God's Schoolhouse in the Wilderness

Introduction

Synopsis

The imagery of breath is often used to convey spiritual essence and power, unseen except in its effects, including aspects of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. The main Hebrew and Greek words translated as “breath” in the NIV are also translated as “spirit” and “wind”.

The breath of God

Life imparted by God

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(ESV) — 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

(ESV) — 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

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(ESV) — 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

(ESV) — 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.

(ESV) — 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Trials, God’s Help in

In 1895, Andrew Murray was in England suffering from a terribly painful back, the result of an injury he had incurred years before. One morning while he was eating breakfast in his room, his hostess told him of a woman downstairs who was in great trouble and wanted to know if he had any advice for her. Andrew Murray handed her a paper he had been writing on and said, “Give her this advice I’m writing down for myself. It may be that she’ll find it helpful.” This is what was written:

In time of trouble, say, “First, he brought me here. It is by his will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest.” Next, “He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child.” Then say, “He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow.” And last, say, “In his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows.” Therefore, say “I am here (1) by God’s appointment, (2) in his keeping, (3) under his training, (4) for his time.”

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Trials, God’s Help in

In 1895, Andrew Murray was in England suffering from a terribly painful back, the result of an injury he had incurred years before. One morning while he was eating breakfast in his room, his hostess told him of a woman downstairs who was in great trouble and wanted to know if he had any advice for her. Andrew Murray handed her a paper he had been writing on and said, “Give her this advice I’m writing down for myself. It may be that she’ll find it helpful.” This is what was written:

In time of trouble, say, “First, he brought me here. It is by his will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest.” Next, “He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child.” Then say, “He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow.” And last, say, “In his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows.” Therefore, say “I am here (1) by God’s appointment, (2) in his keeping, (3) under his training, (4) for his time.”

(ESV) — 22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.

(ESV) — 3 as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

(ESV) — 4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

(ESV) — 30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

(ESV) — 5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:

(ESV) — 16 For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made.

(ESV) — 16 Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”

(ESV) — 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

(ESV) — 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

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When we think of Elijah the prophet we think of his confrontation with the 850 false prophets on Mt. Carmel. We remember how God’s power was demonstrated through Elijah’s prayer.

(ESV) — 14 If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, 15 all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.

(ESV) — 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

(ESV) — 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass.

1 Kings 18:37–38 ESV

Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then 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 breath of God

An emblem of the Holy Spirit

1 Kings 18:37-38

(ESV) — 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

(ESV) — 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

What we fail to realize is how God prepared Elijah for this supernatural event. Elijah spent 3 years in God’s training camp getting him prepared for God to use him.

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(ESV) — 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

We have a desire for God to use us in such a powerful supernatural way, yet often we are unwilling to first go into God’s training camp of preparation. Folks, if God is to use us in a mighty way, we must first go through His schoolhouse to learn the valuable lesson of faith and obedience, so that we fully and completely trust Him to accomplish his purpose and plan through us.

(ESV) — 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

Over the next three weeks we are going into God’s Training Camp. This morning we will observe God’s Schoolhouse in the Wilderness.

A. Elijah’s Difficult Task (17:1)

Elijah the prophet comes out of nowhere to suddenly announce to King Ahab God’s message. What a difficult task this must have been for him. He took a great risk in order to be obedient to God.

1. Elijah’s Person

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 17–18

Whenever the nation fell into sin and idolatry, God sent prophets to call it back to the true faith. The prophet was not simply a “foreteller”; he was also a “forth-teller” who announced God’s judgment and exposed the sins of the people. Such a prophet was Elijah the Tishbite (native of the town Tishbeh), a “man subject to like passions as we are” (James 5:17), yet a man with great courage and faith.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 17–18

Whenever the nation fell into sin and idolatry, God sent prophets to call it back to the true faith. The prophet was not simply a “foreteller”; he was also a “forth-teller” who announced God’s judgment and exposed the sins of the people. Such a prophet was Elijah the Tishbite (native of the town Tishbeh), a “man subject to like passions as we are” (James 5:17), yet a man with great courage and faith. In these two chapters we see Elijah obeying two commandments from the Lord: “Go hide yourself,” and “Go show yourself.”

2. Elijah’s Profession

Elijah’s profession was two-fold:

“As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives”

“Before whom I stand”

What more did he need to say? Every message Elijah preached highlighted these truths.

3. Elijah’s Prediction

God was fed up with His people worshipping Baal, the God of rain. So, He sent Elijah to prophecy a nation-wide drought which would last until Elijah said it would end.

This prophecy would be a direct test between God and Baal.

Richard Blackaby, Living Out of the Overflow

God’s people can be certain of this; God is the avowed enemy of their idols. He is a jealous God (ex. 20:5; ). He despises anything in your life that takes His place. He will tolerate no rival to His rightful position as Lord.

