1 Kings 19 Verses 1 to 21 Running on Empty October 1, 2023

1 Kings 19 Verses 1 to 21 Running on Empty October 1, 2023

Background Scripture:

1 Kings 19:1-2 (NASB) 1 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."

Main Idea: When we experience depression, we must reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ for help and strength.

Study Aim: To understand that depression can also be the shadow that is cast on the other side of the “mountain top” experience with God.

Create Interest:

· How often have you faced disappointment? Discouragement? Despair? At one time or another, every human being faces disappointment. And most of us have felt discouraged at some point in our lives. But despair and despondency are emotions that fewer of us experience. Sometimes a person's despair can be so deep that he or she loses heart and feels utterly hopeless. Under the weight and burden of despair, the person's heart begins to faint and to sense total defeat. Such feelings can lead to long periods of depression and sometimes even to suicide.

· This is the practical subject being discussed in the present Scripture. One of the strongest men to ever serve God, the prophet Elijah, was gripped by a spirit of discouragement and despair. But the wonderful news that was proclaimed to him and is still being proclaimed to us today is this: the Lord will meet our need and deliver us from the spirit of discouragement and despair. Empowering us to conquer these crises in life, the Lord will save and deliver us.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Elijah just won the “Super Bowl” at Carmel. Defeating all the 450 Baal prophets was worthy of a super bowl ring or at least a great “Atta Boy”.

· After this unquestioned answer to prayer, Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and prayed for rain; there had not been rain in the land for three years. Once again, Elijah witnessed the miraculous hand of God; "The sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose and a heavy rain came"(1 Kings 18:45).

· Chapter 19 doesn’t begin the way we expect at all. We expect to see Israel turning their hearts back to God (18:37). After all, in response to God’s burning up the soggy altar, they fell on their faces and confessed, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!” (18:39). But do we see national revival?

· Nope. We hope to find wicked King Ahab returning to the palace to remove Jezebel for her idolatrous influence in the land. After all, we left him in chapter 18 obeying Elijah’s word (vv. 42, 45). But is that what Ahab does?

· No, he doesn’t. His repentance was false, and his spine was like a jellyfish. He runs back and tattles on Elijah to the Baal-promoting Phoenician queen. We wonder if Jezebel will surrender her false theology and repent.

o Instead, she seeks to put Elijah to death.

· Jezebel sent out a warrant for Elijah decreeing his destruction within the next 24 hours. She called forth her death from her gods if she doesn’t kill Elijah. (This is easy for her to say considering the fact that her gods do not exist.) There is debate as to whether she is sincere or bluffing. Some believe she wants him to flee the land and get out of her hair. If she was sincere, why send a messenger instead of an executioner?

o The answer is God turned her counsel into confusion.[1]

· We at least expect to find “Mr. My God is Yahweh” standing tall in the midst of this rebellion. After all, “the power of the Lordwas on Elijah” (18:46). But is that what happens? No, it doesn’t.We find our brother Elijah depressed, throwing a pity party, running from Jezebel, and asking God to take his life.

· We have read of Elijah’s mountaintop experience at Mount Carmel.

o Now we see Elijah down in the valley under a juniper/broom tree. See below.

§ He previously ministered to others but now is focused on himself.

o Elijah confronted Ahab and the false prophets courageously, but here we find him running like a coward from a lady.

§ Previously, Elijah moved at God’s word, but now we see him fleeing apart from God’s word.

o In the previous chapters we see him praying for rain and fire,

§ but now we find him praying for God to take his life.

For your visual enjoyment, meet a broom tree

· Elijah’s faith and prayer life have challenged us, but now Elijah’s spiritual collapse serves as a warning and provides wise counsel.

· Elijah was a man like us (Jas 5:17), which means he experienced the same temptations and struggles we face, including spiritual discouragement and despair. I have struggled with what to call his condition here.

