Eliyahu Study One

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Eliyahu Study One

Post by samuel7771 » Mon Jun 18, 2018 4:22 am

Eliyahu Study One - by Reuben ben Gershom.
This Study is based on - 1 Melachim - 1 Kings 16:25 to 34 and 17:1 to 24.
“I will send you Eliyahu the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of YHVH.”

Malochi - Malachi 4:5

Introduction – A Man of Faith:
As we look at Eliyahu the prophet of Elohim, we can divide his life into separate scenes. In this study, we will cover the first two scenes, which will teach us many things! We know there are many great figures in found in the *Torah/Tanach, however two of these being Elijah - Eliyahu and there is another study online on the other man of Elohim, the prophet Yirmyahu –Jeremiah. See the Main Index.

*The Torah is Hebrew for the first five books in the Word, being the Five Books of Moshe – Moses, whilst the Tanach are all of the Books of the Old Covenant combined!

Malachi 4:5 states …

“Behold, I will send you Eliyahu - Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of YHVH.”

Let’s be very clear at the outset, that day has not come to date, however, it could be at anytime soon. It is claimed by “christians” that Yochanan -John the Baptist was ‘the prophet Eliyahu - Elijah.’ Yes we know that the Brit Chadashah – Hebrew for New Covenant speaks of this immerser - baptiser frequently. And that on one occasion, Eliyahu appeared with Moshe in a “vision” speaking with Yahushua the Messiah. The claims that Yochanan - John was Eliyahu the prophet is simply absurd. In the Brit Chadashah – the New Covenant, Yochanan - John himself made it clear that he was “not” Eliyahu the Tisbite, nor “that prophet.”

“And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elias?’ And he (Yochanan - John) said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you that prophet (they asked again)?’ And he answered, ‘No.’” Yochanan - John 1:21.

This makes it quite clear that Yochanan - John was not Eliyahu the prophet of Elohim that was spoken of in I Melachim – 1 Kings 16!

Eliyahu - Elijah was certainly one of the great men in the Tanach – Old Covenant as he was a unique character, being vibrant, strong, caring, yet, aggressive. With those qualities Eliyahu was everything YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, loved in a man, for he was just the kind of man He desired to call into His service!

However, please understand this; Eliyahu’s greatness was not Eliyahu the man, but his greatness was the Spirit of Elohim working within this faithful servant. As we study the life of Eliyahu, we are in fact looking at the greatness of our loving YaHVaH Elohim, His Name be Praised, and what He did with a faithful servant.

The Word clearly states the following …

“Eliyahu was a man just like us” Ya’akov - James 5:17.

This might sound perplexing, for obviously, we would see him as a great and a mighty prophet of Elohim, thus we might ask, who are we to compare ourselves to him in any way? Let me answer you in this way. “Was Eliyahu perfect”? No, he was not, for even though he had all the exceptional attributes as shown above, Eliyahu was also a man of great impatience, loneliness, and yes he was even a man of fear and anger. In this, we are able to see that Eliyahu was a man very much like us!

Therefore, if Eliyahu can be used by the Almighty with all of his shortcomings then, those who live in complete faith in the TRUTH of His Word and according to Yahushua’s will and in His Word, are acceptable unto YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be their Sanctified Names!

In Hebrew the name Eli-YAHu means, “My Elohim is YaHVaH.” This clearly proves that Eliyahu - Elijah was born into a faithful Hebrew family. We need to understand that at that time so many of the House of Israel had turned their back on their Elohim and by then, tragically they were worshiping the pagan god Ba’al.

Thus, beloved, let us take glimpse into the time and the events leading up to the arrival of Eliyahu, before that most evil and sinful king, Achav – Ahab as we will read in 1 Melachim - 1 Kings 16:25-33.

“Omri did evil in the eyes of YHVH, and did worse than all who were before him. For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking YHVH Elohim of Israel to anger with their idols. Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and the might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. Then Ahab his son reigned in his place. In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of YHVH, more than all who were before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke YHVH Elohim of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”

The above reading contains a particular tragic statement;

“Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of YHVH, even worse than all who were before him.”

