Signs of Revival - The Spirit of Elijah (notes)

Signs of Revival - The Spirit of Elijah

Haggai 2:4

I am with you, says the Lord of Hosts

My Spirit is in your midst,

Do not fear

Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.

I will shake all nations and they will come with the wealth of all nations and I will fill this house with Glory says the lord of Hosts.

The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of Hosts

The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts. I will give peace.

For 300 Years

The nation of Israel was ruled by three monarchs.

1. Saul
2. David
3. Solomon

At the end of Solomon’s reign a civil war broke out in the kingdom that had been united under God’s anointed leadership.

The nation was divided into the Northern kingdom called Israel and the Southern kingdom called Judah.

The Division

• Lasted until both kingdoms fell to foreign invaders when the Jews were led away into captivity.
• From the start of the division until Israel’s captivity a period of over two hundred years, the northern kingdom had 19 kings and all of them were wicked.
• This environment of evil lasted in Israel until the Assyrians invaded them in 722 B.C.

The Southern Kingdom of Judah

• On the other hand was under the leadership of seventeen rulers for well over 300 years and eight of those kings followed the Lord but nine were wicked rulers.
• Of Judah ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the 70 year captivity in Babylon.

The Southern Kingdom

• Was later revived when men such as Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zerubbabel returned from exile. They moved back to Jerusalem, rebuilt the walls of the city and the temple and restored worship of the one true God.
• It was during this period of the Northern and Southern kingdoms and the wickedness of many of the kings and the apostasy of the Hebrew people, God sent various prophets to call both rulers and the people to repentance.

A Look At The Kings

• Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom was the king who planted the seeds of idolatry among the people of Israel.
• The term high places generally refers to pagan altars used for the worship of pagan gods.
• For 22 years this king of deception & murder promoted idolatry & then his son Nadab became king. I Kings 13:33, 14:20

Nadab

• Becomes king of Israel (northern kingdom) while Asa was king of Judah (southern kingdom). He did evil in the sight of God. I Kings 15:25-30
• Nadab was assassinated by his successor.
• All the Northern kings were bad and some were worse than others Baasha was not the worst, but he was not a good king either.

What Kind of King Was Elah?

• What a dynasty! One murderer giving way to another murderer. One assassin killing another assassin. One mass murderer killing the family of another mass murderer.
• A line of Godless men coming to the throne and doing evil in the sight of the Lord. I Kings 16:21-26

Despite

All the bloodshed & idolatry & wickedness of these previous kings, the writer still says that Omri “acted more wickedly than all who were before him.” And then came his son Ahab who married Jezebel, which is like going from Frank & Jesse James to Bonnie & Clyde.

I Kings 16:31

Why is Jezebel mentioned?

1. She was the dominant partner in the marriage.
2. She is the one who initiated Baal worship.

Jezebel’s Father Ethbaal

Was from Sidon; he was in fact, king of the Sidonians. Baal worship which originated with the Canaanites, had long existed in that area of the world. But this pagan religion was not introduced to Israel until the marriage of Ahab & Jezebel. Baal was the god of rain & fertility. With it came all the heathen practices, barbaric sacrifices, which increased the evil in the land.

The Sudden Need of
The Presence of a Prophet

Nobody could have handled a couple like Ahab & Jezebel better than Elijah. The rugged gaunt prophet from Tishbeh became God’s instrument of confrontation. Jezebel was Satan’s woman of the hour.

I Kings 16:32-33

The Name

• Elijah means God is Jehovah.
• Elijah was from Tishbeh in Gilead. A place of Solitude and outdoor life.
• Elijah dressed more like a farmer than a lawyer.
• Prophets cannot be ignored & Elijah was a prophet of God.

What Elijah Teaches Today:

1. God uses unique people when things are darkest.
2. God’s methods are surprising.
3. We stand before God.
4. Let God use you.