DWELLING AT CHERITH

SCRIPTURAL PORTION FROM THE BIBLE: 1 Kings 17: 1-7

Elijah was probably one of the greatest and most zealous of the prophets in Israel from his rare and brief appearances to his unprecedented courage and fierce fury to slaughter the prophets of Baal. We know very little of his call or his parentage except for the statement “Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead.” He first appears in the Bible in the encounter with King Ahab, to declare his very first prophecy that there will be no dew, nor rain, but according to his word.

This prophecy was no sudden revelation to Elijah. God had been preparing Elijah in secret in Gilead, which means “the hill of testimony” After making his first appearance, God instructed him to turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith, which means “a separation, a cutting, to destroy”.

After his first prophecy, Elijah would have looked forward to more revelations and more assignments from God. Elijah as an individual was set on bringing back the nation of Israel to the worship of Jehovah. But after the encounter with Ahab, strangely, God had no assignments for him. It was a very abrupt disruption in the ministry of the prophet. God had directed him to the place of separation.

Cherith was a place of protection and provision for Elijah - protection from the wrath of King Ahab and provision during the years of famine. But above all, it was a place of preparation and prayer.

Cherith - A place of protection
King Ahab was ruthless, evil and he “did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). Instigated by his Phoenician wife, Jezebel to massacre hundreds of prophets of Jehovah, he would have found it but a light thing to kill one prophet who stood in his way. We see that Ahab had been foraging for Elijah by sending Obadiah (governor of Ahab’s house), who says (1 Kings 18:10 “there is no nation or kingdom, whither…hath not sent to seek thee :”) Yet the Lord hid him in Ahab’s dominion itself, and protected him at Cherith, which was actually a place of destruction. God transformed the place of destruction to a place of refuge.

Cherith – A place of provision
Cherith was a source of water, but Elijah needed not only water, but food for his sustenance. God could have devised innumerous ways to feed Elijah. But why the ravens?? The ravens were considered unclean animals. Moreover the ravens fed on flesh, as their main course. It would be most unlikely that they would part with their own food. It was also very unlikely that they would have found bread, since there was a famine in the land. Yet God chose the most unlikely medium for facilitating a meal for Elijah consistently both in the morning and evening. God provided for the Elijah’s needs miraculously and plenteously when the rest of the Israel, was suffering from the drought.

Cherith – A place of preparation
Elijah was called to a place of solitude and here God was going to prepare him for the grueling ministry that lay ahead of him. God first introduced him, and then hid him at brook Cherith to prepare him for his public appearances. It was a place away from human habitation, human help and human acquaintances. He was meant to possess spiritual power that surpassed all his human zeal. If we can relate James 5:17, we see that Elijah prayed for a drought from his own spiritual passion. Although, God permitted his prayer to be answered, God had to bring him to into his presence for using him efficiently and transform him into a powerful instrument. Elijah had to be emptied for God to pour his power on him.

Cherith – A place of prayer
For Elijah, it was a place of uncertainty. The rippling brook which once had an undulating flow was soon thinning down to a silver line. He never knew for sure, if the ravens that brought him his meal in the morning would return in the evening. He was living through faith, and faith triggers prayer. He was also not sure of what task lay ahead of him and he had to wait on the Lord in prayer for the next direction. It was also a time for him to intercede for the nation of Israel, for their sins and idolatry. His extreme hour of need soon came. The brook dried up and ravens stopped coming. He prayed and the direction came. “”Get thee to Zarephath”

For each and every individual, God has planned stopovers at Cherith, in the journey called life. We may be called from a life of public testimony (Gilead) to a life of hidden separation (Cherith). It is here that we realize our inner dryness and rejuvenate our spiritual powers for a more effective ministry. It is a place of total dependence on the living God for all our needs, and it is at Cherith that God proves himself, all-sufficient. It is God’s platform for teaching us the art of prayer and revealing future directions for our onward journey. It is therefore essential for us to savor in the experience of Cherith, where the God of Elijah through his great mercies have lead us thus far and will lead us on home.