ELIJAH FLEES TO HOREB THE LORD APPEARS TO ELIJAH THE CALL OF ELISHA 1 KINGS 19:1-21

Transcription

1 1 ELIJAH FLEES TO HOREB THE LORD APPEARS TO ELIJAH THE CALL OF ELISHA 1 KINGS 19:1-21

2 2 Elijah Flees to Horeb The Lord Appears to Elijah The Call of Elisha Text: 1 Kings 19:1-21, 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. 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. And the word of the LORD came to him: What are you doing here, Elijah?

3 3 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. 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. 19. So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was

4 4 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. (NIV) Introduction: I. Smith well wrote, Elijah expected that the triumph on Mt. Carmel would be followed by a great religious reformation in Israel. Such was not the case. Elijah had won a battle, but the outcome of the war against Baal was still in question. Commentary: Elijah Flees to Horeb 1 Kings 19:1, Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. (NIV) I. Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. A. This news caused Jezebel to be extremely angry, and to determine to kill Elijah! 1. People vary in their reactions to the truth, God s word.

5 5 2. No one could have reacted more sinfully than Jezebel to God s truth and actions. 3. She didn t learn a thing by what had happened at Mt. Carmel. B. Clarke wrote that Ahab s reporting this news to Jezebel was with an evil design against Elijah. 1 Kings 19:2, 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. (NIV) I. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say,... A. Coffman rightly stated, Whatever Ahab was, he was no king, but a malleable tool in the hands of the wicked Jezebel. 1. Ahab did not have the courage to withstand Jezebel, but allowed her to do as she pleased... even to threatening the life of God s prophet Elijah. B. Evidently the messenger had no great difficulty finding Elijah. 1. If the messenger had no special difficulty finding Elijah, why didn t she immediately dispatch armed assassins to kill him? 2. Did she want Elijah to emotionally suffer? a. If so, she achieved her goal!

6 6 b. She certainly vented her hateful wrath! II. 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. A. Jezebel swore by her gods that she would immediately, within twenty-four (24) hours, kill Elijah because of his opposition to her escapades. 1. Jezebel was filled with rage. (Smith) 2. Jezebel swore Elijah would be dead like one of them Elijah killed on Mt. Carmel. B. Having seen God s wondrous power over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, if she had been to any degree an honest person, she would have renounced paganism and turned to serve Almighty God. (See Coffman.) 1. Instead, Jezebel was filled with hatred and set about to vindictively destroy Elijah Corinthians 4:4, In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (KJV) 3. Jezebel was determined to have her revenge. 4. There are eyes so blinded and heads so steeled against the truth that no evidence can reach them, Coffman wrote. a. Jezebel was such a person.

7 7 C. Jezebel s vow to kill Elijah terrified him causing him to leave Jezreel in the Northern Kingdom and to continue on to Beersheba in the south of Judah. (Hamilton) 1. From Beersheba he continued on to Horeb where God had given the Ten Commandments. D. Jezebel did not succeed in killing Elijah, but Jezebel s gods did not kill her for failing to kill Elijah. 1. Why did these idols not execute Jezebel for her failure to execute Elijah? 2. First, they were nothing in the world but statutes! 3. Then, just maybe their evil deities had more work for Jezebel! 1 Kings 19:3, Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, (NIV) I. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. A. Is it out of character for a man of God to be afraid and run for his life? 1. Paul fled for his life from Damascus. a. Acts 9:23-25, And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. (KJV)

8 8 2. Neither Paul nor Elijah was a coward. a. They were simply removing themselves from hopeless situations. (Coffman) b. Coffman stated, If Elijah had been a coward, he would not have been selected to stand on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus! Amen! B. Moffatt translated this verse as, Elijah arose in terror and ran for his life. 1. To say the least, Elijah was greatly discouraged! (See Smith.) 2. Before running, Elijah should have inquired of God as to what he should do. a. 1 Kings 17:2, 8, Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: Then the word of the LORD came to him: (NIV) b. 1 Kings 18:1, After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land. (NIV) II. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, A. Beersheba (well of the seven (7) or well of the oath) was located ninety-five (95) miles south of Jezreel on the southern boundary of Judah.

