His Ways Are Not Our Ways: 1 Kings #18: an exposition of 1 Kings 17:2-16. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, July 19, 2015.
Intro:
I like things neat. I like when everything is in its place and it fits. I prefer my life the same way. I like when things are as they are “supposed to be.” By that I mean, “I like it when things are the way I want them to be!” I don’t like unanswered questions. I don’t like unfinished business. I don’t like strained relationships. I like things predictable. All that to say, I’m not a happy person. I’m not happy because no one seems to cooperate with my system. That’s the thing with systems. They are neat, well ordered and predictable provided everything goes according to plan. But what happens if others don’t know, don’t understand or just don’t care about the plan? I remember a wise seminary professor who began class one morning by asking, “How many of you have read 1 Kings 12?” We all raised our hands affirming the assignment had been done. He said, “Good.” Then he tossed the book across the room and it slid against the wall. “Ain’t no one in your church ever read 1 Kings 12 so let’s talk about people.” A system of theology is a good thing. It is helpful to catalogue doctrines related to God and His ways provided you understand that your system is merely a guide. That it is not and cannot be definitive. It is an attempt to wrap your mind around the Infinite but it will break down. He won’t cooperate. He won’t fit in your box. There is, and always will be, mystery to our faith. His ways are not our ways neither are His thoughts our thoughts. There are, and always will be, “head-scratching” moments. Those moments when we think, “That didn’t go they way I thought it would.” I often find myself in those narrative passages in Scripture thinking, “I didn’t anticipate that. Why did He do that? What’s the point of that?” On Wednesday evenings we’ve been looking at the attributes of God. Such a study ought to leave us awed by the wonder, the glory and the greatness of our God. We ought to walk away saying, “He’s God and I am not.” The 17th chapter of 1 Kings leads us down that path. God does some of those “head-scratching” things in this text leading us ultimately to acknowledge He, alone is God. Our text is found in 1 Kings 17 beginning with 1 Kings 17:2.
Text: 1 Kings 17:2-16
We’ve just been introduced to Ahab who has been crowned, “Worst of the Worse.”
He did more evil than all who were before him.
He did more to provoke the LORD to anger than all the kings who were before him.
R.G. Lee described him as, “That vile human toad of a man that squatted on the throne of the nation.”
You get the idea?
This was not a nice man.
The nation was under the judgment of God though there was relative stability (Ahab reign for 22 years), economic stability and security. The prophet of God burst on the scene in 17:1 and abruptly announced the enforcement of the covenant curse. “Due to your idolatrous ways there will be no rain until I say so.” Our text picks up the story from there.
As we work our way through this text I want us to walk away understanding that…
Thesis: The account given in 1 Kings 17 helps to underscore the uniquely sovereign activity of God over the affairs of men.
We affirm the sovereignty of God not just in times of prosperity and blessing but at all times and in all circumstances. As Job said, “Should we accept only good from God, and not adversity?” (Job 2:10 HCS) God is God at all times, in all places and in all circumstances. He is God when we are blessed and He is God when we are cursed. He is God when there’s money in the bank and when we are broke. He is God when we feel like dancing and when we prefer to wail.
Our text reveals some things about our God that may not make sense to us, especially in the midst of a struggle, but are none-the-less true. I want to point you to three of them.
- God’s judgment often includes the removal of His Word. (17:2-3)
- The Ways of God are often beyond our understanding . (17:4-9)
- The demands of our God require extraordinary faith on our part. (17:10-16)