Upon receiving the threat of the wicked Jezebel, the victorious prophet took to the hills, as they say, and ran for his life. Why he did that after experiencing such a move of God is a great matter for speculation. Did he become deflated when the queen did not respond as he thought she should? Could it be that he finally recognized that his enemy was not the queen herself, but a mighty evil spirit?
We can get just a glimpse of what was in his mind as we read through the chapter. He travelled for a day into the wilderness, where he took rest at the foot of a broom tree. His prayer at that time is indicative of his emotional state. "I have had enough...take my life..." To someone who has never been in his position, that request might seem just a bit melodramatic, but to anyone who has tried to stand for something in the face of great opposition, his exasperation should not be something foreign. How often have we done all we could do to share our faith with someone only to have them flatly reject the message we bring. We feel as though all our efforts are in vain, that there is no use in going on. But it is important to understand that when people reject the gospel message, or any other admonition from the scriptures, they are not rejecting the messenger, they are rejecting the Lord. Jesus made it quite clear that we would be hated by the world, yet we still despair when the world rejects the good news of the kingdom.
As much as we would like to think differently, not everyone wants to know and serve God. Sometimes our witness is done in order to allow God's judgment to fall upon the one who rejects his offer of forgiveness. The great display on Mt. Carmel was a crossroads for the people of Israel and the king and queen: one road lead to a life of faith in Jehovah, the other lead to eternal damnation. It was a final chance for many who were alive at that time to turn from their wicked ways and embrace their covenant God. History tells us that the display on Mt. Carmel had little lasting effect on the people, and absolutely no effect on the palace. Perhaps Elijah did not understand what God's purpose really was for his life.
It is evident that Elijah was not afraid of death, because he was willing to have God take his life. He was frustrated because he felt it was his job to reform the nation, and that he was the only one in the reformation business. Who hasn't been tempted to take upon themselves the full burden of saving individuals and even entire cities. Some groups believe that it is the mission of the church to transform the federal government so that it resembles the authority structure of the Mosaic law. The fact of the matter is, we do not save anyone, we merely tell them how to be saved. While we are called to be salt and light in the middle of a wicked and perverse generation, it is not a ministry of the Holy Spirit to establish governments and force the world into compliance with the Torah. The act of salvation, however, is a job of the Holy Spirit, and we are merely called to be messengers of the divine grace to a fallen world. I do not mean to imply that God cannot lead individuals into public or political situations where they could affect a very tangible change in official policy. I merely mean to say that that is not the prime reason for the existence of the church.
We can all be thankful that God does not answer every prayer we make. Elijah was very sincere when he asked the Lord to take his life, and, had his prayer been answered, he would have missed out on some of the most important aspects of his ministry, namely, calling the one who would carry out God's judgment on the wicked king and queen, and calling a successor to himself. How often have we told God that we have had enough? How many ministers and pastors who have struggled with struggling churches and wrestled with contrary congregations have asked the Lord to relieve them of their duties? How many praying mothers and fathers have thrown their hands in the air in hopelessness over wayward children? The apostle James states a truth when he says that Elijah was a man of like passions as we are, which means that most of us can certainly relate to how he was feeling at this time in his life.
The answer he received to his prayer was not one of rebuke for being weak in the faith. Indeed, he received no direct answer, other than that of the angel who implored him to eat. He asked God to kill him, instead the Lord fed him miraculously. How often we miss the joy of understanding God's stamp of approval on our work and ministries because we don't see the results we expect, or we don't have the kind of success that is outwardly evident. As we read this text, we see that Elijah himself must have missed what God was speaking to him through this seemingly insignificant miracle of provision. He merely ate and laid down once more to sleep, and was once again touched by the angel who told him to eat and prepare for the journey. There was no sign of the prophet being encouraged by this incident. In fact, as we read on, it would take the voice of God himself to do so.
We see the angel of the Lord directing Elijah to continue on in his journey, but we are not told whether or not the angel told Elijah exactly where to go, or if the prophet just knew by the voice of God where he was to go. But it is obvious that God had a purpose for taking Elijah to Horeb, the Mountain of God. This locale played a major part in the history of Elijah's people.
Mt. Horeb is identified in scripture as Mt. Sinai, the place where the law was given to Moses. It was there that Jehovah made the covenant of the law with the people (Ex. 24), after which the people committed the first act of rebellion and idolatry in the matter of the golden calf (Ex. 32). It was there that God encouraged a weary Moses by hiding him in a cleft of the rock in order to get just a glimpse of his glory. It is therefore significant that Elijah was driven to this place of such great importance in the history of Israel.