The sad truth was that he was even worse than his wicked and evil father Omri, whose sinful deeds are so well recorded. However, it was Ahab who had taken the wicked Yezebel, who was the daughter of Ethbaal, who was the king of the Sidonians to be his wife. The name “Yezebel” in Sidonian translates as, “Daughter of Ba’al,” or “flower of Ba’al,” also a “primrose of Ba’al.” It was said that she was a great beauty, thus visually she a flower indeed. No wonder that Ahab desired Sidonian’s most beautiful daughter. However, as history records she certainly was no primrose as shown by her wicked lifestyle, for in truth she was ugly and rotten (like dung) on the inside.

As the Word describes, she died in the same way she had lived her evil and rotten life, for in the end she was trampled to death by horses and she was then partially devoured by wild dogs, and her body was left to rot in the street. That is what happens to those who are so rotten and so evil, for they deserve no sympathy whatsoever!

Eliyahu prophesied this in 2 Melachim - 2 Kings 9:36-37.

“On the plot of ground at Yezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Yezebel and the corpse of Yezebel shall be as refuse (dung) on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, ‘here lies Yezebel.’”

Ahab, including the majority of Israel, now worshipped Ba’al, which means ‘husband’ and is related to the sun god. This pagan god of stone had sexual implications as this pagan god was represented by a penile shaped tall pillar at that time. And it is at this devastatingly low point that Israel found it self in.

Therefore, YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, decided to choose one of His most faithful Hebrew servants to go forth and prophecy and act against this sinful nation. And thus Eliyahu came upon the scene with amazing suddenness. For at one moment, no one had even heard of him and next without any warning, YaHVaH Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name, sent the nation a very special prophet. This man would leave an indelible mark on all the people of Israel in a matter of just a few minutes!

Eliyahu’s Background:
If we look at the Scriptures, we know that nothing very much is really known regarding Eliyahu’s early life. We are not given any record regarding the tribe that he is from, or if he had any prior training for his call. All this does prove something very special and that is that Elohim can call anyone, such as … “a man just like us,” to proclaim His word to an errant sinful world.

As shown throughout the Tanach – Old Covenant, Elohim does not choose great men for His work. But He chooses a person out from the people of faith and those He knows who have the heart to become His earthly servant. Thus by Elohim’s choice, Eliyahu became one of the most unique and dramatic characters in Scriptural history. We know from the Word that Eliyahu was certainly not a man well dressed, for it is written that his appearance and clothing was, to say the least rather rugged.

2 Melachim – 2 Kings 1:8 says …

“He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins.”

Eliyahu - Elijah was a native of Tishbe, which is a village in the rocky and rugged terrain of Gilead north of the Jordan River. For all of his young life he had learned to live in harsh and difficult circumstances. Ten miles north of Yabbok, an area that is now called El Istib, there is a ruined shrine bearing the name “Mar Eliyas” which many believe to be the birthplace of Eliyahu. His family were pioneers, settlers in this rough and harsh country, yet they kept a close relationship with the Elohim of Israel. We obviously know this, for by naming their son Eliyahu, they were declaring to the unfaithful of Israel, “Our Elohim is YHVH” and not any other god!

Lessons to be Learned:
Thus we have painted a picture of a faithful Hebrew family and their son, as well as the Children of Israel who were mostly living in sin and that wicked and idolatrous Hebrew king and his evil queen.

But what follows is a mighty story of enormous faith, of a man who lived during this evil generation. In the past, Israel as we know had been richly blessed by the Almighty Elohim, having been redeemed from bondage and slavery out of Egypt, and were sustained in the wilderness and in the end blessed with a land “flowing with milk and honey.”

Yet in spite of the great love that Elohim bestowed on His people, Israel once again and tragically at large turned their back on their Elohim and they were worshipping a pagan god of stone just like their king and queen. The truth is, “the only thing man has ever learned from history, is, that they have not learned from it at all!” However, blessed be the Father, there is *ALWAYS a remnant of faithful Israelites living in Gilead and most likely in other parts of the land.

