Session 7 1 Kings 19:9-18
1 KINGS 19:9-18
MEMORY VERSE: PSALM 42:5
Many of us have at least thought about walking away from a job at some point. The stress, a coworker, that never-pleased customer, and a lack of purpose or appreciation can cause us to daydream about packing our things and going somewhere no one can find us. Elijah had one of those moments when he wanted to quit and run away. But God reminded the prophet there was still work to be done.
Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life when she learned he had killed the Baal prophets (1 Kings 19:1-2). Elijah fled south to Beersheba then all the way to Mount Horeb (19:3-8). He confessed to God he felt alone (19:9-10). The Lord encouraged Elijah on Mount Horeb (19:11-14). He gave him new tasks and reassured him that seven thou-sand people in Israel had not bowed to Baal (19:15-18). Elijah returned to the land and commissioned Elisha (19:19-21).
Ben-hadad, king of Aram, threatened King Ahab, and the two kingdoms eventually went to war (20:1-12). Ahab listened to a prophet of God and God brought victory (20:13-21). However, the prophet warned Ahab that Aram would attack again the following year (20:22-25).
When Aram attacked a year later, God again gave Israel victory, and Ahab trapped Ben-hadad in the city of Aphek (20:26-30). Ben-hadad asked for mercy, and Ahab spared him and made a covenant with him (20:31-34). A prophet of God rebuked Ahab for letting Ben-hadad go and told Ahab the decision would cost him his life (20:35-43).
Ahab returned to Jezreel and asked Naboth, a local citizen, to allow him to purchase his vineyard that lay adjacent to the king’s palace (21:1-2). Naboth refused, but when Jezebel learned of the situation, she hired false witnesses to condemn Naboth to death, after which Ahab took the vineyard for himself (21:3-16). Elijah told Ahab God had seen the king’s evil actions and would end Ahab’s family line (21:17-26). When Ahab displayed remorse, God told Elijah He would wait to end Ahab’s line in the next generation (21:27-29).
Three years later, Ahab joined forces with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, against Aram (22:1-4). Jehoshaphat asked Ahab to inquire of the Lord first, and Ahab reluctantly summoned Micaiah, even though all Ahab’s court prophets were assuring victory in battle (22:5-12). Micaiah predicted Israel’s defeat and told Ahab the Lord had put a lying spirit in Ahab’s court prophets to bring Ahab’s downfall (22:13-23). Ahab ignored Micaiah’s advice, went into battle, and met his death (22:29,34-40).
Jehoshaphat’s reign featured much good when he chose to walk in God’s ways (22:41-44). He appointed Levites in Judah’s cities to instruct the people in God’s ways (2 Chron. 17:7-9). The Lord also gave him victory over an enemy coalition that invaded from the southeast (2 Chron. 20:1-30).
Meanwhile, Ahab’s son Ahaziah became king of Israel after his father’s death, and unfortunately continued his father’s evil ways (1 Kings 22:51-53).
EXPLORE THE TEXT
9 He entered a cave there and spent the night. Suddenly, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”
Jezebel’s threat (19:2) had deeply frightened Elijah. The journey from Jezreel to Beersheba (19:3) was approximately ninety miles. The journey from Beersheba to Mount Horeb was another 250 miles, so Elijah had traveled a long distance to escape Israel’s evil queen.
Elijah entered a cave there. Some interpreters have connected this cave (literally “the cave”) with the place God appeared to Moses (Ex. 33:22), though this is uncertain. In it, Elijah found a place where he could seek protection from the sun and any other weather elements. Verse 13 may suggest the cave had some reasonable size to it. The prophet spent the night lodged in the cave, as he awaited to hear from God.
Suddenly, the word of the LORD came to him. The wording may suggest God sent His angel to Elijah, who brought him God’s message; the Lord Himself soon would appear to Elijah (vv. 11-15). God’s message came in the form of a question: What are you doing here, Elijah?
Most interpreters believe the question challenged Elijah’s faith. He had run a long way to ensure he escaped Jezebel’s wrath. At the same time, God had protected Elijah and provided for him every step of Elijah’s journey. He had provided him food in the wilderness (1 Kings 17:3-6) and had provided for him through the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16). He also had protected Elijah and affirmed his ministry in the contest between Elijah and the Baal prophets (1 Kings 18:17-40).
God’s prophet replied, I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Armies. The expression “LORD God of Armies” is also rendered “LORD God of hosts” in other translations and stresses God’s sovereignty. The word translated zealous also can mean “jealous,” and the two concepts are related. Someone who pursues a spouse with zeal has a right to be jealous for that spouse’s love.
