Elijah Flees!

INTRO

If you have your Bible this morning you can turn to 1 Kings 19 where we will see a different side of Elijah that we have not seen yet. If you don’t have a Bible, feel free to use one around you, open up the app, or follow on the screens so we can hear what God has for us today.

The reason I say that we are going to see a different side of Elijah is because for the most part, we have seen a courageous Elijah. A life of supernatural wonders and power that God has worked through Elijah. But here, we see an Elijah that goes into, what some call, the dark night of the soul. A depression. A turning inward.

Why that is, we will see here in a moment. But I think this is somewhat of a tightrope walk text because while I know personally, and I’m sure many of you have faced some really difficult days. And while it is okay to be there, it is not where we stay. We know that Elijah was a a man like us, a nature like ours, meaning he was not perfect. He did not have it all figured out and did not always do everything right.

So whether you are finding yourself in a darker place today, or if you are feeling great this text is important. Because what we do see in this text, is the goodness and mercy of God toward a weary saint. And my hope and desire is that we can walk out these doors hearing God’s voice on how we can be renewed in those dark times or help those are facing difficult times. So with that small challenge before us let’s ask the Lord for help.

Let’s pray

BODY

English Standard Version (Chapter 19)

1 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 more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

So, just a quick reminder of the past couple couple days. Back in chapter 18, Elijah confronted king Ahab and the prophets of Baal. He sees the fire of God fall from the sky, the people of God fall on their face in worship and say “the Lord, he is God!” then they kill off the prophets of Baal. Then, Elijah prays for the rain that God promised him and God does it. He sends rain after 3 1/2 years of drought, death, and pain. This is what we call a mountain top revival moment for Elijah. He is soaring and running on all 6 cylinders. Literally running faster than a chariot. Yet, after running like a crazy man to Jezreel, instead of seeing more revival with the people of God, he gets a death threat.

Ahab is still a spineless husband and king. Instead of changing the worship from Baal back to Yahweh who just clearly won, he just tells his sweetheart Jezebel about what happened. You can almost see him saying it sheepishly like, ya um this happened. And her slowly getting redder and redder with anger.

And then Elijah runs, not because God has told him to, like in previous times, but out of fear. So you can imagine the disappointment, hurt, anger and confusion Elijah must have felt. You just had the supernatural wonders of God and yet, this king and his wife are unrepentant, and want him dead.

So this makes me ask you the question today, can you relate to Elijah today? Have you ever had disappointment hit you so hard that fear fills you and you run for your life? Maybe not physically, but emotionally and spiritually you shut down? Maybe it was physically where you went in thinking you were getting the promotion and you got let off. You went in for the engagement and ended up with a break up. That is discouraging, right? Well what we do with that discouragement is important, and how Elijah handles this is not the best .

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

Elijah is not only in a desert wilderness, he is also in a very dark place mentally and spiritually. Did you see what he said in verse 4? Take me Lord, I want to just die. But God meets him physically and supernaturally. He provides for him an angel to give him food twice and then takes two naps. Sounds like a desired Sunday for most of us, right? Some food and two naps! Can I get an amen! But God continues to sustain Elijah in this dark, wilderness time for him by providing for him because Elijah is on a journey to Horeb to the mount of God. This is a long journey and took him about forty days and nights to get here.

Let me show you a picture of how far this guy has traveled.

Now, remember, this is not God’s idea. This is Elijah fleeing out of fear for his life from Jezebel. But God still meets him in this worn out state and while God has not spoken yet to Elijah, we will get to that next week. It is good to see the mercy of God in something as simple as the broom tree that Elijah found refuge in.

BROOM TREE

This tree is a small tree that brings just enough shade to protect you from the sweltering heat of the middle eastern desert. But it is mentioned twice in verses 4 and 5, which you may think is just good information. but in the Hebrew, repetition is important. It is trying to point out something important, not just interesting, but almost to say, “Hey! did you catch that? A broom tree!” And this is what I want to spend our time on for the rest of our morning for those of you maybe feeling like you are in a dark, desert season. A dark night of the soul. And for those of you who are not there, don’t worry, there is something here for you too. But let me address those who are in a dark place and how this broom tree will give us hope.

