1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
Elijah’s Fear
Chapter 19 begins with Ahab, fleeing from the incident on Mt. Carmel. Ahab is obviously shaken by the incident. After all, he lost all of his prophets and Baal did not show up! But the God of Israel did, and in that proved that Baal is not real and He is.
Ahab tells Jezebel about the entire incident. Of course, after hearing it, Jezebel has the ability to come to God and put away her false beliefs about Baal. But she does not. How could she? She was instrumental in bringing Baal to Israel and has been a fervent worshipper all her life. She even fund the prophets from he royal treasury and has actively been slaughtering the prophets of God for some time. These actions tell us that Jezebel, even if swayed by God, still has invested too much in Baal politically to give him up. She instead calls for the death of Elijah, putting out a 24 hour hit on him.
This frightens Elijah. For the first time in Elijah’s story we see him shaken by a situation. He runs to Beersheba, about 80 miles south of Jezreel, and puts himself into a self-imposed seclusion. Up to this point in the story we have seen Elijah eager to follow God’s word. God actually has sent Elijah from place to place and Elijah has followed. But now, distracted by fear, Elijah is not following God. He runs to Beersheba, which was not directed by God, and prays for God to kill him.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. The Lord Appears to Elijah And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Elijah’s provision
God does not answer Elijah’s prayer. Instead he provides for Elijah. He first provides for him physically. He allows Elijah to get rest and nutrition. This is important because when we are depressed or lost in fear, oftentimes our physical well-being is the first item we lose. God first heals this in Elijah, and then He provides for him spiritually.
Elijah is in need of a personal encounter. He is greatly discouraged and afraid. He feels like he is the only one left and in that, has failed God. Elijah cannot see the seeds of his work. But God provides for him a path from his confusion and fear. He summons him to Mt. Horeb (Sinai), the same place where God handed down the 10 commandments. This is a 40 day and 40 night journey (note the symbolism of 40). But we realize that is a 200 mile trek, so we can see that God provided an ample amount of rest and revitalization for Elijah along the way. Elijah ends up in a cave at Mt. Horeb, and the Hebrew wording eludes that this cave is the “cleft of the rock,” the very same place that God passed by Moses.
Elijah is told to stand outside, for God is about to pass by. When he does this, he is granted a tremendous display: Wind and an earthquake and fire film the sky, but God isn’t in any of those. Instead He is in a whisper, and Elijah covers his face in humility.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Elijah’s Mission
God shows Elijah something very important: The great, dramatic turnaround for Israel that Elijah sought on Mt. Carmel wasn’t where God intended the change to be. The change for Israel would be quiet, subversive and solid. Elijah believed God operated in dramatic ways, but God shows Elijah that He works quietly for his purposes.
How? Well, Elijah is shown that the subsequent kings will have a hand in bringing justice to Israel. Neither of them are Godly leaders, but God chooses His work through them. In this Elijah begins to see that Israel will indeed have a footing in the future with God. He is also shown that Elisha will become his successor. God provided Elijah a glimpse that we seldom get: the fruits of his labor are laid out, and Elijah understands that he is a piece of the puzzle, an important piece to do God’s will. We each have a mission, and it is all equally important for God’s will to be done.
God shows Elijah one final, important thing: that there are 7000 Israelites in Israel who haven’t bowed to Baal. This also shows Elijah that God still lives on in many in Israel, and his ministry is not invalid.
The story of Elijah is very important to all of us. First, it is important to develop an authentic relationship with God. We can only do this when we submit, pray and prepare ourselves for the work He has for us. Sometimes it will be momentary work; other times it will stretch on for years. But like Elijah, our work is fluid. Sometimes in our lives we feel a certain calling and believe this is it for us, our calling, and must toil to the end of our lives fulfilling it. But if we are to understand this story, we will note that Elijah’s ministry was one of constant change. What we are doing today may not be what we are doing tomorrow. It is crucial that we learn to listen to God’s prompting and jump out without fear. Fear is the thing that disables us. Causes us to run into seclusion and want to give up. But we can take heart that God understands our frailties and will take care of us. He will guide us back to our work, whether it be strengthening what we are already doing or new work. It is all valid, no matter if it sounds petty or small. It all works for God’s will.
The Call of Elisha
19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” 21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
Elijah finds Elisha. He throws his cloak over his shoulders. This is the “mantle” (pallium), which is a symbol of their mentor/mentee relationship. It was probably made of skin with hair on it (1 Kings 1:8). Later, when Elijah is summoned to Heaven, the mantle is passed to Elisha to carry on the mission.
Elijah’s commitment to God is evident. He immediately destroys his farming equipment and cooks the animals, gives it to those around him, meaning he made his decision in a public arena. He wasn’t going back to his former life, but joining Elisha in serving God fully.