1 Kings 17: 2-9 Refined as Gold; The shaping of God's servant / Elijah

A rock from Alaska. Useful. Hold up books.

Could use it as a door stop. To throw at someone.

Seemingly, nothing special.

However, this was taken from an Alaskan gold mine. Likely in amongst the quartz and feldspar is precious gold. All you need to do is refine the rock and extract the gold.

But this is not an easy process.

In OT times it was even harder. this refining process

Crushed to pea size

Ground to powder

Washed

Melted in a closed crucible

Heated extremely

Kept molten for 5 days

Fiercely blow away impurities - risen, form powder,

Result is shiny metal gold.

An if looked upon it reflecting the refiner

Thought: Refining is not punishment of the ore but a necessary process to display the beauty within by extracting the impurities that are tightly intertwined with what is good

Elijah, the light in the darkness, was not immune. After he stood in valiant faith, he now entered into a time of refining. He was to be refined by God. Shaped and molded as a servant of God.

I. Refined: From the hand of God

A. The Lord directs the refining

(ESV) 1 Kings 17 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.

1. From the place of prominence and victory.

2. After the act of faith to face down the king.

3. The direction is from the Lord. It is His desire. It is His plan.

4. The Lord has a plan for Ahab. But He also has a plan for Elijah.

B. Produces more than gold

(ESV) 1 Peter 1 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1. This hard process is precious to God

2. Though it creates grief, the result is worth it

3. The impurities are separated out to leave pure faith

4. The result will be praise/glory/honor

C. Results in spiritual maturity

(ESV) James 1 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

1. The refining produces maturity

2. Faith exerted over time

3. The ability to stand

4. Christlikeness

II. Refined: Through struggles in the inner man

A. The test of humility v 2-3

(ESV) 1 Kings 17 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.

1. being made small

2. A time to be made small so God can be great

a) Definition of Cherith – cut down

3. No glory

a) After a time of greatness

b) No one to see

B. The test of solitude v 4

(ESV) 1 Kings 17 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

1. – no one is there

2. Loneliness

a) No one to help

b) No one to confide in

3. Though difficult it was a time of purpose while remaining under the test

a) Provision of food

b) Protection – Jezebel killing prophets of God (did not now this)

C. The test of daily dependence v 5-6

(ESV) 1 Kings 17 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

1. Required daily faith

a) Each day food provided

b) Water in the midst of a drought

2. Demanded total dependence

a) No way to contribute

3. Accept means God chooses

a) Unclean animals

4. Note: provided for in some ways better under trial than normally lived (meat – food from the kings table)

D. The test of declining blessing v 7

(ESV) 1 Kings 17 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

1. Stream slowly dries up

2. Slow loss of God’s provision

3. Effected by same judgement as on the world

4. Time to wonder about what to do now – is God going to abandon me?

E. The test of delayed direction and provision – What to do now v 8-9

(ESV) 1 Kings 17 8 Then (after days) the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go (go at once) to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”

1. What to do now?

2. At the last possible moment

“After days”

a) Can’t survive but a few days without water

b) THEN

3. Already made next provision (unknown to Elijah)

a) But only there1 Kings