· My hero, Spurgeon, knew of spiritual depression. In his classic book, Lectures to My Students, he has a chapter titled “The Minister’s Fainting Fits,” in which he addresses this matter:

o Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong aren’t always so vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. I know by most painful experience what deep depression in spirit means. (Lectures, 154).[2]

Bible Study:

1 Kings 19:1-2 (NASB) 1 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."

· So far, Elijah has encountered serious yet less-than-overpowering opposition. At this point in the story, though, he meets the one person as committed to Baal as he is to Yahweh.

· What Jezebel hears from Ahab causes her to threaten Elijah’s life. She swears by the “gods” that Elijah will die.

o Jezebel has killed Yahweh’s prophets before (cf. 1 Kgs 18:4, 13), so Elijah has no reason to doubt her threats indicate her true intentions.

o This woman has the fierceness Ahab lacks, the civil authority the prophets of Baal lacked, and a freshness for battle that Elijah no longer possesses. She is as worthy an opponent as God’s servants ever face in Scripture.

o Who, or what, can defeat her?[3]

· Jezebel may have suspected that Elijah was a candidate for a physical and emotional breakdown after his demanding day on Mount Carmel, and she was right.

o He was as human as we are, and as the ancient church fathers used to say to their disciples, “Beware of human reactions after holy exertions.”

o Her letter achieved its purpose and Elijah fled from Jezreel. In a moment of fear, when he forgot all that God had done for him the previous three years, Elijah took his servant, left Israel, and headed for Beersheba, the southernmost city in Judah.

o Charles Spurgeon said that Elijah “retreated before a beaten enemy.” God had answered his prayer (18:36–37) and God’s hand had been upon him in the storm (18:46), but now he was walking by sightand not by faith. (See Ps. 16:7–8.) No bueno as our Spanish-speaking neighbors would say (:

· For three years, Elijah had not made a move without hearing and obeying the Lord’s instructions (17:2–3, 8–9; 18:1), but now he was running ahead of the Lord in order to save his own life.

o When God’s servants get out of God’s will, they’re liable to do all sorts of foolish things and fail in their strongest points.

§ When Abraham fled to Egypt, he failed in his faith, which was his greatest strength (Gen. 12:10ff).

§ David’s greatest strength was his integrity, and that’s where he failed when he started lying and scheming during the Bathsheba episode (2 Sam. 11–12).

§ Moses was the meekest of men (Num. 12:3), yet he lost his temper and forfeited the privilege of entering the Promised Land (Num. 20:1–13).

§ Peter was a courageous man, yet his courage failed and he denied Christ (Mark 14:66–72).

📷 Like Peter, Elijah was a bold man, but his courage failed when he heard Jezebel’s message.[4]

1 Kings 19:3-5 (NASB) 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."

· Elijah is afraid, or “sees how things are” and he retreats. It is an unexpected response. Elijah has shown himself to be a man of faith and courage (18:15), who trusts God for miracles. He will certainly hide when God tells him to (17:3–5); but the “word of the Lord” is, in fact, conspicuous by its absence here (contrast 17:2, 8; 18:1). It will not reappear until verse 9.

o There it will take the form of a question that makes it clear that, although the Lord has helped Elijah along the way, the journey was not of divine initiative. That “word” will be followed very shortly, in fact, by a command to “go back” north (v. 15). The journey south was certainly not on God’s agenda.

o “Elijah failed in the very point at which he was strongest, and that is where most men fail. In Scripture, it is the wisest man who proves himself to be the greatest fool;

§ Just as the meekest man, Moses, spoke hasty and bitter words.

§ Abraham failed in his faith,

§ Job in his patience; so, he who was the most courageous of all men, fled from an angry woman.” (Spurgeon)[5]

· Elijah apparently retreated, then, of his own volition. But then, this is doubtless an unexpected happening. Here is a woman who still swears by her gods (19:2), even after all that has happened—a believer who is impervious to evidence.

o It is not going to be as straightforward as Elijah thought.

