Under the Juniper Tree.

Transcription

1 Under the Juniper Tree. 1 Kings 19:2-12 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them. Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. I have had enough, Lord, he said. Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died. Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, Get up and eat! He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you. So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai,[a] the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah?

2 Elijah replied, I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too. Go out and stand before me on the mountain, the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. The juniper tree is a small tree with heavy foliage, now called the "broom tree." Are you under a tree? A friend, Richard Walker, said, Leaving the Institutional Church is the first of many necessary steps in the long process that results in the return to the true Church (assembly). What must follow next is a close, piercingly honest look at what we believe and thus begins the long painful process of removing, from our thinking, traditions and false man-made doctrines that we have held to for so long. Another friend, Dale Rude, says, Not everyone who leaves the Institutional Church does so because they are bitter, disgruntled, angry, hurt or had a bad experience. Some people leave because God called them out and therefore it is simply the right thing to do. Each person s experience is different, but for sure, the church that has left the building will often find themselves alone in their journey to have a closer walk with Jesus. For some it may be for a short time before they find other believers who have done the same, and for others it may be years. For some it may mean doing a little traveling to gather with other believers who have heard the call. God is calling out His people so that they can rely on Him for their spiritual needs and growth rather than conform to man-made traditions and practices that make us mostly spectators rather than being an active part of the body of Christ, being the church, where we can edify one another and spur each other in the faith and good works. When one decides to listen to the call of Come out of her, we will think we are all alone. There will be times of discouragement and doubt as we remove ourselves from the familiar surroundings and practices. There will be friends and family, even those who call themselves Christians, who will misunderstand us, forsake us, and keep their distance because we are no longer interested in participating in man-made traditions for a couple of hours on a certain day; to gather where sin is tolerated and ignored among its members, because living a holy life is impossible, so we are told from the pulpits. Most Institutional churches, as we know it, have

3 joined hands with the world rather than with God. And if we dare walk out of the building, we are told we are walking away from Christ. I chose the story of Elijah because in many ways God has a lot of Elijah s out there, men and women, trying to warn the people, but nobody seems to listen. Let me give you a little background information concerning the text above. The Bible speaks of a real woman named Jezebel. She is also a type of the devil. She represents a seducing spirit that is very active in our world today and in many Institutional churches. This woman in the Bible has no fear of God. This Jezebel is very passionate in her attachment to her heathen worship, leading people astray, and is the first great instigator of persecution against the saints of God. Then we have Elijah, a mighty man of God. He was a man who was fearless, his prayers prevailed, and was zealous for God and hating idolatry. Elijah had shaken the very powers of hell! God told Elijah to call together 450 priests of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah at the top of Mount Carmel. God was going to show just who was worthy of worship. You remember the story, fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice on Elijah's altar, and when they all saw it, they fell on their faces and worshiped the Lord God. Earlier, Elijah told King Ahab to get ready for some rain. And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again, seven times. And at the seventh time he said, Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:41-46) This is the end of the drought that hit the land for three years and six months (Luke 4:25). Elijah outruns Ahab back to Jezreel. He stays outside the city gate. Ahab runs to tell Jezebel, not about what God had wrought in the supernatural interventions of the miracle of the fire and the ministry of rain, but what Elijah had done. Jezebel's temper is enraged towards Elijah. In 1 Kings 19:1-2 we read,

4 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 more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow. Jezebel had great hatred towards Elijah. Why? He got rid of all her prophets with the sword. She sends Elijah a message of her murderous threat which lets him know that she would rather be dead than to see him alive. She pledges her life to be killed a worse way than her prophets if she couldn't kill Elijah. Eventually she suffered the consequences of her vow (2 Kings 9:30-37). So Jezebel's message reaches the prophet Elijah. Here is a man, who in previous travels ran for the Lord, and now we find him running for his life! Elijah was afraid and fled for his life (1 Kings 19:3). He got so occupied with Jezebel's murderous threats that he lost sight of the God of the brook, the God of the meals in the barrel, and the God of the battles! Then we read in verse 4, "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree:" Elijah runs for his life and is physically exhausted. He travels a whole day into the wilderness, and here is this desert plant, in the waste and weary land, where Elijah decides to rest. Elijah found shade and relief under that juniper tree even though it may have only been for his physical needs. Deep within Elijah's heart, where no human could touch or understand, there was an aching too deep for words. Elijah was no different than the rest of us. In spite of all that he accomplished, he was still fully human. He was a man "subject to like passions as we are" (James 5:17). And we, just like Elijah, are the most vulnerable right after we've experienced mighty victories. So what's going on under that juniper tree? Elijah was discouraged. Elijah lost sight of his strength that can only come from the LORD and was reduced to relying in his own human strength. The devil takes advantage of us when we are at our weakest moments. Satan uses our discouragements for he knows discouragement exaggerates one's perception and fears. This was happening to Elijah. It got to the point where he was making a request to God for himself "that he might die;" (v. 4). He was confused, dejected, and dismayed. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. He ran, he was completely exasperated and unhappy, but he was not the first to feel like this, and he was also not the first to pray for death. Job and Jonah prayed for death in their times discouragement.

