The far-reach of God

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Scripture

The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram;
(1 Kings 19:15 NASB)
and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
(1 Kings 19:16 NASB)
“It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.
(1 Kings 19:17 NASB)
“Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
(1 Kings 19:18 NASB)

 

Observation


Elijah had been victorious on Mount Carmel and over the prophets of Baal. It was an amazing moment, but afterward he ran and hid. God came and spoke to him and told him what he was to do and how he was to move into the future. God wasn't finished with his people, and his reach went beyond the Israelites, and God had a plan for the people of the earth. Elijah was to go and anoint Hazael to be king over Aram. This was a neighboring kingdom and yet God wanted Elijah to go outside the bounds of Israel and anoint a man king. Then he was to go to Israel and anoint a new king, Jehu. Finally he was to find Elisha and he was to place his mantle on him so that Elisha could take up the work of Elijah, moving into God's future. God continue to reach out to the faithful ones for there were those, 7000 of them, who had not adulterated themselves with Baal. But God recognized that helping those 7000 meant that there had to be a broader reach and so Elijah was instructed to go out and in obedience prepare the way for God's work.

 

Application


Often we are the ones who have the limited eye-sight. We think that God can only do "so much" or work within a particular realm. This story is striking because God is sending his prophet to a neighboring kingdom, to anoint a king. God was willing to do this, to have his influence be far-reaching because of the handful of faithful which remained in Israel.



Often we put God in a box, or imagine that he can or will only respond in a particular way. We may believe that he is able to respond within the life of the church, but can he really do anything about those who are not in the church? God sees a much broader landscape than we do. He understands the intricacies of the relationships and interconnections which will make a difference for the future -- his future. And there is also an important point. The future is not our future, it is his future. God is inviting his faithful followers to be a part of what he already has planned in the future. He is already out there in front of us working and trying to draw us into what his far-reaching plan. The problem is that so often we get caught up in our own lives that we fail to see that God IS at work. We miss the fact that he is actively working all around us, both inside and outside the church. He is simply asking us to open our eyes to what he is already doing and to join into his movement and into his future for all of us. That future is much more wide-reaching than any of us could ever imagine and at times that may be shocking. But we need to trust him and remain faithful, just as the 7000. In doing so we will personally experience the far reach of God.

 

Prayer


Lord, thank you that you would even want to include us in your far-reaching plans. May I remain faithful to you each day. Amen.

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