· In the shock of this realization, he forgot to think theologically and simply reacted (for the first time) to circumstances. He traveled a long way, from Jezreel in the north to Beersheba in the far south of the promised land (v. 3; cf. 4:25): as far away from Jezebel as he could get.

o Having reached Beersheba he headed alone, without his servant (cf. 18:43ff.), for the desert. He sought a lonely place in which to die, an isolated man (or so he felt); he has had enough(v. 4).[6]

· To ask God to Take your life will always get a sure reply. But God will take his servant to himself in his own time and manner (2 Kgs 2:11). It is not up to us to ask for death but for life.

Thoughts to Soak on

· His complaint/request in Vs. 4 is not to be wondered at, though it was wrong. The very overstrain of the scene on Carmel brought reaction.

o The height of the crest of one wave measures the depth of the trough of the next, and no mortal spirit can keep itself at the sublime elevation reached by Elijah when alone he fronted and converted a nation.

o The supposed necessity for flight, coming so immediately after apparent victory, showed him how hollow the change in the people was. What had become of all the fervency of their shout, ‘The Lord, He is the God!’ if they could leave Jezebel the power to carry out her threat?

· Solitude and the awful desert increased his gloom. The strong man had become weak, and it was ebb-tide with him. His prayer was sulky, impatient, presumptuous.

o What right had he to settle what was ‘enough’? If he really wished to die, he could have found death at Jezreel, and had no need to travel a hundred miles to seek a grave.

o He was weary of his work, and profoundly disappointed by what he hastily concluded was its failure, and in a fit of faithless despondency he forgot reverence, submission, and obedience.

· If Elijah can become weak, and his courage die out, and his zeal become sluggish/lazy, apathy and cowardly wish to shuffle off responsibility and shirk work, who shall stand?

o The lessons of self-distrust, of the nearness to one another of the most opposite emotions in our weak natures, of the depth of gloom into which the boldest and brightest servant of God may fall as soon as he loses hold of God’s hand, never had a more striking instance to point them than that mighty prophet, sitting huddled together in utter despondency below the solitary juniper bush, praying his foolish prayer for death.[7]

Discuss what “Burn out in your Christian walk is and what you think caused it when it has happened to you. How did you get out of the slump? Would you do the same things again?

1 Kings 19:6-9 (NASB) 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. 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?"

· Ver. 6: And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake [same word as in Ch. 17:13] baking on the coals [Heb. a cake of stones, or coals. The thin, flat bread of the East, especially among the nomadic desert tribes, is constantly baked in a rude oven, constructed in the sand or soil. A little hollow is made; sometimes it is lined with stones to retain the heat; fuel, often the root of the genista, is placed upon it and kindled, and when the sand or stones are sufficiently hot, the embers are raked to one side, and the dough is placed in the oven, where it is sometimes covered with the ashes. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. [Heb. returned and laid down.]

· Ver. 7. —And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him [i.e., to awaken him. It was the food was to strengthen him], and said, Arise and eat [Probably he had eaten but little the first time, for sorrow and weariness]; because the journey is too great for thee. [the journey to Horeb was now suggested to him for the first time by the angel.]

· Ver. 8.—And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights [Cf. Exod. 24:18; 34:28; Deut. 9:9, 25; Jonah 3:4; Matt. 4:2; Acts 1:3.

o But the primary reference is perhaps to the “forty days and forty nights” which Moses spent in Horeb, during which he “neither did eat bread nor drink water” (Deut. 9:9),

o or to the forty years during which Israel was sustained in this same desert with “angels’ food” (Psa. 78:25).

o Elijah’s forty day journey through the desert was a journey which ended at the same mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

o Elijah felt utterly alone. He understood the holiness of God and how far his people had strayed from God's path, but he also felt overwhelmed and helpless, unable to make a significant impact on God's Kingdom.

§ It is noteworthy how both Moses and Elias were precursors of our Lord in a forty days’ fast[8].

· Vs. 9: In the solitude of Sinai, God appeared to instruct him. “What are you doing here, Elijah?" was a searching question addressed to one who had been called to so arduous and urgent a mission as his.

