After the Victory

Introduction

In the last couple of weeks we’ve talked about fighting battles and how to get the victory in one form or another. This week I want to shift gears a little bit and talk about what happens after the battle is won. What happens after the victory?

Let’s take a look at a grand victory that God gave to Elijah and what happened immediately after.

Let’s turn there together.

Elijah’s Battle

Elijah has just had his most famous victory.

A public battle against the priests of Ba’al. Allow me to offer this brief recap. This is a battle to the death, we each call upon our god and the one who answers with fire is God!

They both made sacrifices, first the priests – to no avail. Ba’al is silent – was he asleep? Elijah taunts them – maybe your god is on the toilet! In the end their gods could do nothing

Next up, Elijah. Just to make things fair, he took water and poured it on the altar. And ass if that weren’t enough he dug a trench around the altar – more like a moat really and filled that with water too. Elijah offers his sacrifice and Yehovah answers the prayer of His prophet in a most dramatic fashion.

Fire comes down from heaven and consumes the offering. And then as if to put a punctuation on It, it literally burns the remaining water.

But he doesn’t stop there. God consumes the priests of Ba’al with that same fire! This would have been a decidedly good day if you’re God’s prophet. Not so much if you’re a prophet of Ba’al.

Jezebel Enters

Now, queen Jezebel hears of Elijah’s victory, and makes threats. Elijah is like, “Really? I wasn’t even the one who killed them!” He panics and runs away from the queen. He didn’t even stick around long enough to talk to the reporters afterwards, “Congratulations, you just won the Whose God is the Real God Smackdown, what are you going to do next?”

Jezebel, however is not in the least bit intimidated. Of course she was so sure of victory that she didn’t even bother to show off to the competition, so instead she hears the results at the hand of a messenger.

1 Kings 19:1–2 TLV

Then Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, “So let the gods do to me and worse if by this time tomorrow I don’t make your life like the life of one of them.”

We’ve All Been There

You’ve done everything you can to serve God, but it seems like the battle just got worse! You’ve just come off of one of your greatest victories, and you think that should have silenced the voice of the enemy- but no! Sometimes we can relate to Elijah. I mean he has a point – don’t we get a bit of a break between battles? A little R and R?

Today I want to dissect this passage of scripture. Why did this happen to Elijah, and more important for us, why does it happen to us?

Elijah’s problem is one of altitude – he is too low to see the big picture. But Elijah’s problem is also one of attitude – sees himself as a victim. And finally, . Elijah’s problem is one of amplitude – too surrounding noise is too loud for him to hear the voice of God.

Altitude – Getting God’s Perspective

The following is a letter has been passed around from administrator to administrator among colleges and universities. It ran something like this:

Dear Mom and Dad:

I thought I should write before you receive the bill from the hospital so you will not be too alarmed. Let me say first that I did manage to escape with only minor burns and a few fractures when my dormitory burned to the ground last week. And having nowhere to live, I know you will understand why I am rooming with this very attractive and interesting student who so generously offered his quarters to me. While he is not exactly a communist (I’d call him more of a practicing Marxist) and is from one of the more rebellious and underdeveloped nations, I know that you won’t be too bothered about these facts, remembering those perfectly splendid liberal views of yours on politics and human relations. Yet I must face the possibility that it may upset you to hear that by the time I come home for the holidays I will have become a mother.

Love,

Betsy

P.S. None of these things happened. But I did get a D-minus in political science and I flunked math, and I just want you to see those grades in proper perspective!

The War’s Not Over

Winning a victory no matter how big, doesn’t always win the war.

The Japanese during WWII are a great example of this. Late in the war, they were essentially completely defeated- they had no viable way to win.

The more they were faced with defeat the deadlier the became. Despite constant bombing and devastation. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the only way to fully subdue the Japanese was to invade the island itself. It was estimated that such an invasion would cost 1 million lives.

The answer as we all know proved to be horrible. It was the atomic Bomb. Two cities were selected as targets to finally bring Japan to her knees.

Hiroshima, was chosen because of manufacturing. The nuclear strike wiped out 90% of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people. Tens of thousands eventually also died of radiation exposure.

But even something that horrible failed to achieve the surrender of the Japanese?

Jezebel was furious and the loss of her priests didn’t faze her- instead it made her even more boastful.

Elijah’s Perspective

1 Kings 19:3–14 TLV

Frightened, he got up and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, he left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom bush. He prayed that he might die. “It’s too much!” he said. “Now, Adonai, take my life! For I’m no better than my fathers.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom bush. Then behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Get up, and eat.” So he looked, and to his surprise, there by his head was a cake baked on the hot stones and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. Then the angel of Adonai came again a second time, touched him and said. “Get up and eat, because the journey is too much for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and in the strength of that meal forty days and forty nights went to Horeb, the mountain of God. When he arrived there at the cave, he spent the night there. Then behold, the word of Adonai came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” “I have been very zealous for Adonai-Tzva’ot,” he said, “for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and slain Your prophets with the sword—and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it!” Then He said, “Come out and stand on the mount before Adonai.” Behold, Adonai was passing by—a great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and shattering cliffs before Adonai. But Adonai was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but Adonai was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but Adonai was not in the fire. After the fire there was a soft whisper of a voice. As soon as Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then all of a sudden, a voice addressed him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” “I have been very zealous for Adonai-Tzva’ot,” he said, “for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and slain Your prophets with the sword—and I alone am left, and they are seeking to take my life!”

