Which prophet of the Old Testament do you believe to be the most outstanding? Jeremiah, Isaiah, or another? For me it is Elijah, because he was passionate for the Lord and also because he was an ordinary human like me. I can identify more easily with Elijah than any other prophet, as he is one who served God to the utmost, but whose humanity, his weaknesses, and failures, were apparent as he did so. In James 5:17 we read, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.”
Of all the Old Testament prophets, the New Testament mentions Elijah more than any other. He is the prophet who appeared with Moses at the transfiguration of our Lord. He is a man who appears out of nowhere, and whose exit from earth is even more unusual. The appearance of Elijah began a new era in the history of Israel. Where prophets were few and far between before his time, after his coming there were many prophets, and even a school of the prophets. J. Sidlow Baxter in his commentary writes about Elijah as, “One of Israel’s most startling and romantic characters, he suddenly appears on the scene as the crisis-prophet, with thunder on his brow and tempest in his voice. He disappears just as suddenly, swept skywards in a chariot of fire. Between his first appearing and his final disappearing lies a succession of amazing miracles.” (J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book, vol. 2, p. 111)
David MacDonald shared with us this past Sunday from 1 Kings 17:1-10 on the theme, “My God is the Lord” and challenged us to stand firm for the Lord, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand.” (Verse 10). This Sunday he will continue with 1 Kings 17:17-24 “Following God into the seemingly impossible.”
Please join us on Sunday at 10:30 am as we worship God together. We will have a “Q and A” session with David and Anne after the service.
This Sunday the Thalwil Taxi will be at Kilchberg Station.