Biblical Revivals and Awakenings
So far in our series we’ve looked at fourteen examples of revival in the Bible:
- Seth
- Noah
- Job
- Abram
- Joseph
- Moses
- Joshua
- Judges
- Naomi
- Ruth
- Hannah
- Samuel
- David
- Solomon
We move next to examples of revivals God brought to His people through the prophets.
Prophets and Kings
Unified Israel divided after the death of Solomon, exactly as God had said. Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king of Judah and ruled from Jerusalem (Southern Kingdom). Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s servants, became king of the rest of the tribes of Israel just as God said through the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite (1 Kings 11:29-39). Jeroboam did become the king of Israel (Northern Kingdom). He set up his capital in Shechem (1 Kings 12:1) and quickly moved to establish the official worship of false gods for the people of Israel in in Bethel and Dan. King Baasha’s capital city was at Tirzah. King Omri moved the capital of the Northern Kingdom to Samaria several years later and it remained there until the Assyrians defeated Israel about 160 years later.
In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king over Israel, and reigned twelve years. Six years he reigned in Tirzah. And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; then he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill. Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all who were before him. For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin, provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. 1 Kings 16:23-26
All of Israel’s 19 kings did evil in God’s sight. From a spiritual and revival perspective, it’s important to remember that none of those kings were related to King David. God’s specific covenant was to the “house” and “kingdom” of David.
And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. 2 Samuel 7:16
Some of Judah’s kings were good, but more than half (including Queen Athaliah) were bad. We’ll see some of them as we dive into the message God sent to them through His prophets.
Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
Jehu
One early example of how God dealt with the evil of Israel’s kings through a prophet is King Baasha and the prophet Jehu, son of Hanani. You can read that story in 1 Kings 16. It demonstrates the pure evil of Israel’s kings and how God dealt with them harshly. [The prophet Jehu is not to be confused with the evil King Jehu who ruled Israel many years later.]
Jehu also prophesied to King Jehoshaphat of Judah.
Then Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned safely to his house in Jerusalem. And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, ‘Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you. Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek God. 2 Chronicles 19:1-3
King Jehoshaphat began a series of reforms in Judah following his meeting with Jehu. Those reforms were based on fearing and obeying God. Those are both vital to real revival.
So Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem; and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord God of their fathers. Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, ‘Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes. 2 Chronicles 19:4-7
Jehoshaphat reigned from Jerusalem for 25 years. He may be best known for both the spiritual reforms in Judah and how he led Judah to defeat the Moabites and Ammonites who came against them. Even though Jehoshaphat was a good king of Judah, there were still spiritual problems among the people of God.
And he walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord. Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not directed their hearts to the God of their fathers. 2 Chronicles 20:32-33
One other interesting note is that Jehu wrote a book that 2 Chronicles 20:34 calls “the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.”
Elijah
Elijah the Tishbite may be the best-known of the early prophets God sent to the leaders of the Northern Kingdom (Israel). God sent Elijah to prophecy against the wicked king Ahab and his wife Jezebel. This is how the Bible describes them:
Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 1 Kings 16:30-33
God responded by sending Elijah to King Ahab to announce a severe drought on Israel. That drought would last until Elijah spoke the words to end it. Elijah made it clear that he was speaking in the name of the “Lord God of Israel” (1 Kings 17:1). God then sent Elijah to “hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.” God told Elijah that he could drink water from the brook while God sent ravens to feed him.
Elijah stayed there until the brook dried up because of the drought. God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, “which belongs to Sidon.” Keep in mind that the people of Sidon (Zidon) were not Jews. It was also the home country of Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife. God said He had commanded a widow there to provide for Elijah. Elijah also provided for her and her family through two well-known personal miracles. Here’s the first:
And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah. 1 Kings 17:13-16
Here’s the second miracle.
Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah, ‘What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?’ And he said to her, ‘Give me your son.’ So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?’ And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.’ Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, ‘See, your son lives!’ Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth. 1 Kings 17:17-24
God then sent Elijah back to King Ahab to announce to him that the drought would soon come to an end. The famine had been “severe” in Samaria, and Queen Jezebel had “massacred” most of the prophets of the Lord. Elijah met with Ahab and told him that the reason for the drought and famine was because the king had forsaken God’s commandments and “followed the Baals.” Elijah then challenged Ahab to gather all the people of Israel at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who ate at Jezebel’s table.
