Hidden for God’s Purposes

Welcome

Call to Worship

“The Lord will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;

the fear of the Lord is the key to his treasure” (Isa. 33:6 NIV).

*Praise                #                      “Glorious Things Of Thee Are Spoken”

*Invocation (Lord’s Prayer)        Father God, we gather today and ask for a renewed vision of your Presence, for a resurrected spirit of life in history and beyond. We humbly come to worship seeking you. May we know you so that we may live in your world in joy and peace. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen

*Gloria Patri (Sung together)                                          #575

Psalm for Today                                                        Psalm 25:1-10 NRSV

 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame;

do not let my enemies exult over me.

Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;

let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all day long.

Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Our Offering to God               Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.[1]

*Doxology                                                                                       #572

*Prayer of Dedication         Dearest Lord and Savior, receive these gifts as expressions of our love, trust, and joy in participating with you in the work of the Kingdom. May we forever be obedient in dedicating all that we have—and are—to you.

*Hymn of Prayer               #         “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”

Pastoral Prayer           Eternal Father, we confess that we do not always find life easy. Break in upon us in our worship this hour with the reality of your presence. May the power of your presence be so strong within us that our faith will come alive with meaning, with power and strength, love, hope, and courage.

O God, teach us to hate evil and to love the good, to be willing to take the hard and difficult way when it is your way and not the easy path when it is the popular or softer way.

May we remember the way of the crucified Christ. Give us then courage to take up our crosses and follow him in the war against evil, in the battle of truth over ignorance, justice over inequity, and righteousness over corruption. Help us, O God, to bring light where there is darkness, hope where there is fear, concern where there is apathy, victory where there is defeat, and redemption where there is division.

Guide us to draw upon the strength of your abiding presence, which can enable us to become what you have created us to be. Let us not grow weary then in well-doing. Inspire us with confidence to continue to follow the way of Christ wherever it leads us. For we pray it in his strong name.—William Powell Tuck

*Hymn of Praise          #              “JESUS Shall Reign”

Scripture Text                                                                     1 Kings 17:1-9 TM

        And then this happened: Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab: “As surely as God lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought—not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise.”

     2–4          God then told Elijah, “Get out of here, and fast. Head east and hide out at the Kerith Ravine on the other side of the Jordan River. You can drink fresh water from the brook; I’ve ordered the ravens to feed you.”

     5–6           Elijah obeyed God’s orders. He went and camped in the Kerith canyon on the other side of the Jordan. And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook.

     7–9           Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then God spoke to him: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I’ve instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you.”

Message                                                                     Rev. Irish

Hidden for God’s Purposes

People have always loved following the twists and turns of a well-plotted tale. The Bible is full of attention grabbing stories with heroes and villains, intrigue and murder, scandal as well as self-sacrifice. And Scripture does not whitewash the character flaws of some of the main actors of history. Moses, for example, was a hot-tempered murderer. King David was embar­rassed by a sexual sin involving another man’s wife. Unlike modern soap operas the Bible always keeps these failures in perspective, clearly show­ing the consequences of immorality and offering redemption from sin.

But let’s imagine for a moment that we have uncov­ered an ancient tabloid with a summary of a drama that occurred around the year 860 B.C. Stripped to its essence, the story might read something like this:

        King Ahab continued to claim he is in control of the nation, while conventional wisdom says Queen Jezebel is the real contender for political power. Jezebel and the government-financed priests of Baal and Asherah have lured many Israelites into the sexual depravity of their fertility cult. But in a dramatic showdown at Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven, then led the people in the mass murder of 850 of Jezebel’s priests.  Meanwhile, Ahab sulked over his inability to take control of the vineyard next to his Jezreel palace from its owner, Naboth. After the vine­yard owner was murdered by a local mob, the sovereign Lord appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether the king and queen had con­spired to obstruct justice by killing Naboth and misappropriating his property... Abuse of power. Sex. Greed. Murder. Conspiracy. 

The “special prosecutor” in this tabloid was Elijah. God revealed Ahab and Jezebel’s sin to His prophet, who then pronounced God’s judgment on the wicked king and queen.