He travelled for forty days, in comparison to the forty years of wandering imposed upon the unbelieving Israelites. It is almost as if God is taking him back to the beginning, the place where it all started. Israel, as a nation, was set apart from other nations by their scriptures, which contained the law which was given to Moses. There were other nations with laws and codes of various kinds, but none of them received theirs directly from the mouth of God. This location, then, stood as a memorial to the covenant God and the personal relationship He had with his special people, the family of Jacob.
When Elijah reached his destination, he found a cave and spent the night. Some expositors believe that this might be the very same "cleft of the rock" in which Moses was hid as he beheld the glory of God. That idea is not so far fetched, when we realize that Elijah is about to receive the same kind of experience. In his state of mind, he needs to hear directly and personally from God. Wouldn't the miracle on Mt. Carmel have sufficed as an encouragement? Wasn't the great display from heaven enough to keep him from losing faith? Obviously not. On the surface, great displays of power and titillating experience seem to be sufficient to convince us of God's concern for us, but in the long run, a personal encounter is much more effective.
Elijah found his cave, and it was there that the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here?" The question was not one of rebuke: God did not want to upbraid him for being there, in fact, the Lord sent him there. He was asking Elijah if he knew why he had been brought there. God knew exactly why he was there, but He wanted to be sure that Elijah knew why he was there.
Elijah's response is clear: "I have been doing my best to convince these people to worship you and you only. They have rejected you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets. I'm the only one left, and I just can't do it by myself any more." Sound familiar? If you are at all active in Christian work, if you are at all dismayed by some of the things that are occurring in our nation and in the world today, then odds are that you have shared those very same feelings.
Pick up your newspaper and read. Does it seem like the kingdom of God is making great strides in the world of politics and economics? Aren't there Christians all over the world praying and witnessing for Christ? Shouldn't the world be changing for the better? J. Vernon McGee, the late radio teacher, stated that, when someone would ask him if he thought things were getting better, he would say "Yes." When asked if he thought things were getting worse, he again would say "Yes." The reason for his seemingly two-faced answer was this: the plan of God is progressing along just as He planned. That is good, and it's getting better. The situation in the world, however, is getting worse and worse. That just means his second coming is getting nearer and nearer. Jesus said when we see these things come to pass, look up, for our redemption is getting near.
Elijah couldn't see past his own circumstances and time in history. He had no idea that God had a purpose for his ministry beyond the demonstration of power on Mt. Carmel. Just because the people of Israel didn't respond the way he though they should, doesn't mean that they didn't respond the way God knew they would. God wanted Elijah to know that he was in control, even over the rebellious Ahab and Jezebel, and that He would have his way regardless of how the king and queen reacted to Elijah's message. So God will have His way in our world, no matter what the nations do. "Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing?" asks the Psalmist. Do they really think they will thwart God's plan. And do we really think that God does not know exactly what's going on? He knows, and His purposes are being accomplished to the fullest.
The prophet is about to receive a lesson in knowing God's presence. He was commanded to stand on the mountain and witness the passing by of the Lord, just as Moses did at the beginning of the history of the Jewish nation. At that time, Moses could barely stand to look at the glory of God and could only catch just a reflection. It was so glorious, that his face shone for the rest of his life that, in order not to frighten the people, he had to veil his face. But the experience Elijah was about to have was to be much different. As Elijah stood at the mouth of the cave, a mighty wind came that literally tore the rocks apart. Was God there? No, he wasn't. Then came a great earthquake, and a fire, both awe inspiring occurrences of nature. Surely, they represented the might and glory of God. No, God was not in them either. What followed the fire was a gentle whisper. Surely, that wasn't the mighty God of creation, was it?
The prophet knew beyond a doubt that it was God. Sometimes, in fact most of the time, God does not speak to us in thunder and lightning and earthquakes. Instead, he chooses to come to us in a way we can know on the inside: that still small voice. A gentle whisper from a loving Father, given to encourage and instruct and, sometimes, to rebuke and discipline. But always in love and concern for our well-being, and with the ultimate consummation of God's divine purpose in clear perspective.
