1 Kings 19
McGeeCHAPTER 19THEME: Elijah under a juniper treeAhab reports to Jezebel that Elijah had slain all her prophets of Baal. She vows to kill Elijah. He beats a cowardly retreat to Beer-sheba, where he leaves his servant and continues on into the wilderness to crawl under a juniper tree, where he requests that he might die. Evidently Elijah is suffering from nervous exhaustion. He is physically and mentally depleted. God gives him nourishing food and plenty of sleep. Then He treats him to a spectacular display: strong wind, earthquake, and fire. Elijah loves all of this. Then comes the still, small voice. Although this is contrary to Elijah’s personality, God is in the still, small voice. He sends him back to the scene of action and danger. On the way, Elijah calls Elisha to be his successor.
1 Kings 19:1
ELIJAH RUNS FROM JEZEBELIt is difficult to believe that Elijah is the same man who defied 450 prophets of Baal on the top of Mount Carmel. He seems to be a different man, but there is an explanation for his condition. That was a threatening message Jezebel sent to Elijah. Being before the public defying the false worship in his nation had drained a great deal of his energy and strength. He did a strange thing when he heard Jezebel’s message threatening to kill him. Like Simon Peter when he took his eyes off the Lord, looked at those waves, and began to sink, Elijah lost his courage. He began to run. He went to Beer-sheba which is way down south. And friend, take it from someone who has been there, it is way down in the desert. Anyone who got as far away as Beer-sheba could consider himself safe from a ruler in the northern kingdom. But Elijah, when he reached this place in the desert, left his servant there and continued on another day’s journey.
1 Kings 19:4
You must admit that this is quite a change for the man who stood on top of Mount Carmel and defied the prophets of Baal. Now he is hiding under a juniper tree way down at the other end of the land, hiding from a woman, Jezebel. Ahab had not made any effort to arrest him or destroy him, but Jezebel hated Elijah, and she was not going to let him live if she could help it. I think we need to note that Elijah had gone through a traumatic experience when he stood before that altar, prayed to God, and fire from heaven fell. Then there was the execution of the prophets of Baal. Next there was a tremendous rain storm, which was a great victory for Elijah. When Ahab went back and reported to Jezebel all that had happened, she sent a telegram to Elijah saying, “I want you to know that I intend to get you!” She is the most wicked woman in the Bible. Elijah got his eyes off the Lord and ran to an area that was beyond the farthest outpost of civilization. When he got to Beer-sheba, he just kept going.
Finally he felt that he was out of her reach. Frankly, when I see him crawling underneath that juniper tree, I am ashamed of him. I am sure that some very pious Christian would have given Elijah a fine little lecture on how to be cheerful and optimistic and smile in his situation. They would tell him that Rom_8:28 was still in the Bible. May I say to you, I don’t think you could have gotten Elijah to smile while he was under that tree. I heard an English divine who preached a sermon some time ago on the subject, “Brief, Bright, and Brotherly.” Elijah did not feel that way underneath that juniper tree. You can criticize Elijah, you can find fault with him, and you can denounce him, and you can say that he is not trusting God as he should. Some might even say he is a disgrace to the Lord. What has happened to our prophet? Is this the man who defied the prophets of Baal? Is this the man who said, “If the LORD be God, follow Him”? What disease has smitten him? What is the diagnosis? Could you give us the etiology of it? Let me suggest several things. There was a physical cause for the way he acted. He was overworked. He was overwrought. He was overworried. He was physically exhausted. I think he could have dropped in his tracks after that experience at Mount Carmel. He was worn out after the arduous task of standing for God in the face of such opposition. The sin of the ministry is not finances, although many people think it is. Unfortunately, there are some preachers who are running a religious racket, but money is not the problem with the average preacher. When I was ordained, I was warned about the three sins of the ministry: pride, being boring, and laziness. I am confident that some folk are never going to get under a juniper tree. Do you know why? They are too lazy.
Although there were seven thousand believers who had not bowed a knee to Baal, they were not under the juniper tree. They were hiding in caves up in the hills. They would never have been able to stand the lofty heights of Mount Carmel, and they did not see the fire come down from heaven. Elijah stood alone. He was a prodigal of his own physical strength. Some dear saint, I am sure, whispered in his ear, “You are doing too much.
