“Wilderness University”
1 Kings 19:1-21 (1-4)
ELIJAH JUST WON A GREAT VICTORY.
Elijah had summoned all Israel to Mt. Carmel
And there engaged in a little showdown
Between himself and the 450 prophets of Baal.
Of course Baal did nothing, and then it was Elijah’s turn:
1 Kings 18:36-39 “At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God.”
ELIJAH WON A MAJOR VICTORY!
And then we see something interesting.
1 Kings 18:46 “Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.”
It is obvious that Elijah has big plans for Israel.
But let’s take a time out for just a moment.
WHAT DID GOD ACTUALLY TELL ELIJAH THAT HE WAS GOING TO DO?
1 Kings 18:1 “Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.”
And God did that.
But Elijah is looking ahead.
He seems to have God’s plan figured out.
He has God’s plan all figured out.
HE IS ALSO DEAD WRONG
VERSES 1-2 “Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
CAN YOU SEE THE LOOK ON ELIJAH’S FACE?
He was so certain he knew what God was doing…
He was so certain he knew what was coming next…
Why he was so certain that he even ran ahead of God…
HAS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
A time when you ran so fast toward what you thought God was doing
That you ran right past Him?
If you have, you are not alone.
REMEMBER JAMES AND JOHN?
Luke 9:51-56 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, [ and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.”
REMEMBER PETER?
Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Filled with confidence, puffed up on arrogance,
They sought out to fulfill what they assumed was God’s will.
Elijah did this when he ran to Jezreel.
AND HE QUICKLY LEARNED THAT HE WASN’T AN EXPERT ON GOD
So he is about to enter: “WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY”
(That is the name my mom gave it)
Neither went to college, but both received a degree.
1986 – my dad’s job was cutting back, and my mom was enrolled.
Later that year my dad was laid off, and he was enrolled.
For the next 3 years they never had a steady paycheck.
They earned a degree in trusting God.
The passage of Scripture that best explains it is found in Hebrews.
TURN TO: HEBREWS 12:1-11
We are referring to those times of trial and difficulty in life.
They are God’s form of education to make us who He desires us to be.
MANY HAVE ATTENDED THIS UNIVERSITY:
Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness & 40 days on Sinai…
The children of Israel spent 40 years wandering there…
Jesus even went there for 40 days after His baptism…
I entered “Wilderness University” in 2001 under the anxiety program.
(For about 8 months I was spiritually miserable as God was preparing me for ministry)
I CAN TELL YOU WHAT WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY WAS LIKE FOR ME
Zechariah 13:9 “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'”
Remember when God did this to Isaiah?
Isaiah 6:5-8 “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Eventually God sends all His children.
• It is a time of PURIFICATION
• It is a time of EDUCATION
• It is a time of PREPARATION
There are many reasons why we may go.
(punishment, refining, to be put on display) Elijah ran ahead of God
But regardless of why we enter, the command is the same.
James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
TODAY WE SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN ELIJAH ENTERED.
We’ll understand more as we see Elijah attend.
#1 CONFUSION
1 Kings 19:3-8
Jezebel threatens his life and
ALL OF A SUDDEN WE SEE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ELIJAH.
(3) “And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life”
One would be curious if we are talking about the same Elijah.
• Is this the same guy that called Ahab the troubler of Israel?
• Is this the same guy that called out the entire nation of Israel?
• Is this the same guy who put his neck on the line on Mt. Carmel?
• Is this the same guy who openly mocked Baal?
The difference is that on Mt. Carmel he was following God,
In Jezreel he had run ahead of Him.
And now our courageous prophet is running for his life.
“[He] came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.”
From the northern part of Israel to the southern part of Judah.
He has traveled to the extreme opposite end of the nation.
He dropped his servant there, and continued.
(4) “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness…”
He runs the length of the nation
And then escapes a day’s journey into the wilderness.
And Elijah enrolls in “Wilderness University”
“[He] came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
• He doesn’t understand what God is doing…
• He doesn’t understand why all this is happening…
• He doesn’t see any way out…
“WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY” is hard!
My parents have told me of similar times of despair.
DAD: “I wish I was a cow”
MOM: “God just take me out”
Those are the sentiments of many while attending “Wilderness University”
Job 3:1 “Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. “Why did I not die at birth, Come forth from the womb and expire?
(MOSES) Numbers 11:13-15 “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’ “I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. “So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”
Jeremiah 20:14-15 “Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me! Cursed be the man who brought the news To my father, saying, “A baby boy has been born to you!” And made him very happy.”
Jonah 4:1-3 “But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. “Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”
GOD WAS STRETCHING THEM, LIKE NEVER BEFORE
WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY IS THAT DIFFICULT
My preacher growing up referred to it as
Being in “A Box Canyon” and there is no way out but God.
In the wilderness, there is no one and nothing but God,
And you either learn to trust Him, or you remain in the wilderness.
(Ultimately dying there like the children of Israel who refused to enter His rest)
ELIJAH IS THERE.
Elijah found out that ministry is easier
When it is all answered prayer and no death threats.
BUT PLEASE NOTICE THAT EVEN THOUGH IT IS HARD,
GOD HAS NOT LEFT ELIJAH.
(5-7) “He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”
We’ve all read the poem “Footprints in the Sand”
And how God carries us through our most difficult times.
GOD DID IT FOR ELIJAH, HE WILL DO IT FOR YOU.
And then notice:
(8) “So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.”
