When God Takes Something Away
1 Kings 19:11-21
June 30, 2024 anno Domini
In today’s Collect we prayed, “O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things that surpass all understanding.” That’s easier to pray than to believe, which is the reason we need to pray it. Often.
Do you think Elijah realized all the good the Lord was preparing for him? Pastor and Prophet Elijah just had his best day ever. Remember. Mount Carmel. Elijah vs. 450 prophets of Baal. Elijah conducted the congregation through the greatest Divine Service in history. His sermon literally brought fire from heaven upon the idols and false teachers. The liturgy of condemnation and grace kept the congregation riveted. They actually listened to the preacher and did exactly what he told them. God put the “Amen” on the service by ending a three year drought. He washed the land clean of the prophets of Baal and brought new life. God’s blessings were physically showered upon the earth. That’s one of those days the pastor goes home, thanking God for His goodness, drinks a cold beverage or two, and takes a nap (if his wife and children let him.) It doesn’t get any better than that.
Then came Monday morning and the first phone call came from the richest and most powerful members of the congregation. It’s either us or you preacher. If you’re not gone today, we’re gone. Those rich and powerful members were King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. The King had been impressed with the preacher, but the Queen skipped the service. Elijah had not only preached against the queen, but had destroyed her false gods and killed all the prophets who were telling her exactly what she wanted to hear.
So, what do you do when God works a great good in your life, perhaps the greatest good and the next day it all crashes down. You get married and your first child is born with severe health problems. You celebrate your 25th wedding anniversary and your husband tells you he doesn’t love anymore and he’s leaving. You’ve put in your 40 years in a difficult job. You’ve worked hard, skimped and saved, so you can retire and do what you want and a month into retirement you suffer a massive stroke and are paralyzed. Do you know what Elijah wanted to do? He wanted to die. Right before the text he’s in the wilderness working up to a full-blown poor prophet’s pity party when he says, “O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
Three famous prophets of the Old Testament prayed this prayer. Moses prayed it after the grumbling the Israelites. Elijah prayed it because of Jezebel’s conduct. And Jonah prayed it after God forgave Ninevah. Do you what God did? He didn’t answer their prayers. He didn’t take their lives. It’s probably because suicide by God is a sin. Despair is the Devil’s work. “Quit” is a sermon written in and preached from hell. People often ask me, “Is it okay to pray to die?” I understand the question and where it comes from. We want good days followed by better days. But now I think I know the answer, “Go ahead and pray, but don’t expect God to listen, especially if all you want to do is escape some difficulty or suffering.” Then I should add this, which is God’s teaching in today’s readings, “When God takes something away from you, He wants to give you more, more than pride, more than despair, more than quitting. He want to give you Jesus. He wants you to trust His Word, be confident in your salvation, certain of your better future.”
God takes things away from you to give you more Jesus. He took away Elijah’s pride, so that He could give Elijah Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. He took away Elijah’s despair and gave him hope.
Elijah, Hazael, and Jehu point to Christ. Eventually, and it took some time, they defeated all of Elijah’s enemies. Christ defeated your enemies at the cross. He took your sin. He died your death. He silenced Satan. It’s taking some time, but the last day is coming. Then, and this requires the patience of faith, the Devil and all those who love His evil will be locked away to suffer forever, and you will have an eternity of greatest days.
The Lord took away Elisha’s twelve yoke of oxen. One old Lutheran pastor said, “Elisha was a man of ‘comfortable circumstance.’” Elisha was rich. He had the biggest John Deere tractor they made – 12 oxen power. He pulled the biggest equipment, had the largest ranch house. He was putting in the crop with his men. A farmer who is making money and succeeding. It doesn’t get any better than that. Then the Lord comes along and takes it all away. Elijah throws his mantle on Elisha and Elisha knows what the means. He must leave his father and mother because the Lord is giving him a new bride – the people of Israel. He would be Elijah’s vicar until Elijah was taken into heaven.
Elisha was called away from farming to be a prophet, just as Peter and Andrew, James and John were called away from fishing to be apostles. Those four fisherman won the first season of Deadliest Catch in one catch. They won the tournament. They won brand new Ranger boats. Sponsorships were lined up. And Jesus took it all away, to give them more, to give them Himself so they could catch men with the Gospel.
There is nothing wrong with farming or fishing or having the best day ever enjoying God’s gifts. There is nothing wrong with a bumper crop, a limit of monster fish, or a church service where evil is destroyed and the preacher has the best sermon ever. Those are gifts from God to enjoy, like getting married, having children, making enough money to retire, but there is more. That more is Jesus, and to give us Jesus God will take away what we have.
Common sense, earthly wisdom says, “If God would give me more I would believe in Him.” No, you wouldn’t. You would believe in what you received. You would believe in wealth or health or success. St. Paul tells us in today’s Epistle, “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” When you are sick all you want is health, but God would give you Jesus. When you are dying all you want is to live, but God would give you Jesus. When all you want is your children to be good and live decent lives and your grandchildren to be healthy, and that’s not happening and you’re helpless to stop accidents, sickness, and sin, God would give you Jesus, because you need Jesus.
Elisha left farming to be an Old Testament preacher – a prophet. Peter, Andrew, James and John, left the greatest catch ever to be New Testament preachers – Apostles. God took away from those men to give the world more because “it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” I wonder if that’s why God took so much away from Elijah. His greatest sermon is followed by a death sentence and despair and his suicide prayer. Then God reminded him that God’s Word had not failed, there were 7000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal. 7000 who believe in the promises of God’s grace and mercy.
When you despair of God’s Word, when you’ve lost something good, when you want to quit, when you think God has left you alone, when you have failed, remember God’s Word to Elijah. That Word is the Word of the Cross. It’s all God has for you, but it’s more than you will ever lose. Jesus has taken away your sins. Jesus has died your death. Jesus has silenced Satan. Jesus has risen from the dead. He has called you to a faith that will not disappoint, to a congregation of countless brothers and sisters, to a life that never ends. So, when God takes something away from you, don’t forget to tell your preacher, because you need God’s Word. His Word will give you more than you have lost. The Word of the Cross will give you Jesus. In His Name. Amen.