When we first encounter Elijah, he simply pops up out of nowhere. All we learn is that he was from Gilead. Elijah simply appears on the scene, pro­claiming God’s word to the king in the royal court.

...King Ahab’s wickedness was compounded by the fact he had married a woman who was even more ruthless than he was. Scripture is more concerned with her role in political affairs and the religious life of the nation than her private conduct.

Another problem plagued Ahab: He was a first-class wimp. Absolutely spineless. Jezebel, who had the superior intellect and greater ambition, did not hesi­tate to fill the power vacuum in the kingdom. She was a shrewd and calculating manipulator, the power behind the throne.

But of even more importance than all these a considerations is the fact that Ahab had married outside the faith. Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon, a Phoenician city-state. (On today's map, Phoenicia would cover roughly the same territory as Lebanon.) Jezebel’s father was not only king of the Sidonians, he was a priest of Asherah, the chief goddess of his people. And Ethbaal had come to the throne by killing his predecessor.

What was Ahab thinking when he married into such an immoral family? Evidently he thought he knew more than his forefathers. Instead of marrying a godly Jewish woman, he entered into a politically motivated union with an idol-worshiping pagan.

Jezebel and Ahab were unequally yoked. She was an intense worshiper of Baal, the supreme god of the Phoenicians. Instead of Ahab converting her, she con­verted him—along with a significant number of people from Israel. Shrines to Baal started popping up across the kingdom.

Ever since God had brought His people out of Egypt and into the promised land, He had told them to destroy all idols and idol worshipers. ////

What does the subject of Baal worship have to do with us today? Isn’t this just ancient history? Although Scripture does contain a lot of historical material, it is not just a history book.  The stories recounted in the Bible are always told for a particular purpose; there is a lesson—a present-day application—inherent in the text.

*More than likely you have built a little shrine in part of your heart. It is a place you have walled off from God, a private place you want to keep strictly to yourself. God wants you to deal with that place. No, God does not want you to pray and fast about it. He does not want you to read books about it. He does not want you to understand how you came to be what you are. //God wants you to exterminate it, whatever it is. // Maybe the Baal in your heart is lust that has not been conquered. Maybe it is a lying spirit that is forever shading the truth. Maybe it is a habit you need to overcome. Maybe it is a relationship that has no place in your life.  //Has God been trying to get your attention? Is He saying, “Deal with that little Baal; destroy that private shrine”? If you do what Israel did—keep on tolerating it, keep on feeding it, keep on flirting with it—it could be your undoing.

These little Baals in our lives are like having a gas leak in the house. The pipe leaks just a little bit every day, and you don’t realize it. Then one day the leak is ignited and a spark sends the entire house up in flames.

This is what happened in Israel. For years Israel flirted with Baal and the worshipers of Baal. And when Jezebel came from Phoenicia, bringing her fertility cult with her, the whole nation of Israel ignited into immorality. // Elijah was given the awesome task of confronting Jezebel and the rampant immorality and idolatry in Israel.  ///

How did God direct His prophet to confront immorality?  Elijah confronted the evil in his society by confronting the nation's leadership. This is an effective strategy, for societies are like fish: They rot from the head down. No home, no business, no organization, no church, no nation will ever rise above its leadership. // Suddenly one day, seemingly out of nowhere, Elijah showed up in the royal palace. He looked King Ahab in the eye and pronounced divine judgment on not only the royal couple but the entire nation: “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be nei­ther dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word”(1 Kings 17:1).  //The reference to dew may puzzle those who have never lived in an arid climate. Everyone understands the association of the absence of rain with drought but the effect of no dew is not as obvious. //In the land of Israel, the ground received about one-fiftieth of one inch of dew every morning. This minute amount of dew coated the grass and the plants; it is what gave the foliage life. Without dew there would be no vegetation, and without vegetation, people and animals would die. So when the man of God said there would be no dew or rain for several years, he was predicting a catastrophic drought.

