Don’s Daily Devotions

Sat 18^th July       –        Read I Kings 18:1-4

V1  In the third year of drought ( 3 and a half years in total according to James 5:17) when Elijah has stayed with the widow and her son for “many days”, ( what must the conversations in that house have been like during that time?) God sends him back to Ahab – this time with a message of mercy after judgement.

V2:  The famine is still at this time severe. Samaria is the capital of the northern kingdom – ( usually referred to as Israel, where the southern kingdom is Judah, where at least there is some legacy of faith and obedience, though often sadly flawed )- of the divided nation, where Ahab reigns. Like almost every king of Israel he has no real faith in God, of course. How sad to trace the history of God’s covenant people!

V3-4:  Obadiah, Ahab’s steward is introduced. He does know and fear the Lord – he has protected and hidden 100 of God’s servants during the drought. And it is also made clear here that Jezebel is the prime persecutor of God’s people.( We know nothing else of these men in Scripture, but clearly God has other servants than those who figure in the biblical pages ), but – though a genuine believer, he surely must have been in some sense a “secret disciple” to hold a high and trusted place in Ahab’s court, and later verses will show how this has weakened his confidence in God!

Fri 17^th July   –    Read 1 Kings 17:21-24

V21-22:  And surely God reveals to him what he now does – perhaps with a new dawning faith in his own heart. Often it is as faith “ventures” that the Lord meets it with His answer – but we must never presume! Again sceptics suggest that the heat of Elijah’s body brought the lad round. This will not do for Bible believing Christians. Elijah asked for a miracle, the restoration of life which had gone, and it was granted. Surely we are to see this, and other such miracles in the OT and indeed the NT too, as anticipations of the greater and final resurrection to come. This boy would die again, but we have the sure promise of Jesus in John 11:25-26.

V23-24:  So, Elijah restores the boy to his mother – what joy it must have given her! But her deepest response is to realise and recognise that this is God’s work, and now she knows that all Elijah has said of Him is true. May God use our lives and witness to point others to Him.

Thurs 16^th July    –   Read 1 Kings 17:17-20

V17:  But we still live in a broken world, and God still tests our faith, that it may be proved strong and mature us as His people ( see James 1:2-4.) Now a great trial of faith comes to this widow, and indeed to Elijah ( see 1 Kings 1:20). The son becomes ill – and dies! ( Sceptics suggest he was not in fact dead, only unconscious, to be revived later – but 1 Kings 1:18 is clear…)

V18:  In her distress she turns on Elijah, seeing him now not as a bringer of blessing, but of calamity – of judgement on her because of her sin ( of which he must surely have spoken to her for this to be her response). How quick the world may be to blame believers for things they do not like.

V19:  Wisely, he does not protest or argue, he takes her son in his arms, and up to the room which has become ” his own” during his sojourn in her house.

V20:  And we see here his own grief and perplexity at what has happened. As believers, we may often be perplexed and ask ” why?” – but like Elijah, may it be “LORD, why?”, looking to God to help us understand and see His purposes.

Wed 15^th July   –   Read 1 Kings 17:12-16

V12:  There is some way in which she identifies him as a man of God – “As the Lord YOUR God lives” suggests there is also some awareness that the God of Israel is the living God – has grace already begun to work in her heart? ( Compare Rahab, in Joshua 2:9, 11-12.)  But she says, how can she meet this request, she has just enough left for a last meal for herself and her son – and she has no hope for the future.

V13:   Elijah has not spoken selfishly, but in faith he now calls on her to share. If she does as he asks, Elijah believes the provision will be there! Are we as confident of God’s faithful care for us? ( See Matthew 6:31-33)

V14:  And here is God’s promise, revealed to and through His servant. The supply – miraculously – will never run out as long as the drought lasts. Will she trust this word from God?

V15-16:   We are simply told ” she went and did…” – and the promise is fulfilled, and the wonderful provision continues. Clearly it is shown that though Elijah is God’s mouthpiece in all this, it is God, faithful as always to His Word, who is at work. Let us remember Philippians 4:19, and trust God’s Word to us!

Tues 14^th July   –    Read 1 Kings 17:8-11

V8-9:  Again, God’s Word “came to Elijah” – this remember is before the written Scriptures, the days of direct revelation to God’s chosen servants – we must not expect such today – we have the whole Bible – and should be very wary of any who claim ” God spoke to me and said…” Scripture is His all-sufficient word to believers. “Zarephath” where God now sends him was in the kingdom of Sidon, where the father of Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, instrumental in so much of the idolatrous influence in Israel, was king, the last place, humanly, where we would expect Elijah to be safe,  but God is indeed the sovereign Lord of all – and has his provision for Elijah there, through the instrument of a poor widow! How strange God’s ways may seem at times.

V10:  Again we see Elijah’s obedience, and God’s sovereign overruling of events. He meets the widow at the gate, and asks her for a drink – perhaps to confirm that this is indeed the one God has told him of ?

V11:  She goes at once to fetch a drink – a precious resource in this time of drought, which has clearly affected Sidon too – and Elijah calls after her to bring him some bread too. Surely, as the outcome suggests, this is as God directs Elijah -we may suppose He has revealed His purpose to His servant – as He does to us in His Word.

Mon 13^th July  –   The life and ministry of Elijah      1 Kings 17, 18

Introduction: 

We now look at the Bible record of that great OT servant of God, Elijah. The narrative is such that the chapters don’t easily lend themselves to the exact weekly divisions of our previous books, so will at times run over such divisions, but there will still be 6 devotions per week.