ELIJAH MAKES THE PROPER MOVE
When in the wilderness don’t run from God, instead seek Him out.
Many when under God’s discipline shut Him off,
Hoping to make the conviction stop.
That approach only leaves you in the wilderness.
GOD IS YOUR ONLY RELEIF
First Confusion
#2 COMPLAINING
1 Kings 19:9-10
To keep from glamorizing it too much.
Elijah did seek out God, but part of the reason is to complain.
God asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
To which he answers:
(10) “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
“God, Your plan isn’t working!”
He is really discouraged as a servant of God.
(In fact, even after an encounter with God, Elijah asks the same question again – vs. 14)
WHAT ELIJAH DOESN’T REALIZE IS THAT
IT IS NOT GOD’S PLAN THAT FAILED, BUT HIS OWN.
GOD’S PLAN WAS NOT TO HONOR THE PROPHETS,
GOD’S PLAN WAS TO DRAW ISRAEL UNTO HIMSELF.
BUT HIS PRESENT HARDSHIP LEADS TO COMPLAINING
DAD: “Throwing Rocks at God”
Trust me, if you’ve never wanted to throw rocks at God,
You’ve probably never had Him put you through the ringer.
Jeremiah 20:7 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me.”
DON’T MISUNDERSTAND – complaining is not OK
Jeremiah 15:18-19 “Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable? Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.”
At “Wilderness University”
God sends you through a fire of purification.
And even the strongest have been known to complain.
DON’T MISUNDERSTAND
I’m not saying it is a bad place, or even a place to be avoided.
In fact, the Psalmist prayed to return:
Psalms 126 “When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad. Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”
I’m not saying it’s BAD, I’m just saying it’s HARD.
Hebrews 12:11 “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Confusion, Complaining
#3 CONFRONTING
1 Kings 19:11-18
(11) “So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.”
ELIJAH NEEDED TO ENCOUNTER GOD
God’s presence is the only cure I know for a pity-party
And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.”
First a STRONG WIND
Second an EARTHQUAKE
Third a FIRE
But God wasn’t in any one of those.
WHY DID GOD DO THAT?
To show Elijah that is not how He is working here.
That is how Elijah had expected God to respond.
BUT THAT IS NOT HOW GOD WAS WORKING
God was moving, but He was not a storm, He was in the “gentle blowing”
The revival God was bringing was real, but it was gentle,
It was subtle, it was seemingly slow, but it would be very effective.
The PURPOSE of “Wilderness University”
IS TO LEARN how God really is at work.
Hebrews 12:10 “For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”
Listen to Paul.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”
Elijah was a great prophet, but he had MUCH TO LEARN about God still.
I can tell you another class my dad attended.
DON’T SAVE YOUR MANNA
(Dad wanted to save horses, God stopped him)
LOOK AT WHAT JEREMIAH LEARNED.
Jeremiah 15:19-21 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.”Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the LORD. “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”
Elijah is learning here.
(VERSES 15-18)
Paul actually referred to those verses in Romans 11
Romans 11:1-6 “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel “Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.” But what is the divine response to him? “I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”
Paul’s point was the same:
I don’t care how things appear, God is in control
And everything will work out according to His will.
THAT IS WHAT ELIJAH IS LEARNING
God had a plan for completely removing Baal from the land.
He would do it through Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha.
(Jehu actually turns Baal’s house into a latrine)
But Elijah had to get to a point of desperation
Before he was able to hear what God wanted him to learn.
GOD WAS EDUCATING ELIJAH AS TO HIS REAL PURPOSE
(That is the purpose of “Wilderness University”)
Elijah had run past God, it caused him CONFUSION
It brought about COMPLAINING
But here god CONFRONTS him and reveals his plan.
#4 COMMISSIONING
1 Kings 19:19-21
The commissioning really occurs back in verse 15, “The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived…”
AND ELIJAH OBEYS
(19) “So he departed…”
About a month and a half earlier Elijah was ready to quit,
Now Elijah is back in the saddle.
He graduated from wilderness university.
And that is another truth you need to learn.
THE ONLY DEGREE OFFERED IS A FAITH DEGREE
You cannot graduate from “Wilderness University”
Until you learn to hear God, and trust God.
Hebrews 4:1-3 “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
Hebrews 4:9-11 “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.”
Elijah was no longer running ahead of God, but was now following Him.
THERE ARE SOME WHO HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A DEGREE
FROM “WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY”
CONTINUE IN WHAT YOU LEARNED
God wants you to share in His holiness, don’t digress.
THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE PRESENTLY ATTENDING.
(In fact, I know of one from our Church right now)
Do what Elijah did:
Don’t run from God, seek Him out…
Learn from Him…
Trust Him unconditionally…
Hebrews 12:7-9 “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?”
For if you don’t exercise faith, you will never get out. – Children of Israel
THERE ARE SOME WHO HAVE NEVER ATTENDED
WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY.
If you are a believer your time is coming.
In fact, I expect to probably return some day,
As many of us do from time to time.
PACK AWAY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FOR THAT DAY
It is a place where our relationship with God is strengthened.
This morning regardless of where you are,
I want you to learn from Elijah’s experience.
• DON’T RUN AHEAD OF GOD, FOLLOW HIM
• DON’T QUIT ON GOD, SEEK HIM
• DON’T REJECT GOD, TRUST HIM
Elijah did and he was a brand new prophet
With a brand new passion for ministry.
Hebrews 12:3-6 “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”
