Becoming a Godly Person – 1 Kings 17

Posted on May 20, 2025 by dkoop

We’re starting a new series on what some would consider one of greatest men of God recorded in all of scripture.  His name is Elijah.  He was like a rock star to the Hebrew people.  James 5:17 reminds us, “Elijah was a man JUST LIKE US.”

Let me give you the context of the time period.  When Elijah was alive, the Northern Kingdom had experienced seven consecutive evil kings, spanning about a hundred year time period.  Now, let me just let this sink in for a minute.

This was a time in which Elijah lived.  In fact, there was a very evil king named Ahab, who was married to a wicked woman named Jezebel, some say the most wicked woman who had ever lived.  And under their reign, the Bible says that “Ahab did more evil in the eyes of God than any of those before him.”

During these times of idolatry, when these evil kings would turn peoples’ hearts away from God and would turn them to the false gods, the god of Baal and the god of Asherah, and people would often sacrifice their children to these false gods.  They would go into the temples and engage in sexual activities with prostitutes and call it worship.  The scripture says under Ahab’s reign, he was more evil than anyone before him.  This is a very dark, dark time of corruption.  We’re talking about major scandals, tremendous idol worship, and God said, “Enough is enough!”  Interestingly, though, God didn’t raise up an army to take a stand against the evil king.  Instead, God does what God often does, and that is, He raised up one person to take a stand, one man.  And I would argue that in today’s world, God may want to do something very similar where you live.  God may raise up one teenage girl to take a stand in her class against all others for sexual purity.  God may raise up a young business leader to take a stand for integrity in a business that’s lacking integrity.   God often raises up one person to make a big difference.

Elijah’s name means,  “The Lord is my God.”  And  immediately, when God raises up this prophet to stand down the king, by his very name alone, he’s making the testimony, “The Lord God is the one true God.”  Let’s pick up the story.  The first time we see Elijah in all of scripture, verse 1 of I Kings, chapter 17.  At the very beginning of this story, we don’t have hardly any background on the prophet.  We simply know him as where he’s from.  That’s how he is identified.  Like “Darrell is from San Antonio TX. ” Verse 1, “Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead,” he’s identified with where he’s from.  That will change soon.  “He said to King Ahab, ‘As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,’ “ and you can see he’s going straight toward these false gods.  “The Lord who lives, whom I serve,” he says, “there will be neither be dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”  Now, if this was a movie, the music would go, “bum bum bum!,” because what just said was one of the most strategic, prophetic judgments against the land that you could imagine.  He said, “For the next months and years, no rain and no dew.

This would have been an economic shutdown.  In this agriculturally driven economy, no rain shut everything down.  In our world, it would mean you can’t get gas at the gas stations.  The banks are not only lending money, but you can’t get your own money out.  You won’t have electricity at your home.  Life as you know it just ended.  There will be people starving death.  Unemployment will reach record highs.  People are going to be dying all over the place, and  this man of God stands down this evil king and says, “No more rain.” The battle is on.  The man of God stands strong.  Let’s see him fight.”  But instead, God does something different.  He takes Elijah into a season of hiding.  God takes Elijah away, so He can do so much more in him.  Why?  Because there’s so much more God wants to do through him.  And we are going to watch as God shapes this man in a very deep season of preparation. Like Elijah,

GOD IS DOING SOMETHING IN ME SO HE CAN DO SOMETHING THROUGH ME

Many of you, will identify with the preparatory work that God takes Elijah through.  Three seasons of preparations;

  • The first one: ISOLATED PAIN

God takes him through what we will call a season of isolated pain, where he is very alone.    Verses 2 and 3, we pick this up.  Verse 1, he says, “No more rain.”  Verse 2, “Then,” immediately after that, the Bible says, “The word of the LORD came to Elijah: ‘Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of Jordan.’ “   This word in the Hebrew, Kerith, it means, “cut off,” or it means “cut down.”  It means to be cut off from the source, to be cut off from the blessings, or very literally, it means to cut down like you would chop down a tree.  And you could almost sense what God is, is saying here.  It’s as if God is going to say, “I’m going to take you through a season of breaking.  I’m going to cut you down.  I’m going to humble you.  I’m going to teach you to be totally dependent on Me, and I’m going to humble you privately before I use you publicly.  I’m going to do something in you that’s very, very deep, so later on, you can do more than you ever thought possible.  I’m going to take you down privately, so I can use you publicly.”  A lot of times, people are in what I call the Kerith Ravine.  They’re in a season of pain.  They’re going, “Where is God?  Where is God?” and the reality is, oftentimes God is right there doing a deep work in you.

Some of you, you’re there.  You’re there, and you could be there on purpose.  You’re in the Karith Ravine.  You’re in that period … Elijah was there for months, all alone, nobody to talk to.  No one understood the Karith Ravine, where God was breaking him.  A. W. Tozier, the great writer, said this, “It’s doubtful that God can bless a man greatly until He’s hurt him deeply. ”  Those of you who are in the Karith Ravine, be encouraged.  The more that God breaks you, the more that God is preparing you — the isolated pain, the season of the Karith Ravine.

The second thing that we see God take Elijah through as He’s shaping him, molding him into a man of God in power, as He takes him through a season of what we would call:  TOTAL DEPENDENCE

Total and complete dependence, where Elijah cannot depend on anything at all but God, and God alone.  Verses 4, 5, and 6 says this.  God says, “Elijah, you will drink from the brook that I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.  So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of Jordan, and stayed there.  The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.”

We’ve got God’s Heavenly catering service.  These birds go out and find bread and meat, and every morning and every evening, they deliver them straight to the prophet.  What was God doing?  God was very clearly and very distinctly saying that no matter what, and for always, “I will be faithful.  You can count on Me to provide for you.”

