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.
