The Journal of Biblical Accuracy,

Year 10, Issue 72, January – February 2005

http://www.jba.gr/

Article

• “And you will know that I’m the Lord”

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 “And you will know that I’m the Lord”

I was recently reading some chapters from I Kings and two times I fell in the
above phrase. Ahaab was king of Israel at that time and he was one of her worse. He
was walking after the steps of Jeroboam and after the steps of his own wife, Jezebel,
one of the most wicked women ever. God’s spokesman at that time was Elijah. Despite
the state Israel was at the time, God didn’t stop making Himself known to His
rebellious and following other gods people. To the contrary, in various ways He tried
to draw their attention to Him… In fact not only that but to make them know that He is
the Lord. And this is what impressed me from these chapters: the people of God for
years had rebelled against Him… for years had abandoned him worshiping golden
calves and other idols, and yet the Lord had not abandoned them. He wanted them to
know that He is the Lord and not the idols they were worshiping.
The phrase “and you will know that I’m the Lord” occurs various times in the
Bible. God used it when He moved His people out of Egypt. And He used it for the
Egyptians. The Egyptians would know that He is the Lord. It is also used when the
people of Israel were in the wilderness and they were murmuring, doubting him. God
promised to them that they would know that He is the Lord. It is also used, very
extensively in Ezekiel: there this phrase is used in connection to God’s judgment: they
would know that He is the Lord through His judgment.
God makes himself known. He let man know that He is the Lord. He let His
people know that He is the Lord and He changes not. And this He did to Israel in
those two occasions of I Kings. Let’s see them.

I Kings 18

Elijah had told Ahaab that there would be no rain in the land but only through
the word of his mouth (I Kings 17:1). Three years passed by and there was not a single

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 drop anywhere in Israel. King Ahaab with Obadiah, a godly man that was the governor
of his house, went out searching for food for the horses. It was at that time that Elijah
came to Obadiah and asked him to go and tell the king to come and meet him. After
some discussion between Elijah and Obadiah, Obadiah went and told the king:

I Kings 18:16-24
“So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it
came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that
troubleth Israel? And he answered, 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. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and
gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the
people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God,
follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but
Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two
bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay
it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on
wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on
the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all
the people answered and said, It is well spoken.”

Elijah was specially commissioned by God to demonstrate God’s presence and

power to His people that had forgotten Him. God wanted to show to His people that
He is God. He wanted to turned them to Himself and for this He brought them
altogether to see what He was going to do. The dryness had made His people suffer for
three years. Imagine three years without rain. Water and food had become very scarce
commodities. I’m sure under such conditions many hearts had softened and God
wanted to bring them back, to tell them that He is the Lord. So all Israel and the false

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 prophets of Baal came all together to this “test”. Who would see this demonstration
and would doubt that Jehovah is God? The verses that follow tell us what happened:

I Kings 18:25-45
“And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves,
and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire
under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and
called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But
there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was
made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for
he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure
he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their
manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to
pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the
evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that
regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people
came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of
Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And
with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about
the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in
order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four
barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said,
Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third
time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he
filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the
evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham,
Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am
thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear
me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned
their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt
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 sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was
in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said,
The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.”

The people came to know that He is God. He is the Lord. God does wants us to
know that He is the Lord. He wanted to show to the rebellious Israel that He is God
and you can be sure: they knew. A great rain followed the above events, the first after
three years.
Turning the above to us, God wants us to know that He is God. He is the Lord.
When I became a Christian, the invitation of the Lord given in Matthew 7:7-11 was
one of the passages I had and still have in heart:

Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask
bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more
shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

God wants to show you that He is the Lord. It is actually those that are far from
Him, not those that are near that especially need to know this. Those that are close to
him, they do know that He is the Lord. Elijah didn’t need a demonstration to know that
He is Lord. However he also got one later in I Kings 19. He was with the Lord all day.
But those people of Israel did need to know this. They were far from the Lord and they
had forgotten Him. They needed to know that He is God and God made a special
demonstration to them. The above verses of Matthew are for everybody. God will
never cease to answer prayers and bless His people. He will never cease to be a Father
to His children. But I would like, if you are far from him, if you are even not of his
household, ask Him, give your needs to Him. Knock His door. God is a prayers
answering God always and especially for those that are far from Him and want to
approach Him, He wants to make known to them that He is God. He is going to
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 answer to you in marvelous ways that will leave no doubt that He is the Lord. So
approach him, seek Him and He will be found!

I Kings 20

The above miracle was not the only demonstration of God’s power, during
those dark times of the northern kingdom of Israel. Chapter 20 contains two more
times the phrase “and you shall know that I’m the Lord”. There we find Benaad the
king of Syria coming against Israel. He came against Samaria with a lot of army and
power. At that crisis time a prophet of God came to Ahaab. Verse 13 of I Kings tells
us:

I Kings 20:13
“And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the
LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine
hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. ”

God would once again show to this King that HE IS THE LORD. The Syrians
came with great power and with a numerous army. But as Romans 9:16 tells us it is
not of the one that wills or the one that runs but of God that shows mercy. As also
Psalms tell us:

Psalms 127:1
“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD
keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

The Lord is the final factor that determines a result. A great army came against
Israel but God would use this to show to his people that HE is the Lord. Not their idols
bur HE. As Paul said in another point:

II Corinthians 12:9
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 “my [God’s] strength is made perfect in weakness”

When we have the power then we run and move and try to obtain, though again
it is not of the one that wills or runs but of God that shows mercy. However in the
weakness, when we can’t do much, HIS strength made PERFECT. So here are the
Syrians, with a great army and great power. In the opposite side however they don’t
have just the people of Israel but the God of Israel, Who wanted His people to know
that HE is God. The verses that follow us tell us the outcome:

I Kings 20:14-22
“And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young
men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he
answered, Thou. Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces,
and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people,
even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand. And they went out at noon. But
Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and
two kings that helped him. And the young men of the princes of the provinces went
out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of
Samaria. And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or
whether they be come out for war, take them alive. So these young men of the princes
of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them. And they
slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad
the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen. And the king of Israel went
out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.
And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself,
and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will
come up against thee.”

The Syrians suffered a great defeat. Despite this however they would return.
The prophet of God warned the king of Israel that they would return again. But with
no different result:

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 “And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians,
and went up to Aphek, to fight [again] against Israel. And the children of Israel were
numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel
pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.
And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith
the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not
God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and
ye shall know that I am the LORD. And they pitched one over against the other
seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the
children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.

The people of Israel were very few in comparison to the great multitude of the
Syrians. But God was with them and He wanted them to know that He is the Lord. The
Syrians lost the battle and their king was running to hide himself. For once again we
see that it is not of the one that wills or the one that runs but God that gives mercy. For
once again we see that God wants the people to know that He is God, even if His
people are far from him. In fact it is they that need most of all to know that He is God.

It may be that you try to do everything yourself. It may be that you doubt
whether God can help. Well, HE CAN. God wants to bless you and to know that He is
God. This was His will for Israel and He did it by demonstrations of His power, by
deliverance and miracles and covering of needs. Here is the invitation to you:

Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask
bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more
shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

Tassos Kioulachoglou
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