What are you doing here?

It is a question that can mean different things at different times depending upon how it is asked and the context of where it is asked.

For example when you are pleasantly surprised in seeing a friend in an unexpected place you might say “WOW, what are YOU doing here?”

Maybe you are not pleasantly surprised, in fact maybe someone showed up at a place and time they were not supposed to be there. Like maybe an authority figure and you might ask it like this: UHHH, What are you doing HERE?”

Let’s turn the tables around and say you find someone in a place they aren’t supposed to be, like if you consider your bathroom a sanctuary, a place of quiet and refuge and discover a forbidden intruder on holy ground you might say it like this: “What are you doing HERE?” In the same situation you see them doing something they should not be doing, like cutting their sibling’s hair it might come out like this: “What are you DOING here?”

It is a loaded question, that can mean many different things depending on who asked it and the context in which it was asked. In we find God asking one of the greatest Old Testament prophets that very question. Let’s look at the circumstances leading up to that question.

Let’s look at the circumstances leading up to that question.

In , Elijah prays down fire and rain in two very dramatic victories. In the first he has a showdown with 450 prophets of Baal over who’s God is real: Baal or Yahweh. Each was to pray down fire to consume the offering. Baal went first, when he didn’t immediately answer their pleas, Elijah taunted his foes. “Maybe he’s out to lunch, taking a nap?” Oh, I know he’s in the bathroom. We all know you can’t get a guy out of the bathroom. In the end: Baal bailed. Now it was Elijah’s turn. To make things more interesting he dug a trench around the altar and then poured water on the offering and even into the newly dug moat. On Elijah’s queue Yahweh rained down fire and consumed the water soaked offering and even scorched the trench. It was bone dry, just like the land around it.

Following the spectacular victory, Elijah prayed for God to rain down rain to end the almost three year drought in the land. The evil King Ahab had a ring side seat for all of the festivities. This is where we pick up the story in .

The is where we pick up the story in . (NLT2) 1  When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2  So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” 3  Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4  Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 5  Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6  He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7  Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” 8  So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. 9  There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the LORD said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10  Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 11  “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12  And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14  He replied again, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 15  Then the LORD told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram.

1  When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2  So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” 3  Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4  Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 5  Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6  He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7  Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” 8  So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. 9  There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the LORD said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10  Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 11  “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12  And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14  He replied again, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 15  Then the LORD told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. -

So to recap, Elijah stared down and defeated 450 prophets, he pursued them and transferred them to the forever disabled list, then he turned his gaze to the King and said, why don’t you grab something to eat, because I have a little errand I need to tend to up on Mount Carmel. What is it, you say? Oh, it’s just end the over two-year drought. Elijah hiked up Mount Carmel dropped to his face and prayed for rain. As soon as his servant said there was a cloud in the sky Elijah descended from the Mountain just as the sky was turning black and the wind was whipping up a dust storm. At the bottom, he found King Ahab, having filled his chariot with gas, ready to head for home. Elijah looked at him and said, “last one home eats rotten eggs.”

When King Ahab got home he ran inside and told the wifey what Elijah did to her precious prophets. Let’s just say, she didn’t take the news well. Jezebel put out a bounty on Elijah’s head and she put a deadline on it: 24 hours. As soon as Elijah received word of Jezebel’s intentions, the man who prayed fire and rain from the sky, conquered 450 prophets and ended a two-year drought made like a banana and split, he blew that Popsicle stand. I’m not sure what to say about a prophet who stands up to kings, defies the odds and speaks for the Almighty God runs at the scorn of a woman. But anyway, he takes off with a vengeance and like a man on a mission.

Elijah went into hiding. He hid from...

Jezebel, in fear for his life

God’s call upon his life

He went as far as his human strength would take him and then dropped under a broom tree. It was under that tree that Elijah discovered you cannot outrun God, or ever flee from his presence. No matter where you are, He pursues you and is waiting for you with exactly what you need. (Psalm 139:7-10)

An angel of the LORD rouses Elijah from his sleep and offers him some food. Elijah accepted the gift, ate it and quickly went back to sleep his fear and problems away. After a while the angel wakes him again with more food and told him to eat more, because he will need strength for the rest of his journey. I guess God figured since he was running from the present danger why not let him go all the way back to where it all began: Mount Sinai.

The second lesson Elijah teaches us is when we reach our end, go back to the beginning, go back to where God began it all. Mount Sinai is where God revealed the Ten Commandments and the Law to Moses. That is where the plan to fulfill the promise to Abraham began to unfold. When he arrives at the holy mountain he enters into, maybe history’s first recorded man cave, and plops down again. Just as he is getting comfortable in his recliner, God once again is there, and asks him our question for this morning: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The angel gives him food he will need for strength because the journey has just begun. I guess God figured since he was running from the present danger why not let him go all the way back to where it all began: Mount Sinai. The second lesson Elijah teaches us is when we are at our end, go back to the beginning. Mount Sinai is where God revealed the Ten Commandments and the Law to Moses. That is where it all began.

Jezebel put out a bounty on Elijah’s head and she put a deadline on it; 24 hours. As soon as Elijah received word of Jezebel’s intentions, the man who prayed fire from the sky, conquered 450 prophets and ended a two-year drought made like a banana and split, he blew that Popsicle stand. He went as far as he could go and then rested

Elijah responds, in essence with, “Have you not seen what is going on here? No one listens to me, when I speak your word they hit the snooze button. Anyone who calls themselves the Lord’s prophet, places a death sentence on his head. I am the only one left. “

God told Elijah the worst thing you can say to a man, “Get out of your Lazy Boy, go face the mountain and listen. As Elijah faced the mountain where it all began the LORD passed by and a mighty windstorm blew up, followed by an earthquake, then a wild fire. Elijah did not hear a thing in all of the commotion, but then in the silence that followed he heard a gentle whisper. The LORD broke the silence as He whispered the same question in the prophet’s ear: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah gave him the same answer as before.

This time God told him to go back the way you came and return to your call, we have some rebuilding to do, and I’m bringing in reinforcements to help you in that mission.

Elijah ran, we run. Elijah tried to sleep his problems away, so do we. Elijah hid, we hide. Elijah endured the storms and heard the whisper. So should we.

Elijah hid, we hide.

He weathered the storm and heard the whisper. We must weather the storm, wait out the noise and hear the whisper. Why did he not speak in the storm, the earthquake and the fire? Because to hear a whisper you must lean in and tune your ear.

God saw Elijah’s plight and allowed him, if not directed him to return to where it all began, regroup, refresh and re-vision. God met him every step of the way, gave him what he needed and let him know I’m not done with you yet.

What are you doing here, are you hiding, running, drowning out the noise.

Are you frightened? On the run? Burned out? Hiding in a cave? Feeling all alone? Surrounded by enemies?

When you hear the whisper, you hear him say I still have a purpose for you, you are still mine, I will take care of you, I will help you. You are my beloved, my child. You always have been, you always will be.

Shhhh. Can you hear Him?

When you hear the whisper, you hear him say I still have a purpose for you, you are still mine, I will take care of you, I will help you. You are my beloved, my child. You always have been, you always will be.