Whispering Hope After Hurricane

1 Kings

19:1-18

Elijah’s Death Wish

The prophetic ministry of Elijah was dramatic and reflective of human nature. Our own experience of ups and downs as we serve God reflects this tension too.

The story of Elijah was set during the reign of King Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab was an ungodly king. His queen was Jezebel, a Gentile. The royal family encouraged the people to worship Baal. They also persecuted the prophets of God. So, God raised Elijah up to confront the wicked Ahab and Jezebel, on the other hand, to awaken the people to affirm that the LORD was the only one true God.

The peak of Elijah’s ministry was at Mount Carmel where he faced 450 prophets of Baal in a showdown to prove the identity of the one true God (1 Kings 18); was he the LORD or was he Baal?

The prophets of Baal tried all kinds of ways but they failed to summon fire to consume their sacrifice. But Elijah prayed to God and fire came down from heaven to consume his sacrifice! As a result, the 450 prophets of Baal were killed by Elijah and the 3-year drought was ended. This proved that the LORD is God and Elijah was God’s servant.

When Ministry Seems Ineffective……..

Having won the victory, Elijah returned to the city hoping that Ahab and Jezebel would repent and God’s fire of revival would sweep the nation. But it backfired. Ahab and Jezebel did not repent nor celebrate the prophet’s homecoming; Jezebel instead issued a death warrant for Elijah (19:2).

Upon hearing the bad news, Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. What was even more ridiculous was that he ran all the way to Beersheba, which was located at the southernmost part of Canaan.

Now he had fled far away from Ahab’s Northern Israel and this ought to be safe enough. But Elijah continued for another day into the wilderness before he finally sat down under a broom bush and prayed that God would kill him.

“I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (v. 4)

How did Elijah fall so quickly from his peak? How did he reach this low point of wishing he was dead?

Elijah’s response to Jezebel’s death warrant was to flee in fear. He was merely acting out of natural human instinct. And now, he wanted to die because he was in despair over the state of his ministry. He felt that he was no better than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other ancestors since he did not have very effective ministries. He was disappointed with himself and with his countrymen.

But Elijah was also disappointed with God. He had a self-righteous moment where he thought that he alone was zealous for God. He thought that he was the only one who did not bow the knee to Baal (v. 10). Therefore, in his view, God should instead grant him more blessing and power so that he may prove that the LORD was God and he was God’s great prophet.

 “I have had enough, LORD,” Elijah said. He was disillusioned with God and himself. He was not necessarily determined to end his life. Rather, he had decided to give up his prophetic ministry. He chose to escape from it all.

Are we also in the same predicament as Elijah when it comes to ministry?

As we strive to serve God and seek to maximise His glory, do we also at the same time hope that our ministry will also receive recognition and affirmation from others? Are we still linger in the past glory and refuse to be humbled by the present situation?

Yes, we firmly believe that God has chosen us to serve Him in our respective capacity. But do we also hope that God acts according to our plans and motives, which include letting others know that we are the true servants of God?

Perhaps we have had hope that when God displays His power, we may also earn some extra credit with people. But when we realise that God does not necessarily act according to our expectations, we become bitter with God. Perhaps we may feel disheartened, afraid, disappointed, or other negative emotions.

Soon, we become disillusioned with the community we are called to serve. Soon, we leave the group and escape from active service. We rather isolate ourselves in our “wilderness” or hide in our “caves”. We may feel that there is no more meaning to our existence. By then, we have lost all sense of direction and may even entertain suicidal thoughts.

But God did not reprove Elijah in his moment of weakness. Instead, God sent an angel to wake him up and give him food to eat. Before anything else, God provided for Elijah’s physical needs!

After Elijah ate and drank, he laid down again. For a second time, the angel brought bread and water and instructed Elijah to eat, because “the journey ahead will be too much for you.” (v.7)

“The journey ahead” was God’s reminder to Elijah that he must persevere to complete his journey and have the courage to face his own weaknesses by relying on the strength and grace from above!

God was teaching Elijah to see things from the perspective of the journey of faith and not focus on particular success or failure. If we are entangled in the success-failure mind set, then we will be trapped in a dead end with little prospect and an even dimmer future.

Do you feel that your ministry is ineffective or does not meet your expectations? Is the congregation weak and do not listen to you? Do you feel like a lone ranger fighting for a lost cause because little to no transformation is happening in the church?

Or, perhaps you feel that your faith no longer affords to you the excitement that you once expected? Do you sometimes feel that your faith seems to be divorced from the reality of life?

Do not give up! God knows that you are tired and need some rest. The grace of God is sufficient for you. He wants to lead you further in your journey!

And too, do not consider yourself to be indispensable to God’s kingdom. It will not grind to a halt just because you leave. On the contrary, you are the one who stand to lose if you give up. Do not focus on a particular success or failure because there is still quite a journey ahead. The final battle has not been fought. Press on toward the goal!

What Are You Doing Here?

So, Elijah continued on his journey for another forty days until he reached Mount Horeb. Mount Horeb was also known as Mount Sinai. It was here that Moses met God and received the law.

Moses led Israel out of Egypt through the Red Sea in a spectacular fashion so that they may enter into the Promised Land of Canaan. Moses wandered in the wilderness for forty years and spent forty days at Mount Sinai!

God wanted Elijah to follow in the footsteps of Moses’ journey. In the past, God called Moses at Mount Sinai. Now, He called Elijah at Mount Sinai so that Elijah may experience His presence and rediscover life’s meaning and direction.

When Elijah arrived at Mount Horeb (Sinai), he hid in a cave. Once again, he decided to isolate himself. So, God’s Word came to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v. 9)

After Elijah poured out his heart with lots of grievances in ministry, God revealed Himself to Elijah. God said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” (v. 11)

There and then a great and strong wind tore the mountains, but God was not in the wind. After the wind an earthquake and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in those either. But after the fire came the sound of a low whisper. This time, God was present and He said to the prophet, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v. 13)

Paradoxically, God revealed Himself in a hidden way – a low whisper! What does this mean?

Clearly, God wanted Elijah to submit to His sovereignty. Elijah expected to see God’s presence in the spectacular miracles but God did not reveal Himself in such manner. Rather, He revealed Himself with a low whisper. He wanted to correct Elijah’s mind set. Elijah was disappointed because he equated his own expectations with God’s.

Next, God helped Elijah by giving him a new mission. God sent Elijah to do three things.

First, Elijah was to anoint Hazael as king of Syria because God wanted to use this Gentile king to punish Israel for their sins. Second, Elijah was to anoint Jehu so that he may destroy the Baal worshipers from within Israel. Third, Elijah was to anoint Elisha as his partner and successor for the continued spreading of the fire of revival within Israel.

Finally, God assured Elijah that he was not alone and, therefore, should not think too highly of himself. God revealed that He had preserved 7000 people in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal (v. 18).

By entrusting this new mission to him, God showed Elijah that He was still at work! God was in control of the big picture! In addition, God was telling Elijah that He had not given up on him.

Thus, Elijah should not give up on himself. He should not be so short-sighted to just focus on his own failures and weaknesses. Rather, he should focus on being God’s servant commissioned to accomplish His mission.

Many people like Elijah, think that God only works through the spectacular. However, God often choose to reveal Himself in an unassuming and inconspicuous place through a low whisper.

Even in a seemingly uninspiring or uninteresting situation where nobody pays attention, God is at work and He is in control of the big picture!

Conclusion

Today, God is also challenging you to come out from your “cave” to face a world that is less than perfect. We need to come to terms with the real world and our real selves.

Faith and ministry may not always be very inspiring. After the Battle of Carmel, you return to ordinary daily life. But in the midst of the twists and turns of faith and ministry, God is still in charge of it all. God is whispering to you, “There is still a long journey to go; what are you doing here?”

Let’s take heart and persevere, continue to serve God faithfully.