Ecclesiastes 11

WEEK  14                                       Ecclesiastes 11

WEDNESDAY  Reflections

Life under the sun requires hard work and diversifying your investment. This is just wise advice. Even as the preacher of Ecclesiastes speaking on the vanity of life, he still encourages hard work and wise planning. If this is important now, how much more for those who understand that God rewards those who work wisely. Under heaven money brings some security, in light of eternity money can be used to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. (Matthew 25, Acts 4:32-36).



Ecc 11:1-10
(1)  Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
(2)  Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
(3)  If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
(4)  He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
(5)  As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
(6)  In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
(7)  Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
(8)  But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
(9)  Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
(10)  Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

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1 Kings 19 Know who to run from

WEEK  14                                              1 Kings 19

TUESDAY  Reflections

Some have made fun of Elijah or criticized his faith because he stood up to the king and Israel but then ran from a woman. This is a wrong deduction and more than a bit sexist. Ahab, as we can and will see, was a wicked but weak leader. The people of Israel weren't going to attack because their curiosity was piqued. Jezebel was actually the power behind the throne. She is the one who hunts for the prophets of God before this. She didn't care that God proved himself on the mountain. She wanted things her way, period. If God doesn't tell you to stand up to her, she is the one you ought to run from. So I'm going to vote we take it easy on Elijah.

 

The greatest lesson in this chapter is when Elijah finds out he isn't alone. God tells Elijah, He has seven thousand men who have never worshipped any other God. This is a reminder to me just because we think we are alone, we truly aren't. God's people are out there. Don't give up.   

1Ki 19:1-21
(1)  And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
(2)  Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
(3)  And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
(4)  But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
(5)  And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
(6)  And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
(7)  And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
(8)  And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
(9)  And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
(10)  And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
(11)  And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake 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:
(12)  And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
(13)  And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
(14)  And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
(15)  And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
(16)  And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
(17)  And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
(18)  Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
(19)  So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
(20)  And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
(21)  And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

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1 Kings 18

WEEK  14                                             1 Kings 18

MONDAY  Reflections

This chapter carries the great victory of Elijah over the prophets of Baal and the end of the drought. However, the person who catches my attention is Obadiah. Obadiah (not the prophet) feared God, hid a hundred prophets, and was governor of Ahab's house.

 

What kind of man is Obadiah? A king wouldn't keep a worthless servant to manage his whole house. We can assume Obadiah was smart, a good organizer, and probably great with money. He hid and fed a hundred prophets that the queen was trying to kill, so we know he had courage. He was a man of faith for he truly believed God was going to protect Elijah even if it meant miraculously transporting Elijah someplace else. This is one of those heroes of the faith we don't give enough credit to, but God does and will. He was in a difficult place but still did what was right.   

1Ki 18:1-46
(1)  And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
(2)  And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
(3)  And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
(4)  For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
(5)  And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
(6)  So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
(7)  And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?
(8)  And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
(9)  And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
(10)  As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
(11)  And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
(12)  And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.
(13)  Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
(14)  And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
(15)  And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
(16)  So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
(17)  And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
(18)  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.
(19)  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.
(20)  So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
(21)  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.
(22)  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.
(23)  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:
(24)  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.
(25)  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.
(26)  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.
(27)  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.
(28)  And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
(29)  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.
(30)  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.
(31)  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:
(32)  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.
(33)  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.
(34)  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.
(35)  And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
(36)  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.
(37)  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.
(38)  Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
(39)  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.
(40)  And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
(41)  And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
(42)  So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
(43)  And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
(44)  And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
(45)  And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
(46)  And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

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Jeremiah 50

WEEK  13                                             Jeremiah 50

SATURDAY  Reflections

God used Babylon to punish the nation of Israel and the surrounding nations. Babylon, however, didn't originally recognize God or her place in God’s plan. God is telling the people of God that the nation taking them into captivity is going to fall. Babylon, therefore, isn't a place to look to for strength or enlightenment.

In ancient times, nations considered the gods of the victors superior to their own. God is telling His people this isn't the case. Babylon will fall, just like all the other nations that refused to acknowledge God. 

Jer 50:1-46
(1)  The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
(2)  Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
(3)  For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
(4)  In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
(5)  They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
(6)  My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
(7)  All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.
(8)  Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.
(9)  For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.
(10)  And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the LORD.
(11)  Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;
(12)  Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
(13)  Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
(14)  Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD.
(15)  Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
(16)  Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
(17)  Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
(18)  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
(19)  And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.
(20)  In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
(21)  Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
(22)  A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
(23)  How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
(24)  I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.
(25)  The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
(26)  Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.
(27)  Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.
(28)  The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.
(29)  Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel.
(30)  Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.
(31)  Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
(32)  And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.
(33)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
(34)  Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
(35)  A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
(36)  A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.
(37)  A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.
(38)  A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
(39)  Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
(40)  As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
(41)  Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
(42)  They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
(43)  The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
(44)  Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
(45)  Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
(46)  At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.

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1 Kings 17

WEEK  13                                              1 Kings 17

FRIDAY  Reflections

We are now introduced to the most famous prophet in the Old Testament, Elijah. The picture we have of him is that of one like John the Baptist, a person dressed in the garments of repentance, but this is because John was the one who came in the spirit of Elijah later. What we do know is he obeyed God.

The interesting note is the people of God were living in disobedience, so who did God get to provide for Elijah during the time of famine? First, ravens were unclean birds as they were carrion eaters, and secondly, a widow in the city belonged to the enemies of Israel. God provides for his prophet among those that should have normally been avoided. This shows the power of providence to supply from sources we might never have expected. In the latter case, it brought a foreign widow, I believe, to faith in the God of Israel. 

This reminds me, as it does today, God will provide, and he is great at providing through means we might never expect or think are possible. The others were starving and yet Elijah is provided daily by a poor widow with a little flour and a little oil. Don't underestimate what God can do with a little, coupled with obedience. 

1Ki 17:1-24
(1)  And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
(2)  And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
(3)  Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
(4)  And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
(5)  So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
(6)  And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
(7)  And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
(8)  And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
(9)  Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
(10)  So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
(11)  And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
(12)  And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
(13)  And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
(14)  For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
(15)  And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
(16)  And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
(17)  And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
(18)  And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
(19)  And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
(20)  And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?
(21)  And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
(22)  And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
(23)  And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
(24)  And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

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