Lesson 6 - 1 Kings 19:9-21 - ELIJAH FLEES FROM JEZEBEL
INTRODUCTION: Last week, 1 Kings 18:20-39, we saw the prophet Elijah fearlessly challenge King Ahab of Israel to a contest on Mount Carmel between 450 prophets of Baal and Elijah alone as the LORD God's representative. They set up an altar on which the sacrifice, an ox, was cut into four pieces and placed on top of a stack of wood, with the understanding that no fire would be used. When the prophets of Baal called on their God to take the sacrifice, nothing happened, and for hours afterward they ranted and raved and even disfigured themselves with swords, and still, nothing happened. All this time the people had been watching. When Elijah's turn came, he repaired the LORD's altar of stones, cut an ox cut into pieces and placed it atop the stack of wood. Then he called for a shallow trench to be dug around altar and directed that 12 jars of water (over 100 gallons) be poured over it, which saturated everything and even filled the trench around it. And then, Elijah prayed: "Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again"(18:37), after which the sacrifice, the alter stones, and even the dust were completely incinerated by fire. When the people saw this, they fell down on their faces and called out, "The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God" (18:39), The lesson we learned was that God answered Elijah's prayer because he prayed for the will of God-for what God wanted done.
This week, in 1 Kings 19:1-21, we'll see another side of Elijah as he is fleeing for his life far to the south of Israel and will be introduced to Elisha, who will become Elijah's understudy. At some time in our lives, I imagine most all of us have undertaken jobs or projects that we thought about running away from at some point. As we'll see in our text, Elijah experienced one of those moments when he simply wanted to quit and run away.
Summary of vv. 1-9a: When Queen Jezebel learned of what happened on Mount Carmel, she sent a messenger to Elijah to tell him that he would be dead by tomorrow. When Elijah heard this, he had a panic attack and immediately began fleeing southward 100 miles to Beersheba in the southern extremity of Judah. Then leaving Beersheba, the prophet fled even further south into the Negev desert area, where he sat down under a tree and prayed to die, believing he had been a failure. Exhausted and in great despair, he fell asleep under the tree. And sometime afterward, an angel of God appeared who awoke him and supernaturally provided him with food and water. After resting, Elijah ate and drank again, and then walked 40 days and nights to Horeb, a mountain which scholars believe was Mount Sinai. We should notice the allusion to Moses, who spent 40 days and nights on this same mountain (Ex. 19). Reaching Horeb, the prophet found a cave and lodged there. He had removed himself as far as possible from Jezebel and her influence. And by doing this, He had essentially abandoned his homeland, his ministry, and his people.
Read 1 Kings 19:9-10 - WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
9a and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life."
9b and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" - The all-knowing LORD knew the answer the question but wanted to give Elijah an opportunity to explain himself. It's a fair question because the prophet would still be in Israel, his homeland, with his people, if his faith hadn't left him when he received Jezebel's death threat.
v. 10a: "And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of armies;" - In the previous chapter, Elijah saw things from a God's-eye perspective, which enabled him to achieve a great work in the face of fierce opposition; but now, he's seeing things from a self-perspective, which renders him basically powerless. He explains further that because he's been "very Zealous for the LORD," the circumstances he's facing now really can't be his fault.
v. 10b: "for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword." - This is the truth but not the whole truth. Yes, many Israelites have rejected God's Covenant and have killed God's prophets, but he fails to mention the people who were restored to faith and seized the prophets of Baal at the end of the previous chapter (18:39-40).
v. 10c: "And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life." - This is the heart of Elijah's complaint: He is alone-the sole faithful prophet of the LORD still remaining in Israel; and now, they-Jezebel & Co.-are seeking to make him dead. Again, his perspective on this problem is self-centered rather than God-centered; depending on his own meager resources rather than God's. He doesn't mention that this threat came only from one woman. It's apparent that He has allowed his fear of her to completely disable and defeat him.
