This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Life of Elijah” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, July 3, 1988.
About this sermon
Elijah’s glory and his diminishment sit side by side in this passage, commissioned to anoint kings even as his own ministry visibly contracts. John the Baptist will later walk the same path, decreasing so that another might increase. Elijah’s and Elisha’s ministries both prove genuinely useful precisely in that diminishment, not despite it.
Sermon transcript
This is 1 Kings 19, we are beginning with verse 9. Then Elijah came there to a cave, and he lodged there, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts.
For the sons of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, torn down thine altars and killed thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left. And they seek my life to take it away. So he said, Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord and behold, the Lord was passing by. And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord.
But the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, a sound of a gentle blowing, or the still small voice. or the triumphant voice of the Lord.
And it came about when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and he went out and he stood in the entrance of the cave, and behold, a voice came to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah? Then he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the sons of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, torn down thine altars, and killed thy prophets with the sword, and I alone am left. And they seek my life to take it away.” And the Lord said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus.
And when you have arrived, you shall anoint Haziel king over Syria. And Jehu, the son of Nimshin, you shall anoint king over Israel. And Elisha, the son of Shethath, of Abel-Mehalah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place. And it shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Haziel, Jehu shall put to death.
And the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha, shall be put to death, yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” So he departed from there and found Elisha, the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelve.
And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, Please let me kiss my father and my mother. Then I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back again, for what have I done to you? So he returned from following him and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him. Very briefly.
This day, our father, your word has gone forth for your people throughout the earth. And our father, we know of your promises concerning your word. We know of your intention with regard to the harvest, and we rejoice that you have, in keeping with the prayers of your people, raised up laborers for the harvest. May it please you, Father, to cause us to delight in that labor that is rendered unto you, and may we even see that labor is something in which we participate. May we thank you, our God, for the part we play, in this the harvest effected by your word. We thank you too, our Father, that we have been the recipients of that word, and may we remain such as this evening we hear the word declared to us, it coming to us for that for which you have intended it, namely that we might be built up in our doctrine that we might be reproved, corrected, that we might be instructed in righteousness. We pray these things through the One who is the Living Word, Jesus Christ the Righteous. Amen.
Elijah is a figure in scripture in whom we can see both glory and increase of glory unto glory and simultaneously a diminishment a dimming The glory that we observe in this prophet of God is extraordinary. And we realize, do we not, just how much Elijah stands out in the history of God’s dealings with his people. He is an extraordinary figure, one in whom the glory of which we have spoken is uniquely observed. That glory is in relationship to the word of God.
Elijah is the bearer, the bearer of the word of the Lord. But so tightly is Elijah bound to this word which he bears, that he actually becomes indistinguishable from it, at least that is how it seems. You may recall how the story of Elijah began in the 17th chapter of 1 Kings. The first verse there of that chapter, Elijah is introduced to us as the Tishbite, the one who was from the settlers of Gilead in the Transjordan, living across the Jordan from the land of promise.
This one approaches Ahab. He says to him, as the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except by my word. Elijah, in his office as prophet, does not hesitate to identify his word with the Lord’s word. They are one and the same.
So, the glory of Elijah the prophet is perceived in this, the proximity of the word to the prophet, and how tightly this bearer of the word is bound to the word. Truly, is there any as great as Elijah? Well, we may say, Moses, but here in the days of the kingdom, in the days of the kingdom, after the settlement of the people of God in the land of promise, is there any as great as Elijah? Is there any in whom we perceive better the glory of God? As a matter of fact, as we move from that 17th chapter into the 18th, on to the nineteen, it seems apparent, does it not, that there is no one who approximates Elijah in significance in glory.
For it is through him that the Lord is pleased to bring into clear focus his purposes and his intentions, to spell out for us the plan and purpose of our God. These will be unveiled, as it were, brought before our eyes through the medium of this individual Elijah. You have the judgment that comes upon the prophets of Baal, and in that you are to perceive the day of the Lord, the execution of God’s And after that, the feast that takes place on Mount Carmel, at which Ahab, even Ahab the king, is seated. And then the deluge comes, the rain, the rain of blessing, as showers now end the drought, and the word of deliverance is brought to the city of Jezreel, as if the day of God’s visitation has arrived, not only with judgment, as it was reviewed for us in the execution of the prophets of Baal, but also as it comes in deliverance and redemption for the people of God. So the glory, the glory of God’s intention, the glory of God’s purpose, the glory of God’s person is revealed unto us in this extraordinary individual, Elijah. No one better presents us with that glory.
