The Message of Elijah by M. E. KERN

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 19, 1908

The Message of Elijah

By M. E. KERN

Malachi’s Prophecy and Its Fulfilment

M. E. KERN

(Reading for Tuesday, December 15)

PROMINENT among the prophetic utterances setting forth the religious movement in which we are engaged, and to which we have given our lives, is that found in Mal. 4:5, 6—the last Old-Testament prediction: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

SUBSTITUTING THE COMMANDMENT OF MEN FOR THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD

This Scripture met a partial fulfilment in the work of John the Baptist, who came “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” preparing the way for the first coming of Christ; but it can only be completely fulfilled in the message which will prepare the world for his second coming; for that day alone could be properly called “the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” It is “the great and terrible day” spoken of by Joel, before which the sun should be turned into darkness and the moon into blood. Joel 2:31. It is the day when all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, as they see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:30), when “the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond-man, and every free man,” shall flee from his presence, calling for the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, because “the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Rev. 6:15-17.

But previously to the coming of this “great and dreadful day,” God, in mercy, sends a message to prepare the world for the great consummation. In every crisis of the conflict, as earth’s history has unfolded, the lines between truth and error have been clearly drawn, and God’s messengers have been clothed with great power in calling men to the supreme decision. In this last great crisis the focused light of all generations will be shed upon the world, and the mighty power of God to save from sin and to defend his truth will be displayed. And so the mighty work done through Elijah in the days of Israel’s greatest apostasy is given as the prototype of the advent message.

This being true, would it not be well for us, as a people who are giving this message, to make a special study of the life and times of Elijah? He stands out as one of the grandest characters of all history, and is a marvelous example of what God can do through frail humanity, when yielded to his guidance.

He was a man of prayer. “He prayed earnestly.” And not only that, but he had a burden to do something.

He was “very jealous for the Lord God of hosts.” His righteous soul was stirred within him as he observed the terrible inroads of heathenism among his people, and saw how God’s law was being trodden under foot. He was a man of courage, seeming to fear none but God, and to hate nothing but evil. From seasons of seeking God in solitude, he came forth to do God’s bidding, whether to deliver the commands of the Lord to an apostate king, or to minister to the wants of a poor widow.

The life and deeds of Elijah are a demonstration of the truth that God’s work is to be accomplished “not by might, nor by power” of men, but by the Lord’s Spirit. This is the great lesson for us. The work in which we are engaged is to go “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” and this week of

prayer has been set apart to the end that we should seek for more of this spirit and power in our own lives and in our work. This is our greatest need. With Elijah’s spirit of faith and prayer, with his burden for souls upon us, we may have the power that he had. Will we take it? “The Spirit of God awaits our demand and reception.”

“Remember, Lord, the ancient days; Renew thy work, thy grace restore; And while to thee our hearts we raise, On us thy Holy Spirit pour.”

A Special Work for Children and Youth

As the curtain was lifted, and Malachi was permitted to look upon the last great spiritual reformation, that which seems to have especially attracted his attention was the turning of the heart of the fathers to their children, and the heart of the children to their fathers. We would expect, therefore, to see in the movement which fulfils this prediction a special work for the children and youth. We would expect to see the hearts of parents and children being melted together in love, and old and young working unitedly for the salvation of a sinful world.

Do we see it? Any observer of the movement being carried forward by Seventh-day Adventists would recognize at once that the educational work in behalf of the youth of the denomination constitutes a very prominent feature of it. Great light has shone upon us in regard to the education and training of our children, that they may have the image of God restored in their souls, and that they may take their place in the giving of the message. For the accomplishment of this work there are four important means—the home, a system of Christian schools, the Sabbath-school, and the Missionary Volunteer work. All these means are essential, each in its own field.

Our Sabbath-school organization, reaching as it does every company of Sabbath-keepers throughout the world, and, by means of the home department, even the isolated believers, is a most powerful agency in the development of the whole church. We ought to make the most of it, and determine that, by the Lord’s help, our Sabbath-school work shall count for more during the year 1909 than ever before.

The necessity of church-schools has been set before us again and again; and through the blessing of God, we have an excellent system of schools. We have fallen far short in this matter, especially in the maintenance of primary schools. We are told that “the church is asleep, and does not realize the magnitude of this matter.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VI, page 197. Surely the thought that our children are to have a part in the sacred work of God, even when older ones are not permitted to present the truth, and that our church-schools are ordained by God to prepare them for this work, ought to stir us to more vigorous activity in the school work.

Home Influences

But it is of the home and the Missionary Volunteer work that I desire especially to speak. The home is the foundation of all training; and unless the plans for our youth shall begin in the homes of our people, they will amount to but little. Father, mother, and child form a trinity of the most sacred relationships on earth; and the genuine Christian home is the most perfect earthly example of what heaven will be.