9 9 1. Beersheba was under the control of the king of Judah. 2. Beersheba was in the territory allotted to the tribe of Simeon. B. Elijah s servant was released from duty at Beersheba making it unnecessary for this person to endure the desert hardships that were inevitable en route to Horeb. (See Smith.) 1. Also, by leaving his servant in Beersheba, the servant would not be further pursued by Jezebel, Clarke surmised. 2. There is no record of this servant s ever again being in Elijah s service. 1 Kings 19:4, 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. (NIV) I. while he himself went a day s journey into the desert, wilderness. A. Elijah may not have felt safe in remaining in Beersheba because of possible co-operation between Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Ahab, king of Israel Kings 8:18, He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. (NIV)

10 Chronicles 18:1, Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. (NIV) 3. Elijah never took refuge in Judah. II. He came to a broom (juniper) tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. A. God did not grant Elijah s prayer! 1. God had more work for Elijah. B. Jonah made a similar request of God which was likewise not granted. 1. Jonah 4:3, Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live. (NIV) C. Elijah was greatly discouraged, but there was a better road for him to take than death. D. The juniper tree had dense bushy branches which provided shade in the desert. (Smith) It grew to about twelve (12) feet in height and was common in the desert. 1. The roots of the broom tree were often used to make charcoal. a. Psalm 120:4, He will punish you with a warrior s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush. (NIV) E. Moses experienced a similar feeling of depression and, perhaps, failure.

11 11 1. Numbers 11:10-15, Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. He asked the LORD, Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, Give us meat to eat! I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me if I have found favor in your eyes and do not let me face my own ruin. (NIV) III. I have had enough, Lord, he said. A. Long wrote, In defeat, he sees himself as no better than anyone else and appears to blame himself for not delivering Israel from Baal and Israel from the evil reign of Ahab and Jezebel. IV. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors. A. Smith wrote, Elijah thought himself to be a special messenger of God, raised up mightily to bring the people of God to repentance. 1. Under the juniper tree, Elijah must have felt he had failed just as had so many of his ancestors, all now dead.

12 12 B. Other great godly men under similar circumstances plead for relief in death. (See Hamilton.) 1. Job a. Job 3:11-13, 16-22, 25-26, Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest Or why was I not hidden away in the ground like a stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day? There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. Captives also enjoy their ease; they no longer hear the slave driver s shout. The small and the great are there, and the slaves are freed from their owners. Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those who long for death that does not come, who search for it more than for hidden treasure, who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave? What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil. (NIV) 2. Jeremiah a. Jeremiah 20:14-18, Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, A child is born to you a son! May

13 13 that man be like the towns the LORD overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon. For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever. Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame? (NIV) 1 Kings 19:5, Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, Get up and eat. (NIV) I. Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. A. Elijah was physically and emotionally exhausted! B. God provided for his faithful servants. 1. Obadiah hid prophets and fed them with both food and water. a. 1 Kings 18:4, 13, While Jezebel was killing off the LORD s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) Haven t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. (NIV) 2. Here God s angel provided for Elijah. II. All at once (suddenly) an angel touched him and said, Get up and eat.

14 14 A. God immediately sent his angel to direct and provide for his faithful servant. B. Elijah likely was terribly hungry. 1. Before treating his spiritual and emotional needs, God provided for his physical hunger. 2. God saw Elijah s needs and sent his angel to provide them. 1 Kings 19:6, 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. (NIV) I. He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar (cruse) of water. A. Where there had been no food and water, with no one else anywhere around, now there were both, supernaturally provided. (See Clarke.) B. Long suggests the cake of bread and jar/jug remind us of the story of the widow of Zarephath Kings 17: 7-24, Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him: Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food. So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink? As

15 15 she was going to get it, he called, And bring me, please, a piece of bread. As surely as the LORD your God lives, she replied, I don t have any bread only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die. Elijah said to her, Don t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land. She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah. Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son? Give me your son, Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the LORD, LORD my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die? Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the LORD, LORD my God, let this boy s life return to him! The LORD heard Elijah s cry, and the boy s life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down

16 16 from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, Look, your son is alive! Then the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth. (NIV) 2. A jar (cruse in KJV) was a container made of clay, used primarily for liquids but sometimes for dry goods. (Youngblood) C. Hagar and Ishmael are also called to mind as persons who took refuge in the desert and who sought help from God. 1. Genesis 21:14-19, Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, I cannot watch the boy die. And as she sat there, she began to sob. God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. (NIV) II. He ate and drank and then lay down again. A. Again Elijah lay down to rest.

