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Cherith & Zarephath:  The Pathway to Mt. Carmel

The shaking and shift Elijah experienced in his life all began with a Word from the Lord. That word began a preparation process that first sent him to Cherith, then on to Zarephath- all before appearing again before Ahab. "Cherith" was all about the basics of depending on God by coming under His authority. Elijah would receive from God, but only as God desired and in God's time in God's way. That was step 1 of what I call The Supernatural Exchange. "Zarephath" was a promotion of both authority and serving in ministry, but it was still a far cry from that sense of being "in the loop" Elijah had before being sent away to the brook Cherith. At Zarephath God begins to release what has been established in Elijah at Cherith. It is not only lived out at a different level, but Elijah calls others into it as well. And that is step 2 of what I call The Supernatural Exchange: seeing what God has done to transform us begin to be imparted to and lived out by others, not just ourselves.

Changing Modes of Authority as a New Season Begins

It is noteworthy that we don't hear Elijah complain about Zarephath, his lack of Israeli fellowship, or what to many of us would seem a delay if not outright cancellation of the promise. Elijah walks with God, moves in the anointing released in and through him, empowers the widow woman, and stays willing to do whatever is asked of him by the Lord. And he does this for "many days" (1Kg.18:1). After all, Sidon is NOT Israel; these people do things differently than Elijah. And "after many days" it probably seemed (again) that the time would never come when rain could fall on Israel. But Elijah is content with what God gives him in the place he is called to. He does not insist that he be able to live as he did previously, or that the promise be immediately fulfilled.

But after those "many days" Elijah is told to "go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth" (1Kg.18:1). It's very important that during the three year period between the first confrontation of Ahab and the second, the conditions only worsened. That was intended by God for the sake of Ahab and the nation, to bring repentance by establishing that rain cannot come by sacrificing to Baal, but only from the blessing of the Lord. But for Elijah (& for us) something else is essential. By the Word He gave, Elijah himself came to know that rain would only come through God. And any doubt he may have had about that (later on) was eliminated by the fresh object lesson of Cherith, then strengthens by his experience at Zarephath: what God has for you comes only in His way and time.

It is also significant of another reality: IF faithful at Cherith and Zarephath, the anointing on our lives will increase between receiving the promise and fulfillment. Through those seasons we will become prepared for what's been promised. But what is also true is that during that same time the need for God to intervene will become greater than ever before, as the surrounding conditions continue to worsen. Body of Christ: that is what many are facing right now: circumstances that want to drown out God's promise, cancel faith, and make the heart sick through deferral of hope. That is why faithfulness to God at Cherith and Zarephath cannot be bypassed. And this is a primary reason why we must not consider ourselves as ready for what is ahead without being proven through personal (and even corporate) Cherith and Zarephath seasons.   

It's "Getting Worse" can Mean, "It's Getting Closer"

After all, when Elijah first addressed Ahab, the conditions were already repugnant, but now, "in the third year," they have become disastrous: "the famine was severe in Samaria" (1Kg.18:2). But this did not deter Elijah's call to persevere. In our time and season, church: we are also being called to view conditions through the eye of faith which comes by hearing, meaning that we must focus on obedience rather than problem solving. We must worship God instead of making an idol of circumstances when coming before Him. We must present a true witness of Christ to others rather than try to manipulate the surroundings to our liking and favor (1Sam.15:22; Ro.12:1; Jn.4:23; Acts 1:8; Php.3:20). But we will utterly fail in any and all attempts to do so without successfully processing through Cherith and Zarephath seasons by God's grace.

If our focus is on the natural, we will be emotionally overwhelmed and presume that what seems to be a gap between the promise and Provider is becoming not only a breach, but expanding into a chasm. Operating that way, frustration, fatigue and futility will soon become our condition. We will then conclude that our preparation has not sufficiently readied us, or that somehow God has not attended to the situation, and that now all has become lost. Perhaps we will not want to quit altogether. A usual resort to avoid giving up is to call one more "intercess over the mess," meeting or "pray until it goes away" conference, but that is not what is needed. Elijah called for none of this; he did none of this; he simply obeyed God every step of the way. And because of that he was ready. Therefore, Elijah just went to meet Ahab.

