Ye Idolatrous Generation: Part I

Ye Idolatrous Generation

Understanding Luke 4:16-30 In The Context of Elijah and Elisha

Part I: Elijah Goes to Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-17:24)

Christ Condemns an Idolatrous Nation

--Jesus was admired from a young age, and many were glorifying Him in His official ministry, yet, in Luke 4, the crowd wanted to cast Him off of the cliff. Why?

--He never ceased to challenge the status quo, and He commanded their attention when he announced the fulfillment of the ancient Messianic prophecy.

--Furthermore, not only does He equate Himself with God, but He then implicitly compares them to the Israelites of old who lived during the age of the prophets Elijah and Elisha.

--They are enraged, yet the admonition against idolatry and hypocrisy is just as clear today.

--For this reason, examining the three particular accounts involving Elijah and Elisha mentioned by Christ will likewise warn us to take heed lest we fall.

Elijah Heads to the Gentiles

Background

--The days are heavy with idolatry, and now the rains of heaven have been shut up, even the dew!

--They will be shut up until the showdown occurs at Mt. Carmel.

--The drought has now become severe, for the water source that Elijah was using has dried up.

The Divine Plan: Mercy to the Gentile Widow and Her Son but Condemnation to Israel

--God sends Elijah out to Zarephath, which is in a pagan region, and a widow will feed him.

--God could have sent Elijah anywhere, but He uses this to condemn that generation and one to come.

--Elijah heads out in great faith, for he is in dire need himself, and he meets this Gentile widow at the gate just as God has promised. What a faithful God we serve! Amen!

--He told her to bring him some water, and then food, but, when he asked for food, she turned sullen.

--She was on her last batch of flour, and she was hopeless.

--It might seem that God has brought Elijah to a woman who could not provide for his needs. You would be right because it is God that provides for needs, and He was about to show His power and great glory!

--Elijah does not blink. Immediately, he gives a word of comfort, for the Living God is merciful.

--She will not lack, yet she is to bring him some food first and then bake for her and her son.

--In baking for Elijah first she shows her faithfulness, for she had so little left, but God delivered.

--She not only had plenty for the immediate future, but the oil and flour was not spent for a long time and would not be spent until the Lord sent rain after the glory at Mt. Carmel.

--Remember, Israel is under heavy drought, and, because of the context of the passage and close proximity of this pagan land to Israel, this land was under drought as well.

--God did not send Elijah to a poor widow in Israel that was in great need, but He has shown mercy to this pagan woman instead! Woe to those who have known God’s Word and rejected it!

--Elijah continues his stay with this household, and the son becomes severely ill, yet the widow is stricken with grief as she sees this as punishment for past sin. The widow saw her sin, and God was gracious to her, but Israel did not see her sin, nor did many in the generation of Christ.

--God uses Elijah to bring this child back from the dead, which is a powerful miracle of the LORD.

--She now extols the One True God all the more. This is a Gentile, but Israel remains hardened and stiff necked under its godless rulers suffering under immense judgment.

Application

--God is serious about his holiness, and will not tolerate idolatry in any form or generation.

--God is faithful to his sheep and provides for them according to His good will and purpose.

--The Gentiles are included in the God’s Elect, so let us humbly repent and be thankful to God.