A Man of God
“Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth’” (1 Kings 17:24).
I saw a dedication ceremony of a Reverend Billy Graham’s library on TV. The ceremony was to give thanks to God and to celebrate what God has done through Rev. Graham who went around the whole world and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ for 60 years. As I was watching that program, my daughter Yeri asked me who Rev. Billy Graham is. So I answered her ‘He is a famous pastor and preacher.’ Then Yeri said ‘Daddy, you are a pastor and preacher too. But you are not famous’. Haha. After what I told Yeri about Rev. Graham, I wasn’t sure I introduce him correctly to Yeri. After Yeri left, I and my wife Jane kept watched the T.V. program and I saw my wife Jane crying in tears. I guessed the program touched Jane’s heart. And I felt stronger that I didn’t introduce Rev. Graham to Yeri correctly. So after I finished watching the program, I went up to Yeri’s room and told her and other two kids that Rev. Billy Graham is a man of God more than a famous pastor and preacher. And I told them ‘Daddy and mommy want to be a man and a woman of God. And I hope and pray that you guys can become the man and the woman of God as well.’ When I thought about the man of God Rev. Billy Graham, he reminded me Prophet Elijah in the Bible. When we look at the today’s passage 1 Kings 17:24, the woman (widow) said to Elijah “Now I know that you are a man of God …”. I want to think about who the man of God is in four ways based on the today’s passage, 1 Kings 17:17-24.
First, the man of God obeys the Word of God.
When we look at 1 Kings 17:2-4, God told Elijah to “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan” (v.3). And the Scripture says “So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there (v.5). In a word, Elijah obeyed God’s command without any question. When he did so, the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and Elijah drank from the brook (v.6). But some time later, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land (v.7). Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah saying “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there”(v.9). God told him that he had command a widow in that place to supply you with food (v.9). So Elijah went to Zarephath. In other word, Elijah obeyed God’s command again. You see, whenever God told him something, Elijah just obeyed without any question [(v.3) “Leave here …” (v.5) “So he did what the Lord had told him …”; (v.9) “Go at once …”, (v.10) “So he went to …”]. In one word, Elijah was a man of obedience. It is interesting to notice that to Elijah who was obeying God’s command, there was a widow of Zarephath who was obeying Elijah’s command. When Elijah told the widow to “first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son” (v.13), she went away and did as Elijah had told her” (v.15). To the obedient leader, there is an obedient follower.
Second, a man of God is holy.
When the widow of Zarephath obeyed the man of God Elijah by making the small cake of bread for Elijah (vv. 13, 15) with “only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug” (v.12), as God told Elijah “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land” (v.14) and there was food every day for the woman and her family (v.15). But something unexpected thing happened to the widow’s family that is her son became ill and finally stopped breathing (v.17). So she said to Elijah “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” (v.18). According to Dr. Yune Sun Park, the woman was saying that the man of God Elijah reminded her sin. You see, she knew that it was her sin that killed her son. And I think she repented her sin. That’s why God heard Elijah’s prayer (v.21) and the boy’s life returned to him and he lived (v.22). A man of God purify himself by obeying he truth (1 Pet. 1:22) and live a holy life. And he had nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them (Eph. 5:11).
Third, a man of God prays.
Elijah told the widow “Give me your son” and he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed (v.19). And Elijah cried to the Lord “O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" (v.20). Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the Lord “O Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” (v.21). Then the Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived (v.22). You see, God heard the prayer of the man of God Elijah who was obedient to God. Our God hears the prayer of a man who hears God’s voice and obey Him. When we look at 1 Kings chapter 18 in which prophet Elijah is fighting against Baal prophets, we see that Elijah prayed to God (v. 36ff) humbly (v.42) for a rain (v.41) and God heard his prayer and answered him. You see, the man of God is man of obedience and man of prayer.
Fourth, a man of God is truthful.
When the widow saw how God answered Elijah’s prayer and her son was alive, she said to Elijah “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth” (1 Kgs 17:24). You see, she believed that the word of the Lord from Prophet Elijah’s mouth was the truth. This means that the truthfulness of the Word of God was proven through Elijah’s obedient life, holy life and prayer life. The man of God does not only talk the truthfulness but rather through his obedient, holy and prayer life, he manifests God’s truthfulness.
As I conclude this Bible Study, today’s Scripture teaches us that the man of God obeys, is holy, prays to God and is truthful. I think Rev. Billy Graham is a man of God. I hope and pray that you and I can become the men of God as well.
Wanting to become a man of God,
James Kim