Many of you right now, you are in a season where there was something you used to trust in for your security, and it’s been taken away.  And you don’t have anything else to trust in, but the giver life and giver of all good things.  And you are having to learn that when everything else that you used to believe in fades away, God will forever and always be faithful to you.

A single mom knew this well.  She would pray every day, very loudly in her apartment.  She would pray to God and worship Him for His provision, and she lived next door to an atheist, who hated hearing her prayers through the very thin walls.  And she would worship God, and the atheist would come over and say, “Lady, you’re a fool.  There is no God.”  And one week, there was more month left than money, and she was crying out to God, “Oh, God, you’ve always provided for me.  You’ve always been faithful.  I know You’ll come through again.  Oh, God, please provide food for my children.”  And the atheist had had enough, and so he immediately went to the grocery store, bought several bags of food, brought it back over to the woman’s apartment, put it right on the front of her door, knocked on the door, ran and hid in his apartment.  She came out.  She saw the food, “Oh, God in Heaven, You’re so good.  Thank You so much.  Oh, it’s so amazing!”  And he jumped out and said, “You fool!  There is no God.  God didn’t do that.  I did it just to prove to you that there is no God,” and she worshipped God all the more.  “Thank You!  Oooh, God, You provided for my needs, and You made the devil pay the bills!”

Forever and always, God says, “I will be your provider.  When you can’t depend on what you used to be able to depend on, I will deliver what you need.”  Here’s the cool thing about it is, God didn’t give him two days worth of food.  God didn’t give him a weeks’ worth of food.  God didn’t give him a three-month supply.  What did God give him?  Enough for the day, enough for the day.  Some of you, you are going to learn that right now.  You are in a season where you’re hurting and you’re alone and you’re afraid, but guess what?  God delivers enough for the day.  You, you’re uncomfortable, and you’re afraid, but God says, “I will be your comfort for today.”  You don’t have much, but God says, “I will be your provision for today.  You feel very weak, but God says, “I will be your strength for today.”  Your friends leave you, but God says, “I will be your friend for the day.  I may not bring more than you need, but I will bring exactly what you need.  I will be your daily bread.”  And Elijah learns to depend on God for that day.  God is teaching him.  He’s breaking him.  He’s cutting him.  He’s humbling him.  He’s teaching him total dependence.  When he, when he has no ability to provide for himself, God is teaching him, “I will always be your provider.”

And the third thing that God does is, God takes him through a season of what we can call:  COMPLETE OBEDIENCE

 There’s isolated pain.  There’s total dependence, and then, there’s a season of complete obedience.  Verses 7, 8, and 9, the story starts to break down.  “What is God doing?  He told me to go do this, and now, it, it’s all changing.  What’s going on, God?”  Verse 7, the Bible says, “Some time later,” what happened?  Help me out.   “Some time later, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.  Then the word of the LORD came to him:  “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.”  Now, let’s put ourselves in the prophet’s place.  It’s been months that he’s been by this ravine, and it’s been feeding him daily water.  And God told him to go there, and then the brook dries up, and God says to move on.  In my mind, I’m starting to think, “ Okay God, where are You?  What’s the purpose of being here?  You, gave me water from the brook.  Now, the water dries up.  Did I do something wrong?  You’re telling me to go on.  Did I miss You the first time?  Am I hearing You, God?  I don’t quite understand.  The brook dried up.  Why would the source of what used to feed me dry up?”  And he’s going to learn that the same God who gives water can take water away, because often, God may cause the brook to dry up to give us the courage to leave where we are and to go where we are supposed to be.

You may think,  “Oh, my brook is drying up.  I used to be able to trust in my job, but I’m not so sure I can trust in my job, anymore.  I used to have this nest egg.  I had a 401K.  Now, it’s a 201K.   My brook’s drying up.  I used to be able to trust, and I had all these good friends and then, boom, they turned on me and my friendship brook is drying up.

You’ve heard it said, “God guides by what He provides,” and He does.  But, I believe, God also often guides by what He does NOT provide.  God, the same God who gives water, may cause the brook to dry up to give us the courage to take a step of total obedience.

God says to the prophet Elijah, “Go to the Karith Ravine.”  “Huh?  Why there?”  “And be fed by the ravens.”  “What?”  And the brook dried up.  “Huh?”

Eventually God causes him to go into the region of Sidon. He moves, and then he travels across a barren land.  And he comes to Zarephath,  and sees a widow, who God says is going to provide for him.  And so he humbles himself, and he says, “Mam, I’m really thirsty.  Could, could you give me some water to drink and maybe a little snack, ‘cause I’m kind of hungry?”  And the widow looks at him and goes, “Are you, are you the only guy that doesn’t know, it hasn’t rained!  We’re dying.  There’s a draught here.  I’m a widow.  I’ve got one son.  He’s back at the hut.  I came out here to get some sticks.  I’m going to go make the last meal.  I’ve got a little bit of flour left, and I’ve got a little oil in the jug.  That’s all I’ve got left, enough for one last meal.  We are going to eat, and then we are going to die.”  And because of what God is doing in Elijah’s life, he says, “No, you’re not.”  And he looks at an impossible situation and speaks faith into it.  And he says, “The flour that you have will not run out.  And the jar of oil will not run dry.  Go back and bake me some bread.”  And she does, and they ate the bread, and the flour did not run out and the oil did not run dry.  And, and, and they, they ate, and they ate for weeks and months.  God again, supernaturally provided for Elijah in his unconditional obedience to God.  Then one day, tragedy struck, and the son died mysteriously.  The widow is crushed, as you would expect, and said, “Is this God’s judgment on me because I turned against the one true god, to these false gods?  Elijah, did you come here so this would happen?”  And Elijah, because of all that had happened, because God was shaping him, did something that to our knowledge had never happened before in history.  There’s no record of this in the Bible.  He takes a dead boy, carries him up to the upper room, puts his body on top of him, looks up to Heaven and says, “God, I’m asking You to do it,” and God raises a dead boy to life.

