“What are you doing here?"

1 Kings 19:1-21 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

Elijah Flees from Jezebel

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” ³ And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. ⁴ But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.” ⁵ He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” ⁶ Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. ⁷ The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” ⁸ So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Elijah at Horeb

⁹ Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰ He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

¹¹ So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² 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 mantle 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 hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

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 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ It shall come about, 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 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

¹⁹ So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. ²⁰ He left the oxen 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 again, for what have I done to you?” ²¹ So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him.

In yesterday's text we saw God's miraculous deliverance in the victory Elijah won over the prophets of baal. In today's text we see this same mighty prophet of God running in fear from  Jezebel. If we don't stay focused, we too can be easily made to run in fear even after God provides a great victory or deliverance in our lives. Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is actually believing more in the things we don't want than in the things we do want. Fear caused even Elijah, this mighty prophet of God to run and hide. We too can be driven to fear when we listen to the voices that speak lies and deception rather than listening to what God says.

Elijah went, in a very short time,  from the great victory to a place of despair and depression, actually wanting to die, believing there was no way out. God sends an angel to encourage and minister to Elijah, to help to prepare him for what lies ahead. The text says:  The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”   Sometimes God doesn't reveal the fullness of the journey that is ahead of us because it is too much for us to handle. Instead, He strengthens us where we are to prepare us for what lies ahead.

Elijah is then led to Horeb, the mountain of God. The same mountain where God had spoken to Moses in the burning bush.  The text says Elijah hears the word of the Lord.   the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰ He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”     Elijah explains his situation, trying to justify his feelings, his response in fear rather than faith.  Elijah then goes from hearing the word of the Lord to actually hearing the voice of the Lord.

 So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² 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 mantle 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?”

God has the power to rend mountains and break rocks to pieces. He has the power to shake and shift all of creation, as in an earthquake. God can come as a fire, either a fire like the one in the burning bush which burned without consuming or as a consuming fire, ( Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; ²⁹ for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29), which burns up all that is not of God.

Most often though God will come in the softness of a gentle blowing. We need to know the ways of God, to be familiar with standing in His presence, so that among the noises and distractions, the other voices screaming in the world we can hear the voice of God speaking. 

Elijah again pleads his case to God. God responds not by simply comforting and assuring Elijah, but rather  by giving Elijah a battle plan.    The text says:     And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”        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 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ It shall come about, 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 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elijah thought he was alone and God revealed to him those who would fight with him. In a future encounter God will use  Elisha, the one He has called to come along side Elijah to speak this revelation to another.

2 Kings 6:15-17 says:   Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.… 

Whatever your circumstance, whatever you face today, whatever lie you have been told by the enemy, take courage,  "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them" Ask the Lord and He will reveal those He has called to come along side you. He will give you faith to overcome your fear. He will give you a battle plan.

When we have experienced a great victory, when the enemy is in retreat, it is important that we not rest but rather press the attack. In 2 Kings 13:17-19    we see another vital battle plan from Elisha:     He said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" And he shot. And he said, "The LORD'S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyed them." 18Then he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground," and he struck it three times and stopped. 19So the man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it.      God doesn't want us to just get by, to survive or be okay. Jesus says: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.(John 10:10)     Abundant life is victorious life! 

I pray for each of you today that whatever the circumstance you face, wherever you find yourself, whether just coming through a great victory or deliverance at the hand of God, or feeling alone, depressed and defeated, I pray the you will hear God's voice. I pray that He will send His ministering angels to prepare you for the great journey that lies ahead. I pray that He will open your eyes and give you the ability to see both those of this earthly realm and those of the heavenly realm that He has called to walk and war with you. I pray that He will give you a battle plan and that you will press the attack and strike the enemy until he is completely defeated.  I pray in the name of Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, our Lord and Savior.   Amen.