WHY THE BROOK DRIED UP

 

Friday, September 2, 2022

 

WHY THE BROOK DRIED UP

 

Read: 1 Kings chapter 17

 

1 Kings 17:5-7

5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

 

          The clash of wills between King Ahab and the prophet Elijah made everyone miserable because Elijah, at the Lord’s direction, cursed the land with a drought. This saga spans a lengthy portion of scripture and was so well known to the people of that time that James wrote about it.

 

James 5:17-18

17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

 

          We might focus on the wonderful provision of God for Elijah. We could marvel at the faithfulness of the ravens who dropped food twice per day while he drank water from the brook. We could read with wonder at the rescue of the widow and her son at Zarephath because of her generosity toward the prophet. But that would not answer our question of the day. Why did the brook dry up?

 

          The drought was from God. Elijah could not stop it nor reverse it. Because it was a general and not a specific curse, he was forced to suffer along with others. That is the point, isn’t it?

 

          What we are witnessing in our land now is God’s judgment. Therefore, we can’t stop it. We must be keen to obey God’s leading because therein is rescue. God never abandons His people, but we may go through some difficulty along with those who are under judgment. During these times of deprivation, watch for God to drop handfuls on purpose.

 

          God never sends a general curse simply because He is upset. He has a purpose in mind. Change is coming. Perhaps He, himself is coming.

 

Prov 22:3

3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

 

Lord, let me not deny what I see clearly. Make me prudent and obedient. AMEN