Why did this happen?  Because God took him to the Karith Ravine, where he was cut down.  God took him to a season of total dependence, where he couldn’t depend on anything at all but God, and God alone.  Then, God dried up the brook, so that he would leave where he was, to go to where God ultimately wanted him, so once again, He could perform a miracle and raise the dead back to life.  God used the hard things to shape him into a true man of God.  Next week we’ll see, as God gives him the faith and courage for one man to stand down four hundred and fifty false prophets, and asks God to send fire from Heaven to prove God’s goodness.  Why could Elijah have such faith?  Because he had been through the Karith Ravine, depending on God, obeying God.

Some of you right now, you are in a season of, of deep pain, and God may just say, “I’m doing something in you, because one day, I’m going to do more through you.”  Verse 1, Elijah was described as Elijah the Tishbite.  He was known with where’s he’s from.  Twenty-three verses later, he’s not known for where he’s from, but instead, for Whom he’s from.  And look at how the story changes.  Verse 24, the end of the story.  “The woman, He’d just raised her son.  She, she says to Elijah, “Wow!  Now I know that you are a,” what?  “Now I know you are, you are a man of God and the word of the Lord from your mouth is truth.”  God may allow you to go through the Karith Ravine, so one day, someone could look at you, say, “Now, I know.  I see it.  I see it.  I see. You are a man or woman of God.  Now, I see it.  You are child of God.  Now, I see it.  You are a man of God.” And, I’ll tell you right now, I praise God for all the pain and all the shaping experienced, and all the hurt, and all the brokenness, and all the supernatural provision, and all the unconditional obedience, because I pray that when people look at me they wouldn’t say, “Oh, there’s Darrell , that guy from San Antonio.”  But instead, they say, “Oh, there’s Darrell.  He’s not perfect, but we know he is becoming a godly person.”  In becoming a godly person, God will do something in you before he does something through you.

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Elijah & Elisha – A Tale of Two Prophets

Posted on May 17, 2025 by dkoop

You’re invited to our new series:  Elijah & Elisha, A Tale of Two Prophets!

Description:

Elijah and Elisha’s lives teach us the importance of faith, obedience, worship, prayer and mentoring. They also demonstrate the power of servant leadership, humility, and empathy, highlighting the need to serve others rather than seeking service for oneself. Their lives emphasize for us, the importance of taking up the mantle of faith and living out one’s calling authentically.

 Dates     Title                              Scripture                                    Events

May 18 – Becoming a Godly Person (1 Kings 17)

May 25 – Deciding Who to Worship (1 Kings 18)

June 1 – Dealing with Depression (1 Kings 19)

June 8 – Facing Change (2 Kings 2)                                  l
June 15– Seeking Help from God (2 Kings 5)                         Father’s Day

June 22 – Trusting God for the Future (2 Kings 4)

Elijah:

The prophet Elijah is one of the most interesting and colorful people in the Bible, and God used him during an important time in Israel’s history to oppose a wicked king and bring revival to the land. Elijah’s ministry marked the beginning of the end of Baal worship in Israel. Elijah’s life was filled with turmoil. At times he was bold and decisive, and at other times fearful and tentative. He alternately demonstrates victory and defeat, followed by recovery. Elijah knew both the power of God and the depths of depression.

Elijah, a prophet of God whose name means “my God is the Lord,” came from Tishbeh in Gilead, but nothing is known of his family or birth. We first meet Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1 when he suddenly appears to challenge Ahab, an evil king who ruled the northern kingdom from 874 to 853 BC. Elijah prophesies a drought to come upon the whole land as consequence for Ahab’s evil (1 Kings 17:1–7). Warned by God, Elijah hides near the brook of Cherith where he is fed by ravens. As the drought and famine in the land deepen, Elijah meets with a widow in a neighboring country, and, through her obedience to Elijah’s request, God provides food enough for Elijah, the woman, and her son. Miraculously, the widow’s barrel of flour and jar of oil never run out (1 Kings 17:8–16). The lesson for the believer is that, if we walk in fellowship with the Lord and obey Him, we will be open to His will. And when we are in God’s will, He fulfills all of our needs, and His mercy to us never runs short.

We next see Elijah as the central character in a face-off with the prophets of the false god Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:17-40). The prophets of Baal call upon their god all day long to rain fire from heaven to no avail. Then Elijah builds an altar of stones, digs a ditch around it, puts the sacrifice on the top of wood and calls for water to be poured over his sacrifice three times. Elijah calls upon God, and God sends fire down from heaven, burns the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones and licks up the water in the ditch. God proved He was more powerful than false gods. It was then that Elijah and the people killed all of the false prophets of Baal, in compliance with God’s command in Deuteronomy 13:5.

After the great victory over the false prophets, rain once again fell on the land (1 Kings 18:41-46). However, in spite of victory, Elijah entered a period of wavering faith and depression (1 Kings 19:1-18). Ahab had told his wife, Jezebel, of God’s display of power. Rather than turn to God, Jezebel vowed to kill Elijah. Hearing of this, Elijah fled to the wilderness, where he prayed for God to take his life. But God refreshed Elijah with food, drink, and sleep instead. Then Elijah took a forty-day journey to Mount Horeb. There Elijah hid in a cave, still feeling sorry for himself and even confessing his belief that he alone was left of the prophets of God. It is then that the LORD instructed Elijah to stand on the mountain as the LORD passed by. There was a great wind, an earthquake, and then fire, but God was not in any of those. Then came a still, small voice in which Elijah heard God and understood Him. God gave Elijah instructions for what to do next, including anointing Elisha to take his place as prophet and assuring Elijah that there were still 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to Baal. Elijah obeyed God’s commands. Elisha became Elijah’s assistant for some time, and the two continued to deal with Ahab and Jezebel, as well as Ahab’s son and successor, Ahaziah. Rather than die a natural death, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1-11).

