Reflections on 1 Kings 19

1 Kings 19 (Contemporary English Version)

1. Ahab told his wife Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had killed the prophets.
   
2. She sent a message to Elijah: "You killed my prophets. Now I'm going to kill you! I pray that the gods will punish me even more severely if I don't do it by this time tomorrow."
   
3. Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there,
   
4. then walked another whole day into the desert. Finally, he came to a large bush and sat down in its shade. He begged the LORD, "I've had enough. Just let me die! I'm no better off than my ancestors."
   
5. Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel woke him up and said, "Get up and eat."
   
6. Elijah looked around, and by his head was a jar of water and some baked bread. He sat up, ate and drank, then lay down and went back to sleep.
   
7. Soon the LORD's angel woke him again and said, "Get up and eat, or else you'll get too tired to travel."
   
8. So Elijah sat up and ate and drank. The food and water made him strong enough to walk forty more days. At last, he reached Mount Sinai, the mountain of God,
   
9. and he spent the night there in a cave. While Elijah was on Mount Sinai, the LORD asked, "Elijah, why are you here?"
   
10. He answered, "LORD God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!"
    
11. "Go out and stand on the mountain," the LORD replied. "I want you to see me when I pass by." All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the LORD was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
    
12. Then there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. Finally, there was a gentle breeze,
    
13. and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. The LORD asked, "Elijah, why are you here?"
    
14. Elijah answered, "LORD God All-Powerful, I've always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!"
    
15. The LORD said: Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint Hazael to be king of Syria.
    
16. Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat to take your place as my prophet.
    
17. Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.
    
18. But seven thousand Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live.
    
19. Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha.
    
20. Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. "Let me kiss my parents good-by, then I'll go with you," he said. "You can go," Elijah said. "But remember what I've done for you."
    
21. Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.
    

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This account in chapter 19 of Elijah's flight into the wilderness reveals a very human prophet, a reality we might overlook as we read of the astounding things God did through him and other prophets. We may see them as unlike ourselves which is a mistake for they were no different from us. If we view Elijah critically for his flight from  Jezebel's threat to kill him we cannot escape similar criticism for similar actions for we are no different.

Following the awesome demonstration of God's power on Mount Carmel in which He sent down fire and consumed Elijah's altar and sacrifice and then sent the first rainstorm in 3 1/2 years, Ahab told Jezebel of all that happened including the killing of all the prophets of Baal. Jezebel was predictably upset and vowed, "May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don't make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!" (19:2) Inspite of God's great demonstration of power, working in partnership with Elijah, Elijah feared for his life and ran. A truly weak and human thing to do. How many times have I been on the "mountaintop" when I have felt used by God only to quickly be in despair over some negative incident that caused me to totally lose sight of God's power in the previous event.

When Elijah arrived in the wilderness, to which he ran, he lay down under a bush in despair and said, "I have had enough! LORD, take my life, for I'm no better than my fathers." (19:4) It seems unlikely he seriously wanted to die since he was running for his life from Jezebel. But it certainly gives a sense of his despair. God was patient with Elijah, though, and sent an angel to him to provide nourishment and rest. Then Elijah got up and walked for 40 days to Horeb, "the mountain of God." (19:8) At Horeb Elijah spent the night in a cave and then had a visit from the Lord who asked, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (19:9)  Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Hosts, but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life." (19:10)

God gave further demonstration of His power for Elijah by having him stand outside the cave on the mountaintop as He sent a mighty wind that shattered cliffs followed by an earthquake and then a fire. God did not reveal Himself in any of these but simply showed His power. Then God quietly spoke to Elijah again asking again what he was doing there at Horeb, to which Elijah gave the same answer as before. He went on to say, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Hosts," he replied, "but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they're looking for me to take my life." (19:14) A rather pious and self-righteous statement, but again, I can't say I haven't had similar thoughts when life has become difficult and I have wondered why God has allowed such difficulties when I have been so "faithful."

God reminded Elijah that he was not the only faithful one in Israel but there were 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Then he gave Elijah a three-part assignment: anoint Hazael king over Aram, anoint Jehu king over Israel, and anoint Elisha to replace himself as prophet. Elijah did only one of these himself, which was to anoint Elisha to replace himself. It was Elisha who anointed the other two as kings. As a result of Elijah's despair, did God consider his usefulness to be past and thus the need to replace him?