Well, as good as Elijah seems, as wonderful as he is, yet he is one in whom also diminishment, a diminutive, is perceived. Even a failure, if you will. Elijah the best stumbles. Elijah. the chief of Israel’s glory, that one in whom God’s glory is most wonderfully perceived, he stumbles and falls. The threat has gone out from Jezebel. Before that threat, he flees. He flees for his life. And in his flight, he confesses, I am no better than my father. The best that Israel has to offer, in the end, proves no better. than the father.
There is a slight. As we move through this nineteenth chapter, we look at the fourth verse. There is his confession, and then there is his confusion. As we come to the Mount Mount Horrible in the Sinai Desert, a return to the Mount of God where, in fact, the commandments were given here. Elijah appears and here is confusion. is revealed. How can God fulfill his purpose? That, in effect, is Elijah’s response to the quarry of the Lord. What are you doing here? Elijah asks the Lord. Elijah says, Well, I’ve been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts.
The sons of Israel have forsaken my covenant, torn down thine orders, killed thy prophets with the sword I alone and left. They seek my life to take it away. What hope is there? All that is left is absolute despair. God’s purposes have failed. God’s purposes have failed.
So this one who appears to understand so well, this one through whom God is revealing his purpose and intention, he ends up as one utterly confused. And then we go through the theophany that takes place. First the wind, then the earthquake, then the fire, and then comes on the uncomfortable manifestation of the magnificence of God in His Word.
That’s what’s revealed to Elijah in the still, small voice. There is debate, as we pointed out, as to what is being referred to here in verse 12. Is it the sound of a gentle blowing, as the New American Standard has it? The still small voice, as the King James says, or is it the tumultuous, triumphant voice of the Lord, as some like Meredith Klein have suggested? But regardless of how you exegete it, how you interpret it, what is at the heart of it is the Word of God, be it the still small voice or the tumultuous voice of God. It is the Word of God, and that is what passes Truly, before Elijah, manifesting then the magnificence of God. Glory to be sure, diminishment and dimming even failure as well. To what end? To what end?
Well, it becomes apparent to us when we compare this one Elijah, this great one Elijah, with his counterpart in the New Testament. And who is that counterpart? Well, we all know who the New Testament Elijah is. He is John the Baptist, of course. And what glory appears in him? What do we hear? Well, so glorious is he that he is actually confused with the Messiah. This one, John the Baptist, must be the one for whom we have waited. So magnificently does he appear. We have that testimony. Luke, in the account in the third chapter, verse fifteen. who gathered on the shores of the Jordan River, thought, believed, that this one was no less than the anointed of God, the expected one.
John the Baptist himself acknowledges this confusion about his person. He says, I am not the Christ, obviously, responding to those who thought he was. I am not the Christ, he tells. John chapter 1 verse 20, he tells his own disciples that. I told you, he says, I am not the Christ. John 3 verse 28. And how is he acknowledged? How is he assessed by Jesus? Why, Jesus says, there is no one born of women who is greater than John. Matthew 11, verse 11.
The glory of this person, John the Baptist, a corollary for us in understanding the glory that we perceive in Elijah. But not just the glory for Elijah, also the diminishment, the dinner, and even the failure. Do you recall the account of John the Baptist failing? Do you remember how John in prison is shaken by the events that are taking place, and how, when he looks at the ministry of Jesus, he is confused, bewildered. John came as that one, fully expecting the visitation of God in all of its fury. Certainly, the delay is over. Certainly, the kingdom and all of its might And grandeur is calm.
But when he looks at the ministry of Jesus, what does he see? He sees one going about with words, words of ministry and healing and words that suggest that there is a delay in God’s program here. First, a word of grace. so that the gospel itself may be heard, that before the visitation of God in his fury. So here is John the Baptist in prison, having expected the unleashing of God’s justice, and he sends word by his disciples to Jesus, Matthew 11 again, and he says, Or are we to look for somebody else? This one so great, this one so magnificent, one in whom we can perceive glory, confused.
And of course there is also John’s own confession. A confession which places him in an appropriate position. Jesus comes to him at the Jordan. And John’s confession there is, oh no, oh no. No, I should not be baptizing you. Rather, you should be baptizing me. an acknowledgment of his own subordination, but more than that, an acknowledgment of his own sinfulness, for John here is confessing that he is in need of baptism. And what does John say himself in the third chapter of John, the thirtieth verse? He must increase, but I must decrease. Yes, the glory, but also the diminishment, the dimming, and even the failure in this city.
As it was for Elijah, so it is for John the Baptist. Elijah and John the Baptist are servants of God in whom we can perceive the ultimate glory of our Lord. More specifically, Elijah and John the Baptist are servants of our God, in whom we can perceive the coming of the glory of God. even the coming of God’s glory in Jesus Christ. But while we say that, we at the same time say, neither of these two are in fact that glory. Neither of these two are in fact of Christ. It’s obvious to us. It’s obvious to us.