*That has been true throughout all history and even today, for within the “Little Flock” of believers in Messiah Yahushua there are those who are from a Hebrew and others who were once Gentiles, but we are neither Jew nor Greek, but “ONE in the Body”! The faithful ones In Yahushua are sadly far too few, but the Word does tell us that “the gate is narrow” – However, there is always room for more! Our beloved Father has said “RETURN again to Me, and I will Return to you.” Please believe in the real Name of Messiah Yahushua, for that is “the Name above every name” … “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.

Sadly beloved, Israel may have been astray so long ago, but nothing has changed to this day, for the world is far more evil and wicked than it has ever been! Sadly the vast majority of people are worshipping the … “I”, “Me” and “Myself” and they are filled with countless evil inclinations of the flesh and follow all kinds of false gods and pagan doctrines. And tragically, so many of these are to be found in the so-called “christian church”! But today, just as it was in Gilead, there is a remnant of the faithful, praise be to Yahushua our beloved Messiah, and we constantly pray that as we close in towards His Return that many more will come to the Truth of His Word!

We thank our Heavenly Father that Hebrew’s and those who have come out of the Gentiles, who have accepted Yahushua as their Messiah, and have repented and been Immersed in Him, and they are now One in Messiah, One in the Body, neither “Jew nor Greek” for He (Yahushua) has broken the middle wall of partition between us - HalleluYAH! (Ephesians 2:14).

Eliyahu arrives at the Palace:
Now we come to the moment that Eliyahu the faithful servant of Elohim arrives on the scene at the Royal Palace and is about to declare a powerful, but a very short but stern message! We do not know from the Word if Elohim commanded him to go to king Ahab, but we do know that this man, in his rugged attire, takes hold of his faith and applies it, as he walks into the palace. He walks through the gates and straight into the great hall and he had the audacity and stands directly in front of and he faces the king and he then loudly delivers a single sentence. Having done so, he simply turns his back on the king and walks out. We can see that Eliyahu had no fear of any man, for he fully trusted his Elohim!

Have you thought about this scene? That is one of the most astounding and what we could call brave stands in all history, for technically Eliyahu should never have walked out of that Palace alive!

Those who have studied the Word and or history should know, when it comes to Royal Households, there is a set list of set Protocols that must be adhered to as commanded by the court. Here are just three of the protocols;

1: If anyone stands before the king, and speaks without consent, that person, according to Royal Protocol, must be automatically put to death!

2: Whilst in court, the king will raise the sceptre to give permission to approach him, and only then, the appointed person (who can only be there with prior arrangement) will be permitted to speak!

3: If the queen wishes to speak to her husband the king, she will have to seek permission to speak, whilst the king was in court. If she speaks without a request, she must die!

But, here we see Eliyahu who walks into the court without prior permission, he asks no questions and he speaks directly to the king. He then does something that completely disgraces the king with a declaration and then even worse still to conclude the complete humiliation of this evil king, he completely humiliates him in front of the entire court, turns his back on the king and just walks out, yet no one seems to stop Eliyahu. Now, that is what I call Chutzpah (impertinence)!

I will break the Eliyahu story up into four main scenes; You will find Scenes One and Two on this Study and Scenes Three and Four in Study Two.

Scene One:
We now commence with Scene One, and soon we will fully understand what Eliyahu said to Ahab, in 1 Melachim - 1 Kings 17:1.

“As YHVH, the Elohim of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there will be no dew or rain for these years, until I say so.”

To fully understand what the implications of his statement, we must consider the following.

(1) “As YHVH Elohim of Israel lives, before whom I stand.”

Here we see that Eliyahu a simple man, yet he is giving his absolute authority, for he stands before the king in the Name of YHVH!

(2) “There shall be no dew or rain for these years”

Eliyahu now tells the king two things a fact and a prophecy as he threatens the king with a drought.

(3) “Until I say so” or “according to my word.”

“Until I say so” are Eliyahu’s concluding words, in those words we see his immeasurable faith. How did he possibly know that He would be able end the drought at the given time, through his word? But it is very obvious that Eliyahu was clearly being led by Elohim and He was speaking through His servant and ensured that all harm was kept away from His beloved servant, whom He then hid.

When Eliyahu said, “before whom I stand,” was a massive insult to the king for it contained the following implication.

“Hey king, you might be sitting there on your throne, but I am not standing before you, I am standing before YaHVaH Elohim.” (Paraphrased).

I firmly believe, as we read about Eliyahu’s stand before king Ahab that the faithful in Messiah can also stand before an evil world and act in full faith, even in the face of great peril.

Let me provide such an example, taken from my book “Dutch Tzedakah” where faithful Dutch believers saved countless Jews and others from the Holocaust! But, they did this at their peril and the story of the Ten Boom family is well known, but in the book that can be read on line, there is also a story about Tante Riek who is known as “The Lady with the Deer.” This is found in chapter 11 - entitled “Hunted like a Deer” and should be read by all! See the link below.

A story of Faith during World War II:
This story relates to the kind of faith Eliyahu has shown us. The author’s book “Dutch Tzedakah,” contains many inspiring stories, which speaks of Dutch believers, who without any fear, in the manner of Eliyahu, hid many Hebrews from HaShoah, either at the cost of their lives, or having survived a concentration camp.

A movie was made named “The Hiding Place” about the ten Boom family; it is about the father Casper ten Boon, his daughters Corrie and Betsie who rescued Jews from Nazi deportations. However, it was long before the Nazis were ever heard off, this faithful family had become involved in building a house of prayer for Israel, as Casper ten Boom’s father, Willem had loved and supported the Jewish people since 1884. His son and grand children continued to uphold this blessed duty and clearly showed their stand and their strength and conviction of their faith during World War II.

Just as they commenced hiding Dutch Jews from the Nazis, an interesting event took pace in their home; a Jewish baby was delivered to their house by the underground for safe keeping until safe passage could be found to take the Baby to Britain. Then one day their pastor visited their home and was shown this beautiful Jewish baby. Upon hearing the story, he sternly challenged Mr. ten Boom and his daughters, Betsie and Corrie, saying, “Mr. Ten Boom you cannot keep this Jewish Baby, don’t you know that you can be killed, and more so, it is against the law, and Mr. Ten Boom we must uphold the law.” It had been a week or so earlier that this same pastor had challenged Mr. ten Boom regarding him wearing of the “Star of David,” which Mr. ten Boom wore as a sign that he supported the Jewish People.

Mr. ten Boom stood up, looking firmly at the pastor, a man he thought he could trust, and said, “Pastor, I am aware that we must obey the law, unless it contravenes a higher call from God. You have asked for me to remove the star, fine pastor, I will remove it, BUT WE WILL KEEP THE BABY!” Due to their stand of faith, the baby was later rescued, and blessed be Elohim and the baby survived the war. This family hid many Jewish people in a converted cupboard that was in Corrie’s bedroom, which had a dummy wall with small, but sufficient space behind it to hide several families. The house is named the “BeJe” and it became known as the “Hiding Place.” This fine family lived their faith to the full.

Sadly, on February 28, 1944, the family was betrayed by an evil traitor. The moment when Papa ten Boom was being loaded into a truck, a soldier counted those who boarded, “one, two, three, four, five, six - There are six Herr Kapitan.” Papa ten Boom vigorously interjected for all to hear, and said, “You are wrong sir, there not six; there are seven, for God is right here with us!” Upon hearing this statement, a moment of kindness befell on the captain, and said to Casper, “ten Boom, you are an old man, and you should die in your own bed. If you promise to behave, then you can die in your own bed where you should be.” To this, Casper replied, “If I stay behind kapitan, I will open my door to anyone who knocks and asks for help.” Blessed be the Almighty, all those in the Hiding Place were not found by the Germans, all were rescued the next day, better still they survived the war. Many Jews were saved by this righteous family, who have a place in the Avenue of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Sadly, Papa ten Boom died just ten days after his arrest, whilst lying on a stretcher in a cold hospital corridor He was 84. This fine man and family, stood up to the Nazis in great faith, even in the face of danger. Through the faith of the ten Boom family, we can see that a man much like us, can stand before anyone on faith, just like Eliyahu, fully trusting Elohim, blessed be He! You can read my online book “Dutch Tzedakah” at: www.dutchtzedakah.com.