17 17 1 Kings 19:7, The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touch-ed him and said, Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you. (NIV) I. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said,... A. The angel again aroused Elijah from sleep for the purpose of further supplying food to strengthen Elijah for the coming long journey in the desert to Horeb. II. Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you. A. This forty (40) day trip to Horeb is estimated as being about a one hundred (100) mile journey. (Martin via Coffman.) 1. Elijah needed special provisions for this long journey to Horeb. 2. Horeb may have been in southern Arabia, a greater distance than one hundred (100) miles. a. Galatians 4:25, For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. (KJV) b. Coffman stated this more southerly location for Horeb/Sinai better agrees with current research than its traditional location.

18 18 1 Kings 19:8, 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. (NIV) I. So he got up and ate and drank. A. Elijah needed more food to regain the strength he had lost. II. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty (40) days and forty (40) nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. A. Like Moses and Jesus, Elijah fasted for forty (40) days and forty (40) nights. B. Moses left Horeb for the promised land while Elijah left the promised land for Horeb. C. Clarke estimated the distance from Beersheba to Horeb at one hundred fifty (150) miles while The Pulpit Commentary placed the distance at one hundred thirty (130) miles. D. Mt. Horeb (waste), the mountain of God, was located in the Sinai Peninsula where Moses heard God speaking through the burning bush and where the law was given to Israel. Horeb is the favored name for Mt. Sinai in the Book of Deuteronomy, where the word occurs more often than in the rest of the entire Old Testament. (Youngblood) 1. Exodus 18:5, Jethro, Moses father-in-law, together with Moses sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. (NIV)

19 19 2. Exodus 3:1, Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. (NIV) 1 Kings 19:9, There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: What are you doing here, Elijah? (NIV) I. There he went into a cave and spent the night. A. Elijah found himself hiding in a cave thinking he was the only faithful servant of God left alive. B. The Pulpit Commentary states that many commentators identify this cave in which Elijah spent the night as the cleft of the rock in which Moses took refuge while the Lord passed by. 1. Exodus 33:22, When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. (NIV) The Lord Appears to Elijah II. And the word of the Lord came to him: What are you doing here, Elijah. A. The implication of the question is that Elijah had deserted his post of duty. (Smith) 1 Kings 19:10, 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

20 20 death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. (NIV) I. He replied, I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. A. Elijah defended himself! B. Elijah had indeed been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty! 1. Numbers 25:10-12, The LORD said to Moses, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. (NIV) II. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. A. Elijah, against great odds, had stood firmly with courage against Israel s idolaters! B. The Israelites had: 1. forsaken God s covenant. 2. thrown down God s altars. a. 1 Kings 18:30, Then Elijah said to all the people, Come here to me. They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which had been torn down. (NIV)

21 21 3. slain God s prophets. a. 1 Kings 18:13, Haven t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. (NIV) b. If a hundred (100) prophets escaped Jezebel and Ahab, many others evidently did not escape. III. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. A. Elijah thought he was the only one left in all Israel who remained faithful to God, but Elijah was mistaken about this. 1. Thousands of others had not bowed the knee to Baal. B. Smith wrote, Here is the old cry found throughout the Old Testament, the complaint that God is silent and indifferent, that the righteous are persecuted while the wicked prosper. 1. Elijah, was certainly deeply despondent. C. Clarke understood Elijah to be saying, They have succeeded in destroying all the rest of the prophets, and they are determined not to rest until they slay me. 1. Romans 11:1-6, I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,

22 22 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (KJV) 1 Kings 19:11, 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. (NIV) I. The Lord said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. A. Smith wrote, If Elijah thought his depression and his desertion of the field of battle were justified, he was mistaken. B. Elijah was commanded to stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord. 1. Moses experience is somewhat similar to Elijah s, both on Mt. Horeb. a. Exodus 19:16-25, On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp

23 23 trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the LORD said to him, Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the LORD, must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them. Moses said to the LORD, The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy. The LORD replied, Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the LORD, or he will break out against them. So Moses went down to the people and told them. (NIV) 2. Elijah, Clarke surmised, may have stood where Moses stood when God gave the Ten Commandments. II. 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.