B. Elijah’s Difficult Training (17:2-7)

What was Elijah’s reward for faithfully preaching God’s message? God sent him into the wilderness! Isn’t that a little odd, a little unfair? Our human nature says, “That is wrong, God is unfair.” However, God’s ways are not our ways, His plans are not our plans. What was God up to by sending Elijah into the wilderness?

1. The Pronouncement to the Wilderness (17:2-4)

God spoke to Elijah immediately after he obeyed.

a. God said leave (17:2-3)

This seems to be an odd command. God sent Elijah to the wilderness to protect him and provide for him.

b. God said cleave (17:4)

Elijah must respond in faith because God sent him to a wadi which is a brook that only has water in it when it rains. Elijah just declared a drought was coming. However, his faith knew that God would take care of him. God miraculously cared for his prophet.

Richard Blackaby: This sequence of events makes no sense to us. We assume that when people obey God’s commands, He will reward them. When people faithfully carry out God’s instructions, their life becomes better, not worse. Elijah did everything correctly and the result was that he became the nation’s foremost fugitive. Even though Elijah was in the center of God’s will, his life became more difficulty.

2. The Proceeding to the Wilderness (17:5-6)

Elijah completely obeyed God’s instructions. He stayed in the wilderness for some time.

a. The deliberate obedience to God (17:5)

Elijah did not question God’s command, he deliberately obeyed Him. Faith in God’s Word and obedience to Him are the keys to victory in one’s life. Victory always comes with a test from God.

b. The daily supply from God (17:6)

God takes care of us during the testing period as we act in faith and obedience.

Isaiah 41:10 ESV

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Philippians 4:19 ESV

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

3. The Point of the Wilderness (17:7)

3. The Point of the Wilderness (17:7)

The brook dried up because of the drought. God was not punishing Elijah for anything, rather He simply was going to move him to another place to teach him greater things about Himself.

Holman Bible Commentary: The wilderness was a place of total dependency upon God, and the Lord miraculously protected and provided for Elijah daily. In the midst of the drought, God proved that He was the God of the God of nature, not Baal. This was crucial training for the later event at Mt. Carmel. Elijah was learning the absolute reliability of the Lord.

Conclusion

(ESV) — 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

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Richard Blackaby: When this transition occurs, sincere servants of God often experience anguish of soul as they ponder how they arrived as such a grim place. Did they make a mistake? Did they mishandle a situation? Are they failures as leaders? Should they have acted differently? Is God punishing them? We tend to assume that if we find ourselves in a wilderness, we must have done something wrong. God’s servants often struggle in the wilderness.

When experiencing a wilderness we must remember that God put us here for a purpose. He is training us for greater things to come. His wilderness schoolhouse is tough, but as we learn more of God we become stronger in our faith so we can obey more easily God’s future instructions. In the wilderness, we are no longer distracted with doing, we can focus on being. Remember, God sent Jesus into the wilderness, and He went their in preparation for the cross.

(ESV) — 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Trials, God’s Help in

In 1895, Andrew Murray was in England suffering from a terribly painful back, the result of an injury he had incurred years before. One morning while he was eating breakfast in his room, his hostess told him of a woman downstairs who was in great trouble and wanted to know if he had any advice for her. Andrew Murray handed her a paper he had been writing on and said, “Give her this advice I’m writing down for myself. It may be that she’ll find it helpful.” This is what was written:

In time of trouble, say, “First, he brought me here. It is by his will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest.” Next, “He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child.” Then say, “He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow.” And last, say, “In his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows.” Therefore, say “I am here (1) by God’s appointment, (2) in his keeping, (3) under his training, (4) for his time.”

(ESV) — 13 By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

(ESV) — 4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

God’s enlightening breath

(ESV) — 8 But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.

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(ESV) — 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

(ESV) — 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

(ESV) — 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

(ESV) — 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

God’s regenerating breath

(ESV) — 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

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(ESV) — 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

(ESV) — 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

(ESV) — 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

God’s empowering breath

(ESV) — 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

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(ESV) — 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

(ESV) — 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

(ESV) — 28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

(ESV) — 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

(ESV) — 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

God’s destroying breath

(ESV) — 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

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(ESV) — 10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

(ESV) — 16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

(ESV) — 9 By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.

(ESV) — 30 he will not depart from darkness; the flame will dry up his shoots, and by the breath of his mouth he will depart.

(ESV) — 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

(ESV) — 28 his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.

(ESV) — 33 For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.

(ESV) — 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

(ESV) — 19 So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.

(ESV) — 31 And I will pour out my indignation upon you; I will blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and I will deliver you into the hands of brutish men, skillful to destroy.