Back to Eliyahu
Thus, Eliyahu stood there, “girt with a girdle of leather about his loins” in the splendour of the king’s palace, and with full authority. He had proclaimed to the king, that only “YHVH our Elohim lives,” thus, in reality he was saying to him that, “your god Ba’al is impotent and nothing but a piece of lifeless stone.” Even though he is physically standing before the king, by declaring … “I am standing before (and with) my Elohim” He then in the Name of YaHVaH continues to threatens the king stating that there “will be no dew, nor rain until I (Eliyahu) say so.” Eliyahu knew that through faith, at the appointed time, with YaHVaH Elohim’s power, he could restore the dew and the rain.

Indeed, in Eliyahu, we can see a great and a blessed faith in action, a man of Elohim speaking with authority. We could ask the question “did YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, command Eliyahu to say all these things”? Incredibly there is no record of this whatsoever, but if he had not been commanded I believe that Eliyahu obtained it from the Torah, which he knew so well, for Eliyahu spoke with a kind of authority as he knew and understood the Word of Elohim. He simply claimed what YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, had already said to Moshe - Moses in Davarim - Deuteronomy 11:13-17.

“And it shall come to pass, if you will listen meticulously unto My commandments, which I command you this day, to love YHVH your Elohim, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil. And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and you shall eat and be satisfied. Take note of to yourselves, unless your heart be deceived, and you turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and the anger of YHVH be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and you perish quickly from off the good land which YHVH has given you.”

As Israel at large was now serving other god’s at this time, Eliyahu in prayer now claimed with authority the words of Elohim, that “The heaven be shut up and that there be no rain, and that the land would not yield her fruit.” Thus Eliyahu understood the Words Elohim had given Moshe in the wilderness.

Thus, a man in many ways like us, in faith and in prayer claimed words of the scriptures before the king and we know from the Word that the proclaimed drought lasted for a long three and a half years.

We now come to the end of the first Scene of Eliyahu’s life and actions. Each scene is full of thrilling panoramas, which I believe are excellent building blocks for us all. For we beloved in Yahushua our Saviour, need to be more like Eliyahu, we need to be a people of great faith, a people prepared to do Elohim’s blessed will as shown to us in His Word.

This, concludes Scene One, the unheralded arrival of the prophet Eliyahu in the throne room of the idolatrous king and his announcement of the drought, which was a punishment for idol worship.

Scene 2:
This Scene takes place in the wilderness, at the brook Cherith, where Eliyahu went by Divine command.

1 Melachim - 1 Kings 17:2 to 6 will set this scene

“And the word of YHVH came to him, saying: ‘Leave this place, and go eastward, and hide yourself by the brook of Cherith that is before the Jordan. And it shall be that you will drink from the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to bring food to you there.’ Therefore, he went and obeyed the word of YHVH, and he went and lived by the brook of Cherith that is before the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.”

Just as the appearance of Eliyahu was sudden and dramatic, so was his disappearance, one moment he was there and the next he had totally vanished and the king and his evil wife Yezebel was not happy! With the removal of Eliyahu, the nation would not only have to suffer physically with a three and a half year drought, but now it would also suffer spiritually with the total removal of the Word of YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name. The prophet Amos spoke about such an event.

“Behold the days come, says YHVH Elohim, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor thirst for water, but of the hearing the Word of YHVH.” Amos 8:11.

In this case, Israel suffered both a famine of bread and water, but more importantly there was a famine of hearing the Word for three and a half long years being one of the ways, Elohim uses to pull Israel up with a big jerk.

We might ask. “Why did YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, have to remove Eliyahu to a hidden place?”

Ahab and Yezebel were so fired up with an intense hatred and anger, due to Eliyahu having insulted them before the entire nation, they desired him to be slain on the spot, but he had turned around in the court and just vanished.

Therefore, Elohim said, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and HIDE by the Brook Cherith (or Kerith).”