Read 1 Kings 19:11-14 - GO OUT AND STAND ON THE MOUNTAIN
11 So He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind there was 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 sound of a gentle blowing. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 Then he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life."
v. 11: "So He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake." - This verse is hard to explain. Elijah is still standing by the cave at Mt. Horeb in Sinai, where he sees the LORD "passing by." Previously, on Mt. Carmel, the emphasis had been on the LORD's spectacular power, especially in His use of fire. But here, God apparently didn't bring the powerful winds and earthquake that Elijah saw in order to demonstrate His power in judgment but only to show Elijah that He was in the neighborhood.
v. 12a: "And after the earthquake, a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire," - Same analysis as the previous verse: the "fire" wasn't brought to demonstrate power to others.
v. 12b: "a sound of a gentle blowing. - This is the point of these two verses: God often manifests Himself in more subtle ways like a "gentle [wind] blowing." The Hebrew translation of this phrase can also mean a gentle voice. Thus, the LORD can also reveal Himself in quiet ways. The message the LORD is giving Elijah in regard to his indictment of the Israelites in v. 10 and his call for God to judge them with a spectacular display of power was that it was simply not God's will to do that way at this time. The point God makes to Elijah is that God's ways aren't always our ways, and we must learn to accept this truth.
v. 13a: "When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave." - Finally Elijah responds to the gentle voice by emerging from the cave still wrapped in his cloak.
v. 13b: And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" - The LORD repeats the question He asked Elijah in v. 9b, above, in order to give the prophet an opportunity to revise his previous answer.
v. 14: "Then he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life." - Elijah's answer is identical word-for-word to the answer he previously gave the LORD in v. 10. It clearly demonstrated that he doesn't understand the significance the divine revelation given to him in vv. 11-12. He's still defeated. He's apparently forgotten what he learned on Mt. Carmel and hasn't gained any insight from the LORD's most recent revelations in vv. 11-12. Elijah had expected the revelation of God's power on Mt. Carmel would turn the nation around, but it did not. As God's prophet, he still felt defeated and discouraged.
Read 1 Kings 19:15-18 - YET I WILL LEAVE SEVEN THOUSAND IN ISRAEL
15 The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 You shall also anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place." 17 And it shall come about that the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."
vv. 15-16a: "The LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 You shall also anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place." - Here, the LORD doesn't allow Elijah to wallow in self-pity but orders him back into action. In these verses, God is providing for the succession of both kings and prophets. When "Hazael" became king of Aram (Phoenicia) it nullified Jezebel's role as a royal power broker between Israel and Phoenicia. The mention of "Jehu" is complicated. Ahab's son Azahiah succeeded him as king and Ahab's younger son Jehoram succeeded Azahiah, then "Jehu, son of Nimshi," ultimately overthrew Jehoram. Nimshi was a brother of Ahab (2 Chron. 22:7). Although both prophecies mentioned above were fulfilled, there is no biblical record of Elijah having ever anointed Hazael or Jehu. When Jehu took the throne, he not only had Jehoram killed, but likewise killed Jezebel and all of Ahab's other descendants. The threat of death that haunted Elijah all the way to Mt. Horeb had essentially been eliminated.
v. 16b: "and you shall anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place." - In the verses that follow, we'll see Elijah enlist Elisha as his follower, though there's no record of Elijah actually anointing him. His rise as Elijah's successor will take place over time.
v. 17: "And it shall come about that the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. When Jehu (v. 16a) took the throne of Israel, he not only had Jehoram killed, but will likewise killed Jezebel and all of Ahab's other descendants, thus eliminating all the threats Elijah mentioned in v. 17, above.
v. 18: "Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him." - Elijah exaggerated his status as the only faithful follower of the LORD left in Israel (vv. 10, 14), so here, the LORD sets him straight. There was a remnant consisting of "seven thousand" faithful worshipers of the One True God remaining in Israel (presumably 7,000 men, not including their women and children). Also, 7,000 was often expressed as a round number that signified perfection. As the vile idolatry was spreading throughout Israel and despite all the official pressure to conform to Baal worship coming from Jezebel and her underlings, these faithful people never wavered and never bowed down to Baal nor 'kissed him,' a figure of speech for affection. So, the 'gentle voice' of God (v. 12) had been doing for Israel what Elijah had been unable to do.
