Goodness (17) Elijah's Goodness (3)
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April 16, 2023 |
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 “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:28-30)
Ahab, the most vicious king in Israel’s history took as a wife, Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal who was the king of the Sindonians. Because she brought many idols, it was inevitable for the people of Israel to become corrupt. When the times had become the worst, God sent the greatest of the prophets, Elijah.
Elijah fully emptied himself of self-righteousness and humbled himself, so he lived at peace with everyone. Also, he demonstrated his love for God in deed and in truth, so he only obeyed. He showed God is the only one true God by bringing down the answer of fire from above in the confrontation with 850 prophets of foreign gods, and the event caused people of Israel to turn back from the corrupt way. After he carried out all his duties, he was taken up to Heaven without death.
After he ascended into Heaven, Elijah’s love for the Lord intensified. Then Elijah assumed the duty of coming down to earth again as the John the Baptist and making ready the way of the Lord, and then he died as a martyr. What trait of Elijah who came as John the Baptist did God consider good?
1. John the Baptist did not know he was Elijah
Zacharias the priest and his wife Elizabeth had no child, and they were both advanced in years. But one day, Gabriel the archangel appeared and told Zacharias that they would bear a son.
Luke 1:13 reads, “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.’” And the following verses 15 and 17 say respectively, “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord” and “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Then, Elizabeth became pregnant and bore a son. It was John the Baptist. Luke 1:80 describes him, saying, “And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” He lived in the deserts, and it signifies that his life was distinguished from the ways of this world. In such a way of life, John the Baptist always maintained spiritual communication with God and received exact guidance about when he would appear in the world.
Did John the Baptist himself realize that he was Elijah? When asked if he was Elijah, John the Baptist said in John 1:21, “I am not.” John the Baptist had no idea that he was Elijah. While John had received the spirit containing Elijah’s heart, it was clouded by characteristics he had inherited from his parents.
But Jesus’ spirit itself was His heart, and He was not influenced by any hereditary natures from parents. Thus, Jesus was well-aware of His identity and purpose to come to the earth even at an early age. We know this through an incident that took place when Jesus was 12. The virgin Mary and Joseph were looking for Jesus and found Him in the temple. Then, Jesus said to them in Luke 2:49, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
While Jesus clearly knew who He was from an early age, John the Baptist did not exactly know who he was. John the Baptist faintly knew what kind of life he was to lead, because Elijah’s heart was contained in the spirit of John the Baptist. As he separated himself and abstained from the world and always communicated with God, John the Baptist came to understand his duty. He received guidance that he would have to make ready for the One who would come after him, and on what he was to proclaim and to do. He waited for his time when he would appear in the world.
2. He carried out his duty without changing
And when his time came, John the Baptist proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As described in Matthew 3:5-6, people from Jerusalem went out to him, and all Judea, and all the districts around the Jordan; and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. Then, the people wondered in their hearts about John, as to whether he might be the Christ.
John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).
John the Baptist perceived directly that his duty was to make ready the way of the Lord and he did not cross the ‘border’. As John the Baptist proclaimed to the people about the “One is coming who is mightier than I,” how earnestly they must have longed for the One he spoke of!
When Jesus began His ministry, a great number of people who had followed John the Baptist now followed Jesus. John’s disciples said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him” (John 3:26).
Would John have become heartbroken and said, “Oh, no, my time is up”? John instead said in John 3:28-30, “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’…He must increase, but I must decrease.” He admonished his disciples, meditated on his duty, and truly rejoiced in the appearing of the Lord.
His spiritual love for the Lord is felt in him rejoicing in the truth. Love of John the Baptist for the Lord remained the same even until he was martyred. God regards John to be truly good for unchangingly carrying out his duty of making ready the way of the Lord.
3. He humbled himself and sought only the glory of the Lord
The Lord’s coming is drawing very near and at this end time all believers have a duty of preparing the way of the Lord who comes again. Church workers fulfill their God-given duties faithfully, and it is to make ready the way of the Lord. Even if you do not have an assigned duty, all believers of God have a duty of spreading the gospel and being the salt and light of the world. No matter what kind of tasks you are assigned to, when each of you faithfully carries out your duty the way John the Baptist did, you will be recognized as a worker who has prepared the way of the Lord well.
To become a valuable vessel like John the Baptist, we have to cast away selfish motives, humble ourselves, and lift up only the Lord. We must not want to be glorified when we give glory to God and work only for the glory of the Lord with truthfulness. Moreover, if your fellow workers can give greater glory to God, you must be able to give them even your vested rights in sincere joy and thankfulness.
If you really love Father God from within the heart, you have to place more emphasis on thinking “How can I reveal ‘more of God’s glory’?” than “How much more work can ‘I’ do for Him?” This is the heart of the one who only seeks the glory of the Lord instead of his own glory. This is truly a great heart. You will not put your mind on the kind of the duty that you will be given but ardently desire better leaders to be selected for God's kingdom and the Lord’s glory.
It does not mean that we have no zeal for the Lord or we shrink away because our zeal has grown cold. When a worker who looks less capable than us has been chosen as the leader, if we have true goodness, we can help the leader carry out his duty in the fullness without revealing ourselves to others. It is considered as true goodness. If you have such a heart, you never feel unpleasant or jealous and you rejoice together even if others received more recognition for his accomplishment than you and love from people.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if you really long for the day of the Lord’s coming, you must empty yourself and make peace with everyone. You must also show your love for God with deeds, live in truth, and carry out your duty unchangingly. By doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will be able to make ready for the way of the Lord and welcome Him in glory.
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