You can read the results of that meeting in 1 Kings 18. Elijah demonstrated to the people of Israel the supreme power of God over the false gods they were worshipping.
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God! 1 Kings 18:38-39
Elijah then told the people to seize the prophets of Baal and take them to the Brook Kishon. That’ where Elijah executed all of the false prophets. While that may sound cruel and violent to some, knowing the wickedness of the followers of Baal shows why God wanted them killed.
Everything we see in the following chapters of 1 Kings is God reaching out to His people. Even after the great victory over the prophets of Baal, the people of Israel and their leaders continued to worship false gods. Queen Jezebel wanted Elijah dead, so he ran for his life and went to Beersheba in Judah. An angel of the Lord fed Elijah and send him on a journey to Mount Horeb. Elijah went into a cave and God met him there. God asked Elijah why he was in the cave. Elijah answered –
I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life. 1 Kings 19:14
God told Elijah to go to the “Wilderness of Damascus” and anoint Hazael as king over Syria. God also told Elijah to anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. Keep in mind that Ahab was still Israel’s king, but God was preparing for what was going to happen to Ahab and Jezebel. God also told Elijah to anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat as prophet in his place. God had an unusual plan for Elijah. God then told Elijah something that many of us have read before –
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. 1 Kings 19:18
Elijah did as God commanded him. Elijah also had one more meeting with King Ahab of Israel and told him that God would condemn him, Jezebel, and his entire family. Ahab died in a battle with the Syrians, Jezebel died a violent death, Ahab’s 70 sons were killed, as were every other member of Ahab’s family – just as the prophet Elijah had said (2 Kings 10:17).
God did something special and unusual for Elijah. We find the event in 2 Kings 2:
Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?’ Elisha said, ‘Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’ So he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.‘ Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!’ So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 2 Kings 2:8-14
Elijah played a special role in God’s Eternal plan for the Seed of the woman to destroy the seed of the serpent. The prophet Malachi wrote these words hundreds of years after Elijah ascended to Heaven without dying.
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 their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. Malachi 4:5-6
We see Elijah talking with the Seed, Jesus Christ, in Matthew 17. That was almost 900 years after Elijah went to Heaven.
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Matthew 17:1-4
Elijah was truly one of God’s greatest prophets.
Elisha
Elisha was also a great prophet through whom God brought revival to His people. Elisha prophesied to the Northern Kingdom (Israel) from the middle to the end of the 9th century BC. Israel’s kings during that time were Jehoram, Jehu, and Jehoahaz. They were all bad kings and not related to the “house of David.” However, the people of Israel were still God’s people.
Elisha also had some interaction with Judah’s king Jehoshaphat because Israel’s king Joram asked him to help fight against the king of Moab. Things didn’t go well for the armies of Israel and Judah, so Jehoshaphat asked – “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” One of the servants of Israel’s king mentioned that Elisha had “poured water on the hands of Elijah,” so the kings went to meet with Elisha.
Elisha told the king of Israel – “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother” – meaning the prophets of Israel’s false gods. Here’s how Elisha responded to Jehoram –
As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. 2 Kings 3:15
Elisha told them to do what God commanded, and Israel and Judah defeated the Moabite army. You can read the details in 2 Kings 3:16-27.
Elisha had asked Elijah for a “double portion” of the Spirit to be upon him. Elisha worked many miracles “according to the word of the Lord.” You can read about them in 2 Kings 4 – 7.
Elisha served God during violent times for both Israel and Judah. The kings of Israel were all evil. The kings (and one queen) following Jehoshaphat were also bad. You can read about their wickedness in 2 Kings 8 – 11.
Even as Elisha was prophesying against the wickedness of Israel’s kings, God did something special in Judah. King Ahaziah of Judah died soon after becoming king, so his mother (Athaliah) destroyed almost all of the royal heirs and became queen. However, Ahaziah’s sister rescued one of the dead king’s sons, Joash, and hid him and his nurse for six years. God had a special plan for the boy.
