A better script could not have been written by the best of dramatists. A solitary prophet of the Lord, roughly-clad and seemingly unknown, explodes on the stage of history and fearlessly declares before wicked King Ahab and his courtiers: “No more rain until I say!” (see 1 Ki. 17:1). Then, led by God, he withdraws to a place of obscurity where the Lord provides for his needs through natural and supernatural means while the rest of the nation suffers a time of famine.
Later, encountering Ahab again, he boldly refutes his accusation that it was Elijah who had effected Israel’s present crisis. With all the elements of an epic drama, Elijah then calls for a confrontation–a supernatural showdown between the prophets of Baal against the true God of Israel.
On Mount Carmel, he invites Ahab’s prophets to prepare their sacrifice and mocks them openly when their frenzied efforts to call down fire from heaven are met with failure. Elijah now takes center stage. Repairing the altar of the Lord, he puts the wood in order and then mysteriously requests that the altar be drenched with water–not once or twice but three times! Calling on the God of his fathers, he prays down fire from heaven, consuming the sacrifice, wood, stones, water, dust and all. Then, apprehending the false prophets, he has them executed at the brook Kishon.
To top it all off, he returns to Carmel with his servant, where he repeatedly prays for the rain to return on the drought-stricken land. Seven times he persists in prayer before God answers. But his perseverance pays off and the skies open.
Here was a real man of God–a faithful and fearless servant of the Lord in the midst of unfaithfulness! Who could exceed his spiritual exploits? What could possibly stop him now from doing even bigger and better things in the name of the Lord? “Nothing!” we might say–until we come to the events recorded in 1 Kings 19.
Outrunning Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel, Elijah would soon be in for a big surprise–in which he learned the painful lesson that underneath his bold achievements for the Lord were some underlying attitudes of self-righteousness, anger, self-pity and pride. What followed was a turn of events detailing Elijah’s personal slide from the pinnacle of triumph to the nadir of discouragement. It is the record of Elijah’s personal lapse of faith that culminated in an episode of severe depression that temporarily crippled this champion of the faith–all because of his failure to check a mounting frustration brought on by lofty and unrealized expectations. God’s gentle but firm dealings with this committed, but agitated servant of the Lord reminds us well of the pitfalls that we need to avoid in our labors for the Lord.
It seems that the first step downward in Elijah’s spiritual descent was brought on by a lack of faith. After hearing about Jezebel’s threat to take his life, the Scriptures record that he ran for his life, heading toward Beersheba. Previously, Elijah fearlessly stood before King Ahab on at least two occasions and before at least 850 false prophets on Mt. Carmel (1 Ki. 18:19). But now he was running. What had changed?
Certainly Jezebel was a fearful personality who was rightly regarded as a detrimental influence on God’s people, but why should that have intimidated Elijah? She was only one person. The answer seems to be in the way God described Elijah’s response to Jezebel’s threat. It was after “when he saw that…” that he feared and fled. This most certainly was the source of the problem–an inward, yet perceptible shift away from the walk of faith. That which he had so clearly exhibited on previous occasions had now dissipated and given way to sight. And with its disappearance went his courage.
Why now? Perhaps it was due to the fact that Elijah had expended a tremendous amount of energy in the previous few days, culminating with outrunning Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel. The physical demands of his service had taken their toll spiritually and Elijah fled in fear of his life. How aptly the contemporary adage applies: “Fear makes cowards of us all.” Every servant of Christ continually needs to be reminded that fervency in the work of the Lord, though urged from the Scriptures, can also leave us vulnerable to spiritual exhaustion if we look at present circumstances and are not careful in maintaining the life of faith.
Another step of Elijah leading to his eclipse of faith was due to a lack of fellowship. After hearing Jezebel’s threat, Elijah ran to Beersheba and “left his servant there” (19:3). Elijah cut his ties with a trusted friend and aide–a very dangerous move in the service of the Lord. Why he chose to do this we do not know, but it was another evidence that Elijah was backsliding in his heart and filled with his own ways (Prov. 14:14), abandoning the last vestige of a multitude of counselors. Now alone, Elijah retreated further by journeying into the wilderness–always the venue of trial and testing.
