Prophets Have Weaknesses Too

 It is worth looking at these two prophets from long ago - Elijah and John the Baptist - to see how identical they appear to us in the Bible.  Both had moments in which they would falter in their faith.  After his triumph on Mount Carmel, Elijah ran from the threats of Jezebel.  He ran a long way.  He ran way back to the mountain at which God gave the Law, Mount Horeb.  Elijah sadly ran back to a fleshly way of thinking which of course took him back to the Law.  That is what the flesh does.  It runs to the Law to try to justify itself before God.  It wants to lean on its own righteousness.  It is only fitting that God would ask Elijah, "What are you doing here?"  It would be wise for us to hear God asking us the same thing when we are justifying ourselves, leaning on our own righteousness.  "What are you doing here?"  We are not under law anymore - we are under grace. 

In the very revealing seventh chapter of Luke, we see that John the Baptist also stumbled by doubting that Jesus was the Christ, the Coming One.  He wondered if there was someone beside Jesus who would be the actual Messiah.  So, he sent messengers to Jesus asking if He was the very Christ Himself.  He wasn't sure.  He had doubts about God.  

For both of these men, God answers their failing faith by showing them more of Himself.  Elijah finds God in the gentle stillness - just what his heart needed.  His heart needed to stop the storm of self-focus and self-pity.  So God quiets him.  John finds God as the fulfillment of Scripture - just what his heart needed.  He needed assurance, so God gives it.  It was more convincing for Jesus to show that he was the fulfillment of Scripture than to merely say, "I am the Messiah."  

Prophets Call People To Turn Back

Continuing in our look at John chapter 1 regarding repentance, we find the Jews asking if John the Baptist was Elijah.  No doubt the Jews were remembering Malachi 4:5,6 which says:

    "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.  And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

Elijah is the best example of an Old Testament prophet.  To the average Israelite in those days, if one asked for the name of a prophet from the history of their nation, most would reply Elijah.  By looking at Elijah's crowning moment on Mount Carmel, we see the distinct role of a prophet in the mind of God.  The primary role of the prophet is to call people back into relationship with their God.  When it became Elijah's turn to offer the sacrifice on the altar he had made, he prayed a simple but powerful prayer:

    "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.  Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."  1 Kings 18:36-37

Notice His purpose in this prayer.  It is to show the people that their God is turning their hearts back to Him.  A turning back to God.  This is the pathway of repentance.  Repentance at its root means "to turn".  So, we find that the ministry of Elijah is exactly what we find John the Baptist doing.  He was triggering repentance.  Though Elijah and John the Baptist were not the exact same person, if you were to place them side by side, you would find that their ministry would be identical.  It was time for the people to turn again.  What time is it for us?