Jehoiada was a leading priest in Judah at the time and knew that Joash was the true king. Jehoiada called together captains, bodyguards, and escorts and “brought them into the house of the Lord” (2 Kings 11:4). Jehoiada made a covenant with them and took an oath from them in the house of the Lord. Then, Jehoiada showed them King Ahaziah’s son. Jehoiada told them how to protect the boy – “You are to be with the king as he goes out and as he comes in” (2 Kings 11:8b).
Queen Athaliah head the noise of the escorts and the people, so she went to the Temple of the Lord. She saw young King Joash standing by a pillar according to custom, along with the leaders and trumpeters who were with the king. All the people were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore here clothes and cried out, “Treason! Treason!” Jehoiada commanded the captains and other army officers to take Athaliah out of the Temple and kill her.
What followed was the beginning of a new spiritual revival in Judah. After a succession of three bad rulers, Judah now had a good king – seven-year-old Joash.
Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also between the king and the people. And all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal, and tore it down. They thoroughly broke in pieces its altars and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord. Then he took the captains of hundreds, the bodyguards, the escorts, and all the people of the land; and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and went by way of the gate of the escorts to the king’s house. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, for they had slain Athaliah with the sword in the king’s house. 2 Kings 11:17-20
Joash reigned forty years in Jerusalem and “did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (2 Kings 12:2). However, the high places were not taken away. The people of Judah “still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.” We see that many times in the Old Testament (e.g. 1 Kings 3:3; 15:14; 22:43; 2 Kings 12:3; 14:4; 15:4, 35). God blesses His people with revival, yet they don’t go all the way in obeying His Word. We will learn more about the importance of obeying God as we continue our series.
Joash’s rule as king did not end well. As we read in 2 Chronicles 24, Jehoida died and was buried in Jerusalem “among the kings.” The leaders of Judah came to Joash and he listened to them. Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord “all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.” However, once Jehoiada was dead and no longer instructing Joash, the king listened to the “leaders” of the people. They wanted to return to the worship of idols.
God sent prophets “to bring them back to the Lord.” That’s God’s heart for His people. Even when they sin greatly, God loves them and sends prophets to bring them back to Him. However, Joash and the people would not listen. So, God’s Spirit came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood above the people and said – “Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.”
Notice Zechariah’s words. This is another key about revival. The transgression (sin) was against the commandments of the Lord. The people could not prosper because of that. Why? Because they had forsaken the Lord, He also forsook them. That’s important to remember.
How did the people of Judah respond to the words of Zechariah the priest?
So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, ‘The Lord look on it, and repay! 2 Chronicles 24:21-22
As you might imagine, Joash’s life did not end well. Even though he is generally remembered as one of Judah’s “good” kings, he disobeyed God toward the end of his life.
So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the Lord delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they had withdrawn from him (for they left him severely wounded), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died. And they buried him in the City of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 2 Chronicles 24:23-25
The three kings of Judah who followed Joash (Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham) were basically good leaders. However, Amaziah was killed by officials after suffering a humiliating military loss with the king of Israel (2 Chronicles 25). We’ll learn more about how God dealt with Uzziah and Jotham when we look at the life of the prophet Isaiah.
As for Elisha the prophet to Israel, we find him again in 2 Kings 13. Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, became king over the Northern Kingdom toward the end of the 9th century BC. King Jehoahaz “did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin.” God was angry and delivered Israel into the hand of the king of Syria. Jehoahaz pleaded with God and the Lord heard him; “for He saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.” God delivered the Israelites so they could escape from the Syrians, but they would not depart from evil. They continued to worship idols even after God delivered them. Jehoahaz died and his son, Jehoash, became king.
Elisha became very sick, but tried to help Jehoash destroy the Syrians. However, the king did not fully obey the prophet. You can read the details in 2 Kings 14. Elisha died and was buried.
One final story about Elisha that you may have read is this:
And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet. 2 Kings 13:20-21
Interesting – “he revived and stood on his feet.” In life and death, Elisha was one of God’s great prophets.
Next Time
In the next part of our series, we’ll meet a prophet of God who ran away from revival. Why would he do that? Join us for the next part of the series, Revival – To Live Again.
Free eBook
You can download a free eBook of the first six parts of this series to share with family and friends. Please click here for the PDF eBook.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© Faith and Self Defense, 2023
Faith & Self Defense 