Last week, we began considering growing in the fear of the Lord by looking at some incidences from the life of Elijah. We compared bold as brass Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal in 1Kings 18 with the scared Elijah of 1Kings 19 who ran for his life after death threats from queen Jezebel. We then pondered the story found in 2Kings 1 as proof that Elijah’s experiences had helped him grow in the fear of his God.
Yet the question we are faced with today is: how did Elijah grow in the fear of the Lord? To answer that, I believe we need to go back to 1Kings 19. Firstly, he’d had an encounter with God, during which He spoke to him directly. Remember how when he was on the run in 1Kings 19, the Lord sent an angel to take care of him. and then he asked him twice: “What are you doing here Elijah?” In verse 11, the Lord told him to go out and stand before him on the mountain. Then we are told the Lord passed by. There was a mighty windstorm, then an earthquake, then a fire, but the Lord wasn’t in any of these awesome manifestations of power. Rather, he came to Elijah in a gentle intimate whisper. The Almighty God of the universe lowering himself to speak in a whisper. That’s quite a thought.
After Elijah heard the whisper, he went and stood at the entrance to the cave where he was hiding to speak to God directly one to one. He poured out all his complaints and fears, and what did the Lord do? He didn’t say “oh, bless you poor Elijah. It’s okay. There-there.” Instead, he gave him a set of instructions, starting with the words “Go back the same way you came.”
I don’t imagine that was what Elijah expected to hear, considering there were threats of death in the place he came from. Yet God laid out a detailed plan. Elijah was to anoint various people for various tasks, including Elisha who would replace him as prophet. However, he didn’t just anoint Elisha and then retire straight away. First they had to spend time together, so Elijah could impart his knowledge and teachings to Elisha.
The point is that Elijah received specific plans from god. He heard the voice of the Lord telling him that God had things for him to do despite the fact Jezebel wanted to kill him. Having experienced God like this, he began to fully understand that God’s plans are far bigger than the plans of man. No matter what is sent to try and destroy them, God’s plans will always prevail.
God spoke to Elijah specifically again in 2Kings 1. Thus, the Elijah who once ran scared was now able to sit boldly on the top of a hill waiting for the king’s men to arrive and had the gall to call down fire upon them, because he knew who he served. I’m not saying he didn’t know God before his experiences in 1Kings 19. Surely he did, or he wouldn’t have had the wonderful victory over the prophets of Baal in the previous chapter. Yet I believe he knew God in a more specific and powerful way because of what he went through.
I wonder if you or I have had turning points like that with God – where we feel we get to know him more fully. Job had one toward the end of his story. He’d been through some terrible things, and then he had all his so called friends telling him it was all his fault that this had happened because of some sin he must have committed. Job kept pleading with God to hear him – to do something – to vindicate him, but when God did appear, he gave Job an amazing lesson in his power and almightiness. He quizzed Job about all the things he knew he didn’t know, like where lightning came from and so forth. God was basically saying: “Job, I’m bigger than you understand. I’ve got this covered.” And at the end of it all, Job said words to the effect of: “I had only heard about you before, but now I know you.”
I believe that for us the fear of the Lord will grow as we seek to know him more. It’s good to hear about him, but that won’t cut it when we’re faced with a battle or an enemy attack.
Interestingly, as we look at the life of Elisha, he never seemed to have his 1Kings 19 moment where he ran away in fear. He was bold from start to finish. I wonder if that was because Elijah was able to impart some of his fear of the Lord into his young protégé.
All I do know is that in 2Kings 6, when the king of Aram sent his troops to capture Elisha, the story has similarities to the one we read in 2Kings 1. Just like Elijah before him, Elisha didn’t cower or run away, and his servant couldn’t understand it.
2Kings 6 verses 15-18 says: “When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.”
This time, it’s blindness instead of fire from heaven. AT least this lot survived! However, my point is that Elisha had no doubts. He knew the God of angel armies was on his side, even though the odds seemed to be stacked against him. He asked God to give his servant a glimpse at the forces of heaven who stood ready to defend them.
We need to remember this story when we’re in a battle. Whom shall we fear? If we’re walking in his will, then we should know that the God of angel armies is on our side. He is for us not against us. He cannot be anything but victorious.
Let’s ask him to help us have the proper kind of fear, because we’re going to need it as the world around us grows darker and Christians come more and more under attack.
Whom shall we fear?