10. So Send I You

Posted on Posted in Sermon Notes, Prayer Meeting, Audio Sermons 2016, January 2016 Tagged with , , , ,

Hymns: 444 Hold the Fort 459 So Send I You 445 O Master Let Me Walk with Thee

 

Life of Elijah

– So Send I You

(With God On a Mission Trip)

(2 Kings 1:1-18)

 

1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. 5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? 6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? 8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. 9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. 15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. 16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

 

OUTLINE

  • The Mission
  • The Missionary

 

INTRODUCTION

“So send I You” is called the greatest missionary hymn of the twentieth century. This hymn has been selected by many Christian leaders as the finest missionary hymn of the twentieth century. It was first published in 1954 after having been written sixteen years earlier by a Canadian school teacher, Margaret Clarkson.

Margaret Clarkson, who was born in 1915, was a teacher in a gold-mining camp in northern Ontario, Canada. It was a lonely life for this woman, but she also knew that this is where God wanted her to serve Him. She had a great desire to be a missionary on a foreign field but because of her health was unable to go. One day she was reading again the verse John 20:21, “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” While meditating on this verse she wrote the words to a hymn that has become a favorite during missionary conferences, “So Send I You.”

This was her testimony: “In 1935 teaching jobs were so scarce that I had to take my first job as a teacher in a lumber camp some 1400 miles from home, out in the Rainy River District of northwestern Ontario. From there I moved to the gold mining camp of Kirkland Lake, 450 miles north of Toronto. In all, I spent seven years in the north. I experienced loneliness of every kind; mental, cultural, but particularly spiritual, for in all of those seven years I never found real Christian fellowship – churches were modern and born-again Christians almost non-existent.

I was studying the Word one night and meditating on the loneliness of my situation and came in my reading to John 20, and the words ‘So send I you’. Because of a physical disability I knew that I could never go to the mission field, but God seemed to tell me that night that this was my mission field, and this was where He had sent me. I was then twenty-hree, in my third year of teaching. I had written and published verse all of my life, so it was natural to put my thoughts into verse.

Elijah was the missionary sent by God to the Northern Kingdom during the time of the divided kingdom. His presence was as light shining amidst gross spiritual darkness. Idolatry had crept into Israel years back and it has sunk its roots deep especially in the leadership of Israel. It penetrated the society like wildfire causing untold damage to the spiritual life of God’s people. We had just seen last week how God sent Elijah to confront king Ahab for robbing the field that belonged to Naboth, his neighbour. Elijah was sent by God to pronounce judgment upon king Ahab.

19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine…21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, 22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin… 25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Our story continues here in 2 Kings 1:1 with the death of Ahab and the kingship was passed to his son Ahaziah. How did Ahab die? It was as God had said he would die. He died in battle with the Syrian army.

1 Kings 22:37-38 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake…40 So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

1 Kings 22:51-53 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. 52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: 53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

God will now send Elijah to confront the new king Ahaziah. This was his new mission.

 

Two thoughts: (1) The Mission (2) The Missionary

 

(1) The Mission (v1-4)

1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

We observe Ahaziah was injured in battle and fearing for his life, he consulted the god of Ekron – Baalzebub.

It was a deity worshipped by the Philistines at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2-3, 6, 16). All that can be gathered from this one reference to him in ancient literature is that he had some fame as a god that gave oracles. Ahaziah, son of Ahab, and king of Israel, went to consult him whether he should recover of his sickness, and was therefore rebuked by Elijah, who declared that his death would be the result of this insult to the LORD. [ISBE] The name “Baal” means “lord or god”. And “Zebub” means to “fly” in the noun form of the word and therefore, the god of the fly. It has been surmised that it may mean a god of medicine or a god that brought relief from the torment and plagues common in the land of the East. [Swindoll] Our Lord called by healing the multitude was accused as the prince of devils.

Matthew 12:22-24 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils

We observe that Ahaziah was consulting the occult instead of seeking the God of Israel for help against God’s direct command:

Leviticus 19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

Deuteronomy 18:9-12 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Elijah’s mission was to point out to Ahaziah his sin that he may repent!

 

(2) The Missionary (v5-18)

5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? 6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

Elijah had the unpleasant task of pronouncing God’s judgment for Ahaziah’s sin. His work was dangerous, life threatening. He was to as it were, threatened the king with death! The king is not going to like to hear that message.

7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? 8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite

Notice that Elijah’s life has been leading a nomadic life moving from place to place at the behest of God. As you think of this servant of God and the work he was called to do, we realize it is an often lonely, risky task. We see how he committed his life to the care of God each step of his mission. The king would now send his men to consult the god of Ekron. His task was to intercept the messenger so that they would have no contact with the demonic forces at Ekron. Ahaziah was very sick so the matter for him was very urgent.

9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

Elijah had to depend on God to help him accomplish his task. Indeed, God sent fire from heaven to stop the group! This was done not once but twice.

11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

This second group was also stopped! Of course, they would have been instructed to attack Elijah to accomplish the task.

13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.

A third group was sent who pleaded for Elijah to spare their lives.

15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.

Finally, God instructed Elijah to go and confront Ahaziah personally. He would have to go to Ahaziah’s palace. A place heavily guarded, he could lose his life anytime. We observe how Elijah was a man on a mission. He would not allow fear to overcome him but courageously do the work that God had entrusted him.

The qualification for discipleship is not my ability but my availability and “God-ability”, submissiveness to God’s Word or instructions, courage even at great personal sacrifice and risk of one’s life to accomplish God’s will.

16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

God enabled Elijah to accomplish his mission to his honour and glory! God has called all of us to the task of being His witness before His 2nd Coming. Are you actively witnessing as Noah did in the days before the flood came? Or are you like Lot, lost in the deceitfulness of riches and the vain glory of this world? He has given to us the unfinished commission. He has given us the task to complete it. What are you doing about it?

Will you be God-focused, Christ-centered, Bible-based, Spirit-Led and Mission-Minded? Trusting God for your life, not just grow old, but grow up, be matured in Christ. Many today are led astray by the attractions of this world. Sin is pleasurable. Many have gone the way of the world. We cannot stop the tide but we can rescue the individuals that are being drifted along by the tide.

Dr John Sung had a vision of perishing souls on “Thanksgiving Day, 1922, in the home of a Christian friend who lived at Smithville, Ohio that he had an unforgettable experience. In the visions of the night, in a most unusual dream, he saw himself back in Hinghwa his beloved home country. He saw himself standing on the hill he was wont to climb. Below was the river that flowed to the sea he knew well. Suddenly he heard a cry from the river, a cry of sore distress. He flew down in the flash of a second, for there was a man drowning in the swift flowing water. But when he tried to render help, he found himself in danger of drowning instead. Whereupon he negotiated a firm place to plant his feet, which turned out to be a cross anchored in midstream. Sure of foot, he began to rescue the drowning man. Not only him, but a long line of others, and so many more that they could not be counted. Suddenly, the river scene changed. Shang Chieh was now transported to Heaven. A throng gathered around him who clasped his hands gratefully for his help, praising God! Sung realized that this is an allegory of his future ministry, and related it to his audience whenever he went preaching.” (John Sung, My Teacher by Rev Dr Timothy Tow, page 61).

CONCLUSION

May God use you for His mission too as He calls you to serve Him, do yield to His call. Amen.