The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Kings 18:17,
"When he [King Ahab] saw Elijah, he said to him, 'Is that you, you troubler of Israel?'"
Elijah was on King Ahab's list as a "troubler of Israel." As God's prophet, Elijah had pronounced a drought on Israel the Lord brought due to the idolatry Israel had adopted from her neighbors. In 1 Kings 17:1 we read, "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, '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.'"
This earned Elijah the title of "troubler of Israel" from the king. Elijah, however, was only pronouncing what the Lord had asked him, and it was the Lord himself who had brought the drought. Elijah was just the messenger. The real "troubler of Israel" was the Lord himself.
The trouble Ahab had was he wanted Israel to prosper and do well in the context of what he thought appropriate and right for his kingdom. However, the Lord was not having any of it. The Lord had his own plans for Israel, as his intentions were to utilize his covenanted people to pursue his redemption of mankind. Idolatry did not fit into the Lord's plans for his roll out of redemption and so he brought pressure to bear against his people to eventuate the fulfillment of his plans.
The reality is that God is the great "troubler" of our lives. He has his agenda and we have ours. God is busy building his kingdom, but we are busy building our own. He wants to bring souls into his kingdom, the souls of all those who will embrace him in faith, but we want to bring peace and prosperity into our own existence here in this life "under the sun". And, we simply want to be left alone.
We live our lives here estranged from the Lord, in rebellion with our own twisted view of reality. The Lord intervenes to aid us in finding him - he draws us to himself by placing our lives in the felt need of a refuge, in the felt need of rescue from difficulty and at times, despair. Sometimes we simply need that difficulty to help us find our way to his salvation. So, he brings things into our lives to get our attention, to get our focus off the day-to-day fixation of the pursuit of health, peace and prosperity and on our need of him. He wants us to find him.
When we do find him, we do so as sinners with a fallen nature in need of spiritual growth and development. He is not content to leave us spiritually stunted. As his representatives here in this life, it is his desire we begin to grow into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. As such, we read passages such as in Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19. Again, the Lord is the great troubler of our lives.
How wonderful our "Great Troubler " has seen fit not to allow us to wallow in our sins and separation from him. How wonderful he interrupts our lives that we might find him, and in doing so, find the eternal bliss of the peace, prosperity and health we will all enjoy in his kingdom in the resurrection!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"When he [King Ahab] saw Elijah, he said to him, 'Is that you, you troubler of Israel?'"
Elijah was on King Ahab's list as a "troubler of Israel." As God's prophet, Elijah had pronounced a drought on Israel the Lord brought due to the idolatry Israel had adopted from her neighbors. In 1 Kings 17:1 we read, "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, '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.'"
This earned Elijah the title of "troubler of Israel" from the king. Elijah, however, was only pronouncing what the Lord had asked him, and it was the Lord himself who had brought the drought. Elijah was just the messenger. The real "troubler of Israel" was the Lord himself.
The trouble Ahab had was he wanted Israel to prosper and do well in the context of what he thought appropriate and right for his kingdom. However, the Lord was not having any of it. The Lord had his own plans for Israel, as his intentions were to utilize his covenanted people to pursue his redemption of mankind. Idolatry did not fit into the Lord's plans for his roll out of redemption and so he brought pressure to bear against his people to eventuate the fulfillment of his plans.
The reality is that God is the great "troubler" of our lives. He has his agenda and we have ours. God is busy building his kingdom, but we are busy building our own. He wants to bring souls into his kingdom, the souls of all those who will embrace him in faith, but we want to bring peace and prosperity into our own existence here in this life "under the sun". And, we simply want to be left alone.
We live our lives here estranged from the Lord, in rebellion with our own twisted view of reality. The Lord intervenes to aid us in finding him - he draws us to himself by placing our lives in the felt need of a refuge, in the felt need of rescue from difficulty and at times, despair. Sometimes we simply need that difficulty to help us find our way to his salvation. So, he brings things into our lives to get our attention, to get our focus off the day-to-day fixation of the pursuit of health, peace and prosperity and on our need of him. He wants us to find him.
When we do find him, we do so as sinners with a fallen nature in need of spiritual growth and development. He is not content to leave us spiritually stunted. As his representatives here in this life, it is his desire we begin to grow into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. As such, we read passages such as in Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea, "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19. Again, the Lord is the great troubler of our lives.
How wonderful our "Great Troubler " has seen fit not to allow us to wallow in our sins and separation from him. How wonderful he interrupts our lives that we might find him, and in doing so, find the eternal bliss of the peace, prosperity and health we will all enjoy in his kingdom in the resurrection!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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