Bible Studies
The God Who Answers (James 5:17)
Series: Additional StudiesIntroduction:
1. The whole idea of prayer is dependent upon a God who hears and responds. 2. In our study this morning we observed that idols are both blind and deaf. They are silent because they are “no-gods.” 3. The uniqueness of Jehovah is that He communicates and receives communication. 4. Elijah was a man who communicated with God because He realized that God communicated with him. 5. We are familiar with the account of Elijah’s challenge to the prophets of Baal described in 1 Kings 18. I want to notice with you how this challenge focused on the contrast between God as Communicator and Baal as a god who could not.Discussion:
I. In order to develop the context we need to go back and observe the conditions in the nation of Israel during the days of Elijah.A. Ahab was the king in Israel.
1. Following the introduction of idolatry into the nation by king Jeroboam all the following kings had been described as “doing evil in the sight of the Lord and walking in the way of Jeroboam.”
2. They “provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols.”
3. Omripreceded Ahab in ruling over Israel. Of him Scripture says, “Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel with their idols” (1 Kings 16:25-26).
4. Ahab’s description is given as follows: “Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him” (16:30).
5. The description continues, “It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. So he erected an alter for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (16:31-33).
B. Elijah prayed for circumstances that would bring about reforms in Israel.
1. Baal was a god supposedly associated with controlling the weather and thus agricultural production.
2. In an attempt to establish that only God had control Elijah prayed that it might not rain.
3. He announced to Ahab that it would not rain and there would be no dew except by God’s word through him.
C. This brought the wrath of Ahab and Jezebel down on Elijah and all the prophets of God.
1. Obadiah, the overseer of the house of Ahab, hid 100 prophets in a cave and provided bread and water for them.
2. He saved them from the wrath of Jezebel when she attempted to destroy them.
D. God directed Elijah to Zarephath as the 3+ year drought continued.
1. Note that God was communicating with him.
2. While at Zarephath Elijah called on God to raise the widow’s son back to life.
3. The widow of Zarephath exclaimed, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth” (17:24).
4. Note the emphasis in the text on the fact of God communicating to man. Even this widow of Zarephath is aware of this fact. She stands in stark contrast to the idol worshipers of Israel.
II. Elijah challengedAhab and the prophets of Baal to a dual.A. There were 450 prophets of Baal + 400 prophets of the Asherah. Elijah was outnumbered 850 to 1. Observe that the liars were in the majority. You cannot make your determination on the basis of the number of those who claim to be speaking for God. The majority are most generally wrong.
B. A prophet, by definition, is supposed to receive communication from God and give that information to the people.
C. Thus Elijah’s challenge was a test to prove who communicated.
D. Elijah knew that Baal was no god at all.
E. The challenge (18:23-24).
1. “The God who answers, He is God” (v. 24).
2. The prophets of Baal called to Baal, “O Baal, answer us.” “But there was no voice and no one answered.”
3. Elijah mocked them, “Call out with a loud voice, he is occupied, gone aside, on a journey or is asleep.”
4. They cried with a loud voice, cut themselves, raved until the time of the evening offering.
5. “But there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.”
6. Elijah prayed. “I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again” (37).
F. The conclusion: “The fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” The people concluded: “The Lord, He is God” (39). Not “He is a god” but “He is God.”
III. What are we to take from this?A. Don’t worry about praying if you don’t believe that God speaks.
B. Don’t pray if you don’t accept the Bible as a revelation from God.
C. Don’t pray if you don’t act upon what the Bible says by doing it. You don’t believe that God acts. You have no motive for prayer.
D. Is this what James means when he says, “Ask in faith without doubting?” (1:6).
E. How can one ask in faith without hearing God’s voice? Rom. 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing.”
F. If God has not spoken there is no motive for faith. No foundation for religion. Everything is founded on His having spoken.
G. Francis Schaffer once wrote a book entitled, He Is There and He Is Not Silent.
H. Until we hear the voice of God we are blind and deaf.
I. How this elevates our teaching program! How this elevates the need for the study of Scripture, God’s revelation. Studying general revelation (nature) is important, but studying special revelation is more important. Some attempt to evaluate special revelation by general revelation. They worship and serve the created rather than the creator.
J. We can take action now in preparation for the future for the Lord has spoken about what is to take place. We can see evidence of the surety of what He has spoken as we look back on fulfilled prophecy.
K. In everyday life, we are freed from a focus on earthly things knowing, by revelation, something greater must occupy our attention (cf. Heb. 11:13-16).
Conclusion:
1. God answers. 2. He communicates. 3. Do you accept it? He who has ears to hear let him hear.