Did you realise that throughout the Scriptures, the Almighty uses certain words and names that have very special meaning, which is often lost when studying the Word. It is in these wonderful words that we find pure treasures. Elohim uses the word, which is the name of a place “Cherith” or “Kerith,” but in Hebrew this word actually means to “Separate” and “Divorce.” In light of this, let me briefly look at another Scripture where this very same word occurs. Let us turn to Yirmyahu - Jeremiah 3:8.

“And I saw ... I had put her away, and given her a bill of DIVORCE.”

There we see that the word used for “divorce” is “Cherithuth” that literary means to “separate.” The scriptures also uses another word for “divorce” being the Hebrew word “Garash” and you will find that the meaning is very different to “Cherithuth”, for “Garash” means … “to be utterly removed - cut off, divorced forever,” much like a scab being dead tissue, when it falls off it can never be restored. Thus, “Garash,” - “divorce” means to be utterly removed and cast away forever!

Blessed be the Almighty, He does NOT use the word “Garash” in Jeremiah chapter 3, but “Cherithuth,” for YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be He, would never utterly cut off His people Israel, for He had made an everlasting covenant with Israel, as Tehillim – Psalm 108 so clearly declares,

He (YHVH) hath remembered His covenant forever (Hebrew: HaOlam = Eternally).” Tehillim - Psalm 105:8, and many other scriptures.

Thus, after Eliyahu had made his declaration to the king, Elohim commanded him to “Go to the brook of Cherith,” which is directly related and really the same word as the word Cherithuth.”

Thus, what a wonderful picture we see here. Because of Israel’s sins, worshipping Ba’al, the Almighty would let Israel suffer in the physical, with no rain, but also in the Spiritual, with the removal of His Word, by separating Eliyahu to the “brook of Cherith.” Of course this separation would not be permanent, for later Eliyahu was commanded to return to the king and the Nation with the Word of Elohim.

In Yirmyahu - Jeremiah 3:8, Elohim gave Israel a “Bill of Cherithuth,” in order to bring her back to her senses, so that restoration could take place. Through the foreknowledge of Elohim, we know with certainty that after Judah’s (that also contained most of the ten tribes of Israel) captivity, they returned to the Almighty and to the Land and Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple! What a wonderful glimpse of love we have been shown here. Elohim made public His divorce, His separation, yet He entreats Israel to return to Him in TeShuvah - in Repentance.

Beloved, I wish that pastors today would preach “Repentance” for so many seem to have dumped the most vital element. All so many of these modern Charismatic - Pentecostal’s rave on, and all you hear there is “come to Jesus,” “come, come,” but you never hear, “Believe and Repent and your sins will be forgiven!” Repent, and sins are dirty words in the majority of churches!

Now we know the reason that Eliyahu had to go and hide at the brook of Cherith! It would be there, and later at Zerapath that Elohim would prepare this rugged and faithful man, for the task that laid ahead of him at Mt. Carmel.

YaHVaH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, prepared many prophets in this manner, the like of Avraham, Yitzchak - Isaac, Ya’akov - Jacob, Yoseph - Joseph and Moshe - Moses, each having spent time in the wilderness in preparation of a greater task ahead.

At this lonely brook, Eliyahu once again proves his great faith. Let’s be honest, to believe that ravens out of all the birds of the sky would be the ones to feed you morning and evening takes a great deal of faith! For ravens are well known to be thieves, for they rather steal from you than give. And of course Eliyahu knew this, yet he trusted Elohim for this miracle.

Everything is based on this truth, a truth that applies to the believer in Yahushua the Messiah! There are three important things to remember …

(1) Be where the Almighty wants you to be!

(2) Be at the right place, at the right time.

(3) Only at the right place, can miracles happen.

Eliyahu followed Elohim’s command; “Go to…” for only “there” would YaHVaH control the fowl of the air, in order that “ravens” would bring food to Eliyahu daily.

I believe that Eliyahu clearly understood the Words …

“Trust in YHVH and do good, so shall you live in the land, and surely you shall be fed.” Tehillim - Psalm 37:3.