 Why would God choose drought as a method confronting the nation’s leadership? It was a devastating punishment with an unmistakable spiritual significance.  God sent this message through Elijah to prove that Jehovah, not Baal, is the living God. The Phoenicians believed that Baal was the source of fertility, that Baal was in control of the forces of nature, and that sacrifice and offerings to Baal would guarantee an abundance of crops and livestock. Elijah’s prophecy indicated that God, not Baal, is sovereign over all of creation.

Can you picture Elijah taking this message to the leadership? King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, the members of the court, and the priests of Baal imported from Phoenicia are all gathered in the royal palace. Elijah walks in and makes this startling pronouncement:

“There will be no rain or dew in Israel until I say so.”

Within a short period of time, they put out an all-points bul­letin and launched a nationwide search for the med­dlesome prophet, but they could not find him.

Yet notice what the Lord had told Elijah immediately after the prophet delivered His message. God said some­thing very curious. In verse 1 Elijah delivers his message, and in verse 2 God said to him, “Turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan.”

God had sent Elijah into hiding!

Ahab’s network of investigators could not find Elijah because when God hides you, you remain hidden. When God protects you, you are divinely protected. You do not have to be afraid when you are in God’s protection program!

Why would God give Elijah a message to preach and then send him into hiding? It does not seem logical. But there is a reason: God’s hiding place is always a place of preparation and provision.

It may sound puzzling to us, and Elijah was no doubt confounded with this word from the Lord. Yet as soon as he had delivered God’s message, God gave him a new instruction: “Leave this place and hide in the Kerith Ravine.”

Let’s look at several biblical examples of being hidden for God’s purposes.     Joseph had received a vision from God, but made the mistake of bragging about it to his brothers. Deciding Joseph deserved a comeuppance, they roughed him up and threw him in a pit. Immediately, Joseph went from being the favorite son of his father’s to being hidden in a hole. When a caravan of traders passed by, his brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Now Joseph was hidden in a foreign country working as a steward for Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. When Potiphar’s wife initiated a campaign of seduction, Joseph repeatedly refused her. She took revenge by accusing Joseph of rape, and landed him in prison./////

I imagine Joseph was asking the question, “If God is in control, why is my life such a mess?” He had gone from the pit to Potiphar’s house to prison. He remained hidden away for thirteen years.

Yet God was with Joseph. He kept coming out on top. When he eventually came to Pharaoh’s attention, Joseph received the ultimate promotion, becoming the prime minister of Egypt. But God had to hide him—and prepare him—before he was ready for that assignment. In those hiding places God was work­ing out His purpose for Joseph’s life.

Joseph and Elijah were not the only two God sent into hiding as part of His sovereign plan. Moses went from the luxury of Pharaoh’s palace to a desolate wilderness. God had to hide him before be was ready to lead an entire nation out of slavery and into the promised land.

Esther, a Jewish captive in Persia, was hidden from view in the king’s palace. No one knew her true iden­tity until she responded to God’s call in a moment of crisis. Why did she remain in hiding for those years? Because God had a plan and a purpose. At the right time He was going to help Esther save her people.

Our Lord Himself was hidden in Nazareth for thirty years until He was fully prepared for His mis­sion. Then the moment finally came when the Father said, “Go now and declare Yourself publicly.”

Paul, after his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, went to northern Arabia to hide for nearly three years. It was a time of prepara­tion. When Paul was ready, God brought him out of hiding and launched a ministry that quite literally turned the world upside down.///

Is there a word for you from the Lord in this. //

/As you know from last week, Michael believed at an early age that God had called him to a worldwide ministry based in the United States. But he did not go directly from his native country, Egypt, to the U.S. He first went to Lebanon and then to Australia, where he received his training for the ministry. Australia was his place of preparation, and in many ways it was God’s hiding place for him.

Actually, this hiding place turned out to be one of the most wonderful experiences of his life. He received an excellent education, made lifelong friends, obtained valuable ministry experience, and—most important of all-—he met and married his wife and partner, Elizabeth. Elizabeth was not only lovely, she was an intelligent, gracious, and godly woman, and he soon learned that God can surprise you with incredible blessings while you are hidden away for His purposes.