· Yahweh’s response is not first to correct Elijah. He asks him to prepare for a theophany, a specific divine manifestation(v. 11). Elijah’s first self-description was as one who ‘stood before Yahweh’ (17:1) and now he is invited to do just that (v. 11)—but such is his condition he delays.

o Only after the theophany he went out and stood (v. 13). The theophany description recalls Moses’ experience on this same mountain. Now however, the Lord was not in the wind … the earthquake … the fire. There was a gentle whisper  (vv. 11–12). Surprisingly Elijah responds to Yahweh by repeating exactly his previous words (compare vv. 9b–10, 13b–14). He has nothing further to say. The vision has made no difference. Hmmmm?

o It seems that he is having difficulty turning from himself to see a fresh vision of God, as if the stillness of the desert environment and now the whisper of the presence of God have had no impact on the turbulent storm of his own thoughts.[9]

§ By an awful exhibition of divine power, he was made aware of the divine speaker who addressed him; his attention was arrested, his petulance(sulkiness) was silenced, his heart was touched, and he was bid without delay return to the land of Israel, and prosecute the Lord’s work there[10]

Thoughts to help us better understand God through this passage:

· God could have chastised and rebuked Elijah. He could have answered with a loud thunder, "Am I not the God who rained down fire from Heaven and then blackened the sky with clouds? Have I not answer your prayers? How can you now doubt Me and wish to die because of your fear?"

· Yes, God could have given His "How can you doubt Me?" speech, but He did not. Rather, God saw Elijah's tired pain and showed simple compassion. He ministered to Elijah by sending an angel to give a gentle touch and bake a cake. The time would soon come for Elijah to rise and follow hard after God; but for now, God comforted Elijah and allowed for a very necessary rest.

· We must continue to learn what it means to be a loving and caring Family. All who have been saved through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus have been "baptized by one Spirit into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13). And as members of "one body," we must learn to effectively minister and truly help one another.

· Very few circumstances require us to provide a complete solution. We usually must avoid trying to "fix" what we believe has been broken. Most often, our brothers and sisters simply need a friend who will compassionately listen and show they care by helping them rest and regain their strength. It's amazing how many Spiritual truths are clearly seen after a little cake and a good night of sleep.

· So many of God's children face pain, weariness, fears, and frustration which keep them from experiencing the fullness of God's joy and peace. But each of us can help ease the pain and lighten the load through biblical words of truth and encouragement...along with a gentle touch of compassion.

Thoughts on Depression to help us all

· Like many who suffer from depression today, Elijah experienced many and great blessings. All too often when such unexplainable bouts come, things are made worse by the feeling that one shouldn’t be depressed.

o If this ever happens to you, remember Elijah—and remember that God wasn’t angry with Elijah, but gently helped him deal with his emotions.

· God’s remedy for depression. Doctors today believe that most depression is chemically based rather than psychological. Whatever the basis of depression, God’s way of dealing with Elijah helps us see how to help ourselves. Note these steps:

o Don’t blame yourself. God didn’t blame and was even willing to provide nourishment so His prophet could run away (vv. 7–8).

o Express your feelings. Elijah needed to talk, even though what he said seemed only loosely related to the fear that triggered his bout of depression. You can express your feelings freely to the Lord or find someone willing to serve as God’s listening post (v. 10).

o Remember God speaks to the hurting in gentle whispers. Don’t imagine God is angry or disgusted with you (vv. 11–14).

o Return to work. Inactivity feeds depression. God had a task for Elijah that would give him a renewed sense of purpose (vv. 15–17).

o Reality-test your perceptions. Anyone who is feeling despair will have his or her view of things colored by the emotion. Elijah felt alone, but God told His prophet he was one of thousands who worship Him.

§ Let facts shape your feelings, rather than letting your feelings distort the facts (v. 18).

o Share with a friend. If you have no close friends, ask the Lord to give you a companion. Loneliness and depression often walk hand in hand (vv. 19–21).[11]

Where is Jesus in this Lesson?

