Testing By the Brook
Before Elijah could stand on
Because we live in a sin cursed
world, with the indwelling proof of that, the sin nature, even as those who have trusted in the person
and work of the Lord Jesus and therefore have experienced the regenerating work
of the Spirit of God, the trials of life are necessary for spiritual growth.
The Apostle Peter wrote concerning
this: (1 Pet. 1:6-7).
What's the problem we face in
suffering? We are often more interested
in our comfort and pleasure than with genuine, spiritual growth and
advancement.
Illustration: What’s one of the most common difficulties
faced by people today? Needing to lose weight.
It is a wonderful truth to know He
never sends us anywhere to do anything without His presence and provision.
There may also be in that
provision a test of one's faith--a test of devotion to the Lord, being occupied
with Him, and of confidence in who He is and in what He is doing.
God chose to supply
Elijah's needs through a brook, not a river, or a lake, or an artesian
well. It was a brook that would dry up
very soon and Elijah knew that.
Why is God's
provision sometimes just barely enough?
God does this to remind us of a number of important
spiritual lessons like:
(1) True joy,
meaning and significance in life does not consist in the abundance of our
possessions (Luke
(2) "better is
the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked" (Ps. 37:16);
(3) "better is a
dish of vegetables where love is, than a fattened ox and hatred with it"
(Pro.
(4) "better is a little with righteousness
than great income with injustice (Pro. 16:8);
(5) "godliness with contentment is great
(i.e., the greatest) gain" (1 Tim. 6:6).
Whatever our lot, God wants us to
learn to be content in whatever state we are in by first learning to rest in
Him by faith. Why? That we might experience
God's sufficiency and learn that our greatest need is God (Phil.
Not only does Scripture warn
against seeking our happiness, security, and significance in things like
position, praise, applause, prestige, possessions, or pleasure, but God works
providentially as here with Elijah to teach us that He alone is our security
and true source of joy and peace (John 14:27).
Since God has already done the
most for us when we were enemies and alienated from God, how much more will He
do for us now that we are His children and have become the special objects of
His love and grace (Rom. 5:6-9; 8:32).
The ravens would
bring bread and meat to Elijah. Bread is
the Hebrew lechem that can refer to
food in general and may well have included berries, fruits, nuts, and even
eggs.
Why ravens? What did this mean to Elijah?
Though he is not
told to eat the ravens, still, God chose an unclean bird to feed Elijah. Why?
Principle: There are no limits to what the Lord can do
and His tools are limitless.
Application: Are we willing to trust God's promises and
provision no matter how contrary to our ideas His provision seems?
Of course, our need
is to trust the Lord, but how is that trust to manifest itself?
In Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 we have an
emphasis on the value of biblical wisdom in life.
Then, in verses 13 and 14 Solomon
gives us insight into how God works as the synchronizer
and orchestrator of our lives.
Dr. Walter
Kaiser (paraphrase of vs:13-14) is quite interesting.
Look with
wonder, admire, and silently wait for the result of God's work!
The contrasts of
life are deliberately allowed by God so that men should ultimately develop a
simple trust and dependence in God.
For prosperity
and the goods from God's hand, be thankful and rejoice.
But in adversity and
the crookedness of life, think. Reflect on the goodness of God and the comprehensiveness of His
plan for men.
The Command: We are told to "consider the work of God." His awesome provision.
Knowing and believing that God is
involved in the affairs of our lives, we are to observe, inspect and consider
these affairs, and then to respond in faith, seeking to understand what God is
teaching us.
The Question: The question is then asked, "For who is able to straighten what
He has bent."
The “for” links the question to
the command to consider and points us to the reason or cause. It shows us what God can and often does. He
bends the path of our lives.
First, this means the path of life, like a mountainous road, is sometimes
bent; it has curves, ups and downs, rough places and smooth places.
Second, this means God has not deserted us in those ups and downs or turns
in the road.
Third, this text also teaches us what we
cannot do! We cannot straighten what
God has bent.
The Instruction: This is followed by instruction that tells us
how we are to act and respond to the varied circumstances of life (Eccl
(a) When things are
going well, when the road is straight, be happy, rejoice, enjoy
the life God gives--though other Scripture warns us to never seek our security
in such conditions.
(b) In the day of
adversity, when God puts a bend in the road, "consider," observe, inspect, carefully evaluate your
circumstances, stop,
think and learn.
When things don't go well, when
the car breaks down, when you have a sinus headache, when you become the object
of criticism, when you get a bad report from the doctor,
whatever it is, how do we respond? Do we
blow up or stay calm?
Do we trust the Lord or become
depressed? What do we do? Well, our instructions are to think (cf.
James 1:2-5).