worship him, which are six thousand and nine hundred more than even Obadiah may have known about.

                           A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                    THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXVI

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, heard the voice of the Lord.... It did not come to me in the way I expected it.... I expected it to come in the storm.... But it did not.... I then expected it to come to me in the earthquake..... But it did not.... I then thought that, surely, it would come to me in the fire.... But it did not.... To my amazement, it came to me in a gentle whisper.....God is truly a God of surprises.... I wondered what the Lord would say to me this time.... He then repeated what He had said before.... I was quite taken aback.....Why would He ask me again what I am doing here?... It must be a question on His heart for me.... I decided to repeat what I had told Him the first time He had asked me that question... So I told Him again about all His prophets having been killed off and that I, His most zealous prophet, was in danger of losing my life as well.... I am sure God will this time respond to my remarks."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that God repeated His question to the prophet Elijah.....


              ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                              THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXVI

The Lord then speaks to the prophet Elijah again as you can read in I Kings 19:13b

Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

The Lord repeats His question, "What are you doing here, Elijah? because He wants to confront Elijah that he is not in the place where God wants him to be. But Elijah once again ignores the question and gives God the same reply he has given Him earlier on as you can read in I Kings 19:14

He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, broken down Your altars, and put \Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left , and now they are trying to kill me too."

It seems Elijah thinks God is not aware of the situation in Israel as it really is and the danger he, Elijah, is facing, so he better inform God.

                       A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                 THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXV

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, told the Lord what was on my heart.... He had asked me a question.... I had not answered that question.... He wanted to know what I was doing there.... I did not want to answer that question.... I had other things I wanted to talk about to the Lord.... Things that were more urgent to me.... So I told Him that all His prophets had been killed off....And that I as His most zealous prophet was in danger of losing my life as well.... However, the Lord did not respond to my words.... He only told me to stand on the mountain.... So I did.... A powerful wind came....An earthquake came next.... Then a fire came.... I did not hear the voice of the Lord in any of them.... So I continued to wait.... I then heard a gentle whisper....That was the voice of the Lord....I must know what He wants to say to me."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn how the Lord spoke to Elijah....


             ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                           THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXV

God is very patient with His prophet as you can see from I Kings 19:11-13a

The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

The Lord tells the prophet Elijah to wait for Him to pass by.

                               A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                         THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXIV

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, have been travelling for the last forty days.... I have now arrived at Horeb, the mountain of God... I have gone into a cave here... I came here because I believed the Lord would speak to me here.... And He has done so.... He asked me a question.... But I did not expect to hear that question.... Why would the Lord ask me that question?... Perhaps it was a question the Lord had on His heart for me.... But I decided to share with Him something that was on my heart....I knew it was not at all related to His question.... But there were some things that were burning on my heart.... And I needed to tell the Lord about them.... So he would know about them.... I needed to let Him know that all His prophets have been put to death... And that I am the only one left....Does He know that my life is in danger as well even though I have been very zealous for Him?".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn how the prophet Elijah answers God's question for him....


                 ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                    THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXIV

God speaks to the prophet after he has reached Mount Horeb as you can read in I Kings 19:9b-10

And the word of the Lord came to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, have broken down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me too."

God asks the prophet an interesting question, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" No doubt, God knows why he is here, but Elijah needs to know why he is here.Elijah answers him in quite a melodramatic fashion, "God, You may not realise this so I better tell You that Your people are not good, except me, and I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too." Elijah's answer sounds very dramatic, is it not? After all, it is only one woman who is trying to kill him.

                                A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                            THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXIII

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, had a special visitor the day I sat down under the broom tree... I was so tired at that time that I fell asleep under the tree....That was not too surprising for I had a terrible night before because of the threatening note of queen Jezebel... She wanted to kill me.... So I had told the Lord I could not go on any longer..... I then fell asleep....But I was then woken up by someone.....Why did that person bother to wake me up?... I did not want to wake up...But the person who had woken me up insisted I get up.... And he insisted I eat and drink something.....But I did not have any food to eat or any water to drink..... I looked around and to my amazement there was a cake of bread and a jar of water nearby... I then realised that my God had sent me an angel... And he had baked some bread for me... It was still hot.... So I ate and drank.... I was still very tired.... So I fell asleep again.... The same angel... woke me up for the second time.... He must have stayed with me watching over me while I had another nap.... He told me to eat and drink some more after he had woken me.... I felt so refreshed after having eaten that angelic bread for the second time so I was able to travel not just for one day but for forty days....I have now arrived at Horeb... I believe the Lord will speak to me here.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the prophet Elijah was able to travel for forty days after having eaten some angelic bread....


                ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                       THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXIII

Whatever it may have been, God is aware of the goings on in His prophet's life and knows that His servant needs some rest and some food so He sends an angel to bake a special angel cake for him as you can read in I Kings 19:5-9a

Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you.". So he got up and ate and drank.Strengthened by that food, he travelled for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.

Having been fed by the angel twice the prophet Elijah is sufficiently strengthened to travel a long distance.

                          A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                    THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXII

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, had a terrible night last night.... I should have had a good night's sleep.... But, instead, I tossed and turned all night.... So I got up very early in the morning.... The reason I had such a bad night is because I received a note from the palace.... It was not a note I was expecting...The words in it frightened me.... I was having my dinner when the note arrived... But I lost my appetite... I had had such a good day.... For that day God showed He is the true God of Israel....And all the prophets of Baal were exposed for being false.... The note spoiled it all for me...I stopped eating my food... Tried to get some sleep... But I had terrible dreams... So I left home early this morning....I travelled all day.... I have now settled down under a broom tree... I realise that I cannot go on any longer... I must tell the Lord.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the prophet Elijah runs for his life after having receive a threatening note from queen Jezebel....

           
                 ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                            THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXII

You can read the prophet Elijah's response to queen Jezebel's message in I Kings 19:3-4

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. he came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."

The note so upsets Elijah that sleep evades him. What is he to do? He does not see a way out of his predicament, apart from running away. So, after a restless night, he gets up very early in the morning and hastily makes his departure. It does not matter where he is going. All he knows is that he wants to be as far away as possible from queen Jezebel.What has happened to this mighty prophet of God? Is this the same Elijah, the one who the day before told Ahab that he was the source of Israel's problems? Is this the Elijah who only yesterday mocked the Baal prophets and later that day had all 450 of them killed? What has happened to him that this one woman causes him to become so afraid that he has begun to run for his life? In fact has become suicidal?

                      A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXI

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God, have had quite a day.... God has shown Himself to be the true God of Israel.... And all the false prophets of Baal have been dealt with.... Moreover, rain has finally come in answer to my prayer.... I am back home now.... I planned to have a good dinner followed by a good sleep.... My dinner was interrupted though.... I received a note from the palace.... I wondered if it was perhaps a thank you note from king Ahab... But I then realised the note has not been written by king Ahab... The note has been written by queen Jezebel.... It is not a kind note...It is a threatening note.... She is obviously angry with me.... Not too surprising since I have made sure her false prophets will no longer be able to prophesy.... She has not told me she wants to deal with me in the same way that I dealt with her prophets.... I am not quite sure what to do now.... I should go to bed since it is late but I am not sure if I am able to sleep having received this note from queen Jezebel."... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that the prophet Elijah receives a note from the palace....


           ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                              THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART XXI

It has been quite a day for the prophet Elijah. He has shown himself to be a true prophet of God, full of faith and power. Nothing and no-one has been able to stand in his way. It has been a very good day for him. he plans to have a good dinner followed by a good night's sleep.
Ahab, at his return to the palace, tells his wife Jezebel everything that has happened. No doubt, she will have flown into a rage after she had heard that all the prophets of Baal have been killed off for she is a worshipper of Baal and it is through her that Ahab and the people have begun to worship Baal. And now her prophets have been slaughtered by Elijah! It is time for revenge and she knows exactly how she is going to do it: she is going to send a threatening message to this prophet who dared to do what no man in this nation, including her own husband, had dared to do; kill of the prophets of Baal. After having sent her message to the prophet Elijah, she feels much better and settle down for a good night's sleep for tomorrow promises to be a much better day for her with the removal of this prophet.

Elijah is, no doubt, quite surprised to receive a note from the palace at this late hour of the day when he is about to go to bed. His initial thought may well have been that it is a thank you note from the king, inviting him for breakfast at the palace to him his appreciation. However, once he has a good look at the addressee, he realises the note has come from the queen as you can read in I Kings 19:1-2

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a message to Elijah to say, 'May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow, I do not make your life like that of one of them."

We could say that this is a somewhat frightening message. But surely the prophet will have dismissed it as nonsense. Or has he...?