Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 3171
“And He said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORDpassed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind, an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake, a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire, a still small voice. Andit was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13.
[Another Sermon by Mr. Spurgeon, upon verses 12 and 13, is #1668, Volume 28—THE STILL SMALL VOICE.]
THERE may be a great deal more teaching in what Elijah saw and heard in the cave than I shall be able to bring out this evening. Indeed, I shall not attempt to exhaust the very wonderful practical sermon which was preached to the Prophet on the side of Mount Horeb, but in the still small voice I hear four messages.
I. And first, THERE WAS A MESSAGE TO ELIJAH HIMSELF.
He had, apparently, conceived the idea that the whole nation of Israel would be converted from idolatry by one grand display of Divine power. If it could once be indisputably proved that Baal was not God and that Jehovah, alone, was God, then he thought that, surely, the people would be convinced and would loyally return to their old Covenant with the one living and true God. But he found that it was not so. Although the fire of the Lord had fallen from Heaven and had consumed Elijah’s sacrifice, burned up the very stones of the altar and licked up the water in the trench. And although the people had cried out, “Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God!” yet for all that, they forsook not Baal, nor the other idols that had been set up in the groves and on the high places—the sun-god was still worshipped and the God who made the sun was forgotten!
Elijah seems to have also thought that a display of terrible severity was necessary to bring these people back to their allegiance to Jehovah. Hence he took the prophets of Baal and the prophets of the groves and slew them at the brook Ki-shon, not allowing any of them to escape. It must have been stern work for him to be the executioner of God’s Justice, but he did it with a sacred zest, feeling that he was only slaying those who were the enemies of God—and that every blow he struck at those idolatrous priests was struck for the honor and glory of Jehovah! Yet that stern severity did not succeed as Elijah had expected it would. And one result of it was that Jezebel sent to threaten him with death. I think that possibly Elijah desired that God would inflict upon the people some still severer judgment. Yet I know not what calamities he would have had them suffer, for there had already been dire distress through the three years of drought! But even this had not driven the people from their idolatry. Perhaps Elijah would have had fire and sword sent among them to drive them from their idols and bring them back to the worship of Jehovah.
But God here teaches Elijah that this is not His way of working. He does use the wind, the earthquake and the fire when He pleases, but these are not His most effective instruments. He does not do His mightiest works by them, but in quite another way—by a still small voice! Thus the Lord practically said to Elijah, “Gentler means must be tried with these rebellious people. My Glory will be promoted among them by other methods than you have as yet used, or than I have used by you as My servant. I have let them see that I am Lord and Master of the terrible forces of Nature. I have con-
vinced them that I am a great God who can smite them as much as I please, but I have not thereby won their hearts— there must be other methods used. The still small voice must be tried.”
You have, perhaps, noticed that Elijah’s later ministry—although it still remained one of fire and although his was still the voice that cried in the wilderness as John the Baptist’s was afterwards to do, “Make straight in the desert a highway for our God”—became, on the whole, much more gentle and tender. He seems to have devoted himself to the work of perpetuating the ministry among the people by founding schools for the young men who were called the sons of the Prophets. They evidently recognized him as their master and head, as they recognized Elisha after Elijah had been carried up to Heaven. The still small voice of prophetic teaching was to be tried! Judgments had apparently failed, for the hard hearts of the people had not been softened and subdued. Men had been terrified, but they had not been converted. They had been frightened out of their sins for a time, but they had speedily returned to them as swine that might be washed would soon be again wallowing in the mire! Satan had been dislodged from them for a little while, but he had returned and brought other devils with him—and so made his possession of them the more secure. Now other methods were to be tried—gentler, softer, quieter methods which would prove to be more efficient. I think that was the message of God to Elijah through the still small voice.