Day 1:   –   Read 1 Kings 17:1-7

Ch17 v1:  Elijah is introduced onto the pages of Scripture dramatically, with no details except those in this verse. Tishbe in Gilead identifies him as a countryman, no doubt a rustic in the eyes of the court of Ahab. – a nobody in the eyes of man, but a man in the hand of God, the living God he knows and serves in a day of sad apostasy, under the godless and cruel King Ahab. God sends him to Ahab with a message of judgement, a long period of drought. In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 God declared such would be His way of punishing His people if they forsook him for false gods – but also that this was to call them to repentance.

V2-4: God’s protecting hand is surely on Elijah, as he brings him safely out of Ahab’s court, and tells him where he will be provided for during the drought – by the most unlikely means, humanly speaking. In all this, we see God’s sovereign power. Note, God’s provision and protection does not guarantee “luxury”.

V5:  Elijah responds with unquestioning obedience and trust. Is this our response in situations we would never choose – as at this present moment?

V6:  That obedience sees the promises fulfilled – only God’s hand could make the ravens behave like this.

V7:  Yet after some time, even this brook dries up. Has God’s promise failed? Elijah’s trust was not to be in the brook, but in the God of the brook!

Sat 11^th July  –  Read James 5:17-20

V17-18:  James offers the example of Elijah – though greatly used by God we are reminded that he was ” a man just like us”, as the NIV helpfully puts it – he prayed ( surely as taught by God ) that Israel, under judgement, would suffer drought for three and a half years, and so it was. Then he prayed again that God would send rain to restore the earth, God’s mercy after Israel repented. ( See 1 Kings 18 and 19.) We should value his example and seek such a spirit of prayer ( but not pray specifically in the terms he did – we are not prophets in God’s hand.)

V19-20:  We should all have a spiritual concern for one another, and should seek graciously and gently to lead a fellow believer we see to be sinning away from their error and restore them to the truth. ( Compare Galatians 6:1.) We of course do not ” save” them, or ” cover their sins”, this is the work of Christ alone, but I take the point to be that our concern for such a one and for their spiritual welfare should be as deep as if we were able to save them – in other words, it should be like the Saviours own love.

Fri 10^th July   –   Read James 5:13-16

V13:  What should we do in times of suffering?  Bring it to the Lord in prayer!  What should we do in times of joy? Bring it to the Lord in thankful praise!

V14:  Sick believers are exhorted to call the Elders of their church to come to them and pray, to anoint them with oil ( surely, medicinal, not “magical” ) in the Lord’s Name. Should this be a continuing practice? Some do literally adhere to this. Certainly let us never doubt the value of the prayer of faith, or neglect the role of God-given Elders in ministering to believers in affliction.

V15:  Not a “blanket promise” of guaranteed healing  – God is Sovereign – but a general promise to our faith in the power of prayer. ” Save” here is, I think, best understood in the sense of “heal”, and the “raising up”, from sickness to restored health. The reference to sins forgiven surely reminds us that in prayer we should always be mindful of our sins and seek forgiveness, as in the prayer Jesus taught us. We rejoice in the forgiveness which is ours in Christ, but we are to pray for it daily, both for ourselves and others.

V16: Confess to each other? This is not like the Roman Catholic “confessional”, but surely means where we have sinned against a brother or sister ( they may not even know it, if its been in what we’ve said about them ) we should confess it to them and ask their forgiveness ( see Matthew 5:23-24.) And then pray for each others needs. Do we ever think of doing this? We are promised that God will hear and answer the prayer of ” a righteous person” – again, in Scripture that can only truly be one who is trusting Christ as the Saviour Who has made them right with God. The believer’s prayer will be powerful and effective, but remember, God is Sovereign in how He answers.

Thurs 9^th July  –  Read James 5:10-12

V10:  Once more, he offers examples of believers who were patient under trials. referring first to the prophets generally. The OT reveals how many of them did indeed suffer for their faith and obedience, and Hebrews 11 offers a kind of summary. We too need to look to good examples, both in the Bible, in Church History, and in believers we know and have known – but more, God help us to be good examples!

V11: Those who are steadfast under trials are to be held blessed by God ( again, Matthew 5:10.) Now he cites the specific example of Job, truly patient under great trials and sufferings, but above all to point out God’s purpose in his sufferings, and the final revelation of His compassion and mercy. Often God’s ways seem strange to us, but we are called to trust and look to Him who is indeed the God of all grace.

V12:  Seemingly, as often in this letter, an abrupt change of focus, perhaps picking up the earlier emphasis on misuse of the tongue, here in the matter of using an oath to assert that we are speaking the truth ( This is not about an oath in a court of Law.) The point is that a Christian’s plain word should be enough, and be utterly trustworthy. ( See Matthew 5:33-37.)

Wed 8th July – Read James 5:7-9

V7-8: He calls his readers to be patient – by implication, under trials and testings – really, a focus of the whole letter. We too should be patient in trials, looking to God and to the Lord’s return and the future and eternal vindication of all His people. We are called to be “steadfast (James 1:3-4 ) under any time of testing. He uses the example of a farmer, patiently waiting for the harvest in its due season, after all God’s provision for it’s growth. We too are to be patient, waiting for the final and eternal harvest when Christ comes again. Indeed, as Christ’s
redeemed, we are that harvest – see 1 Corinthians 15:23.

V9: And we must be aware that He comes as Judge, and we too must stand before Him, so returning to an earlier theme, we must not think to judge others, or speak badly of them (James 4:11-12.) Do we stop to think how our Lord, our judge to come, regards the way we sometimes treat each other?