Elijah was sent to do God's will in the Spirit. Manifesting the Spirit would result in a natural impact and consequence. Ahab, however, was scrambling in the flesh to preserve whatever could be spared. On which side of that equation do you find yourself? We always need to remember that in the midst of warfare, we who obey are not desperate, regardless of the conditions or circumstances. The enemy IS desperate, however, and scrambling to maintain its grip on any and every thing God has promised us. Facing this, some believe that we must go into manic warfare mode, learn new techniques, use gadgets and gizmos, train everyone to become so called "Apostles of the Marketplace," or just resolve ourselves to laboring in the natural to impact 'The 7 Mountains of Influence.'

We can only hope that by now the error of moving with "trends" without the Spirit has been exposed and repented of. But on the opposite side of working ourselves into oblivion, others think we will get where we need to go one day like magic ("poof"), just by keeping at the "same ole, same ole." But we will never take it back if we don't go after it when we are told to. And we will not be ready to be told to "go" without successfully processing through Cherith and Zarephath seasons by God's grace. But Elijah did just that.  

Through Obadiah- God's prophetic counterintelligence specialist- Elijah was directed to a divine appointment with Ahab (18:3-4). Again: Elijah had been established in living out the basics of dependence on God at Cherith. He had then grown into responsibly imparting that faith and trust into others at Zarephath. Therefore, by going to meet Ahab he was just continuing to believe God's Word and walk in His will.

The Enemy is a Liar, Always!

Of course the enemy immediately accuses Elijah, basically saying, "there you are, you troubler of Israel!"  (1Kg.18:17). This is when the flesh of some would muse: "no good deed goes unpunished." I don't buy into that, but I DO believe we should expect fresh accusations made against us in important moments during new advances. And this is another reason to insure that we live "above reproach" (1Tim.3:2; Tit 1:6-7). But notice that what it meant for Elijah to take the initiative. It was only to obey the Lord, not verbally attack the devil. Still, the enemy did what the enemy does: try to put you on the defensive, trying to get you to "step into" a snare of controversy by blaming you for the problem. But Elijah wasn't the problem. And neither are we when we obey God in His way and time.

Elijah's prophecy did not (in and of itself) cause the heavens to withhold rain; it only served to reveal that God was neither willing nor able to bless Israel's whoredom with others gods. Today, we have an even better covenant. That means we have even less reason not to trust the Lord as our only God, with an even greater accountability to believe Him in every instance (Heb.11:6). If Elijah had not given the word, they may have gone without revelation of what was taking place until or unless they asked for a Prophet of the Lord. And then, unless the one they inquired of was true, they would have been told a lie.

Having made Yahweh only one of many God's and therefore disobeying His Covenant, spiritual prostitution with Baal motivated Israel to go beyond faith in God's promise to insure that everything would be assured. That's what a religious spirit desires and mandates today: a mixture of flesh with the Holy Spirit (to make sure that the job gets done). Religious insecurity will even allow demonic spirits to hitchhike a ride on the vessel carrying the anointing to bring God's people under a witchcraft which features fear, shame and control. But the result of not allowing God to be God is not only a thwarting of our very efforts- a failure to receive. More importantly it is the pollution of our hearts, the invitation to the enemy and the abandonment of our God. We cannot receive when convinced that God's care and oversight doesn't cover all of our life. And the seeking of other means and the efforts to establish us only serve to further take our focus and desires away from Him.

Who will be Sent to Confront Falseness?

Since Elijah has been sufficiently matured by seasons at Cherith and Zarephath, he is prepared to counter all subterfuge of the enemy. He turns the accusation around where it belongs:

"I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table" (1Kg.18:18-19).

THAT is boldness! In the time of confrontation there will neither be the asking of permission nor seeking of forgiveness. But don't allow yourself to believe that such an assignment will be given if you have not successfully processed through Cherith and Zarephath seasons by God's grace. 

Elijah has, therefore he is not only chosen but does not let Ahab set the terms. Elijah was responding to God, not reacting to the enemy spirit operating through the King. Today, we must not let the fear of man, the culture or the enemy set the agenda for our action. We must be moved only by the Spirit of God.

God was calling for a demonstration of power to bring Israel to repentance and judgment. How could today be any different? God is calling the church to repent of its mixtures of flesh and spirit, the seeking of "other" gods, and aligning with spirits of this age which result in prostituting "the faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude1:3).

But since God is in charge, the battle will only be fought on the field, in the way and the time of the Lord's choosing. And God will only use the vessel that have been completely obedient and is fully prepared.

Bill Click