Application

Those in need of a Broom tree

As I said before, Elijah was extremely discouraged by the result of God’s fire and rain coming and yet there was not repentance for the governing authorities, the king and his wife. It was discouraging, disappointing and resulted in him wanting the Lord to take his life. We was in a dark moment of confusion and pain. And I know that could be how some of you are feeling even today.

Maybe it is a situation, a relationship, an unknown future, or something else that is making you relate to Elijah today. And while you don’t have a desert around you like Elijah, you feel the heat of everything going on.

The good news is that this story was not just written so we could say “poor Elijah” because Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10 that everything that was written in the Old Testament was for us to learn from. We can also see it from a different perspective of the new covenant where we have a tree, not a broom tree, but a cross where we can run to in our darkest times.

1. Those in need of a broom tree have the cross of Christ to hide under.

And it is not just there for shade, it is a place for comfort, renewal, and peace despite everything that is going on. Because it is not just a cross that is there that you will meet, there is also a savior on the cross that knows your suffering. Look at what Hebrews 4 tells us about Jesus that can bring so much comfort to the hurting hearts today.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

So when you come to the cross you get the man of sorrows, the lamb of God who was slain, who is well acquainted with our suffering. Who is able to be your good shepherd and walk with you through this valley. And under the cross you can be reminded of a God who loves you, who has hope for you beyond this situation, who wants you to know he is still able to part seas, still able to provide for you, still able to walk with you through fire or water that is up to your neck. And when we see what he has given to us and remind ourselves of the goodness of God, while the disappointment is still there and it is still hard, he is our sun and our shield in this desert land. We actually find a deeper communion with God in this moment, and we are able to speak everything that is going on in our heart, like Elijah was brutally honest with God, and he doesn’t kick us out. He keeps us there and holds us there.

Under the cross we find rest and renewal

Elijah was supernaturally met by an angel to be given food and two naps. While the cross of Christ does not provide a home cooked meal and a bead, it can provide the rest and renewal spiritually and emotionally that you are longing for. Remember, God is okay with us feeling this way and being depressed, but he won’t leave us there. Psalm 147:3 tells us

English Standard Version Psalm 147

3  He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

However, in order to find the rest that God promises, the healing that he promises, it is important that we are following his ways. One of the reasons Elijah was not feeling the supernatural power that he just had in chapter 18 was because he was not following the Lord he was following his fear. Sometimes, not all, but sometimes we are burnt out, depressed, and worn out because it is self inflicted. It is us being so busy that our soul is saying slow down! You don’t have to bow down to that idol of business. You don’t have to down down to that idol of pleasing everyone. Come be renewed by following what I have called you to be.

Sometimes coming under the cross to find rest and renewal means repentance. It means saying, God I’m wrong and you are right. Forgive me, heal me, let times of refreshing come and let your Holy Spirit fill me rather than this fear. And He will meet us there.

Now for those of you who are not in the darkness and there is not really a need for a broom tree to cover you right now. I want to shift to talking to you for a moment because it also is going to connect with those who are depressed, crushed or weighed down today.

Christians are called to be broom trees for others going through desert seasons.

What I mean by this is that, Christ in us, the man of sorrows, wants us to be his hands and feet, yes? And so if we are walking with Christ we will also be walking with other believers and non believers that are going through difficult times. And we should be a place of respite, a safe place, a place for people to come under and vent their deepest darkest secrets and know that we are not going anywhere. We are here for them and will love them, pray for them, maybe even cook a meal for them and let them take a nap in our house if needed.

This is why it is important for us to spend time in worship weekly, to be in life groups, to become a member of a church, to come forward for prayer. So you can either be ministered to or minister to others. As your pastor, if I were to give us a grade for this, I would say a solid A. I have seen many of you cover and care for people going through difficult times. Some of you have been that for Allyssa and I. I know we don’t do this perfect, but as a church I need to continue to lay before us that this Supernatural life means that we are not on our own little island. I want to remind you this morning that church is not about you. Your presence here is not so you can always “get” something. What if your presence here is someone’s broom tree? What is Christ in you needs you to minister to someone here that I don’t know, the person next to you doesn’t know, but you know them. And they feel safe to come to you, confess the pain, depression, and hurt that is going on. You are the body, and we weep with those who weep and we rejoice with those who rejoice.

Call Worship team and prayer team forward.