24 24 A. A theophany is an appearance of God and this divine appearance to Elijah contained components of God s previous appearance to Moses. (See Hamilton.) 1. Thunder, lightning, fire, earthquake, wind, etc. were evidences of God s power. a. Exodus 19:16, On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. (NIV) b. Deuteronomy 5:22-24, These are the commandments the LORD proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me. And you said, The LORD our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them. (NIV) c. Judges 5:4-5, When you, LORD, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel. (NIV)

25 25 d. Isaiah 6:1-4, In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. (NIV) e. Ezekiel 1:4, I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, (NIV) III. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. A. Exodus 19:18, Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. (NIV) 1 Kings 19:12, After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (NIV) I. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

26 26 A. Storms, earthquake and fire (lightning) are often associated with God s punishment of sinners. 1. Isaiah 29:6, the LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. (NIV) 2. Psalm 18:7-8, The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. (NIV) 3. Job 1:16, While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you! (NIV) 4. Exodus 9:23, When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt; (NIV) II. And after the fire came a gentle whisper (a still small voice, a calm, quiet voice). A. Elijah then knew he was standing in the presence of God! (Smith)

27 27 1. Job 4:16, It stopped, but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes, and I heard a hushed voice: (NIV) B. Smith further wrote, The spectacular and dramatic have their place in God s order of things. Most often, however, the divine program is carried forward through the still small voice which speaks to the hearts of people. 1. The time of fire, sword and slaughter had passed. (Smith) 2. Now the time had come to proclaim the word of Yahweh in gentle silence. (Smith) C. Remarkably, rather than revealing himself in the powerful events, God now reveals himself in silence, a gentle whisper. (See Hamilton.) 1. Elijah s prophetic ministry is to continue. 2. God directs Elijah as to what he is to do now. D. The gentle whisper speaks to the heart of mankind saying God is merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth. 1. Exodus 34:6, And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, (NIV) 1 Kings 19:13, When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? (NIV)

28 28 I. When Elijah (the Lord is my God) heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. A. God did not reveal himself on this occasion in judgment, represented by wind, earthquake, fire, but in mercy, represented by the gentle whisper, the small still voice. (Clarke) B. Elijah s wrapping his face in his mantle, cloak signified deep respect for God who had produced these wonders. 1. Moses acted similarly in not daring to look upon God. a. Exodus 3:6, Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (NIV) C. Elijah wore, similar to John the Baptist, rather unusual clothing Kings 1:8, They replied, He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist. The king said, That was Elijah the Tishbite. (NIV) 2. Matthew 3:4, And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. (KJV) II. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah?

29 29 A. Everyday and everywhere we should ask ourselves, What are you doing here? Is this where you as a Christian should be? Are you doing what you should be doing? B. The Lord asked Elijah the same question once again, What are you doing here, Elijah? 1. Elijah answered as he had before. 2. Had his attitude and perspective not changed?...at all? 1 Kings 19:14, 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. (NIV) I. He replied, I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. A. Elijah s response here is identical with his response to the same question in verses 9b-10. B. The Pulpit Commentary states that Elijah gave the same answer to the same question because they alone explain why he is there, and because he cannot see as yet how they are to be remedied, but he is now conscious of a misgiving as to the wisdom and piety of his course. II. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. A. Elijah had hoped he could lead Israel away from idolatry and back to Jehovah forthwith!

30 Kings 18:21, Elijah went before the people and said, How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. But the people said nothing. (NIV) B. Coffman observed that God s infinite patience with mankind s continuing sinfulness shows how difficult it is to turn mankind from its wickedness. 1. Elijah, therefore, could not rightly expect to totally turn Israel from its idolatry immediately. 2. Elijah had faithfully done his duty. a. He certainly had not failed! b. Elijah should be up and doing, not idle. III. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. A. Israel has forsaken Yahweh, and Elijah is the only faithful one remaining, Long wrote describing Elijah s continuing position. 1 Kings 19:15, 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. (NIV) I. The Lord said to him, Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. A. Elijah had gone in the wrong direction although that was certainly not his intention.