Nevertheless, Elijah lamented the Israelites have abandoned your covenant. God had established His covenant with Abraham and had confirmed it with Isaac and Jacob (Gen. 12:1-3; 26:3-5; 28:12-15). He rescued His people from Egyptian bondage, ratified His covenant with them at Mount Horeb (also called Mount Sinai), and gave them His commands to bless them (Ex. 20:1-21). However, the Israelites had turned their backs on God’s covenant during the days of the judges and afterward (Judg. 2:10-23). Elijah naturally had hoped the contest on Mount Carmel would bring spiritual renewal, but clearly it had not.
Elijah also told God the people had torn down your altars. In fact, Elijah had repaired one of those altars and used it to demonstrate God’s power on Carmel (1 Kings 18:30). The word altars probably designates places the people used to worship God at one time. Once Solomon’s temple was completed, the focus of worship was to be at the temple, yet many continued to worship at these altars. The people had torn them down because they had no more place for God in Israel.
Elijah also confirmed that the people had killed your prophets with the sword. When Ahab and Jezebel promoted the worship of Baal and tried to eradicate the worship of God in Israel, a man named Obadiah had hidden the Lord’s prophets to protect them (1 Kings 18:4,13). Other true prophets such as Micaiah also suffered in the Northern Kingdom (1 Kings 22:26-28).
Elijah further lamented, I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life. When Jezebel heard of Elijah’s victory on Mount Carmel, it increased her determination to kill him. In despair, Elijah had fled for his life.
Believers can feel alone when they face opposition. Indeed, spiritual low points can follow spiritual high points. Nevertheless, we must remember God is always with us (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5). We are not alone, as Elijah soon would discover.
(In PSG, p. 68)
11 Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the LORD’s presence.” At that moment, the LORD passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs 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 there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.
The Lord, probably through His messenger (see v. 9), instructed Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain in the LORD’s presence. Elijah had fled to escape Jezebel’s presence; now, the Lord invited Him into His presence on the same mountain where the Lord had met Moses about six hundred years earlier (Ex. 3:1-5).
At that moment, the LORD passed by. God announced His arrival through various means. First, He did so through a great and mighty wind. The wind’s power is indicated by the fact that it was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs. The word translated tearing describes the crumbling of the mountain face as the wind hit it. Perhaps the gravel on the mountainside blew away in response to the winds. The words shattering cliffs speak more specifically of the wind’s violent power as it broke away rock clefts. The wind was a mighty display, but the LORD was not in the wind. The wind served only as a forerunner.
Second, after the wind there was an earthquake. Earthquakes occurred many times in the ancient world. The prophets Amos and Zechariah mentioned an earthquake that occurred in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah (Amos 1:1; Zech. 14:5). Jesus also told His disciples earthquakes would precede His second coming (Matt. 24:7). The apostle John also described earthquakes as a feature of the end times (Rev. 6:12; 16:18). The earth shook violently, and Elijah may have feared for his life, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. Earthquakes would precede Jesus’s return, and the earthquake on Horeb preceded the Lord’s appearance to Elijah.
After the earthquake there was a fire. The fire must have been severe enough to represent God in a powerful way. The prophet Amos saw a devastating fire God warned He might bring against the land (Amos 7:4-6). Perhaps the fire Elijah saw was similar. However, the LORD was not in the fire.
Wind, earthquake, and fire all occur elsewhere to signify God’s power (Ex. 19:16-19; Heb. 12:18), and here as well, they were only preliminary to the Lord’s appearance. However, after the fire, there was a voice, a soft whisper. This soft whisper contrasted greatly with the raucous nature of the prior three elements. Perhaps this great contrast heightened Elijah’s awareness of it. The text clearly implies the Lord was in the soft whisper, since with each of the prior elements, it specifically indicated the Lord was not in them.
13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Armies,” he replied, “but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they’re looking for me to take my life.”
When Elijah heard the soft, whispering voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle, probably to humbly cover himself before God. He then went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. He sensed God had arrived, and indeed he was correct: suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Elijah had answered this question earlier when he arrived at the cave (v. 9). However, the Lord wanted to ask it again. His repetition of the question reveals His intent to drive a particular point home to His prophet. Why was Elijah all the way down at Mount Horeb? Why had he run this far when God had protected Him be-fore and was still with him? After the resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times if Peter loved Him after Peter had denied three times that he knew Jesus (John 18:15-18,25-27; 21:15-17). In that passage, Jesus commis-sioned Peter and restored him. Here, God was challenging Elijah to consider his actions. The God who had pro-tected him on Mount Carmel was still with him.
