January 26th, 2012
“Faith is giving substance to things hoped for.” Hebrews 11:1
Faith is grasping the unrealities of hope and bringing them into the realm of reality.
Faith grows out of the Word of God.
It is the warranty deed that the thing for which you have fondly hoped is at last yours.
It is the “evidence of things not seen.”
You hope for finances for the needs of your life, faith gives assurance that you will have the money when you need it.
The greatest need of Christian life is to know God and His resources. The Bible is a revelation of the all-sufficiency for every need in our life. Philippians 4:19 “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Christians are defeated in their finances because they believe and confess the circumstances instead of God’s Word. That is speaking the words and arrangements of the enemy, and that will hold you in bondage. If you confess your circumstances, and your fears, that is what you will have, as you are not connecting with the power to change them, which is God’s word. There is a negative force connecting you to the curse when you say the negative circumstances in your life. If you believe the circumstances which are contrary to God’s word, and you confess and pray them, you keep yourself focused on the negative force and system that is destroying you. Satan is the god of this world, and when you rehearse what is happening instead of God’s word, you will have lack, sickness and disease broken relationships, etc. When you look at the circumstances, your begin to have faith that negative things are happening, that you don’t have enough money, that certain disaster is inevitable. However, if you look into God’s word and you meditate on it, you begin to believe that God will supply all your needs.
When you focus on lack or sickness and disease, or anything negative in your life, your thoughts and emotions begin to speculate, and you move into the grip of that negative cycle. If you keep dwelling on it, you will be held in bondage to it. However, you can focus on God’s word, and if you keep that in your mind you will move into the life cycle, where all your needs are met. If you look at lack, you will talk lack, if you talk lack to people, you will feel more and more defeated. If you feel defeated, you will begin to fear, if you fear, you will become irrational and act on the circumstances instead of doing anything about them. You will see lack in everything around you, and when you hear the news on T.V. or read it in the newspaper; you will associate that with your circumstances and feel more defeated and helpless. You will then become more alarmed, and focus more on lack and affirm to your friends that you have lack and get yourself in bondage. With each step you become more and more defeated, and spiral down and lock yourself into lack. When you talk lack, and listen to everything about lack as you are in fear and identify with lack, etc. you are being swept along in the current of defeat. You set off a chain of events though your thoughts and words which lock you into lack, or sickness, or whatever is your circumstance. However, if you keep in the Word of God, and focus on what God says, and the power of God and His love for you, and that Jesus is your shepherd, then you can say with Psalm 23, the Lord is my Shepherd I shall not lack. When you turn your attention to the Good Shepherd you begin to see that you have what you need because you have a good shepherd. If He is your good shepherd, and having Him means no lack, you will attract prosperity through prayer and more Bible study. The Holy Spirit will speak to your spirit, and you will develop confidence in Him. As you put your trust in God, His power steers you to prosperity, or whatever else you needs. You will have faith in whatever you focus on, and what you focus on affects how you think, when you think negative, you attract everything that takes you down that path. Therefore, you must have the scriptures before you, and just read through them, and read through them, meditate on them and pray the scriptures, not the problem. God knows your situation, so you do not need to pray the problem but the solution. You can begin by just reading the scriptures and that will create a vibration between you and God, and He will lead you step-by-step. It is good to have resources, like prayer cards, as they are designed to move you to faith. James Riddle has comprised the personalized promise Bible on finances, which is the scriptures on finances with affirmations, confessions and prayers which will help you to connect better. He has done that on healing, finances, and the whole Bible. You can get it through Christianbook.com or Amazon.com. Anytime you have a crises, it is good to have the personalized Bibles and the prayer cards, and as you begin to read you will find that you thoughts change, your emotions change, the direction of your life changes, and you are more receptive to the Holy Spirit.
When God begins to move in your life, He speaks to your spirit. Your mind can be very busy churning over the circumstances, as sense data is being fed into it by the circumstances. You will have a hard time believing the circumstances and the voice of God at the same time. Therefore, you will have to make a decision on what and Who you will believe, and begin to move in that direction. If you do not adhere to the voice of God, if you do not move your thoughts to get in line with His voice, you will be wavering. James 1:6-8 “It must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.
7For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,
8[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].”
You can ask in faith, when you know God’s word. This is why it is good to look to the scriptures and personalize them as your confession over your circumstances. Step-by-step you will become firm in your faith. Begin to make a list from the scriptures as to why your prayer should be answered, like God loves me, He has made full provision for my every need, He has paid the price for all my sin and will with Christ freely give me all things. When you have these thoughts which are faith connections with God’s will and power, you will walk out of defeat and problems and see God’s miraculous power manifest where lack, sickness and disease or any other malady existed.
God is always in control, even when there is a sudden crisis. Matthew 6:8 “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” God knows in advance everything that would happen, and He is prepared to take care of you and fulfill His promises. He is ready to provide for everyday of your life.
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January 24th, 2012
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Did you know that the Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that you will spend eternity with Him? The Word tells us that the Father gave the Holy Spirit as earnest in order to secure your inheritance. (2 Cor. 1:22.) Earnest is a nonrefundable deposit. That means if He cannot bring you into your inheritance, the Father has to leave the Holy Spirit with you for all of eternity. Isn’t that an incredibly comforting thought? No wonder He promises to complete the good work He started in you and to one day present you blameless before His throne.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit has numerous implications in this life. It is He who leads us and guides us into all truth, who fills us with wisdom and power for daily living, and who molds us into what God intends for us to be.
JOEL 2:25-29
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
The Lord, my Father, repays me for all of the years that Satan restrained my harvest. I now have all that I need and enjoy daily the fullness of God’s way of living. I give all the praise, honor and glory to my heavenly Father who has done all of these mighty things on my behalf.
I am very proud of my God. He is faithful to His Word.
God, the One and only, dwells within me. He is on my side. So what do I care what the world thinks? Should I be ashamed because I do what is right?
Should I be ashamed because I choose to seek the will of God instead of the will of men? I think not!
The Holy Spirit has been poured out upon me and I prophesy and experience dreams and visions to the praise of His glory. He grants me this honor because He sees me as a quality individual. He does not see me as the world sees me, or even as I may see myself. To Him, I am precious and to be honored. It is His good pleasure to pour out His Spirit upon me.
(Psalm 85:1-3; Proverbs 6:30,31; Jeremiah 30:17,18; Matthew 6:11,19-33; Romans 1:16; 8:31; 10: 11; John 16:13; Acts 2:14-21; Luke 12:32; Ephesians 2:10)
ZECHARIAH 4:6
So he said to me,“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
God works in and thr ough me,not in the strength of my own power, but by the very power of the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead!
(Ephesians 1:17-20;Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:27-29)
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January 22nd, 2012
Jesus gave the term “master” a whole new meaning. Jesus is Master in order to serve. His Lordship over us empowers us to live with the dignity of children of God. Jesus has definitively revealed the Father’s love to us and committed Himself to us. Through Jesus we receive the full freedom and dignity of friendship with God. The mastery of Jesus Christ is that of perfect, complete, unconditional love. As our true Master, Jesus is the One who gives the deepest meaning to our lives, and we are His inasmuch as we were loved into being through Him, He died to save us, and He constantly reveals His loving care for us.
This divine meaning of the term “master” can be enriched by two other familiar connotations, the most immediate of which is “teacher.”
A teacher or master in the fullest sense does not just teach about one subject. A teacher’s greatest impact on a student is the witness of his or her life, combined with the personal care and attention given to the student.
The Divine Master’s preaching constantly invites hearers of all times to a change of heart. But Jesus transforms the lives of His disciples above all by His relationship with them: the invitation to a very special intimacy with Himself and with the Father.
Besides being understood as teacher, the term “master” can also be understood as guide. The ideal guide is an expert in a particular field who helps those following to reach the goal both safely and effectively. How invaluable a tour guide can be to those sightseeing in an unfamiliar country, or how irreplaceable the guidance of a coach when one is developing an artistic or athletic skill. As the ideal guide, Jesus does not just point us in a certain direction and leave it at that, but He is also a model. Jesus has walked the way Himself and now accompanies us on every step of our journey, in both joyful and painful times.
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January 18th, 2012
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. — James 1:5
If You Lack Wisdom
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. — James 1:5
Have you ever had a time in your life when you needed answers for a problem you were facing, but it seemed that you just couldn’t come up with the right solution? Even though you tried hard to figure things out, did it seem like the right answer to your problem kept eluding you?
James 1:5 promises that if we will go to Him when we need wisdom, He will give us the answers we need! This verse says, “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.”
If you’ve ever faced a time when you lacked:
✦ Wisdom about how to pay your bills;
✦ Wisdom about how to deal with debt;
✦ Wisdom about how to reverse a decline you were experiencing in your business;
✦ Wisdom about how to resolve challenges with your children;
✦ Wisdom about how to fix things between you and your spouse;
✦ Wisdom about how to get along with your boss or fellow employees;
✦ Wisdom about how to make key decisions that affect your future — then the word
“lack” in James 1:5 perfectly describes you!
The word “lack” is the Greek word leipo, a Greek word that pictures a deficit of some kind. In our modern-day language, we might call this a shortfall, a shortage, a scarcity, or a deficiency.
For instance, people often speak of a “shortfall” of finances. When they experience such a financial shortfall, it greatly impairs their ability to do business as necessary.
JAMES 1:2-8
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
DECLARATION OF FAITH
Jesus I Trust YOU. Your Peace is my portion at all times and in all circumstances. You are both with me and within me. You go before me to open up the way, and You also walk alongside me. There could never be another companion as devoted as You are.
You are my constant Companion, therefore I am not weighed down with the problems and unresolved issues, for You are my burden-bearer. Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah
In the world I have trials and distress, but I will not let them get me down. You have conquered the world and deprived it of power to harm me. In You I may have confident peace. John 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may
have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I consider it pure joy whenever I find myself facing trials and temptations [to give up on my faith] of every kind; for I know that the testing of my faith produces in me an enduring patience and once this patience becomes an unfailing part of my character [when I am mature and complete in it] I will lack no good thing in my life.
I fully understand that Jesus has become my wisdom. God does not keep it from me, saying that I can’t have it because I’ve done something wrong, but supplies it to me liberally, holding nothing back. All of His wisdom is rightfully mine in His name.
When I ask for wisdom, or anything else, I must not reason against my receiving it. A person who reasons against the promises of God is like a wave on
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January 17th, 2012
Central Truth: Faith is grasping the unrealities of hope and bringing them into the realm of reality.
A key verse in the study of faith is the familiar one found in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Moffatt’s translation of this verse reads, “Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.” Another translation says, “Faith is giving substance to things hoped for.” Still another translation reads, “Faith is the warranty deed, the thing for which we have finally hoped is at last ours.” Here God is telling us what faith is.
There are a number of kinds of faith. Everyone, saved and unsaved alike, has a natural, human faith. The above Scripture, however, is talking about a supernatural faith – a faith that believes with the heart rather than believing what our physical senses may tell us. Faith, in other words, is grasping the unrealities of hope and bringing them into the realm of reality. And faith grows out of the Word of God.
Our text describes faith as “the evidence of things not seen.” For example, you hope for finances to meet the obligations that you have to pay. Faith gives the assurance that you will have the money when you need it. You hope for physical strength to do the work that you must do. Faith says, “The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). Faith will say about itself everything that the Word says, for faith in God is simply faith in His Word.
until we have acted on it and have reaped its results. Faith is giving substance to things hoped for. I went to work, I acted on God’s Word. I hoped for physical strength to do the work that I knew must be done, and as I acted on God’s Word my faith gave substance to that which I hoped for. Hope says, “I’ll have it sometime.” Faith says, “I have it now.”
Head Faith vs. Heart Faith
John Wesley once said that the devil has given the church a substitute for faith, one that looks and sounds so much like faith that few people can tell the difference. This substitute he called “mental assent.” Many people read God’s Word and agree that it is true, but they are agreeing only with their minds. And that is not what gets the job done. It is heart faith that receives from God.
Mark 11:23, 24
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says.
24 Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
How can we tell whether we have this heart faith or we are just mentally agreeing? Mental assent says, “I know God’s Word is true. I know God has promised healing, but for some reason I can’t get it; I can’t understand it.” However, real faith in God’s Word says, “If God’s Word says it’s so, then it’s so. It is mine. I have it now.” Faith says, “I have it even though I can’t see it.”
I’ve heard people say, “But the thing I have been praying about hasn’t come to pass yet.” If you already have it, you wouldn’t have to believe it, for then you would know it. You have to take that step of believing in order to come to the place of knowing. Too many people want to know it from the standpoint of its coming to pass, and then believe it. We must believe it because God’s Word says it is ours, then it materializes.
Notice from the verse quoted above that the receiving comes after the believing. “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). Jesus was simply saying, “You’ve got to believe you have it before you can receive it.”
I have never been able to receive physical healing for myself without first believing that I had it, while every symptom in my body was crying out, “You don’t have it.” I simply stand firm on what God’s Word says about my healing and continue to claim that I am healed. Results are then forthcoming. But if I were to sit around, groan and sigh, gripe and complain, waiting until every symptom is gone and my feelings correspond with my faith before I will believe, I would never get very far. For “faith is … the evidence of things not seen.”
Abraham’s Faith vs. Thomas’ Faith
Too many Christians have a “Thomas faith” when they should have an “Abraham faith.” Thomas said, “I’ll not believe until I can see Him,” whereas “Abraham staggered not at the promise of God … but was strong in faith.”
John 20:24-29
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then says he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29 Jesus says unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Why did Thomas find it hard to believe that Jesus was alive? (Thomas had seen the nails pierce Jesus’ hands and had seen the spear thrust into His side. His physical senses told him that Jesus was dead. Thomas was using head knowledge, rather than heart faith.)
Compare Now the Faith of Abraham
Romans 4:17-21
17 (As it is written, I have made thee [Abraham] a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickens the dead, and calls those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Notice the difference in Thomas’ faith and Abraham’s faith. Thomas had only a natural, human faith which said, “I’m not going to believe unless I can see and feel.” Abraham, however, believed God’s Word, considering not his own body – his own natural senses. If Abraham didn’t consider physical knowledge or feelings, what did he consider then? (The Word of God)
A number of years ago when I was healed of heart trouble, I was struggling along some of these faith lines that many people do. Alarming heart symptoms would return. While praying and standing on the promises of God, even while suffering severe pain, the Lord reminded me of Abraham who “considered not his own body.” He showed me that I should not consider my body, but rather should consider His Word. As I did this, repeating to myself some of God’s promises in the scriptures regarding healing, such as, “For himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses,” every symptom would leave. Too many times we focus our attention on the wrong thing. We consider our physical body and the symptoms rather than looking to God’s Word.
“Well, God hasn’t heard my prayer yet. I’m just getting worse, and I guess I’ll wind up being operated on,” moaned one dear brother. And he will as long as he travels that road of unbelief. In one church where I visited, a certain woman would end her testimony regularly with, “You pray for me. I just believe I’ve got cancer.” No doubt if she keeps believing it she will get it. Jesus said, “According to your faith so be it unto you.” Another person requested prayer saying, “Please pray for me. I believe I’m taking a cold.” If that is the way you believe, it won’t do any good for me to pray, for “According to your faith so be it unto you.” We need to walk by faith, not by sight.
Some have misunderstood this type of teaching, thinking I tell folks to deny all symptoms and go on as if they weren’t even there. They think I am teaching Christian Science. However, this is not Christian Science, this is Christian sense. We do not deny pains and other symptoms, for they are very real. Instead, we look beyond them to God’s promises.
Real faith in the Word says, “If God says it is so, then it is so. If He says ‘By his stripes ye were healed,’ then I am healed. If He says, ‘God shall supply your every need,’ then He does it. If He says, ‘The Lord is the strength of my life,’ then He is.” In other words, real faith simply says about one’s self what the Word says.
Real faith is built on the Word. We should meditate on the Word; dig deeply into it and feed upon it. Then the Word becomes a part of us just as natural food becomes a part of our physical body when we eat. What natural food is to the physical man, the Word of God is to the spiritual man. The Word builds into us confidence and assurance.
Memory Text: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
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January 16th, 2012
THE SUFFERING SAVIOR
|
| "As many were astonished at You; his visage was so marred, more than the sons of men; so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
"He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." (Is. 52: 14-15; 53: 11.)
The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah should begin with our first text, including the last paragraph of the fifty-second chapter. It is all one combined picture of the suffering Messiah.
Jewish writers have tried hard to apply it to Israel as a nation and to show that it demands no other fulfillment in the life of an individual sufferer, but after the utmost strain of the natural force of language, such a construction utterly fails to carry conviction to an unprejudiced reader, and we are constrained to recognize this marred face of suffering, this Man of sorrows, this victim of sacrifice, this Conqueror of Satan and sin as no less a person than the Man of Galilee and the Man of Calvary who in the fulness of time appeared on earth and fulfilled every one of these minute predictions in His own person and in His passion and death.
The prophet commences the fifty-third chapter with a wail of complaint against the indifference and unbelief that rejected his momentous message and refused to recognize the arm of the Lord. He gives a picture of the sufferings of the Saviour and the fruits that grow from the blood-stained soil of Calvary.
I. The Sufferer.
Many details make up this tragic picture.
1. The first is His lowly birth. "He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. He has no form nor comeliness and when we shall see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him." (Is. 53: 2.) This great sufferer began His career amid circumstances of the deepest humiliation. He was born of a maiden mother with a cloud of reproach upon His name. His lot was that of poverty. His cradle was a manger. His home was Nazareth, whose very name stood for all that was despicable and was a play upon the words of the text, for "Natsar," just means a dry sprout, "a root out of a dry ground." There seems to have been no natural attractiveness about the person of Jesus Christ in a purely human way. He was a contradiction of the ideals of the flesh, and a disappointment to every form of human pride.
2. His rejection by His own people. "He is despised and rejected of men; we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not." (Is. 53: 3.)
What a bitter trial it was to Moses to come to his nation with high enthusiasm and patriotic devotion, prepared to stand up for them against their oppressors and then to find that they refused to appreciate His services and failed to understand His mission. "Jesus came unto His own and His own received Him not." It must have been one of the great sorrows of His life to be conscious of the intense love which was sacrificing itself for His people and their utter inability to understand Him, appreciate Him or let Him save them.
3. The privations and sorrows of His earthly life. All the elements which constitute man's cup of sorrow filled His bitter draught of earthly pain. He was poor and had to toil for His own livelihood and that of His mother. He was lonely and felt Himself a stranger in a strange world. His life was one of constant self-denial, repression and intense toil, walking on foot again and again over all the land and working incessantly and often with wearied frame from dawn until darkness, teaching, healing, helping His fellow-men. And suffering was so strange to Him. He had never known sorrow before. It was a new world of experience. He was like a land bird far at sea and out of its element. He was like a naked man fighting his way through thickets of thorns. His whole being was open to a thousand sensitive sufferings that our coarser natures know nothing of, and He was indeed "acquainted with grief." Others left Him, His disciples forsook Him, but sorrow never left His side.
4. Perhaps the keenest element in His sorrow was His sacrificial sufferings. "He was made sin for us who knew no sin." "You shall make His soul an offering for sin." (Is. 53: 10.) "He bare the sins of many." (Is. 53: 12). The terrible sting of sin entered His soul. We know something of what it is to be crushed with a single sin and perhaps agonize and pray for hours, before we rise above it and find forgiveness and victory; but on Him there rested all the sins of all the world. They were imputed to Him and counted as His own, and He had to bear their penalty and their poison.
A great writer has said that there are three things in the story of Jesus that are utterly above all human experience. The first is that an innocent Man suffered as no one else suffered before. The second is that an Almighty One was crushed, defeated, destroyed by forces that He could easily have overcome, and the third is that through this very paradox He has won His victory and accomplished His great purpose of the world's redemption.
The question is often asked, "Is it right for an innocent person to suffer for the guilt of sinners ?" In answer we may say first that God has so permitted and therefore, it must be right. Secondly, vicarious suffering is the law of the universe. The vegetable world lives by absorbing the mineral. The animal world lives by absorbing the vegetable. The lower animals sacrifice themselves that the higher may live, and even the human race suffers and dies that it may give place to and propagate the next generation. Thirdly, He was voluntary in thus suffering vicariously for others. It would be wrong to compel an innocent person to suffer for the wrong of others, but if he chooses to be a substitute on the higher plane of heroism we have no right to prevent it. Fourthly, the One who suffered for us was not a stranger, but really One of our own race, its federal Head and entitled to represent us. And finally, it was on this principle that the human race fell through the sin of one man, Adam, our federal head. It is therefore in keeping that the race should be redeemed by their new head, Jesus Christ.