· God could have lectured Elijah on his lack of faith. Instead, in His mercy, God gave Elijah the reassurance he needed to continue; "I reserve seven thousand in Israel - all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal" (1 Kings 19:18).

o God encouraged Elijah that there were many others fighting this same battle. He also gave Elijah a companion who would walk with him for the remainder of His ministry; "Anoint Elisha to succeed you as prophet" (1 Kings 19:17).

· Jesus Christ died as a sacrifice for our sin so we could be restored to a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father.

o This relationship saves us from an eternal death and separation from God, but it also allows us to be saved from the despair, fear, loneliness, and lack of purpose which surrounds us today.

o As we trust God for our eternal salvation, we must also trust Him to daily save us from the effects of a fallen world as well as our own weak and sinful nature.

o He is there to hear our cry and we must never be afraid or ashamed to tell Him exactly how we feel: "I'm weak and lonely, frustrated and discouraged. Lord, I need You! ... please hold me!!"

§ Nothing we say will ever surprise God or cause Him to let us go.

· Our Heavenly Father has called us to examine our heart, confess our condition, and trust Him for the solution - He has called us to be saved!

o When we recognize and confess our weakness, we actually demonstrate our strength in the Lord.

o Let's strive to live each day in His presence, but let's also be prepared to respond honestly and without fear when God asks: "What are you doing here?" (“What Are You Doing Here” by Steve Troxel 9-23-23)

§ This knowledge should charge up your battery and help you get out of your slump.

Let summarize what we have learned

· Experiencing discouragement, despair, and hopelessness, losing heart and running away from the Lord—all these emotions were flooding Elijah's mind, body, and soul, coursing through his very veins.

o He desperately needed to be encouraged and to be rechallenged by the Lord.

o He needed to know that he had not been a failure in the task assigned to him.

o He needed a new task, a renewed purpose in order to continue ministering.

· God met Elijah's need and He will meet our need! For no matter what we experience, God never leaves us alone. He is always present to encourage us and to guide us as we walk step-by-step.

o God will strengthen us to conquer discouragement and all other emotions that break us and pull us down.

o God will not leave us down, dejected, and defeated, wondering why we should continue on with life.

§ In such discouraging moments, we must learn to turn to the Lord.

§ Crying out to Him in prayer, we must lay the burdens of our heart upon Him.

o He will bring peace and encouragement to our hearts if we will open up and reveal our true emotions to Him,

o He will confirm that the path we are walking or the mission we have undertaken is correct or He will give us a whole new mission and purpose in life.

· Once we have prayed, we must turn to the Word of God and find out how He tells us to live.

o We must live exactly as He says.

o He will be present with us and guide us step-by-step as we are searching His Word and living as He says, obeying and following His commandments, praying and seeking His face day by day.

· We will come to know the victorious life, conquering all the discouraging, despairing trials of life.

o No hardship or misfortune will overcome us.

o Through Christ, we will become "more than conquerors" (Romans 8:37).

· There is only one living and true God, the Lord Himself (Jehovah, Yahweh).[12]

Scriptures to soak on as you go your way

Romans 8:37 (NASB) 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Matthew 10:30-31 (NASB) 30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB) 13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

[1]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from 1 Kings, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2003), 301. [2]Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings(Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 132–134. [3]Paul R. House, 1, 2 Kings, vol. 8, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 221–222. [4]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Responsible, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2002), 143–144. [5]David Guzik, 1 Kings, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2005), 1 Ki 19:1–3. [6]Iain W. Provan, 1 & 2 Kings, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 144. [7]Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture: 2 Samuel–2 Kings 7 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 262–263. [8]H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., 1 Kings, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 459. [9]John W. Olley, The Message of Kings: God Is Present, ed. Alec Motyer and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2011), 179–180. [10]Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 227. [11]Lawrence O. Richards, The Bible Reader’s Companion, electronic ed. (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991), 236. [12]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1 Kings, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2003), 199–200.