Elijah was terrified! He calls out to God and complains, “I’m just as big of a failure as my fathers. I’ve done everything right and all you’ve said. Nobody else is doing any work. . I’m all alone!”

Elisha’s Problem is one of Altitude. Do you see the Butterfly?

Where’s the Butterfly?

How about now?

Our problem is we believe our own eyes. We make decision based on what we see, the problem isn’t what we see, it’s what we don’t see.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NKJV)

Ecclesiastes 11:5 TLV

Just as you do not know how the spirit passes into the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who makes all things.

Elijah thought he knew the score, but he couldn’t see the seven thousand that God had in reserve.

Pray for the proper altitude (perspective)

It is crucial to realize that YOU AND I DON’T know more than God! We need to let God be God. After all, who was it that defeated the prophets of Ba’al to begin with?

Elijah had a problem with Attitude

He was boastful about what he had done for God… “I did this, I did that and look at how you treat me!”

Psalm 25:9 TLV

He guides the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way.

No matter what we’ve done for God, remember that He has done so much more for you. Who could boast? Jesus could, I mean who gave more than He? But what was His attitude when facing the cross?

Matthew 26:39 TLV

Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me! Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

He is our example!

Philippians 2:5–8 TLV

Have this attitude in yourselves, which also was in Messiah Yeshua, Who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal to God a thing to be grasped. But He emptied Himself— taking on the form of a slave, becoming the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled Himself— becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The Right Attitude is Humility

Our attitude should be one of absolute humility!

Too Many Napoleons

George Bernard Shaw was once asked in what generation he would have preferred to live. The witty Irishman replied: “The age of Napoleon, because then there was only one man who thought he was Napoleon.”

Remember there is only one God and you’re not Him!

The problem of Amplitude

The answer is prayer.

Simply put prayer helps adjust our Altitude (perspective). When we take the time out to ask God to show us things as He sees them, we are able to see the bigger picture, if instead we have a knee-jerk reaction we’re more likely to only see what we see and make a serious mistake.

Likewise prayer can help us get into the right Attitude (humility). It is hard to remain boastful when we come into the presence of a holy God.

Barriers to Right Amplitude

There are some things that keep us from being able to have the right amplitude. For explaining to God that He somehow doesn’t see what you see, or explaining to God that you’ve been so faithful, but life’s not fair!

It seems ludicrous to think that anyone would do that, but aren’t these the very issues that Elijah had?

God’s solution

God sent Elijah away. Lovingly fed him. Put him to sleep,. Got him alone and spoke to him.

But it’s not just that God spoke with him, it’s how God spoke to him that is important.

1 Kings 19:11–12 TLV

Then He said, “Come out and stand on the mount before Adonai.” Behold, Adonai was passing by—a great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and shattering cliffs before Adonai. But Adonai was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but Adonai was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but Adonai was not in the fire. After the fire there was a soft whisper of a voice.

So the answer is to get away, eat a snack, take a nap still yourself so that you may hear God. People tell me I pray but I can’t hear, I pray but nothing changes!

First of all, what are you expecting to change? 1. Do you expect your circumstances to change? Do you expect God to change His mind? The question is, “What are you praying for?”

My Favorite philosopher Soren Kierkegard is quoted as saying:

"The function of prayer is not to change God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays." -- Soren Kierkegaard

The problem these people have is an amplitude problem! TOO LOUD!

I try to speak with these people, but they go on about their problems. . They hardly even stop to breathe much less listen. I often have to interrupt them just to get a word in edgewise.

I have no doubt that their prayer time with God is similar.

Consider what God had to do to get Elijah’s attention.

Where was the voice of God heard?

The antidote to Amplitude is found in the book of Psalms.

Psalm 46:8–11 TLV

Adonai-Tzva’ot is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah Come, see the works of Adonai, who brings devastations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. He burns chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations. I am exalted in the earth.”

Conclusion

The big victory does not always mark the end of the war. Hiroshima needed a second nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki.

The decisive battle of the Civil War was Gettysburg – it was the battle, that made it impossible for confederacy to win was July 3, 1863. Lee did not surrender to the Union until the Spring of 1865!

Jezebel always lashes out before the end. In the midst of victory, we must be ready to fight an enemy with its back to the wall. To do so we must.

Check your altitude (perspective)

Your attitude (humility)

And your Amplitude (Be still and know He is God).

Let’s Pray