John the Baptist’s ministry was marked by “the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 4:5–6. James uses Elijah as an example of prayer in James 5:17–18. He says that Elijah “was a human being, even as we are,” yet he prayed that it would not rain, and it did not. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The power of prayer is in God, not in our own human nature.

As was true for Elijah, when we focus on the tumult of life in this world, we can get our eyes off of the LORD and become discouraged. God does display Himself in mighty works of power and judgment such as wind, fire, and earthquakes. But He also relates with us intimately and personally, such as in the quiet whisper. God meets our physical needs, encourages us to examine our own thoughts and behaviors, instructs us in how to proceed, and assures us that we are not alone. When we are attentive to God’s voice and walking in obedience to His Word, we can find encouragement, victory, and reward. Elijah struggled with typical human frailties, yet he was used mightily of God. It may not be through such obviously miraculous displays of might, but, if we are yielded to Him, God can use us powerfully for His kingdom purposes, too.

Elisha: 

Elisha, whose name means “God is salvation,” was the successor of Elijah in the office of the prophet in Israel (1 Kings 19:16, 19–21; 2 Kings 5:8). He was called to follow Elijah in 1 Kings 19:19, and he spent the next several years as the prophet’s protégé, until Elijah was taken into heaven. At that time, Elisha began his ministry, which lasted about 60 years, spanning the reigns of kings Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash.

The initial call of Elisha is instructive. After a mighty display of God’s power against the prophets of Baal and a return of the rain after a long drought, Queen Jezebel sought Elijah’s life. Afraid, the prophet fled. He was refreshed by an angel and prepared for a forty-day journey to Mount Horeb. There, Elijah confessed that he believed himself to be the only faithful prophet remaining. God told Elijah to go back home, anoint Hazael king of Aram, Jehu king of Israel, and Elisha to succeed him as prophet. God said, “Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu” (1 Kings 19:17). He also reassured Elijah that there were 7,000 remaining who had not bowed to Baal.

Elijah obeyed God’s word and found Elisha, who was plowing with a pair of oxen at the time. Elijah put his cloak around Elisha—a sign that Elijah’s responsibilities would fall on Elisha, and Elisha left his oxen and ran after the prophet. Elisha asked only to say goodbye to his family and then would return to Elijah. Elisha went back, slaughtered his oxen and burnt his equipment, gave the meat to the people, then followed Elijah as his servant. Elisha responded to the call immediately. He completely removed himself from his former life—essentially hosting a celebration and leaving himself no option to return to his oxen. Not only did Elisha leave his former life, he became a servant in his new life (1 Kings 19:21).

Elisha seemed to love Elijah like he would a father. He refused to leave Elijah before Elijah was taken into heaven, despite Elijah’s telling Elisha to remain behind. Elijah permitted Elisha to stay with him, and he asked what he could do for his protégé before he left. Elisha requested a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. This was not a greedy request but rather one indicating that Elisha wanted to be considered as Elijah’s son. Elijah told Elisha that, if he saw Elijah when he was taken, then the double portion would be Elisha’s. Elisha did, indeed, see the chariot of fire and horses of fire that separated the men, and he saw Elijah taken to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak and walked to the Jordan River. Elisha struck the water with the cloak, and it divided, just as it had done for Elijah. The other prophets who witnessed this recognized that Elijah’s spirit now rested on Elisha. As God had decreed, Elisha would now be His prophet to the people (2 Kings 2:1–18).

As God had told Elijah on the mountain, it was during Elisha’s ministry that organized Baal worship was eradicated (2 Kings 10:28). In his ministry Elisha traveled widely and served as an adviser to kings, a companion of the common people, and a friend of both Israelites and foreigners.

There are many well-known accounts of Elisha’s service as prophet. He healed the waters of Jericho (2 Kings 2:19–21) and was jeered by youths upon whom he called a curse resulting in their death by mauling bears (2 Kings 2:23–25). He multiplied a widow’s oil (2 Kings 4:1–7). He prophesied a son for a wealthy Shunammite family who hosted him and later resurrected that same son (2 Kings 4:8–37). Elisha also removed poison from a pot of stew (2 Kings 4:38–41) and multiplied twenty barley loaves to feed one hundred men (2 Kings 4:42–44). He cured Naaman of leprosy (2 Kings 5) and made a borrowed ax head float (2 Kings 6:1–7). The miracles Elisha performed are, for the most part, acts of helpfulness and blessing. Others strongly resemble some of the miracles of Christ, such as the multiplying of food (Matthew 16:9–10) and the healing of lepers (Luke 17:11–19).

Elisha offered counsel to the king of Israel. One incident tells of Elisha warning the king about the king of Aram’s movements. When the king of Aram found out it was Elisha foiling his plans, he sought to capture the prophet. When Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, saw the Arameans that had come against them, he was afraid. But Elisha told him not to be afraid because “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:16–17). One cannot help but recall how Elisha had seen similar chariots of fire when Elijah was taken to heaven. Elisha then prayed for the Arameans to be struck with blindness. Elisha led them to Samaria, the capital of Israel, before asking the Lord to open their eyes. The king of Israel wondered if he should kill the captives, but Elisha counseled him to prepare food for them instead. When they were finished with the feast, the Aramians returned to their master, and Aram ceased raiding Israel. Elisha also prophesied other events of national and international importance regarding Israel and Syria.

King Jehoash, or Joash, was reigning at the time of Elisha’s death. The king visited Elisha while the prophet was ill and wept over him. Elisha instructed Jehoash to get a bow and arrows and shoot them out the window. When Jehoash did so, Elisha told him this was God’s arrow of victory over Aram. Elisha then told the king to strike the ground with the arrows, but Jehoash stopped after only three times. Elisha was angered. Had Jehoash struck the ground five or six times, he would have completely destroyed Aram but would now only defeat them three times (2 Kings 13:14–19).