Take it easy.” Elijah would never have run away from Jezebel if he had not been exhausted. I think we need men today who are willing to work for God. I hear a lot of talk about folks being dedicated, but they are as lazy and careless in the Lord’s work as they possibly can be. This could never be said of Elijah. He was under the juniper tree because he was exhausted. There is also a psychological factor involved in this situation. This is the day of hypertension, frustration, sterility, frigidity, nervous debilitation, disappointment, discouragement, despondency, let-down, run-down, and breakdown. Perhaps you have misunderstood Elijah. He was rough and rugged. He was a blood-and-thunder man. But that rugged exterior concealed a sensitive soul.
He was ruled by his emotions, and he could go from elation to dejection. He possessed the finer sensibilitieshe had artistic taste and aesthetic taste. His nature was emotional, and he did things that were emotional. Perhaps he suffered, as the psychologists say, from manic-depressive psychosis. A woman is probably the most delicate of God’s creatures, and a woman is emotional. She has a finer sensibility than a man.
Elijah had that kind of a nature. Did you ever notice that God put a badger skin around all of the beauty, wealth, and workmanship of the tabernacle? A badger skin was the exterior of something fine and beautiful. The exterior of Elijah was like that. Now he is crying out for God to take his life. He is in bad shape.
1 Kings 19:5
Elijah needed rest. The Lord knew that, so He put him to sleep. Elijah slept like a baby. He also needed some good foodI don’t think he had been eating regularly. He awoke to find some bread being baked. Do you know who I think baked that bread? I believe it was the same One who prepared that breakfast on the shore of Galilee one morning after the Resurrection. It was our Lord who comforted Elijah, fed him, and then put him back to sleep. He fed him, the second time, and told Elijah, “The journey is too great for you.” This was something that Elijah had learned. My friend, today may be a very happy day for you. You may think that you are sufficient for the battle of life. But I want to tell you that the journey through life is too great for you. You are going to need a Savior. You are going to need a helper. Elijah, as rugged as he was, needed Him.
1 Kings 19:8
ELIJAH AT MOUNT HOREBStrengthened by the food provided by God, Elijah continued to run. He went clear to Mount Horeb, the mount on which the Law had been given to Moses.
1 Kings 19:9
The Lord is dealing with Elijah. He is overwrought and needs real psychological help. I have been asked if I believe in going to a psychologist. I think there are times when a person needs to consult a psychologist. Most of us, however, could solve our problems if we crawled on the couch of the Lord Jesus Christ and told Him everything. We wouldn’t have to be running around telling everybody else about our troubles and problems if we would just talk them over with Him. We ought to tell Him everything.
1 Kings 19:11
First of all there was a great and strong wind that split the mountains and broke the rocks. Oh, did he love a good wind storm! Then the mountain rolled and shook under his feet. He loved ithe was that type of man.
1 Kings 19:12
After the earthquake there was a fire. After all, he was the man who brought fire down from heaven on Mount Carmel. He liked that too. But wait a minute. God was not in the strong wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire. After the fire came a still, small voice.
If there was one thing that Elijah did not like, it was a still, small voice. I am sure Elijah did not have that kind of a voice, but he had to learn that God moves in a quiet wayhow wonderful it is to see God moving in this way. He was teaching Elijah a great lesson. The battle was not actually won on top of Mount Carmel by fire coming down from heaven. God moves in mysterious and unostentatious ways His wonders to perform. God moves in a quiet way.
God uses little things to accomplish His purpose. As someone has said, “Great doors are swung on little hinges.” God uses small things to open mighty doors. That is what Elijah had to learn.
1 Kings 19:13
Many of us can identify with Elijah. Sometimes with our families or in our communities we are surrounded by unbelievers, and we get the feeling that we are the only ones on earth standing for Christ.
1 Kings 19:15
God is saying to Elijah, “Go back to the north country; I have more work for you to do.” He is to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria and Jehu to be king over Israel. Then God tells Elijah about his successor, Elisha.
1 Kings 19:18
Finally, He told Elijah that there was a remnant of seven thousand people who have not bowed to Baal. God always has a remnant, my friend. He had one in Elijah’s day, and He has one today. I have been very unkind in my references to the remnant. But they were standing for God. They had not bowed the knee to Baal. They were not out in the open like Elijah; they were the silent ones, but they were true to the God of Israel.
1 Kings 19:19
ELISHA’S CALLGod now is preparing to take Elijah home, and He will raise up Elisha to take his place. Elisha now becomes the pupil of Elijah. He is being trained to take over his ministry, as we shall see.