Even in the receiving of this food, once again we see Eliyahu’s faithfulness.

(1) He remained until “the brook dried up,” and received the command to leave.

(2) Imagine eating the same food day in, day out?

We would get sick of it, just as Israel did eating the provision of “manna” for forty years. No doubt, we would not eat, even the food we really love, every morning, noon and night, for lets say a year, but he had to eat it for years!

Some Hebrews might say, but ravens are not kosher (Scripturally fit to eat). True, however we should keep the following points in mind.

(1) Eliyahu was not commanded to eat the ravens, only the food they carried to Eliyahu.

(2) If Elohim commands you to accept food from the ravens, would you say no to our Heavenly Father, rather than thank Him for this provision during a great drought. Eliyahu was grateful to Elohim for this miraculous provision.

However, the greater test was yet to come, as we will discover in Scene 3, which is part of our next Study. What does the message of Eliyahu say to us …?

And what have we learnt so far? … YHVH Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, is able to take a man, a man just like you and me into His service! If we feel in our heart that Elohim desires us to go and proclaim His Word, in whatever place He chooses, you better go right there and do as He has commanded! In addition, we know, from the Word regarding Moshe and others that Elohim does not always take a person who is fit for the job. No certainly not, for He takes ordinary men and He fits them for the ministry that lay ahead of them. The Almighty commanded all the great prophets of Israel to prepare, and then declare.

This is the message we should learn today – Live in Elohim’s will!

Like Eliyahu, we must live in the will of Elohim according to the blessed Word He has given us, and learn the answer to this provocative question. “How will I know His will for my life, in this, or that situation?”

Use what I call “Elohim’s - Three Harbour Lights of Guidance.”

(1) Is it in accordance with the Word?

(2) Do you feel in your heart that it is right for you, and, are your family happy for you to do so?

(3) Is it the right time? Are the all the circumstances in line?

The Three Harbour Lights:
There is a port in Italy, in which it is impossible to enter at night without being shipwrecked. This is due to the channel being extremely narrow, as well having rugged rocks at the entry. Anyone attempting to enter at night will be wrecked on these rocks. To guide ships into the harbour safely, the port authorities strategically placed three beacons of light at certain points.

When a ship’s pilot is able to line up the three lights, and they appear as a single light, then he is on the right course and can safely enter the entry channel of the port. However, if the pilot sees two lights or three lights, disaster will surely follow. What do we learn from this? All lights, all circumstances must line up, or our venture will be doomed for disaster.

Like Eliyahu, we must … Live in the light of the Word … Like the pilot setting a course you should have the assurance that all the circumstances line up. Then, when you are in the appointed harbour, you know that you are at the right place, at the right time, be it physically or spiritually, for it will be there where the Almighty, blessed be He, will provide and bless you. Consider the woman who was at the well at Zerephah just as Elohim had told Eliyahu back at the brook of Cherith that she would be there. She was not at any well, but at this particular well, being the appointed well.

There is no doubt that Eliyahu was a man who freely gave his life in the service of his Elohim, not living in the self, or what I call “the I, me, and myself” as most did during his time, and as people still do to today. Sadly this world is full of the self and sin, let us, the faithful in Messiah Yahushua strive to uphold the love, and doing the good deeds, going forth being a LIGHT unto the world just as our Saviour Yahushua has told us to be! Let us be strong and stand up and make sure that in this day we fully understand chapters such as Mattityahu - Matthew chapter 7, for we are living in times when the wolves in sheep clothing are deceiving even the very elect.

We need to be strong like Eliyahu and make sure that the Word is first and foremost, and not what this author or what any pastor says, for if it does not agree with the blessed Word of Elohim than we need to stand up and take a stand, that is just what our blessed Saviour Yahushua did as well as His apostles!

Study Two of the Eliyahu study contains some remarkable details that will amaze you, for in reality, this has just been an introduction to Eliyahu’s remarkable ministry!

May YHVH Elohim bless and keep you in the palm of His hand, in Messiah Yahushua’s loving Name!

Ministry founder, elder & teacher: Reuben ben Gershom.

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