I KINGS 18-19

During Christ's time, many people thought that he was perhaps Elijah. Elijah was known for his commitment to God at all costs

There is a basic problem with reading these chapters as a motivational presentation. We feel like we can't measure up to the commitment that Elijah showed and so it sets up a guilt trip. I believe we ought to look at Elijah's story in more depth to get the whole picture.

Let's review a little of his story up to this point. During the reign of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, Elijah was given the power through prayer of stopping all rain in Israel for three years, God supernaturally provided food and water for him while he was staying at a widow's house, and he raised the widow's son from the dead. Now he challenges the followers of Baal.

I Kings 18:1-16 In these verses we are introduced to Obadiah (not the prophet Obadiah). He was steward to King Ahab. A Hebrew seal from that time period has been found which reads, “To Obadiah servant of the king.”

Obadiah was a godly man who accomplished a great deal under difficult circumstances. He fed 100 prophets during a drought. But he was still a “closet believer” who hid his faith from those around him. His motive can be seen clearly after Elijah asks him for help – fear. He had a very real reason to fear for his life at the hands of Ahab and Jezebel. We can really fault him for this, just as we can't comprehend the situation today of believers in some Muslim or Communist countries. When we in America exhibit fear as Christians, it is more likely to be due to fear of ridicule.

Obadiah attempted to first justify himself to Elijah by pointing out the great things he had already done in the name of God. We are sometimes guilty of similarly resting on our laurels. In this case, even though he had good reason for acting cautiously, Obadiah should have recognized that Elijah's request of him was a direct message from God.

There are two prominent NT examples of closet believers. They are both found in John's Gospel, at its start and conclusion. John 3:1-2 introduces us to Nicodemus, a Jewish leader who came to Jesus by night, no doubt so that no one could see him. Like Obadiah, Nicodemus was close to the center of power in the land but would have lost that position if others had known of his attraction to Jesus' teachings. Nicodemus appears again right after the crucifixion in John 19:38-39 to take care of Jesus' body. This time he is joined by another closet believer named Joseph of Arimathea, who was a secret disciple “because of his fear of the Jews.” What I find most interesting is that while Jesus' death caused his closest disciples to desert him, that same event motivated two timid believers to suddenly declare their faith openly.

I Kings 18:20-21 These are wonderful words that challenge us today. In Israel's time, the problem was that they were vacillating between the worship of Yahweh and of Baal. Today it is more a matter of halfheartedly following God while totally embracing the values of our culture.

I Kings 18:22-46 Elijah holds a contest against more than 450 priests of Baal, and God vindicates him. He wipes them out, at which time he has King Ahab in the palm of his hand (vv. 41-45). Through God's strength he runs ahead of the chariot for 17-20 miles to Jezreel, the winter palace. He probably intended to announce the news in the presence of the King, who could corroborate the story. Also, by running ahead of the king, he was showing his future allegiance to him (Read I Kings 1:5). It hit me that this is probably the origin of the phrase “forerunner.”

This is especially appropriate since it was felt in later years that Elijah would come to announce the coming Messiah, fulfilled by John the Baptist, who shared many of Elijah's qualities:

Both confronted leaders of the country with their sins.

Both called the people of the land to repentance.

Neither was an egotist; they decreased in order that another might increase.

But both suffered from periods of gloom and doubt as to the ultimate worth of their ministries.

1 Kings 19:1-4 The news, however, isn't received with joy since it appears that Queen Jezebel is the real power behind the throne. She threatens Elijah with his life and Elijah does something totally unexpected. He runs, this time away from the palace. WHY? Perhaps because he is emotionally and physically drained. Lows often follow highs. Again, one can see a strong similarity with John the Baptist who was in jail and began to doubt whether Jesus really was the Messiah.

He starts his “pity party” and appears to be almost suicidal.

I Kings 19:5-18 Note how God, the divine physician, treats him. These provide valuable lessons for recovering from “situational, not chronic or clinical, depression.”

I Kings 19:5-8a He is given rest to recuperate from his overwork, and nourishment to correct his poor diet. This shows that sometimes we need to get our physical health back to normal before the mental and spiritual person can recover.

I Kings 19:8b He returns to the mount of God, his spiritual roots. He had momentarily forgotten the basis of his faith.

I Kings 19:9-10 God lends a sympathetic ear to Elijah's complaints. We sometimes need someone else to bounce our problems off of. Studies conducted years ago demonstrated that recovery from mild depression took exactly the same amount of time whether the person talked to a trained therapist or a close friend.

I Kings 19:11-12 He is given a reminder that God is in control of the universe but that he can't always be expected to reveal Himself in supernatural ways. This teaches that we are not to rely on miracles in our lives for our faith.

I Kings 19:13-14 God continues to patiently listen to Elisha's complaints even though they are repetitious of what Elisha had earlier said to him.

I Kings 19:15-16 God encourages him by telling him that his ministry is very important and gives him something worthwhile and concrete to do to take his mind off of himself and his problems. Another proven method of recovery from depression is to focus on helping others who may need help.

I Kings 19:17-18 God encourages him by telling him that he is not alone in his situation; there are many believers out there besides himself who can help him, as well, of course, as God himself.

I Kings 19:19-21 As a concrete pledge of God's future help, Elijah was given immediate help in the form of a helpful follower and servant, Elisha. Those helping others with depression must follow through and point them to other useful resources.

And finally, note that the process of recovery did not happen overnight; it took forty days for even God to carry it out.