31 31 1. He was now sent back to God s service. B. Regardless of how difficult our duties are, they must not be neglected. C. Elijah, having safely made the trip south, was directed to take the same route north by which he could avoid Jezebel and her supporters. D. Damascus is said to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world and capital of Syria, located northwest of the Sea of Galilee. (Youngblood) II. When you get there, anoint (set apart, appoint) Hazael (seer of God) king over Aram. A. Hazael (God has seen), a ruthless foreign invader, would be necessary to root out Baalism in Israel. (Smith) B. Judgment on Ahab, Jezebel and idolatrous Israel would be accomplished by Hazael, a foreign king, Jehu, an Israelite, and Elisha, God s prophet. 1. God s cause was not lost! 2. Elijah needed patience. C. Hazael was a Syrian official whom the prophet Elijah anointed king over Syria at God s command, sometime between B.C. Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, sent Hazael to the prophet Elisha to ask whether the king would recover from an illness. Elisha answered that Hazael himself was destined to become king. The next day Hazael assassinated Ben-Hadad and took the throne. Hazael

32 32 immediately attacked Ramoth Gilead, seriously wounding King Joram of Israel. At the end of Jehu s reign over Israel, Hazael attacked the Israelites east of the Jordan River. During the reign of Jehu s successor, Jehoahaz, Hazael oppressed Israel because the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. A gift of the dedicated treasures of the temple from King Jehoash of Judah prevented Hazael from attacking Jerusalem. When Hazael died, his son Ben-Hadad II succeeded him. (Youngblood) D. Aram was an area that may be translated generally as Syria or Mesopotamia. The Arameans occupied a large plain that reached from the Taurus Mountains (on the north) to Damascus and beyond (on the south), and from the Euphrates River (on the east) to the Lebanon Mountains (on the west). (Youngblood) 1 Kings 19:16, Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. (NIV) I. Also, anoint Jehu son (descendant) of Nimshi king over Israel, and... A. God s workers die, but his work continues! (See Coffman.) B. This Jehu son of Nimshi is not the prophet Jehu son of Hanani of 1 Kings 16. C. Elijah anointed Jehu and later he was anointed a second time. 1. David was anointed king three (3) times which shows us that multiple anointings were not all that unusual.

33 33 2. Jehu would become a mighty opponent of Ahab and Jezreel. D. Hamilton noted that some kind of alliance later existed between Hazael and Jehu. E. Jehu was the eleventh king of Israel. Jehu was anointed by Elisha the prophet as king; he later overthrew Joram (Jehoram), king Ahab s son and successor, and reigned for twenty-eight (28) years ( B.C.). He is known for his violence against all members of the house of Ahab. At Jehu s command, Jezebel, the notorious wife of Ahab, was thrown out of the window of her palace to her death. Jehu killed the seventy (70) sons of Ahab as well. (Youngblood) F. Nimishi was actually the grandfather of Jehu Kings 9:2, 14, 20, When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, The lookout reported, He has reached them, but he isn t coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi he drives like a maniac. (NIV) II. anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. A. Elisha was to learn as an apprentice to one of God s greatest prophets, Elijah, the ways of God s prophets. B. Elijah s successor was Elisha!

34 34 C. Abel Meholah (meadow of dancing) was a town east of the Jordan River in the hill country of Gilead. (Youngblood) D. Shaphat (judge) was the father of Elisha of whom little else is known. (Youngblood) 1 Kings 19:17, 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. (NIV) I. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and... A. Hazael and Jehu were to be storm, earthquake and fire to Israel, while Elisha, to reach the hearts of the people, was to speak gently Kings 8:12, Why is my lord weeping? asked Hazael. Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites, he answered. You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women Kings 10:32, In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory. (NIV) 3. 2 Kings 13:3, 22, So the LORD s anger burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Aram and Ben- Hadad his son. Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. (NIV)

35 Kings 9:24-33, Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the LORD spoke this prophecy against him: Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the LORD, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the LORD. Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the LORD. When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him, shouting, Kill him too! They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there. His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David. (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.) Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she put on eye makeup, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, Have you come in peace, you Zimri, you murderer of your master? He looked up at the window and called out, Who is on my side? Who? Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. Throw her down! Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot. (NIV)