There is no doubt that Isaiah's picture of the Savior's sufferings represents them as vicarious. "He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Is. 53: 6.) What a picture of concentrated suffering. It is as though one man were suddenly compelled to stand for all the debts of all the people in the world and from every quarter they came in upon him until he was swamped, bankrupt and crushed. It is as though a shepherd had gone out alone to stand between the flock and the wolves, and they all set upon him until they had torn him to pieces and he fell bleeding and dying, but the sheep were saved. It is as though all the burning rays of yonder sun at its torrid noon were converged in a great burning glass into one single point of flame and one sensitive heart was placed beneath that fiery focus and burned to cinders. All our guilt and all the penalty it deserved met upon Him and He sank beneath the awful load, but not until He had met the claim, had canceled the debt and had saved the world.
5. His trial and judgment. "He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare His generation, for He was cut off out of the land of the living." (Is. 53: 8.) What a pathetic story the trial of Jesus was. Worn with a sleepless night, His clothing damp with the bloody sweat of the garden, His heart sore with the betrayal of Judas, He is hurried before the council of the Jews and there He has to face the cruel denial of Peter, His own disciple, and the false accusations of His bitter foes. Again He is hustled to the court of Pilate, dismissed to the judgment seat of Herod, marched back again amid the mockeries of the soldiers to Pilate's court once more, and there insulted, belied, stripped and scourged with cruel lashes loaded with nails, until the flesh hangs bleeding from His bones, and even Pilate, moved with a strange sympathy, points to Him as a spectacle of compassion and cries, "Behold the man!" Then amid a hideous carnival of cruelty and scorn, He is condemned and compelled to carry His heavy cross to the hill of Calvary where they crucify Him. Well might He say in the prophetic words of Jeremiah, "Behold, and see all you that pass by if there be any sorrow like unto My Sorrow."
6. His death and burial. "He poured out His soul unto death. He made His grave with the wicked, but He was with the rich in His death." (Is. 53: 12, 9.)
Death to Him must have had a touch more terrible than to less sensitive natures, but He gave Himself up to it as an offering and a willing sacrifice. He literally poured out His very life unto death, and the one extenuating feature in it all was that instead of being buried with the wicked, He was with the rich in His death and the tomb of Joseph was offered as the resting place of His lifeless form.
7. But the bitterest dregs of His cup of sorrow were yet to come. These were caused by the Father's stroke. "It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; you have put Him to grief." For that dreadful moment He stood in the place of guilty men and it was their day of judgment. Therefore upon His single head there fell the judgment stroke which the guilty world deserved. He bore our hell and in that awful moment for an instant His heart was crushed. When our dark hours come to us, we can bear anything if we have His presence. But when death was creeping over Him, and demons were tormenting Him and men were torturing Him, He reached out for His Father's hand, He looked up for His Father's smile and all was darkness and wrath, and He uttered that bitter cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" "He was made sin for us who knew no sin."
"Jehovah lifted up His rod,
O Christ, it fell on Thee;
Thou wast sore stricken of Thy God.
Thy bruising healeth me;
A victim led, my Savior bled,
Now there's no curse for me."
8. The travail of His soul. Christ's deepest anguish was inward. He was going through a great soul conflict of responsibility, desire and intense prayer for the salvation of men. The whole weight of the world's redemption was resting upon His heart. It was the birth hour of heaven. Had He failed, hope would have died for every human soul and heaven been draped in mourning. That awful weight was upon Him. All His life long He bore it, but in the last and crisis hour it absorbed His being with the anguish of a travailing woman. The twenty-second psalm gives a little picture of that conflict. There is a strange expression there, "Deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog." Who was His darling? It was His beloved Bride. It was the Church that He was holding in His arms from the fearful attack of her foe, and His one last thought was "To save others though Himself He could not save." He did, but oh, the awful cost; what tongue can tell!
II. The fruit of His sorrow.
First as it affects us:
1. It brings us deliverance from sickness. "Surely He has borne our sicknesses."
2. It brings us victory over sorrow. "He carried our sorrows."
3. It brings us the forgiveness of our transgressions. "He was wounded for our transgressions."
4. It brings us salvation from the power of sin. "He was bruised for our iniquity," the power of indwelling sin.
5. It brings us peace. "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him."
6. It brings us justification. "By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many."
7. It brings us His intercession. "He made intercession for the transgressors."
8. It brings salvation for the nations. "So shall He sprinkle many nations."
What a rich and glorious salvation is thus provided, covering all our temporal and spiritual needs, and large as the world itself in its boundless fulness.
Second, as it affects Him:
1. "He shall prolong His days." This refers to His resurrection, ascension and "the power of an endless life" which has been given Him.
2. "He shall see His seed." This refers to His spiritual offspring. There are two races in the world today, the Adam race and the Christ race. The Adam race is doomed. The Christ race is redeemed. Christians are the seed of Jesus, born of His very being and partners of His own life.
3. "The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand." This refers to the great mediatorial work given Him by the Father which is the reward of His sufferings and which He is carrying on with victorious power until His Kingdom shall have been established in all the world.
4. The spoils of victory. "You shall divide Him a portion with the great and He shall divide the spoil with the strong because He has poured out His soul unto death." As the reward of His conflict and suffering, He is to share the spoils of victory over Satan and all His foes. Among them are the restitution of this lost world which Satan had captured for a time and claimed to rule as its lord. Christ has overcome him by the cross and is finishing His triumph through the power of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, and the vision of prophecy has revealed to us the final triumph when the enemy shall be forever imprisoned in the lake of fire and all the things that he has wrecked shall be restored in "the days of the restitution of all things." Then shall that sublime vision of the Apocalypse be fulfilled, "I saw heaven opened and, behold, a white horse and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, and He was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God, and, He has on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."
5. "He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied." Tell me how much would satisfy your heart for this sin-cursed world, and then I will tell you something of what would satisfy the heart of Jesus. But you could tell me nothing if you were to talk for a thousand years that would even faintly approximate all the joy, the victory, the glory which these words imply for earth and heaven, for our ransomed race and our Redeemer's heart of love. All this He saw as He hung that day on Calvary and the prospect took away the bitterness of the cross.
"He could see the ransomed throng,
He could hear their rapturous song
Rolling through the ages long;
He could see His glorious Bride
Saved and seated by His side,
And His soul was satisfied."
Shall we help to satisfy His soul? |
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January 11th, 2012
Our Requests Made Known unto God
"... Let your requests be made known unto God."—Philippians 4:6.
Paul, the pattern saint, would have us see the value of revealing our needs to God in prayer. We must not presume that the things required to sustain life will be granted without making our requests known unto God. Our requirements on earth and God's resources in heaven are meant for each other. If we ask, we shall receive. When we fail to ask, we fail to receive. The Word declares, "You have not, because you ask not." There would be no point in exhorting Christians to make their requests known unto God unless He had made a sufficient provision to supply all their need. The apostle revealed the abundant riches of God when he said... My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (verse 19.) This assuring promise discloses the resources God made available to His people in answer to prayer. In the clear light of this certified promise they have no justifiable excuse for spiritual poverty.
We can think of God's promise to be a certified check made payable to us the moment we present it for payment. No matter what gracious spiritual and temporal blessings the promise contains, we cannot receive them until we make our requests known unto God in prayer. It is possible to have an all sufficiency in all things by claiming the riches of God made available to us by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. When Paul said, "My God shall supply all your need," he is saying, "Christ is all you need." We are enriched in all things pertaining to life in time and in eternity when we possess Him. Christ is all we ever need to cope with the difficulties and dangers confronting us in the path leading to the Father's house of many mansions.
The temporal blessings received from the Lord are not sufficient to supply all our need in this world. Jesus stated this fact when He said, "... A man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses."—Luke 12:14. The fertile fields cannot produce true riches. A man is truly rich toward God when he possesses the resources of Christ contained in His certified promise to supply all our need. When Paul said, "My God..." he disclosed the amazing fact that a man can possess God. It is written in the covenant of grace, "... I will be their God, and they shall be my people."—2 Corinthians 6:16.
The paramount purpose of Christ is achieved the moment He gives Himself to us in the covenant of God. The Scriptures reveal that the Savior has given everything to redeem us, and provided everything to supply us, and wills to give all that He is in His divine nature to satisfy us. If a man has not received the indwelling Christ in answer to prayer, he has failed to obtain the grand objective of all praying.
We do not find it difficult to make our requests known unto God when we are fully aware of His presence. Paul stated this fact when he said, "... The Lord is at hand." (verse 5.) This amazing revelation is evidently an essential part of the admonition to make our requests known unto God. The inspired apostle focused attention on a great truth when he said, "... The Lord is at hand." He is saying in substance, "The Lord is handy. The Lord stands ready to give aid and comfort to His praying people." No matter how we interpret the statement, "... The Lord is at hand," we are fully aware of His nearness when we make our requests known unto Him. Jesus confirmed this truth when He said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." He evidently knew that we had the mental and moral capacity to sense His presence at all times and in all places on earth. If we cannot know that He is at hand when we pray, then His promise has no place of value in our profession of faith.
To offer a prayer without realizing the nearness of the Lord would be like speaking meaningless words into empty space. How could we know that our requests had been made known unto God unless He responded by assuring us that our petitions had been heard? I am persuaded that it is not possible to pray with confidence toward the Lord without being aware of His presence. The inspired apostle said, "... This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."—1 John 5:14, 15. John is saying in substance, "If you know that God hears you, then you know you have the answer." It is apparent that we must first know that He hears us before we know that we have the answer. Knowing that God hears us when we pray is something vastly more than a beautiful theory about prayer. Spiritual perception in prayer is the norm of spiritual life. We rejoice in prayer when we perceive that the Lord is at hand. Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice." The realization that the Lord is near is the cause of constant praise.
If His abiding presence with us in this troubled world is not the only source of lasting joys, then let us hope that someone will come to guide our footsteps toward the place of endless happiness. God's Word reveals that the Lord will direct our weary feet into the path of praise. "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore."—Psalm 16:11.
It is apparently true that the measure of our joy is always in proportion to the measure of our praying. One must pray without ceasing in order to have joy unspeakable and full of glory. God's praying people discover that the joy of the Lord is their strength, and His abiding presence is their shield. Perhaps Paul was in prison when he uttered the immortal words of praise. The dark and dingy prison was not so carefully guarded, and its rigid bars so firmly fixed that the Lord was prevented from entering its dismal confines to give comfort and courage to His suffering servant.
