1 Kings Chapter 19
By Bro David Petersen
Elijah On The Run
19:1 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 Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
Elijah freaked out and ran from Samaria in the north of Israel all the way to Beersheba in the south of Judah. He traveresed practically the entire length of both kingdoms.
Why would Jezebel tell Elijah that she was going to kill him instead of just killing him? She may have be treacherous but she was also smart and knew that the people regarded him as a prophet. There may have been an open rebellion against the kingdom is she had killed Elijah at this time. By sending the message she got rid of him without having to kill him. Elijah played right into her hands by running away.
Satan doesn't have to kill us or completely destroy our lives in a devastating way in order to defeat us. He can just get us to lay low, to run and hide as Elijah did and render our lives ineffective for the LORD. Just as Jezebel intimidated Elijah with the message Satan can intimidate us with fear of ridicule, rejection and even persecution. He would like to turn us into benign, docile sheeple who pose no threat to his dominion.
He wants us to keep quiet and not tell anyone about Jesus because that would be "pushing our religion on them".
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.
Here Elijah is turning in his prophet's cloak. Notice that even though Elijah felt like dying he did not contemplate suicide. Instead he submitted to the authority of the Lord to determine his life span.
Sometimes we do not realize what God is working out for us in his providential design, That was the case with Elijah. The promise is not that we won't have trouble if we serve the Lord faithfully. On the contrary, Jesus promised his disciples that the would in fact have trouble. "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33. Instead the promise is that he will bring us through the trouble. And that is exactly what happens to Elijah in verse 5.
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.
Elijah ran away on his own. The Bible doesn't mention anything about the LORD sending him to Beersheba. It turns out that he wasn't quite the survivalist that he thought himself to be. He went into the wilderness on his own and got himself into trouble. He was ready to succumb out on the desert.
Elijah went for 40 days in the strength of that food. He saw himself as a failure. Even though he felt like dying, God had a purpose for his life; and God strengthened him to accomplish that purpose. God was not through with him yet. Elijah went on to pronounce God’s judgment against the wicked kingdom of Ahab and Jezebel and appointed Elisha to be his own successor.
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.
MT. HOREB
[HOHR eb] (waste)-the "mountain of God" (Ex 18:5) in the Sinai Peninsula where Moses heard God speaking through the burning bush (Ex 3:1) and where the law was given to Israel (see Map 2, B-2).
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers).
After receiving the bread and water from the angel Elijah kept right on running even farther on down to Mt Horeb in the Sinai peninsula. Now he is in the place where God spoke to Moses through the burning bush and where the law was given to Israel.
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?
Sometimes we need to ask ourselves this question: "what am I doing here?" Am I in the place the LORD wants me to be in? Am I serving him where he would have me to be?
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.
Elijah got discouraged over how the Lord's people were behaving. We can easily get discouraged in the Lord's work if we focus solely on the results. Our job is to spread the gospel and make disciples. If people refuse to repent and be saved or if saved people refuse to serve the Lord then we can encourage them. But it is not our job to get them to respond to the message. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. Paul described this principle in 1 Corinthians by saying that it was God who gave the increase.
1 Cor 3:6-9
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
Sometimes we plant but don't get to see the increase. God gives the increase in his own time. We are a team with God and our fellow-laborers. Even though we may not always see the increase, we will still get our reward.
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Gal 6:9.
We shall reap a harvest when the time is right if we don't give up. Elijah became weary and he gave up.
Jealous For The Lord
The word "jealous" in verse 10 means zealous. The Lord never called anyone to mediocrity. Jesus wants it all. A good illustration of this is in his exhortation to the church at Laodicia.
Rev 3:14-19
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
The Lord expects his dicsicples to be zealous. With him the problem is not religious fanaticism, but religious indifference.
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.
A Still Small Voice
Some translations render this "a gentle whisper". Literally in the Hebrew, "a sound of gentle stillness."
The LORD was not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire. Instead he was in a gentle whisper. Miracles and great signs are not the voice of God. Instead they validate the word. The word of God is not heard as a thundering voice that dominates the landscape. God speaks gently calling us to repentance and faith. You need ears to hear the word of the Lord.
Part of the problem today is that we are often so busy listening to what the world is telling us that we can't hear the still, small voice over the drone. The world is trying to program our minds and for the most part we seem to be quite willing to receive its programming. We are constantly watching or listening to something on TV, radio, CD and other media inputs. Yet it is during quiet, mediatative times that we are best positioned to hear what God is telling us. David put it like this in the Psalms:
"Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word." Psalm 119:148.
To prevent in the old English means literally to "go before". The idea is that David's eyes stayed open all night in order to mediate on the word of God. Meditation is a Bible practice but it is always focused on the things of God. It is never and emptying of the mind as in eastern religions. That would be a dangerous practice that would leave us susceptible to the influence of evil spirits. The sad thing is that often these days our eyes are open through the night, not to seek the word of the Lord but rather to seek the word of Jay Leno or Conan O'brien.
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 Abel-meholah 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.
The LORD accepted Elijah's resignation but he gave him one last mission to perform. Elijah's first mission was to give Ahab opportunity to repent. Now his last mission is to bring judgment to the nation of Israel and utter destruction to the house of Ahab.
I Have Left Me
Even in times of great apostasy the LORD always has a remnant who remain faithful to his word. It is God's work to preserve that remnant. Jesus said "upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it". Matt 16:18.
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.
The Book of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles
Introduction |
1 Kings 1 |
1 Kings 2 |
1 Kings 3 |
1 Kings 4 |
1 Kings 5 |
1 Kings 6-7 |
1 Kings 8 |
1 Kings 9 |
1 Kings 10 |
1 Kings 11 |
1 Kings 12 |
2 Chronicles 13 |
1 Kings 13 |
1 Kings 14 |
1 Kings 15 |
2 Chronicles 15 |
1 Kings 16 |
1 Kings 17 |
1 Kings 18 |
1 Kings 19 |
1 Kings 20 |
1 Kings 21 |
1 Kings 22