How foolish to cut oneself off from the help of those who care the most! Yet it is a common reaction when our spiritual perspective has been skewed by “circumstances.” Seeking the shade of a juniper tree, the root of bitterness in Elijah’s heart was now partly exposed. (Watch out for those “rest” stops and shady areas during the time of testing, 1 Ki. 13:14; Jn. 4) Out gushed Elijah’s self-pity in the form of a “prayer” asking God to take his life. Mercifully, God did not answer this pitiful request, but instead graciously provided for His servant in spite of his undeserving condition. We too, need to be careful that we do not “go it alone” as Elijah did when in a spiritual quandary.
After God faithfully provided him bread and water–the same provisions during his days at Zarephath–Elijah continued his aimless wanderings for 40 days, accomplishing nothing for the Lord during that time. At last he reached Horeb where the Lord came to him and asked what he was doing there. Elijah clearly evidenced a lack of forbearance toward the nation of Israel, another step down into his slough of despondency. In so many words, Elijah complained that he was the only one left who was truly committed to the Lord. He was convinced that he was the last one in Israel who maintained true godliness and commitment. “There was no one as committed as me!” could have been his cry. Never mind the servant he left behind before he journeyed into the wilderness, or the people who cried out on Carmel “the Lord, He is God, the Lord He is God,” or those who followed his instruction to seize the false prophets and have them executed at the brook Kishon. No, Elijah was too self-absorbed to recall those evidences of commitment, however pale in comparison to his.
Rather than forbearing with the nation of Israel as God had done, Elijah looked for immediate results from his efforts among the people and was sorely disappointed when he did not see them. What Elijah needed was a healthy dose of forbearance to counterbalance the disappointment he felt. Could this apply to us in some way–when our ambitious, even intense efforts to serve the Lord and “to make a difference” are met with a casual response at best? We need to remember that we serve the Lord for better or worse, no matter what the results.
But this was only one of the lessons that Elijah needed to learn. There was still another, yet more painful one to come. After instructing Elijah to go out and stand upon the mountain, the Lord would soon make His presence known to His frustrated servant. Occurring as it did at Horeb–Sinai, the place where the law had been delivered at the hand of Moses–we would expect to see Elijah act with promptness. But instead there was an apparent delay on Elijah’s part. First, a strong wind tore into the mountain. Then an earthquake occurred, followed by a fire. Though powerful manifestations of the approaching presence of the Lord, none of these things moved the sullen prophet. Finally, a still small voice was heard, and with that Elijah “went out” and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Strange that this great prophet of the Lord was so dilatory in his response! Was he not the one who had expected instant obedience by the people to the words of the Lord on Mt. Carmel? But why hadn’t he responded quickly to the words of the Lord? Weren’t his brave and bold efforts for the Lord proof enough that God was in the midst–unmistakable manifestation of His power and presence?
Why then did he not obey when God made His presence and power known to him on top of this mountain? Perhaps Elijah had not realized that he too had a few areas in his life that had not been yielded to the Lord, even though he was calling upon others to yield their lives in complete obedience. And perhaps this is the most powerful lesson that issues from this account. Many a servant of the Lord, truly passionate in their work for Christ, may actually be harboring hidden attitudes of pride and self-righteousness (perhaps even hidden to them) which will surface in time when the conditions are “right” and when their ministry expectations are unfulfilled. Hidden also from sight, as it was from Elijah, is the army of loyal, committed believers whose spiritual work, though relatively unnoticed, is important and effectual just the same.
Elijah had to learn these lessons the hard way as well as the truth that entreating others to obedience comes many times from the appeal of a still, small voice over against the bold, powerful declarations that characterized his ministry. Contrary to Elijah’s thoughts, his ministry was far from over as God made clear to him. There would be the need for him to disciple the sons of the prophets and train Elisha to carry on the work. What a shame if Elijah’s ministry had concluded at Horeb!
May we also learn the important lessons of humble, loving, and patient service for the Lord and skirt the spiritual quagmire that Elijah experienced.