Of Elisha’s death, 2 Kings 13:20 simply says, “Elisha died and was buried.” But the passage goes on to talk about Moabite raiders who came to Israel every spring: “Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet” (2 Kings 13:21). It seems that God chose to demonstrate His power through the prophet even after his death.

Jesus spoke of Elisha in Luke 4:27. The people had rejected Jesus in Nazareth and He told them that “no prophet is accepted in his hometown” (Luke 4:24). Jesus said there were many lepers in Israel in Elisha’s time, yet only Naaman, a Syrian, was cured.

A study of the life of Elisha will reveal the prophet’s humility (2 Kings 2:9; 3:11), his obvious love for the people of Israel (2 Kings 8:11—12), and his faithfulness in a lifelong ministry. Elisha was obedient to God’s call, following Elijah eagerly and faithfully. Elisha clearly believed God and trusted Him. Elisha sought after God, and through him God worked powerfully.

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Sources: https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Elijah.html

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A Parable about Humility – Pharisee & the Tax Collector – Luke 18:9-14

Posted on May 13, 2025 by dkoop

Jesus told this parable because there where those who looked down their noses at others.  Who were proud of their religion, Jesus is fixing to tick them off.

TWO GUYS

“Two men went up to the temple to pray… (vs. 10a)

A good guy and a bad guy.  In Jesus parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector we may be confused about who the bad guy is and who the good guy is.  We are used to the Pharisees being bad people in Jesus’ day, but to the people then they were highly respected men in their community.

  • Good Guy” one a Pharisee…(vs. 10b)

They were religious, people looked up to them.  They kept the religious and moral tone of their society.

  • “Bad Guy” and the other a tax collector (vs. 10c)

Now what about this tax collector, this was a Jew, but one who had collaborated with the Roman government to collect taxes from his own people to give to the Romans.  The Jews resented the Roman military occupation. Romans living in their beloved homeland telling them what to do was more than they could stand.  But to give them hard earned money! Give the Romans money so that they could continue their hated rule, fund their military and ensure further oppression.  This was the worst! To give them money was anathema.  And so for a native individual, a Jew to cooperate with the Romans, take money from his own people and give to this power-hungry brutal government that was controlling them. This was the highest form of a traitor. There was deep resentment for tax collectors.  To make matters worse the Romans allowed people to bid on the job, so the job went to the highest bidder.  The one granted the position of collecting taxes would pay to Rome the amount he bided and could keep the rest. And they had the backing of the Roman military if needed.  Taxes were revenue needed to run the government, so they were important to Rome.  Tax collectors were known crooks and thieves. Extortion was common and accepted.  Think of today a position that is viewed as crooked, maybe it’s the mob, car salesmen, lawyers, or TV evangelists.  For them no question it was the tax collector.  If both of these men were running for office, all of us would vote for the Pharisee.  If both of them were courting your sister you would want her to marry the Pharisee.

They both went to pray.  They “went up to the temple to pray” They went up to pray because Jerusalem was on a hill and the temple was built on the highest hill in Jerusalem. So, if you went to worship you went up.  And the place of worship was the temple.  Going to the temple was like going to church.  People worship, learn, give and pray at the temple. At the temple people could pray anytime but their formal times to pray observed daily in the morning around 9 am and afternoon at 3 pm.  Those listening might expect the Pharisee to pray there, but were probably surprised that Jesus would mention the tax collector praying there.  This is out of place, like a fish out of water.  Today it would be like a drug dealer at church.  I hope we would be glad they are there, but it might be beyond our expectations.

Now what made the one who would have been unanimously proclaimed as the good guy the bad guy?  What were these two doing that made one good and the other bad?  Both had gone to church, both were praying.  Going to church and praying are good right?  Not until we read the Pharisee’s prayer do we begin to get a hint of what made him a bad guy.

TWO PRAYERS

 Pharisee

Here is his prayer…

The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men– robbers, evildoers, adulterers– or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ (vs. 11-12)

He was conceited and arrogant.  He was telling the truth, but he was conceited and arrogant about it.  Look at this.  It says he prayed about HIMSELF. His prayer is about himself- and that is about is far as it traveled.   Do you know some religious people today who think they are it?

When the Pharisee was saying that he was not like the other people:  robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or tax collectors.  He was telling the truth. Pharisees would totally AVOID these people.   Its interesting that when Jesus came the tax collectors, prostitutes and those outcast by the religious was exactly who Jesus hung out with – “For John came neither eating nor drinking, (John was a Nazirite which meant he didn’t drink any wine or cut his hair- this vow is mentioned 11 times in the OT-Numbers 6 explains it) and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, (This means Jesus drank wine) and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”  Matt 11:18-19

It is not like Jesus to shun people.  If you shun, or loath certain people this is NOT Christ like. All people even those considered the outcast of society felt comfortable around Jesus.  Do people feel comfortable around you – or are you to busy judging them?

How many churches today are the same way, judgmental towards all who are outside their religious circle?  Have you ever been to a church and you felt people judging you, looking down on you, not being friendly?  This is being a modern-day Pharisee.  It’s really easy to point out all the faults of the Pharisees back then, but there are many today who do the same things.

The Pharisee said he fasted twice a week.  He was telling the truth.  Wow, fasting twice a week.  This went far beyond anything the law required.  The only time there was a prescribed fast was on the Day of Atonement. (Lev. 23) A fast was to eat no food from sun down to the next sundown.  Now a religious person would fast once a week. But twice, that was something!

The Pharisee said he gave a tithe of all that he got.  Now listen to that. “All I Get” God says to give a tithe, 10 % of income but only the super religious would tithe on that plus everything they purchased. This meant they would tithe the grain, spices, everything they got. That would be like you, after going to HEB or Wal-Mart.  Taking your groceries, pouring 1/10th of your gallon of milk and bringing it to church to give it to the Lord.  1/10th of your bag of sugar, strawberry jelly, mayonnaise, ketchup and everything you got at HEB and bringing it to church.  The Pharisees would literally do that.  Now that’s religious!  Listen to Jesus addressing Pharisees about this very thing:

Luke 11:42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. (NIV)

Not that tithing everything is bad.  He said YOU SHOULD HAVE, but to neglect justice and loving God is the bigger problem.

The Pharisee says he gives a tithe of all that he gets.  He is willing to go to all that time and trouble to count out 1/10th of all spices and herbs. He is telling the truth. What a hero to the people.  What an example of religious practice.  What a devotion to the law. You could see why their head may swell.

What about us today? Again we have gone in the opposite direction!  Instead of giving 10% we make excuses, I have heard people say things like, “God loves a cheerful giver, so if you can’t give cheerfully then God doesn’t want us to give” Surveys reveal that less than 2% of US church members give 10% of their income?  So if you give 10% you are surpassing 98% of those playing American religion, the modern-day Pharisee.

Here’s what bothers me if Jesus got on to the Pharisee for doing the RIGHT things with the WRONG attitude.  What about us doing the WRONG things with the WRONG attitude?  God help us.

  We need to do the right thing AND have the right attitude.

The thing about this Pharisee is that is INVENTING things to do be religious. These are not in the law.  It is a comparison game.  Who can do more? Who can be more religious?  They did this and became conceited, arrogant.  Look at me!  Look at what I have done!  Look at my list of religious accomplishments!  Look at my religious resume!

Again, in American Culture we have developed a religion that is a multi-Billion dollar industry.  There have been countless articles about this very thing.  Christianity in America is BIG BUSINESS. They have everything from Christian Candy, “Testa-mints” – a bible verse on a piece of candy.  Have you been duped by thinking if you participate in this market or these activities you are religious or WORSE, right before God?

The only true Christian culture is that which you will find in cross culturally (Christians in China, Mexico, Kazakhstan etc,) or in heaven things like love joy, peace, generosity etc.  These are what we should strive for.

So, we have become modern Pharisees proud of our religion.

Let’s look at the…

  • Tax Collector

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  (vs.13)

Look at the tax collector’s posture.  Three things that show he was humble without even looking at his words.  First, he was standing some distance away from the temple, aware that he was unworthy of approaching the place of God’s presence.

Second, he was unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven. You know how it looks to be ashamed. Like a little dog that knows he has done something wrong and is cowering down.  This suggests that the tax collector was aware and ashamed of his sins, unlike the Pharisee who had no awareness of his personal sin.  He thought he was a good guy.  Third that tax collector was beating his breast with his fist, which was a symbol of grief and sorrow in that society and many societies.  Grief and sorrow over his sin.  So before we even read his words we see from his actions alone that this is a striking portrait of humble repentance.

The tax collector’s prayer is: ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’     I think we read over this so fast we don’t understand what is happening here.  This word mercy, we use mercy flippantly.   “Have mercy,” or “Oh Mercy” There was a game that we would play as boys, where we would grab the opponents hands and it was a strength contest, the one that could out twist and overpower the weaker one would win.  When the pain got to be too much for the looser he would cry out “Mercy” Which means OK or stop, or you win.  The man is saying to God “You win!, I loose!”

But there is more.  The Greek word hilaskomai. It’s only used twice in the Bible. It’s a very interesting word. Now bear with me on some of his theological jargon, He is saying: “Can I receive atonement/propitiation?” “Can I be extended your grace, your pardon? “Can I be saved?” “Can I have the sacrificial substitution of the sacrifices (happening at the temple at that time) apply to me now?”

TWO ATTITUDES

  • Pride

We see a lot of pride in the Pharisees prayer.  We see a lot of pride in the way the religious act today.  Looking down on others, thinking our way of doing religion is the only way.   Pride is a serious problem.  God hates pride.  It separates us from other people and it separates us from God.

“I hate pride and arrogance, Proverbs 8:13

Those are very strong words.  There are very few things that God comes out and says “I hate”, and pride is one of them.     Here is an interesting bit of trivia.  What was Satan’s downfall?  It was pride. Look at Ezekiel 28:14-17, about Satan.

“You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.  You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub.  Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you . (NIV)

 I don’t know of anyone who wants for God to oppose them.  People want to be blessed by God.  We say, “God Bless you” If you want God to oppose you just be proud and conceited.

James 4:6 and I Peter 5:5 quote from Proverbs 3:34 Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (NIV)

If you want opposition from God, be prideful.

 Humility

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”  Psalm 25:9

 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10

—F. B. Meyer

I used to think, that God’s gifts were on shelves

                               one

                     above

          another

and the taller we grow, The easier we can reach them.

Now I find, that God’s gifts are on shelves

one

                     beneath

                               another

and the lower we stoop, The more we get.

This is so true.  Up is down in God’s economy. Today we have a baptism, as the person goes DOWN into the water, they are lifted up God grows them.   As a person goes down to the children’s classes to teach, serve and help, God lifts them up.  As a person leads a connect group, God lifts them and grows them up.  As we go down into our pockets and wallets to give God grows us.  As we go down to Mexico, Guatemala, the Philippines, India, or Africa on our mission trips God lifts us up as we serve.

We need to do the right thing AND have the right attitude.

Now what Jesus said probably shocked his listeners.

TWO OUTCOMES:

“I tell you that this man,(tax collector) rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  (vs. 14)

Instead of the Pharisee being complimented as an example of what they should do.  Jesus announced that the tax collector was justified!   To be justified means: “to be declared just by God” God is the one who justifies, not the individual. The Pharisee was justifying himself not God.

  • Unjust in God’s Eyes  (the Pharisee
  • Just in God’s Eyes  (the tax collector)

The Pharisee had confidence in himself and his accomplishments.  He is patting himself on the back not seeking the Lord. This is a major problem today that we have.  Our pride.  People won’t come to Christ because they are too proud to admit their need for him.  Too proud to say they have sinned.  It is much easier to point the finger at someone who is worse and compare.  If you say you are a sinner, people say well, I’m not as bad as so and so.  They are not the comparison!  God is the comparison!   When you stand before God his standard is not Adolf Hitler or Charles Manson.  God’s standard is perfection.  It’s like someone on trial for stealing a car.  What if he were to say, well your honor I never raped anyone, I never molested children, I never murdered.  What would the judge say?  “Well guy, that is real nice, But You are not on trial for those things you are on trial for stealing!” The same is true for each of us all of us have done wrong in God’s eyes.  Quit comparing.  Because you can always find someone worse than you, that is not the point.  The point is you need be humble.

Jesus announced that the tax collector was justified! Using churchy language of today, you could say it was the tax collector that went home saved.  You will never experience salvation, forgiveness, mercy or God until you become humble, and broken over your sin.  Then you will experience all God has to offer.

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A Parable about Prayer- Unjust Judge & Widow – Luke 18:1-8

Posted on May 12, 2025 by dkoop

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  (vs. 1)

Luke tells us upfront what the point of this parable is!

TIPS FOR MY PRAYER LIFE

  • I should always pray

Is it possible to always pray?   What is meant is to be in the spirit of prayer or the habit of prayer, the dependency of prayer. Pray often, pray regularly, and pray habitually.

When the English were awaiting the attack of the Spanish Armada in the 1500’s those in the watchtowers were ready for the first sign of the enemy with signal fires to warn everyone.  The wood was piled, the wood was dry, the fire to light it was always lit, and everything was ready to blaze the warning signal at the appointed moment.  None of this “wait we need to build a fire!”  Prayer is spontaneous like lighting the fire, no pause to leave your business or unplug from the world, not time to go to your prayer closet, get on your knees, fold your hands, and close your eyes. There are times for that but sometimes prayers need to be sent quickly, silently, urgently. If your fixing to go over a cliff in your car, you don’t have time to get on your knees or fold your hands, its time to pray.  If someone asks you to pray for them why not do it right then. Either silently in your mind or right there with them.  That way you won’t lie and say you will and then forget.  God has dealt with me on this very thing in the past.  When people ask me to pray for them, I often pray for them right then or I may forget.  Always pray, anywhere, any time.

  • I should never give up.

The second, purpose is to teach not give up.  One of Winston Churchill’s speeches consisted of 5 words.  Never, Never, Never give up!

How many times have we asked of God and then we don’t get because we didn’t wait long enough.  We knock a time or two at God’s door and then go our way.  When I was in Junior high there was this devious prank some boys would play. (Ok I would play it too). We would knock at someone’s door or ring the doorbell and then we would run away thinking it was the funniest thing ever.  Too many of our prayers are that way.  We knock for a time or two and then run away.  We want the response on OUR SCHEDULE AND TIME TABLE.  We stop.  No persistence.  In our fast food, microwave, cable modem society we want it done yesterday.  When we say jump we want them asking how high on the way up.  God is not on our timetable.

WHAT DO I HAVE?  WHAT DO I NEED?

Niki’s likes to read fiction, he favorite author is Karen Kingsbury and she told me that Kingsbury has about 10 characters in each story, well unlike a John Gresham novel or Karen Kingsbury story that has a long list of characters to keep up with, this parable of Jesus has only two characters.  Short, simple and sweet: a judge and a widow.

He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  (vs. 2)

The judge.  He is described by Jesus in verse 2 who “neither feared God nor cared about men“ Usually those two things go together. You have to be careful not to read too much into the story but you get the idea by this description we know he had no morals no scruples, took bribes. The judge was corrupt, unjust, devoid of all good character, the very opposite of God. He was as warm and loving as an ice cube.  When asked why he didn’t send his mother a birthday card he probably said, “Its not that I forgot its just that I didn’t care.”  Tell him about what Gods’ word says, he scoffs, tell him what is right and wrong he laughs.  In his eyes he didn’t serve the law the law served him.  Like Judge Roy Bean in the frontier days, this man was the law.

 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’  (vs. 3)

The Widow.  Widows show up a lot in Jesus teachings.  Jesus was moved by the plight of widows and taught against anyone who would take advantage of them.  Men dominated the world at that time.  A woman without a man’s support and protection was vulnerable.  If she was a widow she was at the mercy of others.  So very likely she was being bullied, taken advantage of many ways.

Why so persistent?  Since her husband died, he left her a little plot of land, all they had, but a cruel neighbor was looking with greedy eyes upon that little plot and has now taken it.  She is with out sufficient food for her little ones, they are crying for food.  Oh if their father were alive he would have never let this happen!  Now their creditors are about to come and take away her children and sell them into bondage in order to get their money.  It happened.  “No” she says, I have one chance! I can go to the judge and petition my case.  I know he could care less. I know I have nothing to offer him, nothing, no bribe, nothing.   But I have made up my mind I shall never rest until he hears me. He may throw me in jail.  He may have me killed but I have nowhere else to go.  I am reduced to the point of prison or death now anyway.  I have nothing to lose.

The widow had nothing but the judge, How about us?  What do we have?  Today we have other places to turn besides God and we may not pray hard because we have an ace in the hole, we have savings, we have lawyers, we have a bag a tricks. Often God will show us that we need him as well.  If not now then some point in your life you will have to depend on God.   Prayer is not a just a religious game it is a lifeline, a dependency.

  • When I depend on me I get what I can provide. When I depend on God I get what he can provide.
  • What am I depending on?

Often we have to depend on God when every other resource is tapped or empty, then we pray hard.  What is an area of your life that you feel you have absolutely no protection or support apart from God’s protection and support?  Every time I ride on an airplane, I pray because we are going fast and high, every time I go on a long trip in the car, I pray.  I pray for my kids because I can only give them so much and then they have to make their own decisions.  There will be times when I can’t always watch them, so I pray, I pray for their future, their spouses.  For many of us we have to pray for people’s spiritual condition.  Maybe you are praying for a spouse or family member to know Christ.

In talking about prayer I am not excusing us from doing the right things. I am not condoning laziness.  We must work and we must pray.  It is easy to get into extremes.  We work hard and leave God out, or we pray and leave work out and do nothing.  I love what one person has said,   “Work as if it all depends on you AND pray as if it all depends on God.”  This is biblical!  The widow did both, she worked hard and she depended on the judge.    *For our church to grow we must work hard: practice our music, print the bulletins, maintain our buildings and grounds, prepare the kids crafts, refreshments and lessons, plan ahead, mail out mailers, invite our friends, put out signs, maintain our website, do videos, If they don’t happen, we will stop growing  BUT, we must pray too, it’s both!  I must admit sometimes as a pastor I get caught up in work and I don’t pray as hard or as persistent as I should.   We encourage hard work, and we encourage prayer.

HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY

Why was the widow successful?  It wasn’t her many words or her superior eloquence.  She only spoke 6 words.  “Grant me justice from my adversary.” No plea about her widowhood or about her children, lack of food and resources, just  “Grant me justice from my adversary.” Her success did not depend on the power of her rhetoric but her persistence.  The power of a prayer does Not rest on the eloquence of its words. Some people think that the more words the better, the longer the better.  I’m sure we have all been in places and someone prays and they go on and on and on.  And then we wonder what they said.

  • I don’t have to use MANY words

You see many words only impress those around you they don’t impress God.  God knows true sincerity and fancy talk.  Listen to what Jesus says

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”  Matthew 6:7

Charles Haddon Spurgeon says that “verbiage is not better in prayer. Too many words are cumbersome to prayer.”  He says, “When you pray in public as a rule the shorter the better.”

  • I don’t have to use BEAUTIFUL words

Spurgeon compares words in prayer to feathers.  What will put wings to your prayers?  He says,

“The prayers that reach heaven are like the eagle’s feathers with strong, and intense desire behind them.  It is not the peacocks, although very beautiful and elaborate feathers, but that will get you nowhere.”  Charles Haddon Spurgeon

  • I do have to be PERSISTENT

Why was the widow successful.  Listen to the words of the judge.

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men,       yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!'”  (vs. 4-5)

I think it’s easy to read over this to quickly and miss the point.  The judge’s words are strong.  This word bother means to cause trouble, to make him work, cause him labor with intense trouble.  She was a stack if bricks on his chest, a monkey on his back.  Not a small nuisance.  Niki tells me that growing up her younger brother would pester her and badger her to the point of driving her crazy, insanity. Niki’s brother Chad, he loves to tease and harass people.  She would tell her mom, “Mom Chad’s pestering me” and mom’s response was, “Just ignore him.”  Niki says trying to ignore Chad is like trying to ignore a broken leg. You can’t do it.  Chad cannot be ignored.  He doesn’t give up.  He is a youth minister now.  He is being repaid for his childhood either that or we should feel sorry for his kids.  If he prays the way he pesters, His prayers will be answered.  This widow was this way to the judge.  Nothing you could ignore.  I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!'” (NIV)

The Greek word here means literally to blacken the eyes.

(hupopiazo-) 1) physically to beat black and blue, to strike so as to cause bruises   2) metaphorically:  to give one intolerable annoyance; to wear one out  3) that part of the face that is under the eyes because of tiredness and weariness.  Do you see the picture?  This man who fears NO ONE, not God and no man, fears this woman.   She wore him out.  She got on his last nerve.  She caused him to turn gray or to turn bald as he pulls his last hair out.

Why was the widow successful?  It was her persistence.  We don’t know how long she pestered this judge.  2 week 2 months 2 years.  We don’t know if she bursts in court room 10 times a day, follows him home begging, knocks at his door at home, yells at him from his window at home. Camps on his lawn, follows him to work.  It could be, but the point is she is persistent to the point of wearing him out wearing him down. Do you persist in your prayers to the Lord?  Not that you wear out God or bother him but are you persistent?

  • Am I persistent in my prayers?

Do you remember something that you wanted as a child for a birthday or Christmas?  Do you remember asking and begging and pestering your parents for this?    I remember when I was of driving age; I thought I had to have a Camaro.  Every time possible for a year, I would say, I want a Camaro, I would tell my dad which ones I liked.  Every one I saw, which ones were for sale, showing him newspaper ads, auto trader.  Guess what, it worked.  Christmas my junior year, there was a Camaro in the driveway, my dad also got me a loan through the bank but I didn’t care, I had a Camaro.   My father loved me so he listened to what I asked for.

Our heavenly father will hear as well.

GOD WILL HEAR

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.

          And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

          I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. (vs. 6-8)

This parable is in an IF –THEN form.

  • IF this judge who is unjust will hear the widow’s case (that he cares nothing about) only because of persistence, THEN how much more will God who is just and loving will hear his children (that he does care about) when they are persistent.  

I guess God is like us as parents.  When Kaleb and Noel were younger, they would often see something and want it.  We can’t give them everything they lay their eyes on, its not good for them for one and for two, 3 minutes later they forgot what they were asking for and are now asking for something else.  Have you ever bought something for your kids that they had to have only to find the next day they didn’t want it. Or never played with it again?  It’s frustrating because it seems they didn’t really what it.  We learn to listen to repeated requests.  If they see something they want, we’ll say when your birthday come or for Christmas.   If they keep asking for it then its something they really care about. If they never ask again, probably wasn’t that big of a deal.  AND when they get it at Christmas or Birthday and they had to wait for it, it means a lot more.  When we ask it shows how much we care.  If we ask once and then forget about it is it that important?  God wants to see some desire, some persistence.  Its shows us what is important to us and when we do get something we have been praying for for a while, it means more.

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