But this becomes apparent to us as well as we work our way through these latter verses of 1 Kings 19. For in these verses we will see the dual roles at work in the ministry of Elijah himself. that preparatory for the day of Christ, that preparatory for the ministry of Elijah and the ministry of Christ himself. Let’s look at 1 Kings 19, 15 through 18 first of all, and let’s understand it first of all in terms of the glory and then in terms of the diminishment. The glory of our God, the glory of his Christ, is perceived in Elijah and in the role he plays in these verses. For you see, it is in Elijah that we see one who inaugurates a new age. a new age comes. And as this one is that one seemingly through whom we see the new age dawning, there is a movement from him to these other figures mentioned here that is a movement from the greater to the less so that in these verses we are able to see something of the coming glory of Jesus Christ himself, that one through whom shall be inaugurated the new age. Elijah then is not just forward, he is one who anticipates. in whom we can see the pattern of the Christ.
This age, as it is spelled out for us in the particulars of these verses, is one that is inaugurated essentially from beyond the borders of Israel itself. Notice the region to which Elijah is directed, the wilderness of Damascus, outside the territory of Israel. It shall be from beyond those territories that the age shall in fact visit and prude upon Israel itself.
Just as the Messiah shall come from without, so here the pattern and form of the new age comes from without. Jesus is that one who comes from without in the ultimate sense. He comes from heaven, from outside of the territorial boundaries of Israel. He improves into that land, and his coming means then a visitation of God and the commencement of the new age.
The age then is inaugurated essentially coming from beyond the borders, the boundaries of Israel. And when that new age comes, notice its focus. Oh yes, Israel escaped the edge of the sword when the prophets of Baal were executed. But no, as the picture of judgment is spelled out here even further for us, Israel herself shall not be spared at all, for that sword shall execute judgment through those who are anointed of God to do just that.
We hear a lot about New Age philosophy, New Age music, the New Age movement. The New Age movement, the New Age philosophy is one that is completely devoid of the sword. If you hear, if you hear the philosophy expounded, if you tune in to Shirley MacLaine or read one of her books, the New Age is one the void of judgment. Oh no, oh no. Read it for yourself.
You will anoint, says the Lord, Haziel, king over Syria. Jehu, king over Israel. Elisha, prophet in Israel. The one who escapes the sword of Haziel will not escape the sword of Jehu, and if they do, they shall not be spared the sword of Elisha. Judgment is coming, and you can be certain of that. It may well be delayed, but it is coming nonetheless.
But not just judgment, for you see in the 18th verse that it promised as well in this new age is the perfection of God’s redemptive purpose. 7,000 is the number of perfection. It’s not meant as an exact number. It’s meant as a representative figure of the perfect number of God’s redeemed, His elect. Those, in fact, who have not compromised themselves with the God of this world. There. In the language of the book of Revelation, those who do not bear the mark of the beast. Judgment comes, redemption is well perfected. The New Age inaugurated the glory that is manifest, as we see it mediated in this person of Elijah.
But the diminishment there too. how Elijah himself must give way. For Elijah, you see, is the anointer in this passage. And he is the anointer of those whose services themselves anticipate Christ. For it is Haziel and Jehu and Elisha who also speak to us of Christ’s ministry in the coming new age.
So while there is in one sense a movement in this passage from the greater to the lesser, Elijah to those upon whom he places as it were the spirit, there is as well a movement from the lesser, Elijah to the greater, those who execute the purpose and intention of God. Glory and diminishment simultaneously. So in this respect, Elijah is not so much the one who anticipates Christ, in whom we can see the Christ, but he becomes perfectly, wonderfully, the forerunner of the Christ. The forerunner, going before the inauguration of the age, coming at his heels.
Christ’s administration of judgment and salvation then is realized by those who stand beyond the Elijah. Glory, greatness, yet even a lack thereof in relationship to that which is coming. All right, well that’s verses 15 through 18. What about verses 19 through 21? The glory, again, the glory of Elijah in these passages. Do you see it?
Elijah is the one who makes disciples. Elijah is the one who disciples Elisha. And here, once more, the movement is from the greater to the lesser. The master is always greater than the disciple. So in this respect, Elijah once more anticipates the Christ. He is one in whom we can see the Christ, in whom we can see the ministry of the Christ.
Elijah in this respect, then, is a disciple. unto the one who is greater, for the sake of whom he is called to forsake all, the one to whom he is bound as servant. So then Elisha arose and followed Elijah and ministered to serve him.” And here we are also compelled to see the beginning, the tailing of Elisha. As we look at the figure of Elisha, for the act of commitment by Elisha in these latter verses, the act of commitment is so extraordinary that in it we perceive a devotion that even exceeds the devotion of Elijah.
