The story of Elijah and the nation of
It is the story of a man raised up by God in a time of conflict in his Nation, in a time of
great spiritual and moral degeneracy.
The purpose of this high mark in the story is spelled out
for us in two verses, 1 Kings
The hero, then, becomes a model, an example for faith, for
spiritual experience and life, and the conflict he faces becomes an
illustration of what we might face in life.
The story
of David is another of the heroic narratives of Scripture and this question
forms a fitting introduction for the study of Elijah.
The
question is found in Psalm 11:3. "If the foundations are destroyed, what
can the righteous do?"
The
foundations refer to the law and order of society based on the Lord's
protective rule through the absolutes of the Word.
David
then reminds us that while the Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, He
never forsakes the righteous who can, by faith, behold
His face and thus experience His strength and courage.
What does
this mean to us in our day? The
righteous need to know what is right and then do it because they know and
believe that its God’s desire for them.
But we find in this colorful and powerful prophet a
wonderful illustration of what the righteous should do when the foundations are
being destroyed.
If we are to gain a greater insight from the example of
his life, we need to understand the historical setting in which this great man of God abruptly and suddenly appeared on the scene.
In the day in which Elijah lived and ministered, the
foundations had crumbled far beyond what King David experienced in his
day.
Practically speaking, what does this mean?
It means we dare not divorce our study from understanding
the historical setting of every passage of Scripture if we are going to come to
grips with the truth and message of the Bible.
The books of 1 and 2 Samuel record the establishment, consolidation, and extension
of the Theocratic
Though Solomon began well, about the middle of his reign
he began to act foolishly.
As is so often the case, in his
spiritual decline, his country was gravely influenced as well.
This
situation developed as a result of the following:
1. He
allowed idolatry to invade his kingdom through foreign marriages, a practice forbidden by the
Word (Deut. 17:14-20; Neh. 13:23-27).
2. Furthermore, he levied
excessive taxes and labor constrictions on the people, without pay, because of
his own selfish extravagances.
3. In
other words, rather than remaining distinct and separate from the nations,
Solomon became like the nations.
Reigned from 1010 – 970 BC. 970 – 931 BC.
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DAVID |
SOLOMON |
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David had been raised in the open, watching sheep, and later experienced the testings of a fugitive life. |
Solomon, however, had known only the ease of the palace, with its attendant luxuries. |
|
David became a king of action, aggressive and efficient, who could personally lead armies to victory. |
Solomon became a king of peace, happy to stay home and content merely to retain the land his father had gained. |
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David's court never grew larger than the requirements of his government. |
Solomon became lavish to suit his tastes and expensive appetites. As a result, he needed more revenue and raised taxes. |
|
David was more a man of the people. |
Solomon was a man of the court. |
|
More significant, David maintained a vibrant faith in God as a "man after God's own heart." |
Solomon, began well in spiritual devotion, but failed to maintain this basic relationship before God. He fell into sinful ways and finally came under God's censure. |
Division of the
Nation
When Rehoboam, Solomon's son took over the throne of his
father, the ten tribes of
Rather than seeking the glory of God and the benefit of
his people, he followed his own selfish agenda and committed gross sin in the
sight of God.
1. He established a substitute worship for
his people, two new worship centers, one at Dan and another at
2. As symbols for the new places of worship, he made golden images of
calves.
3. His supposed aim was to worship Yahweh, but his real motive was
political and selfish.
4. He wanted to keep the people from going back to
5. He put his own desires ahead of God's will and the good of the
people. Of course, this was in direct
violation of the Law of Moses.