Yet Australia was a frustrating place for him as far as his ministry was concerned. No matter how much he enjoyed his work there, he had a gnawing sense— almost a compulsion—that God had something special for him to do, and that he would enter into that special work only after he went to America. So the years he in Australia were both delightful and difficult.

God wants every on us, like Elijah, to have a personal Kerith in our lives, because only there will He work out His purpose in us.

At Kerith, God works both inwardly and outwardly. He works outwardly because He has us isolated with no one else to understand the puzzling frustration of being hidden. Picture Elijah at the bottom Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. It is a lonely place. The region is quite desolate—nothing but rocks, a few trees, and the bubbling water of a small brook.

Do not underestimate the importance of these surroundings, however. God was working outwardly through them. As Elijah looked at the rocks, he learned about the Rock of his salvation. When he saw the trees he remembered the words of the psalmist that the tree planted by the water will always flourish. As he studied the bubbling brook, he discovered that out of his inmost being could flow rivers of living water.

Something also happened inwardly while God was hiding Elijah. In verse 1, he is introduced simply as the Tishbite; but when God brings him out of Kerith into Zarephath to minister to a Baal-worshiping, Gentile widow, she calls him a “man of God” (1 Kings 17:24).////

The process of God’s inward working is like peeling an onion. You peel off one layer and the tears flow. Peel off another layer and more tears fall. God will keep peeling off one layer after another because He wants to get down to the real you.

Are you crying and trying to hold on to these layers? Don’t! / He is not interested in your perception of who you are. He does not care about the public you. God wants to reveal the real you.  As He strips away the layers, God is working out His purposes for your life. He is putting you through a meltdown, so He can put you into circulation. That’s what God was doing with Elijah at Kerith. It was only after Kerith that he could move from being Elijah the Tishbite to being Elijah the man of God.

God’s hiding places are not only places of preparation for service, they are places of provision.

When God sent Elijah into hiding, He had the most unusual resources standing by to meet Elijah’s needs.

From Scripture, we see that part of this provision was natural and part was supernatural.

At Kerith, God said to Elijah, “Drink from the brook.” God had sent him to a place that would (by its nature) protect him from the drought. The brook was God‘s natural provision for Elijah.

But there was also supernatural provisions for Elijah. God told him, “I have ordered the ravens to feed you” (1 Kings 17:4). Ravens have an enormous appetite- that’s where we get our word ravenous. These birds eat everything in sight and then some. They are known to starve their young to feed themselves. Yet God used these vultures to bring bread and meat in the mornings and bread and meat at night. Talk about supernatural!

When you are in God’s witness protection program, God can make even the “vultures” in your life - the most mean and godless people—be kind  and minister to your needs.

“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging breads’ (Ps. 37:25). Are you hidden away for God’s purposes? Trust Him to meet your needs. Jehovah-Jireh will provide.

And He will provide an exit from your place, at His appointed time.

When it is time, when you are ready, God will bring you out of hiding. And the circumstances may seem as perplexing as those that sent you there.

In Elijah’s case, he eventually became a victim of own success. Scripture says, “Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land” (1 Kings 17:7). The drought Elijah prophesied come to pass, and the brook dried up. Now Elijah was suffering with the rest of the nation.  Have you ever suffered because of your faithfulness

to God? Have you ever taken a stand on a difficult issue and had everyone get angry at you?

But something I have learned is that most brooks dry up at some point. And when that happens, God says, “Don’t worry, because I am planning to do greater and better things.” Dry brooks do not faze God. He always has a plan!

I challenge you to be willing to go to Kerith and let God work out His purposes for your life. And when your brook dries up, don’t panic. He will send you to another place of provision. At the time it seems as if your life is really a mess, but be assured that God is working behind the scenes, according to His plan and His timetable.

*Hymn of Response             #      “Lead On, O King Eternal”

*Sending forth  

*Postlude

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[1]The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Heb 13:16). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.