People today are looking for earthquakes, they are looking for mighty shows of power and force, and God can certainly do that if He chooses. But that is not the way God normally communicates with His people. Elijah heard from God in a personal way, and so do we who live in the age of the Church. Whereas God spoke to Elijah through the still small voice, in much the same way He has chosen to indwell those in the church with His Holy Spirit. We no longer have to travel to any particular place to get a glimpse of God or to hear His voice, because He has given us His completed Word and has sent his Spirit to be our Counsellor. That is a provision that no one in the Old Testament could enjoy, not even a great prophet like Elijah. In fact, it was Jesus who said that John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, was the greatest man born up until that time, but the least in the church would be greater than John. The reason: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
It is interesting to note Elijah's attitude after this lesson in hearing the voice of God. Did he rejoice at this tremendous message from Jehovah and go on in faith believing for the victory? No, he hid his face in his mantle. Let's face it: with the exception of the great victory on Mt. Carmel over the priests of Baal, Elijah's life had not been a bed of roses over the preceding years. First, he spent three and a half years as a fugitive, hiding out in a foreign country from an angry king. Then, after his great demonstration of the power of God, came the death threat from the wicked Jezebel. Now, even after being as faithful to God's calling as anyone could possibly be, he receives a lesson in just how much he was missing God's direction.
It's hard to think of Elijah as one who missed God. But, when we consider his actions and his answer to God's question, it is clear that he did not have a clear understanding of "the big picture." "I have been faithful to no avail," he complains. "They've rejected you and now they want to kill me. I'm the only one left who has not abandoned you!"
It seems Elijah had what we might call a martyr's complex: passion for the Lord mixed with pride and maybe a bit of self righteousness thrown in. I'm sure it seemed to him that he was the only one standing for the truth, but God was quick to remind him that there were at least 7000 people left in the northern kingdom who were as zealous and faithful as he was. But, if that were the case, why did he allow Elijah to ride this roller coaster of emotion? Elijah missed the point that God, who is all knowing and all seeing, knew what the reaction of the king and queen would be before it happened. Their rejection of Him and, ultimately the death threat to Elijah, was no surprise to God. Had Elijah realized just how sovereign God was, perhaps he would not have run so far. Or, at least, he wouldn't have suffered such disappointment and discouragement.
God's command to him sheds some light on the purpose of the events that had just occurred. Elijah was commanded to go and anoint the instruments of judgment that would fall upon the northern kingdom of whom there were three: Hazael, a government official of the Assyrians; Jehu, the future king of the northern kingdom; and Elisha, who would be the inheritor of Elijah's prophetic call. Of these three, Elisha was the only one who directly received the anointing from Elijah, the others received theirs through Elisha as the agent of God's word. Elisha willingly followed his mentor after receiving permission to bid farewell to his parents and friends. He slaughtered the oxen with which he was plowing, and made a feast, almost symbolically destroying his past calling to fulfill his future calling.
We can read in later chapters of the books of the Kings that God's commands were carried out perfectly and in His time. The king and queen met their deaths, and Elisha became a prophet who did even greater exploits than his predecessor. He carried on the tradition of speaking the word of God to the people, whether or not it was popular or pleasant. He also seemed to be a much more stable and faithful individual than Elijah was. But, in God's prophetic picture, Elijah stands as one who will return to herald the second coming of Jesus Christ. Indeed, he was there with Moses on the mount of transfiguration to speak with Jesus of his decease. And it will be Elijah who will return just before the second coming of Christ to, once again, stand in the midst of darkness and shine the light of God's word to a wicked world. Most fundamental expositors believe that he will be one of the two witnesses spoken of in the Revelation who will be a thorn in the side of the final world dictator and his followers, just as Elijah was to king Ahab. We see the spirit of the prophet present in the ministry of John the Baptist, again, pointing an accusing finger at the wicked rulers of his day.
How much do we need those with such a ministry in this day and age. I'm not speaking of self righteous people who go around and find fault with everybody and everything. I'm speaking of individuals anointed by the Holy Spirit to stand as moral and ethical examples to those around them. Those that are not willing to compromise what they know to be God's will for their lives, and who are not willing to be blended in to a wicked society. Those who, out of love, will warn those people around them of the impending judgment. Can we have such a ministry? And if we do, what does it entail? Will there be persecution and rejection? As we look further, we will see that, to all who will live for Christ, there will be resistance. And, like Elijah, there will be discouragement as well as encouragement from our source, the Lord of Hosts.