5 We might look at Elijah and say, "He failed. He is defeated. He let himself get overwhelmed with depression and loneliness. He failed to trust God. He failed to be obedient. Look at him under that juniper tree just feeling sorry for himself! He'd rather be alone. His faith is gone. He has melted under the fires of adversity. He must think he's the only one left in this world. He must think he's the only one with problems. That's what he gets for taking his eyes off the Lord and running like a scalded dog!" Have you ever been where Elijah has been? Have you been under the juniper tree, in the wilderness, and alone? Are you given into accusations the devil hurls at you in your most vulnerable moments? Are you under that juniper tree now? There may be many reasons why you or I might find ourselves under the Juniper tree. It is not a desirable place to be, but just the same, it can be a place where God can reach us as we cry out to Him in the wilderness, just as He reached down to Elijah. Elijah is all alone, afraid, and not a friend in the world to comfort and encourage him. He's so exhausted that he falls asleep under this tree. But wait! While Elijah is sleeping, an angel touches him. "And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him," (1 Kings 19:5). You know, the angel could have just called his name to wake him, but instead the angel touches him. I'm sure anyone reading this knows that human, physical touch is a powerful thing. I'm not talking about the touch that only relates to a sexual relationship with one s spouse, but the tender touch like the squeeze of a person's hand, a touch on the shoulders, a gentle embrace when greeting or departing from each other. A simple touch can bring warmth and relaxation. It can wipe a falling tear. It can put a smile on another's face. It can calm the angry, the frightened, and the anxious ones. A simple touch says many things like "You are not alone," "I appreciate you," "I'm here for you," "I love you," or "I'm sorry." Jesus was not afraid to touch people, he allowed people to touch him. One of Jesus' disciples was comfortable enough to rest his head against His chest (John 13:23-25). An angel touches Elijah while he is sleeping and tells him to arise and eat. What does Elijah find when he wakes from his slumber? He finds a "cake baking on the coals and a jar of water at his head. (v. 6). Doesn't this remind you of Jesus' appearance to his discouraged disciples? (John 21:1-9).

6 Though Elijah was on the run in fear for his life, yet the angel of the LORD is there with Elijah and has a meal cooking and water to sustain him, and in spite of the evidence that God is still there for Elijah, he is still discouraged. Elijah is so discouraged that he lays himself down again. The angel of the LORD touches him for the second time to tell him to rise and eat. (v. 7). From the juniper tree to the cave So Elijah eats. It's enough to sustain him for the next 40 days and 40 nights while he wonders away from the Juniper tree unto Horeb. I wonder what went through Elijah's mind while traveling all that time. Maybe he reflected on all the wonderful things God did through him and then kept rehearsing how he had failed God by running in fear for his life just because of a wicked woman's threats and those who stood behind her. Elijah finally reaches a cave and he decides to lodge there, another covering like the Juniper tree, and he's not ready to come out. However, the LORD is still not going to abandon Elijah in his time of discouragement. The word of the LORD came to him and asked, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:13) Elijah answers, " I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too. Elijah has done what he could do to warn the children of Israel, but they have forsaken God and slain the prophets, and now they seek his life as well. Like Elijah, we are in the world and constantly in warfare - standing up for righteousness - against the workers of iniquity. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against evil rulers

7 and authorities of the unseen world, against might powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Just remember this dear saint, the battle Elijah had on Mount Carmel was between God and the devil, not Elijah and Jezebel. It's a war between God and Satan. Satan will use his instruments against you anywhere and anytime, and even in the Institutional churches where the spirit of Jezebel exists as well. When we try to bring the pure Gospel to the lost and loved ones, when we stand up for righteousness, we may face the wrath of family, friends and foes. Nothing can stop this burning zeal within our hearts. After a while, discouragement may try to set in. We may start to find ourselves under the Juniper tree or in a cave, so to speak, but I find encouragement in the following verses: Go out and stand before me on the mountain, the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. Can you imagine what must have gone through Elijah's mind as he heard the great and strong wind rent the mountains? How about when he was listening to the rocks break in pieces, the trembling earthquake under his body, and the flaming fire destroying what is left while he is sitting in that cave? Any of these occurrences can cause destruction and distress, and fear can paralyze a person. God can use natural disasters to get our attention and to give us perspective. Our Father allows situations to redirect our attention on what is more important...our relationship with Him. After the great and strong wind that rent the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces, after the earthquake and the fire, Elijah hears the LORD in a still small voice, a whisper, and When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.. (1 Kings 19:13) It wasn't the great and strong wind, the earthquake, or the fire that gets Elijah out of the cave. It was that "still small voice," moving from his self-imposed isolation to draw closer to God. Oh, what a great God we serve! Whatever circumstances we may find ourselves in, even in the wilderness, God is going to let us hear His still small voice. He may use His word, He may use other people, a good friend, or a song; no matter what He uses, you will hear it. Elijah comes out of the cave and he is asked the same question, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

8 He gives the same answer, but with a different attitude this time. He is not concerned now with his safety or reputation, but is more concerned in giving honor to God. God doesn't tell Elijah to return from where he came, but to go forth and still serve Him. God comforted him by responding to his original discouraging outlook (v. 10), letting Elijah know that he was not alone, that there were still left seven thousand in Israel who have not bowed their knees unto Baal. All over the world there are people who refuse to bow to the spirit of Jezebel alive in the world and in most Institutional churches. There are many hirelings who teach and seduce God s servants to commit spiritual fornication, who teach the doctrine of Balaam, which is a message of compromise. We are told, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14) When you think you are alone and are finding yourself in times of discouragement, know that God is there and He's listening to your heart, and be ready to hear that still small voice. He will sustain thee.