Part 18) Elijah's Flight

1 Kings 19:1-18

Elijah had done it, he had done what was asked by him of God. He had prophesied about the land and had been a fugitive. Then he challenged the prophets of Baal on mount Carmel and God had revealed Himself. Yahweh was victorious!! It was a time to celebrate, it was a time to relax…right? Wrong, even though God had shown His power to the people, Jezebel was having none of it. It reminds us of an event with Jesus later on in John 12:28-29 when God spoke and it sounded like thunder. Even after that people doubted Jesus (Jn 12:37). People are hard of hearts and it needs to be God changing hearts for them to see the truth.

Elijah flees from Jezebel. He flees from the north end of the northern kingdom of Israel, to the very south of the southern kingdom of Judah. It doesn’t say how long it took him but Elijah fled 130 miles before Elijah got to Beersheba. After retreating farther into the wilderness he asks that he might die just like Moses in Numbers 11:11, 15. The burden that Elijah and Moses were feeling was too great for them to endure alone. In both cases God gives them the help and strength that they need to accomplish the task that He has set before them. No matter how difficult our task, our God is gracious and will give us the strength that we need to endure.

Then God places a difficult journey ahead of him. Travel to mount Horeb (Mount Sinai). A very long journey, one that will take him 40 days and 40 nights. A time span that again parallels Moses in Exodus 24:18 when he went up on the mountain for 40 days to hear and learn from God. It also parallels Jesus, spending 40 days in the wilderness (Matt 4:2) before He began His ministry. With all three men the example set before us is the need to seek God is greater than any desire we might have. Greater than food, rest, more than anything we must seek first the kingdom of God.

When Elijah arrives at the cave, in v.10 we see the source of his dismay. “I have been jealous for the Lord.” For years he had seen the plague of baal and idol worship over the land. Now God had dealt a powerful blow against His enemies…but it had stopped. Instead of God finishing off evil, Elijah had to flee for his life. Why didn’t God continue what He was doing? Why didn’t God wipe evil from the face of the earth? The rest of the story hadn’t been revealed to Elijah yet. How God had dealt a blow at Mt. Carmel but the mortal blow against evil would happen years later on Mt. Calvary, by none other that Emmanuel. How the final eradication of evil would come later still in the valley that was overlooked by Mt. Carmel. Not by fire, but by the armies of heaven. The day that we still wait for in anticipation as it draws ever nearer.

While in the cave the Lord visits Elijah. The first three things appear, wind, an earthquake, and fire. The three occurrences that sometimes accompany the presence of God. Then God reveals Himself in a unexpected way. God was present in the near silence. Elijah learned the same thing that we need to remember, divine silence, doesn’t mean divine inactivity. We don’t want to become like the Jews that are talked about in 1 Corinthians 1:22, where we demand sign. We need to remember that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 1:19), as such God is with us wherever we go. Whether we feel Him or not.

After an amazing demonstration of the power of God, Jezebel says she is going to kill Elijah, what does this demonstrate about the heart of Jezebel?

What does it say about the heart of Ahab who has just witnessed God’s power?

Why does God wait to get rid of evil?

What does Elijah’s mood seem to be as he runs for his life?

How is this passage encouraging to us when we feel alone, and like the world is closing in on us?

Why did God not reveal Himself in the fire, earthquake or wind?

We always desire God to show up with the voice of thunder and fire in His path, how is it that God reveals Himself to us?