Remember Elijah’s confusion? Remember what we have said, that there may well be a bit of Baalism still living in the heart of Elijah? The fact that Elijah cannot disassociate his hope with regard to the future with that land. with those specific people of Israel.
He cannot conceive of the fulfillment of God’s purpose apart from the territorial, provincial boundaries of the land of promise. And because of that, he is utterly confused by what is going on. In the end, he doesn’t realize that the inheritance is not the land, it’s God.
And that’s all God has been trying to teach his people all along. But notice what is worked out in Elisha and the act of devotion that we observe in him. Here is one incomparably blessed. What’s the purpose of the twelve Yotavahs? It’s the fullness of all the prosperity that Israel could in fact expect from God as a nation in this world. Elisha is a rich man. He is rich in the blessings that the land affords, that the land gives. And you dare not associate these riches from the promises that were given by God to the people of Israel. But what does Elisha do?
He gives it all up! He gives it all up! He turns his back on that prosperity. He sacrifices that yoke of oxen, those oxen that he plowed with. He forsakes his father’s throne. He turns his back, as it were, on the inheritance. In the land. In this world. And he gives himself over to the purpose of God.
And in this he said, Elisha out distances Elijah. And in this instance, it is no longer Elijah who is the greater, it is Elisha. And Elijah must give way to him. Here then, Elisha anticipates the Christ, and Elijah is unto him. For Elisha will mean the fulfillment of that ministry, of which Elijah was the forerunner. Elisha becomes Elijah’s Christ. Well, that’s the analysis. That’s the analysis. Of what use is it? Good question, you say. What does it all mean?
Now to begin with, this analysis of Elijah and Elisha helps us to understand the unique significance of the ministry of these two Old Testament graves. Their ministry The times in which they serve uniquely portray and anticipate the days of the gospel, the coming of those events in which God’s purposes will be worked out so magnificently, so wonderfully.
Now some have remarked that the times of Elijah and Elisha are filled full of miracles. And that uniquely, there were other times when miracles were obvious and evident in the world. But miracle working in God’s perspective is not some sort of perpetual ongoing type of phenomenon. There are actually three periods of miracle working in the history of salvation. The first is when the Exodus occurred. The second is here in the times of Elijah and Elisha, and the third is in the days of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. To what end? That we might get hung up on miracles? No! That we might expect them as part of our ordinary daily course? No!
In order that we might understand that God is at work, He’s doing something that He’s never done before. And those miracles confirmed then the presence of God to act afresh and to know. To spell out something significant for us, as it was in the Exodus, so now in these days in the life of the nation of Israel, God is making clear his purpose and intention. Yes, judgment will come, deliverance also. There will be a forerunner. and there will be a consummation in the one two hundredth century. That’s one of the usefulness, one of the uses of this analysis for us. There is another.
This analysis, if you hung with me this far, is of extreme importance and of great benefit in building up your confidence that the record of God’s dealings with his people and with the world as a whole is correct. It’s not just a matter of citing simple passages from the prophets like Isaiah 53 and say, Jesus in his coming fulfilled this prophecy to achieve. So therefore, I know that the interpretation, I know, I know that the analysis that we have given as Christians to the Old Testament is correct. No, no, you see, even a passage like this confirms your faith, that the record as a whole is correct. In fact, the pattern we observe here fits so well the development of the whole, that we not only gain confidence that the gospel is correct, but that no other interpretation of things is possible. No other interpretation is possible, for this passage in the end serves the pattern that you observe in the gospel. And in reading this, your faith in the gospel is confirmed.
It cannot be otherwise. It is impossible. If you then have eyes to see, because you are reborn, Chris, you know the things of which I am speaking. are true. And that truth is not established on isolated texts or just an appeal to the New Testament. It is the appeal to the whole. There is simply no other way to understand things than that which fits the perfect pattern of the gospel. And you perceive that pattern here. Here. In 1 Kings 19. 900 years before the birth of Christ. God was preparing his people for what he was going to do. Well, there’s one use of this text.
You see, Elisha comes off very well as the epitome of the disciple. So perfect is he in his discipleship, we would judge, that his submission to the purpose and intention of God truly reflects Christ. even Elisha must be Christ. For if Elijah is not the Christ, neither is Elisha. When the Christ comes, there will dawn in him a day which exceeds the provincial boundaries of the judgment that is articulated in the times of Elijah and Elisha. They will appear more than a local redemption for a particular people that lives in the corner of the Mediterranean world in the first century. For the dimensions will be universal and cosmical.
But as that is brought into full view, also brought into full view, is a greater discipleship, a discipleship that is even more urgent than that discipleship that we see played out in the person of Elisha. What does Elisha say when the mantle is thrown upon him by Christ? He says, let me first go and kiss my father and my mother and take care of these things at home. What does Jesus say when the would-be disciple comes up
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