Ⅱ
James 5:17 and 18 say, “Elijah was a man of like feeling with us, and he earnestly prayed that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth sprouted forth with its fruit”:
A
For Elijah to pray “earnestly” means literally that he “prayed in prayer”; this indicates that a prayer from the Lord was given to Elijah, in which he prayed.
B
He did not pray in his feeling, thought, intention, or mood, or in any kind of motivation, arising from circumstances or situations, to fulfill his own purpose; he prayed in the prayer given to him by the Lord for the accomplishing of His will—cf. Psa. 27:4; John 15:7.
C
On Mount Carmel Elijah said to all the people of Israel and to the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal, “How long will you go hopping between two opinions? If Jehovah is God, follow Him; but if Baal is, follow him”—1 Kings 18:21:
１
Elijah prayed to “Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,” and “the fire of Jehovah fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench”—vv. 36-38.
２
“When all the people saw this, they fell on their faces and said, Jehovah—He is God! Jehovah—He is God!”; afterward, all the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal were executed—vv. 39-40.
３
When Jezebel heard about this, she threatened to kill Elijah; because in his weakness Elijah was afraid, he ran for his life; he went forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God, and he went into a cave and lodged there—19:2, 9-10.
D
While Elijah was on the mount of God, suddenly Jehovah passed by, and He was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire; after the fire, God spoke to Elijah in “a gentle, quiet voice”; this indicates that God was ushering Elijah into the New Testament age, in which God speaks to His people not by thundering but gently and quietly—vv. 11-12; Rom. 8:6b; 2 Cor. 2:13; 1 John 2:27.
E
God then said, “I have left Myself seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed unto Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18; Rom. 11:2-5); these faithful overcomers are His “hidden ones” (Psa. 83:3b), and our God is “a God who hides Himself ” (Isa. 45:15).
Morning Nourishment
James 5:17 Elijah was a man of like feeling with us, and he earnestly prayed that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.1 Kings 19:11-12 ... Jehovah was not in the wind... Jehovah was not in the earthquake...Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, a gentle, quiet voice.
[“Earnestly prayed” in James 5:17 means literally] “prayed in prayer.” This indicates that a prayer from the Lord was given to Elijah, in which he prayed. He did not pray in his feeling, thought, intention, or mood, or in any kind of motivation, arising from circumstances or situations, to fulfill his own purpose. He prayed in the prayer given to him by the Lord for the accomplishing of His will. (James 5:17, footnote 1)
“Elijah was a man of like feeling with us” (James 5:17), and he also could not stand the test of God’s hiddenness. On Mount Carmel God was obviously with him. After that time, however, God tested him. When God withdrew and hid Himself, Elijah could not bear it and went into a cave. When God asked him, “What are you doing here?” he answered, “I have been very jealous for Jehovah the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and slain Your prophets with the sword; and I alone am left, and they seek to take my life” (1 Kings 19:9-10). God knew that Elijah wanted God to be a manifest God; he did not realize that God likes to hide Himself. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 3, p. 33)
Today’s Reading
God charged Elijah to go out and stand upon the mountain before Jehovah (1 Kings 19:11a). Elijah waited for the word of commission, thinking that it must be in the big windstorm or in the earthquake or in the fire, but Jehovah was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire (vv. 11b-12a). When Elijah became fully disappointed, a gentle, quiet voice came (v. 12b)...The fact that God spoke to Elijah in a gentle, quiet voice indicates that God was ushering Elijah into the New Testament age. Today God does not speak to us by thundering. God always speaks to us gently and quietly. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, p. 71)God does not like an intimidating display... Elijah told God, “I alone am left” (1 Kings 19:14)...Outwardly, it seemed that God had not done anything, but secretly He had left Himself seven thousand men. This was God’s hidden work.
God is a God who hides Himself, and His work is always hidden. Do not keep hoping for a great touch, a great vision, or a great seeing. These are not necessarily of God. I would like to tell all of God’s children that the truest work of God is His hidden work in us—just a little voice, a little feeling, or a little thought, which seems to be both God’s moving as well as our own impression. Moreover, it is often so faint that it seems as if it is not there. This is God’s most precious and truest work. Sometimes in the deepest part of our being there is a small thought, feeling, voice, or word, telling us, “This is your flesh. This has not passed through the cross. This is not of the Lord.” This is the mightiest, greatest work of God in us. There is not one day or one moment in which God is not working in us ...We may become cold or backslidden, even to the point of not coming to the meetings or of doing what is most displeasing to Him, but at this point, this reality is still present within us. This is the irrefutable proof of our salvation. When we are committing sins, it seems that He is saying, “This is enough. Do not do this anymore. Stop at this point and repent.” When we have not gone to the meetings for two months, it seems as if a tiny voice within us is saying, “Go to the meetings. For how much longer will you wait?...” We may doubt such a voice and say, “Is this God’s speaking? Isn’t this coming from myself?” But ...this is God’s truest speaking, and this is His most precious work. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 3, pp. 33-34)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1956, vol. 2, “A God Who Hides Himself,” pp. 3-11; Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, msgs. 10-12