PUKEKURA TRAINING-SCHOOL, CAMBRIDGE, NEW ZEALAND

It is “the father’s kingdom, the mother’s world, the child’s paradise.” However perfect may be all other agencies for the proper development of the rising generation, the home yields the greatest influence of them all. Here the child receives its first and most lasting impressions; here our boys and girls receive most of their education.

Yet how often the home lacks that warm tenderness and love, coupled with a wholesome discipline, that makes for the development of strong Christian character. How often does “the burning heat of an exciting and ever-driving household life wither the more delicate and sensitive tendrils of the young hearts being trained there.” How often do the storm-bursts of passion make the home a place of peril to the children for the time being, and leave scars on their souls that no fondling can erase. Power and wisdom from God are needed in this most delicate work, the training of youthful minds. Yet how little time or attention is given to a preparation for these sacred responsibilities!

Dear parents, do we feel our children slipping away from us and from God? Let us invite Jesus anew into our homes, that our hearts may be turned to our children, and that sweet companionship with them may be restored. During this week shall we not pray for a revival of genuine home religion? In “Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VII, page 11, we read: “Parents, do not neglect the work waiting for you in the church in your own family. This is your first field of missionary effort. The most important work you can do is to place your children on the Lord’s side. When they err, deal with them tenderly, yet firmly. Let them unite with you in opposing the evil by which Satan seeks to destroy the souls and bodies of human beings. Share with them the secret of the cross, the secret that to you means sanctification, redemption, and eternal victory. As you take your children with you into the service of the Lord, what a victory you gain.” When this work is done, thousands of souls will be saved.

Responsibility of the Church

Responsibility for our young people begins in the home, but it does not end there. We are told that “the work that lies nearest to our church-members is to become interested in our youth. . . . Where are the fathers and mothers in Israel? There ought to be a large number who, as stewards of the grace of Christ, would feel not merely a casual interest, but a special interest, in the young. There ought to be many whose hearts are touched by the pitiable situation in which our youth are placed, who realize that Satan is working by every conceivable device to draw them into his net. God requires the church to arouse from its lethargy, and see what manner of service is demanded in this time of peril.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VI, page 196. “Very much has been lost to the cause of God by lack of attention to the young.” The overseers of the church, the older members and the ministers, are all called upon to devise ways and means of enlisting the co-operation of the young people in missionary effort.

The Call to Organize for Service

A few weeks ago I visited the lighthouse and life-saving station at Watch Hill, R. I. While there, I heard again, from an eye-witness, the awful story of the sinking of the “Larchmont” off that coast on the cold, wintry night of Feb. 11, 1907. There is one incident connected with the disaster that, to me, is a forcible illustration. A father and son, drenched with the ice-cold waves, by some means procured a boat, and set out for the shore. The son wanted to help row, but the father insisted on doing the work. When the shore was reached, the boy was found to be frozen to death. Rowing would have saved him. Not only for the sake of souls who know not this truth, but for the sake of our boys and girls themselves, they must be put to work. In “Desire of Ages,” page 640, we read: “It is because this work is neglected that so many young disciples never advance beyond the mere alphabet of Christian experience. . . . The restless energy that is so often a source of danger to the

young, might be directed into channels through which it would flow out in streams of blessing.” The enlistment of our young people in the work, and the wise direction of their energies, is the work that lies before us. Children are full of life, and will be active; those who are approaching the age of young manhood and womanhood, and are beginning to feel their individuality, desire to do something on their own initiative. It is a time of great possibilities, and it is a critical time. Wise and loving leadership is needed now.

To these young people, full of hope and courage, and with ability to execute, the message has come: “Young men and young women, can not you form companies, and, as soldiers of Christ, enlist in the work, putting all your tact and skill and talent into the Master’s service, that you may save souls from ruin? Let there be companies organized in every church to do this work. . . . Will the young men and young women who really love Jesus organize themselves as workers, not only for those who profess to be Sabbath-keepers, but for those who are not of our faith?”—Signs of the Times, May 29, 1893.

These and other messages constitute a definite call to our young people to organize for service.

The Response

The prophecy of Malachi is being fulfilled. From the homes of our people up to the General Conference, such an interest as was never seen before is being manifested in our young people. School facilities are being provided, Missionary Volunteer secretaries are being appointed in local and union conferences; more attention is given this work at our camp-meetings; young people’s conventions and institutes are being held; Missionary Volunteer societies are being organized, after careful work with and for our young people; even the isolated are being enlisted, and missionary work is being done. The reports show a steady increase in missionary interest and in missionary endeavor. Only a beginning, it is true, has been made; but there are evidences that the church is awakening from its lethargy; there are tokens of a coming revival. This means that the stream of our dear youth that has been drifting out into the worldly current, is being checked, and the numbers largely increased of those whose energies will be consecrated to the giving of “the advent message to all the world in this generation.” And “with such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world.”—Education, page 271.