Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-15
Golden Text: Choose We this day
whom we will erve."-JOshua 24:15.


David's kingdom was held tOgeth-
er by Solomon during his reign of
forty years. Solomon showed his
wisdom by giving the people so big
q task that they had no time to
quarrel At his death the cleavage,
which had been but poorly obliter-
ated, between Judah and Israel was
made manifest and the kingdom d.
vided. A little over a half cen
tury later the kingdom of Israel was
so wicked that God raised up the
first of the prophets to speak for
Him. Ahab had married the daugh-
ter Of the king of the Zidonians; and
this Jezebel was the cause of Israel
going into sin in a way that the
nation had never known up to that
time. A good woman can weld a
mighty influence for good; and bad
woman is the devils most efficient
tool. Under JeZebeIs influence Ahab
instituted the licentious worship OF
Baal, and in the name OF religion
introduced unnamable sins in every
grove. So regardless of the word OIL
Jehovah did the people become that
they attempted to rebuild Jerlcho,
the city of the curse; as God had
threatened, Hiel laid the foundations
in the death of his first-born, and
set up the gates in the death OF
his youngest son. The significant
facts here are the many ways in
which the people showed their ut
ter Indifference to what God SAID
Lightning and Fire
At a time like 7this and to peo-
pie like this, there came a man like
a bolt out of the blue. Nothing
is known of him prior to this; even
the place of his birth is unidentified.
Elijah, the Tishbite, lived in the hills
of Gilead. He had evidently lived
the life of a hermit. He is recog-
nized as an old man, very hairy
and wearing a tunic held in place
by a leather girdle. All of sud
den he appeared in the palace OF
Ahab with these startling words:
LAS Jehovah God of Israel liVeth,
before whom [ stand, there shall
not be dew nor rain these years, but
according to my word" For some
time the condition of Israel weighed
upon his mind and heart; it drove
him to prayer. He realized that
something must be done to make
the people realize that God liVeth
and still had charge; they must be
made to face God; they must be
brought to a sense of dependence on
Him. He knew of no better way to
accomplish this than by a drought,
for they were absolutely dependent
on the dews and rains for their sus-
tenance. So he prayed God that it
might not rain. He prayed until
he knew that God had heard him;
and then he went boldly and sud
denly into the palace of Ahab with
the startling statement that 1t
should not raiQ until he should say
so! James SIT is our authority Tor
this.
Before Ahab had had time to
laugh at him or discuss 1t, Elijah
was gone. THE word of Jehovah
came to him saying, Get thee hence
so he went and did according to
the word Of Jehovah" After While
"the word of Jehovah came to him
saying, Go show myself to Ahab.
And Elijah went to show himself to
Ahab." After the contest on Carmel
the hand of Jehovah was upon him,
and he ran before Ahab to the en-
trance of Jezriel-an almost super
human fact, particularly for an old
man. Next day under the juniper
tree, an angel touched him and said
Arise and eat And he ate and
drank. The second time the angel
touched him and said, Arise and
eat; and he arose and ate. Forty
DAYS later, the word of Jehovah
came to him again--this time with
the question: What are you doing
here, Elijah? When Elijah answer
ed, He said, GO forth" This time
he did not obey. God had to speak
to him IN the still small voice before
he would bulge; then he went out
and stood in the entrance to the cave
on Horeb. Again the word of Je'
hovah asked him pertinent ques-
ton and when he answered, Jehovah
said to him, GO, return-so he de-
parted hence" Again the word Of
Jehovah came to him, saying,
arise, go down to meet Ahab-ln
the vineyard of Naboth'-a very dan
gerous procedure under ordinary
circumstances; but perfectly safe
when God orders it. And he .Obeyed
Immediately. When Ahab repented,
the word of Jehovah came to him,
saying, II will not bring the evil on
Ahab in his days"
After Ahab's death Ahaziah got
sick, and the word of Jehovah sad
to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up
to meet the messengers Of Ahaziah.
J.. SO Elijah departed.
On his last journey Jehovah sent
him to Bethel .. so they went to
Bethel Then Jehovah sent him to
Jericho 80. . So they came to jericho.
Then Jehovah sent him to Jordan.
and they two went on and on
and on-until Gods chariot and
horses appeared to give him his last
order to nSOVe . and Elijah went
up by whirlWind into heaven.
Are you beginning to catch the
secret Of his life? He stood before
Jehovah conscious Of His presence,
and Obeyed Immediately and impllc-
lily His every order. Such a man
became surcharged with the power
of God; in d position Of relationship
that made the graVitation toward
heaven greater every day. No won
der God TOOK him. Living in His
presence, by faith made living in His
presence by sight the necessary out
come.
The Power of Faith
Elijah's faith grew out of the fact
that he lived in the presence of Je-
hovah, and obeyed implicitly and inn
mediately the word Of Jehovah. He
prayed and believed God would do
as he asked and he shut up the
heavens so that it rained not for
the space of three and half-42
months. Remember this period) He
prayed again and lit rained-but
more of this in d moment.
Obeying God he went to the brook
Cherith and there trusting God for
his daily bread his faith was re-
warded, God sending him his daily
portion by strange messengers-ra
vens, birds that were regarded as
unclean by every Israelite. But re-
member that God fed him in this
way because he was in the way OF
the will of God; he was in the place
God told him tn he God will SuDDlV