Elijah’s response suggested nothing had changed in his mind. He repeated, I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Armies. God knew of Elijah’s faithfulness, so Elijah did not need to rehash it here. Nevertheless, he reminded God of the opposition: the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. When Elijah first began to prophesy, the Northern Kingdom had existed less than one hundred years. Spiritual decline had come rapidly, and perhaps the faithful minority had feared to speak up and defend Elijah. This may be why Elijah lamented I alone am left, and they’re looking for me to take my life. He may have decided he should leave the country if no one in the Northern Kingdom truly followed God anymore. Nevertheless, Jezebel’s threat had led to Elijah’s fleeing the country. Still, God pursued His prophet and met him when Elijah really needed Him.
God often appears in life’s still moments. Our world runs at such a fast pace that it often is difficult to hear God’s voice. It seems there is always something to distract us from our time with God.
(In PSG, p. 69)
15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.
God gave Elijah further instructions: Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. Damascus, Aram’s capital, lay approximately fifty miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee and even farther north from the Jezreel Valley where Elijah had battled the Baal prophets. It also lay north of Gilead, the region from which Elijah had come (1 Kings 17:1). Thus, God was directing His prophet to go home and even farther. Elijah’s journey to Mount Horeb had encompassed approximately three hundred and forty miles. His return trip would require him to journey about four hundred miles.
God gave Elijah a threefold task. First, he was to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Hazael’s reign over all Aram began during the ministry of Elisha, Elijah’s successor (2 Kings 8:8-15). This task implies God’s power even over nations that did not recognize His sovereignty.
Second, the Lord instructed Elijah, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel. God used Jehu to exterminate Ahab’s rebellious line (2 Kings 9–10). However, Jehu would commit much evil as well, going beyond God’s commands. Royal records from Assyria indicate Jehu paid homage at least on occasion to King Shalmaneser III of Assyria.
Third, the Lord instructed Elijah to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. God’s purpose for His people would continue even after Elijah was gone. Abel-meholah was in the Jordan Valley about ten miles south of Beth-shean, which guarded an important pass into the Jezreel Valley.
God noted some of the responsibilities each person Elijah anointed would have. He said first, Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael. God did sometimes use other nations to judge His people (Isa. 10:5-6; Dan. 1:1-2). Perhaps the Lord was alluding to the house of Ahab that might escape Aram’s sword. They would escape Aram only to find Jehu’s sword instead.
God also said, Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu. This statement is a bit more uncertain since Elisha was not a military person. The Lord did use Elisha to bring victory for the Israelite forces against Aram (2 Kings 6:8–7:20). Ultimately, through Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha, God would judge the worship of Baal in the Northern Kingdom.
God’s message was that people who deserved judgment would not escape it. They would think they had, only to find judgment from another source. The prophet Amos described the coming day of God’s judgment as when a man escaped a lion only to meet a bear, or escaped them both only to be bitten by a snake (Amos 5:18-20).
18 But I will leave seven thousand in Israel — every knee that has not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
God reassured His prophet and spoke to Elijah’s sense of isolation and loneliness: I will leave seven thousand in Israel—every knee that has not bowed to Baal. Elijah did not know God had followers in the Northern Kingdom, but God did. The book of 2 Chronicles records that King Hezekiah later invited members of the northern tribes to worship in Jerusalem, and some did (2 Chron. 30:1-11). Likewise, God had preserved a faithful remnant in Elijah’s day who had not affirmed allegiance to Baal in any way. The accompanying expression, every mouth that has not kissed him, refers to further idolatrous practices, perhaps in which people kissed golden calves that represented Baal as an expression of devotion (Hos. 8:5-6; 10:5; 13:2). Elijah must have been encouraged as he heard God’s assurance.
The apostle Paul faced hardship and rejection when he ministered in Corinth (Acts 18:1-6). Nevertheless, after he had been there some time, the Lord encouraged Paul with the words, “No one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:10). Encouraged by this, Paul continued to share the gospel.
Faithful followers can stand together for God’s honor. When Jesus sent out His disciples to preach, He sent them out in pairs (Luke 10:1). He knew one could support the other and help his fellow disciple stand strong. In the same way, having others partner with us can encourage us in our own faith journeys. Knowing others are also remaining faithful to God can encourage us when we face discouragement.
Perhaps in the ministry God has given you, you are seeing little spiritual fruit. God’s assurance to Elijah reminds us His work is not finished. It was not finished in Elijah’s day, and it is not finished in our day.
How can knowing others are remaining faithful to God encourage another person who is in despair? When you have faced times of discouragement, how have you seen God help you through them?
KEY DOCTRINE
The Kingdom
Christians ought to pray and to labor that the kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. (See Psalm 143:10; Luke 22:41-42.)
BIBLE SKILL
Observe when and for what purpose a New Testament passage includes an Old Testament quotation.
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