If Paul had been asked what he had found in the dank cell to cause him to sound such a note of praise, he would have said, "... The Lord is at hand." His consoling nearness caused the prisoner to praise, and His assuring presence inspired the suffering saint to sing. The dreary confines of a prison cannot stifle the songs of the soul girded with the gladness of God. The righteous may be incarcerated in dungeons, and the redeemed fastened in the stocks, but their achieving faith is not fettered, and their supplications are not shackled. From the inner cell of the common jail the singing servants of God shook the foundations of the earth, and caused hardened sinners to seek salvation.
The infirmities of the body may imprison a saint like the formidable walls of a federal prison; but the afflictions of the flesh and the trials of life cannot prevent the saints from singing in the shadows like those that sing in the shining. It is written, "... He that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you righteous: and shout for joy, all you that are upright in heart."—Psalm 32:11.
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January 9th, 2012
Now thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. —2 Corinthians 2:14
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. —John 10:10
Where does sickness come from? If we look in the Word, we definitely see that sickness comes from the Satan our enemy as a result of original sin—not from God. Sickness is a satanic force. God called it a curse in Deuteronomy 28:59-61. In Luke 13:16, Jesus called it a bondage. And by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Peter called it satanic oppression in Acts 10:38. Jesus has redeemed us from the curse as we read in several scriptures including Galatians 3:13 Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified);
The devil is the one who steals, kills, and destroys. Sickness steals money, families, homes—it steals everything it can steal. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The word life in the Greek is “zoe,” and it refers to life as God has it.1 Jesus was saying, “I have come that you might have the life of God.”
Sickness doesn’t come from God; otherwise, Jesus would’ve included it in His “abundant life” package. No, Jesus didn’t come to bind us in chains of bondage. He came to set us free!
Confession Jesus gives me abundant life—life as God has it. Jehovah Rapha is my healer, and Jesus paid the price for my healing, therefore I turn to God and ask for this grace and seek Him until it manifests in my body. Divine health belongs to me.
Matthew 8:17 And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]
James 5:16 It has been said that "prayer moves the arm that moves the world;" and if there is anything that can prevail with God, it is prayer— humble, fervent, earnest petitioning. ... We have no power to control him; we cannot dictate or prescribe to him; we cannot resist him in the execution of his purposes; but we may ASK him for what we desire, and he has graciously said that such asking may effect much for our own good and the good of our fellow-men. ... Nothing has been more clearly demonstrated in the history of the world than that prayer is effectual in obtaining blessings from God, and in accomplishing great and valuable purposes. ... It has indeed no intrinsic power; but God has graciously purposed that his favor shall be granted to those who call upon him, and that what no mere human power can effect should be produced by his power in answer to prayer.
George Muller set out to prove to a half-believing Church and an unbelieving world that God does directly answer prayer; and to do this he purposely abstained from all the ordinary and otherwise legitimate methods of appeal, or of active effort to secure the housing, clothing and feeding of thousands of orphans. ... Hudson Taylor undertook to put missionaries into Inland China by dependence solely upon God, asking no collections and even refusing them in connection with public meetings, lest such meetings should be construed as appeals for help. ... The study of missionary history reveals the fact that, at the very times when, in utter despair of any help but God's there has been believing prayer, the interposition of God has been most conspicuously seen how could it be most conspicuous except amid such conditions?
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January 5th, 2012
2 Chronicles 30:6-9 6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”
Declaration Of Faith
I commit myself wholly to my heavenly Father. I am submitted to Him and shall serve Him all the days of my life. He is gracious and compassionate towards me. His love for me is incessant. His commitment to me is everlasting.
(Deuteronomy 4:29; 28:1; James 4:7; Psalm 103:1-18; Hebrews 10:15-17; John 3:16)
Psalm 36:7-9 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.
Declaration Of Faith
I worship my Father for His unfailing love for me. I find sweet refuge in the shadow of His wings and I feast upon the abundance of His house. I have been granted a continuous flow of drink from His river of delights and He has reserved my portion of the fountain of life. He is the Light of my life and His way will always be made plain before me.
(Psalm 63:5; 91:1-4; 112:1-3; Isaiah 25:6; Jeremiah 31:12-14; Revelation 22:1)
PSALM 107:8,9 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
Declaration Of Faith
I praise my Father for His goodness towards me. He is not good to me only some of the time, He is good to me all of the time! His wonderful works of kindness toward me have no end. He satisfies my longing soul! He fills my hungry soul with His favor and loving-kindness forevermore!
(Exodus 34:6,7; Psalm 5:11,12;23)
PSALM 107:43 Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.
Declaration Of Faith
I am counted among the wise ones who observe and heed the Word of God.
I ponder, meditate on, and diligently consider the great love that God has for me. I will not let such a blessing escape from my mind.
(Psalm 64:9; Jeremiah 9:12; Hosea 14:9; Proverbs 1:5-7; Joshua 1:8)
PSALM 139:17
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
Declaration Of Faith
I am always on my Father’s mind. His thoughts of me are full of love and compassion. I am with Him at all times. He knows my every step and holds every one dear to His heart.
(Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 37:23; 40:1,2)
PSALM 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Declaration Of Faith
The very morning brings me word of my Father’s unfailing love for me. He never fails to be there for me. He makes certain that I understand the direction I must take.