Read 1 Kings 19:19-21 - ELIJAH THREW HIS CLOAK ON HIM
19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat while he was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah came over to him and threw his cloak on him. 20 Then he left the oxen behind and ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back, for what have I done to you?" 21 So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them, and cooked their meat with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and served him.
v. 19a: "So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat while he was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he with the twelfth." - "there" was Mt. Horeb, a 250+ mile trek to Elisha's hometown in Abel-meholah on the east bank of the Jordan River just south of Jezreel in Israel. It would have taken as long as six months just to get there by foot. Actually, Elisha isn't guiding a plow pulled by two dozen oxen but is walking alongside other workmen, each of whom controls a yoke of two oxen. Elisha is working the 12th team at the end. If he owned 12 yoke of oxen, he would quite wealthy, but that seems unlikely since he only slaughters one yoke of oxen in v. 21.
v. 19b: "And Elijah came over to him and threw his cloak on him. - This is the closest that Elijah actually comes to 'anointing' Elisha (v. 16). Translated from the Hebrew, Elisha's name means 'God is salvation.' But the passing of Elijah's "cloak" (or 'mantle' in some translations, probably made of goatskin with the hair remaining on the outside) to Elisha was symbolic of one person passing his authority and responsibilities to another person who will become his successor.
v. 20a: "Then he left the oxen behind and ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you." - Elisha responds wholeheartedly to Elijah's call, asking only that he be allowed to go back to his father and mother so he could bid them farewell. Elisha had undoubtedly heard of Elijah and understood the significance of Elijah's cloak/mantel being thrown on him; and notice that he doesn't hesitate even for one moment but immediately runs after Elijah.
v. 20b: "And he said to him, "Go back, for what have I done to you?" - The command "go back" grants Elisha permission to make his farewells to his parents, but the question, "for what have I done to you?," was a frank reminder to Elisha even though he was to become Elijah's apprentice, he needed to understand that God, not Elijah, had called him to embark on this important ministry.
v. 21a: "So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them, and cooked their meat with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate." - This was an irrevocable action by Elisha-a burning of his bridge behind him, so to speak. The oxen and their equipment formed the core of his farming enterprise. If he had sold them and pocketed the money or simply loaned them to a friend, he would always be able to return to his former occupation. So, by doing this, he demonstrates an unconditional commitment to follow Elijah.
v. 21b: Then he got up and followed Elijah and served him." - Scholars see this as another allusion to Moses. Joshua became Moses' assistant before inheriting his mantle (Ex. 33:11; Num. 11:28). Now, even though the LORD has made it clear that Elisha is to be Elijah's successor, Elisha fully accepts that he must first serve in an apprenticeship under Elijah's guidance. Elisha will go on to serve the LORD for a half a century (849-799 B.C.) and will have a threefold ministry: to heal, to prophesy, and to complete Elijah's assignments from God.
APPLICATION-Understanding the Call to Ministry
1. Failure doesn't mean defeat or an end to our ministry. This is one of the most encouraging elements of our text today. Before God could use Elijah, there were some things he needed to learn. Elijah's failure and discouragement (primarily based on his personal expectations) were due in part to two things: First, there was his view of what it would take to change the nation-an almighty judgment that demonstrated God's awesome powers. Second, his God-given successes had made him overestimate his own importance (vv. 9, 14, and 19). It had led him to think that the primary way of reaching the people was the display of God's power in dramatic and spectacular ways. He believed if people didn't respond to that, the situation must be hopeless. Therefore, when he failed to see the results he expected, he was absolutely discouraged and devastated. This shows how we can set ourselves up for discouragement that results when our pride and our expectations are not based on the foundation of God's wisdom as expressed in the Bible. God showed Elijah that he sometimes exercises his will through a "gentle voice" rather than spectacular acts (v. 12)
2. Obeying the call to ministry can also call us to give up much of our financial security. Elijah found Elisha while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. This appears to indicate that Elisha belonged to a family of prosperous farmers. To obey the prophetic call would involve a considerable personal loss in terms of his primary means of support. It would also mean that he must view his financial security as unimportant compared to becoming a soldier of the Lord in the trenches of Israel's tremendous spiritual conflict. Moreover, Elisha's responses God's initial call through Elijah in verses 20 and 21 show us he was a man of faith who was willing to do whatever it would take even if entailed burning his bridges behind him. This demonstrated that Elisha had developed solid biblical values and priorities, combined with eternal perspectives that had captured his heart. As a result, he acted on his faith by following God's call. He was willing to be uprooted from his quiet and peaceful rural life with its built-in financial security to follow the Lord. Obviously, he believed what his nation-Israel-needed was the Word of the LORD.
ENDNOTE-It's interesting to see how many great men of the Bible were called into some special ministry after they had already demonstrated their abilities and a willingness to work under circumstances where they had already shown faithfulness and loyalty. Note the following examples:
