OUTRUNNING THE CHARIOT…

 

NO threat of destruction, no weapon of war, no attack of the final enemy can outrun, can outlast, can ever outdo a man of God who remains faithful to the end to the God who created him…  Such a man is Elijah the Tishbite, a true Israeli! He is the one who taunted the false prophets at Mount Carmel. And he is the one who God, his God, empowered to outrun the chariot!

Elijah’s name means “my God is Jehovah.”  You can see Elijah had a great start by being blessed with such a name. Not only was his name a name to glorify the true living God, Elijah went on to speak for the LORD.

Consider this: each man, made in the image and likeness of God is a tri-part being; spirit, soul and body. Each man chooses who he loves, who he serves. Elijah chose his God, Jehovah:

Selah.

 

1 Kings 18:36-37
 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

 

There is much to learn about Elijah. But, it always come down to one thing just as Moses said:

 

Exodus 32:25-26
 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.

 

Moses, Abraham, Elijah and all of our saints in our Jewish Bible challenges, rebukes and encourages all of mankind all for the glory of God and their salvation:

“Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.”

No other statement could better proclaim the loving veracity God’s chosen people have for Jehovah; our great LORD Almighty!

Israel, you are God’s chosen people! Your heritage to us are the saints through whom God breathed the Bible and the Bible itself!

The Jewish people who love Jehovah follow the Shema:

 

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

 

 

Like Elijah, they are Israelis; chosen people of God who are on the LORD’s side.

The blessed prophet Elijah was in Jehovah’s care and this strong man of God would not / could not remain silent. Mocking the false prophets, he knew he had already won the battle! No man, no woman (like Jezebel) could stymie the power God sanctioned this true prophet with.

That’s how Elijah, man of God, man without compromise, willing and empowered, was able to outrun the chariot!

 

 

 

SCRIPTRUAL TRUTHS TO BLESS ISRAEL

 

 

1 Kings 17:1
Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

 

Isaiah 57:1-2
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.

 

Isaiah 43:1-5
But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush ^and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

 

Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

 

1 Kings 18:40-46
Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”  So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.  “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”  The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.  The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.