(Romans 8:38,39; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 John 4:7,8; Psalm 5:8;25:1; 46:5) Cross references:
- 2 Chronicles 30:6 : [Esth. 3:13, 15; 8:10, 14; Jer. 51:31]
- 2 Chronicles 30:6 : Jer. 4:1; Joel 2:12, 13
- 2 Chronicles 30:6 : 2 Kgs. 15:19, 29
- 2 Chronicles 30:7 : [Ezek. 20:18]
- 2 Chronicles 30:8 : Ex. 32:9; Deut. 9:6; 10:16; 2 Kgs. 17:14; Neh. 9:16, 29; Jer. 7:26; 17:23; [Acts 7:51]
- 2 Chronicles 30:8 : ch. 29:10
- 2 Chronicles 30:9 : [See ver. 6 above]; Jer. 4:1; Joel 2:12, 13
- 2 Chronicles 30:9 : [Ps. 106:46]
- 2 Chronicles 30:9 : Ex. 34:6; Dan. 9:9
- 2 Chronicles 30:9 : See 1 Sam. 7:3
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January 4th, 2012
Overcoming in Hard Times
In trying economic times, how can we respond in a godly manner? The Bible gives us clear principles for handling life’s challenges. By studying Elijah’s response to famine in Israel, you’ll learn how to cope with adversity.
Referencing 1 Kings 17 at the bottom of the article.
A. Realize that suffering doesn’t always mean you have done something wrong. Hardship may come simply because our world is fallen. Or it can be the result of someone else’s sin. In Deuteronomy 11:16-17, God warned His people not to serve other gods, or He’d send a drought which would quickly kill them.
What specific factors led to the particular drought that came later in 1 Kings (vv. 16:29-33; 17:1)?
What did James infer from the story of Elijah about the power of a believer’s prayer (James 5:17-18)?
Why do you think it was necessary for the prophet to hide (1 Kings 17:2-3)?
B. Trust God to provide what you need.
· How did God provide food and water for Elijah (v. 4-6)?
Matthew Henry’s Commentary explains that ravens are an unlikely choice for several reasons. (1) The birds of prey were more likely to have taken his meat or attacked him (Prov. 30:17). (2) They eat insects and carrion, and are thus unclean animals, according to ceremonial law—yet they brought Elijah wholesome food. (3) Ravens neglect to feed their own young, and yet they catered to the prophet. A logical conclusion is that if God can use ravens to feed Elijah in the wilderness, He can surely supply all we need (Phil. 4:19).
· How often was Elijah fed (v. 5-6)?
Notice that the prophet was given just enough food for the day, precisely what Christ later taught His disciples to request (Matt. 6:11).
Have you ever had to rely on God daily for a particular need? Describe how you grew during that season.
C. Obey the Father’s guidance.
How did God provide for Elijah during the second phase of the drought (v. 9)?
What test did Elijah use to determine he had found the right person (v. 10-15)?
Zarephath, where the widow lived, was also the homeland of Jezebel, Ahab’s queen and Elijah’s worst enemy (1 Kings 16:31). When she came to Israel to marry Ahab, she brought idol worship with her and turned Ahab against the Lord.
Why was seeking help from a Gentile an unusual step for Elijah (Luke 4:25, 26)?
What indicates that the widow believed in the God of Israel (v. 12)?
How was she rewarded for her service (v. 15)?
God sometimes provides miraculously for us. Or He may lead us to practical ways of coping with a shortfall. But sometimes the Lord wants to meet our needs through the body of Christ—that is, the church. So be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, who may prompt you to ask for help or come to the aid of others.
What miracle did Paul predict would happen if the Corinthians sent funds to suffering believers in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 9:10)?
Have you ever experienced this type of provision? Explain.
D. Realize that God has a purpose for allowing suffering.
Why might the widow have expected God to bless and protect her household?
No doubt the widow knew that Elijah, by interceding against Israel, had been responsible for the drought.
What does the widow assume (v.18)? Why is this a natural response to suffering?
Although suffering is unpleasant, God uses it to:
Grow our faith and intimacy with Him.
(2) Prepare us for ministry to others in the future.
(3) Glorify Himself to unbelievers or skeptics.
(4) Reveal weaknesses and sins in our lives in order to restore and mature us.
This story describes the first biblical resurrection. Why might God have allowed the boy to die (v. 17-24)?
Think of a trial you have faced. What good was the Lord able to accomplish through it?
What purpose might God have for the challenges you are currently experiencing?
For a more detailed look at why God doesn’t always provide everything we assume we need, please see our studies called Unanswered Prayer and When God is Silent.
E. Seek the Lord’s guidance and comfort. Although God may not immediately deliver you from suffering, take your concerns to Him anyway.
What “points” did the prophet make in pleading for the life of the boy?
Why do you think he prayed so earnestly?
Describe the promise in Philippians 4:6-7.
Write or say a prayer committing your worries, fears, and needs to the Lord.
Closing: No matter what happens, our heavenly Father is in control. He will provide exactly what we need, according to His purposes and plans for our lives. If we trust the Lord fully, we can have peace and confidence in every circumstance
1 Kings 17
Elijah Predicts a Drought
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the LORD came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
The Widow of Zarephath
8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
Elijah Raises the Widow's Son
17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again.” 22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” 24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.”
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