36 36 5. Isaiah 66:16, For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the LORD. (NIV) 6. Isaiah 2:4, He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. (NIV) 7. 2 Thessalonians 2:8, And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (KJV) 8. Hosea 6:5, Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth then my judgments go forth like the sun. (NIV) II. Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. A. Clarke interpreted this to mean that Hazael, Jehu and Elisha were to be God s instruments to bring divine vengeance against the disobedient and rebellious Israelites of the Northern Kingdom. 1. In order of time, Elisha came first, Hazael second and Jehu last. 1 Kings 19:18, Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him. (NIV)

37 37 I. Yet I reserve seven thousand (7,000) in Israel all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him. A. Romans 11:4-5, But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. (KJV) B. This reference is relative to the Righteous Remnant referenced by Isaiah. 1. Isaiah 6:13, And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land. (NIV) 2. Isaiah 10:20-23, In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God. Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land. (NIV) C. Seven thousand (7,000) is thought to have been a perfect number, symbolic number, the actual number probably being larger representing, Clarke wrote, of many thousands. D. Kissing the idolatrous calves which was a worshipful act was absolutely forbidden.

38 38 1. Job 31:26-27, if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, (NIV) 2. Hosea 13:2, Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, They offer human sacrifices! They kiss calf-idols! (NIV) E. Elijah is definitely not the only faithful servant God has left. 1. Long suggests Elijah had an all too high view of his own self worth and shows himself to be very presumptuous. a. Deuteronomy 18:14-22, The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die. The LORD said to me: What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will

39 39 call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death. You may say to yourselves, How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD? If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed. (NIV) The Call of Elisha 1 Kings 19:19, 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. (NIV) I. So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. A. Elijah found the person he was directed to call to the prophetic office. II. He was plowing with twelve (12) yoke of oxen, and... A. Elisha evidently had wealth at his disposal in order to have twelve (12) yoke of oxen and servants to plow substantial fields. 1. Proverbs 20:4, Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing. (NIV)

40 40 B. By accepting the prophetic call, Elisha took a substantial financial loss, but, what he gave up in the fields of Shaphat, he is receiving in heaven a hundred fold over. III. he himself was driving the twelfth pair. A. For the owner s family members to be active in the cultivation of farm land was customary among the ancient Hebrews. IV. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak (mantle) around him. A. The cloak was a particular garment worn by the prophet. (Clarke) 1. Zecchariah 13:4, On that day every prophet will be ashamed of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet s garment of hair in order to deceive. (NIV) 2. 2 Kings 1:8, They replied, He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist. The king said, That was Elijah the Tishbite. (NIV) 3. 2 Kings 2:13, Elisha then picked up Elijah s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. (NIV) B. The placement of Elijah s cloak around Elisha signified Elisha s call to the prophetic office. 1 Kings 19:20, 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? (NIV)

41 41 I. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. A. To Elisha, God s work was more important than the wealth of this world. 1. This is indicated by Elisha s running after Elijah. II. Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, he said, and then I will come with you. A. Elisha only wanted to show proper respect to his parents before immediately thereafter following Elijah, a courteous and reasonable request. B. Elisha s request is not to be compared to the person in Luke 9 who simply wanted to delay, perhaps indefinitely, following Jesus. 1. Luke 9:59-62, And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (KJV) 2. Elisha chose the spiritual over the temporal and thereby achieved immortality. 3. Elisha kissed his parents as he left home to serve God, a sharp contrast to those who in worship had kissed Baal. (Long)

42 42 III. Go back, Elijah replied. What have I done to you? A. This verse contains Elijah s permission for Elisha to give his parents a proper farewell. B. What have I done to you?, Coffman observed, may be the way Elijah let Elisha know that to follow him or not was Elisha s decision, not something forced upon him. C. Clarke gives the meaning of this passage as, Your call is not from me, but from God: to him, not to me, you are accountable for your use or abuse of it. 1. Elijah may have been saying, Go back and kiss them; why should you not? For what have I done to you? I have summoned you to follow me. But I have not required you to repudiate your own flesh and blood. (The Pulpit Commentary) 1 Kings 19:21, 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. (NIV) I. So Elisha left him and went back. A. Clarke said Elisha was probably a single man still living with his parents. II. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. A. The oxen with which Elisha had been plowing were killed and a feast was served.