As I was listening to an excellent sermon from Gavin Ortlund on 1 Kings 19 (YouTube link), I was reminded of the time my Dad asked for my input on that passage. It was late 2017 and he was working on what would become Lenten meditations for 2018. So I jotted down some quick, stream-of-consciousness thoughts about the chapter. Luckily, I still have the document saved on my computer and I thought I’d share them with you all since I haven’t posted here in forever. I discovered that strange feeling that sometimes happens when your past self seems to be writing for your current self. Anyway, I would suggest reading the chapter first to get the most out of the meditation. May God bless you as you journey through this wilderness season of Lent!
Meditation on 1 Kings 19
Elijah: The name conjures up images of untouchability, of chariots of fire and miraculous food and water-defying cloaks. But in 1 Kings 19 he is much more relatable. He runs; he whines; he gives up everything in utter despair and desolation. He ran for six days to get away from a woman who, he of all people knew, the Lord could smite in an instant. Instead, he went into the desert, not to find God, but to die. I love the little detail that he laid under a broom tree. A broom to sweep away his old life. A tree because even the suicidal need shade – Elijah is still hedging that particular bet.
“I have had enough, Lord”. Haven’t we all been there? And then he fell asleep. Depression breeds sleepiness (as does running, of course). In this case, sleep saved his life. An angel appears and gives him food. A miracle! So, he eats and then…falls back asleep. Elijah seems impervious to miracles. Or maybe the simplicity of the miracle, of daily bread, was too mundane, too quiet to credit to the God who slew the prophets of Baal. [Also, by the way, the angel was a chef – “baked over hot coals”. He brought his own grill, that angel!] Only by repetition of the miracle does Elijah get it. He eats…then he keeps running away from his ministry. Oh, well. All the way to a cave in Mount Sinai. Little wonder that the Lord asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Such a loaded, parental sort of question. The answer is, appropriately I guess, childish. “I’ve been a good boy and look what it’s gotten me!” *stomps foot* “Everybody hates me and now they want to kill me and I’m all alone and just let me die already!” He’s afraid of being killed so he goes into the desert to die. The perversity also looks oddly, sadly, jarringly familiar. Resentment at God for not making the problems of life disappear.
The Lord, with a sigh one imagines, then puts on a fireworks display. Wind and earthquakes and fire – all without explanation. Elijah, we may now assume, has thoroughly soiled himself and is rethinking that whole “I-want-to-die” thing. He is alone on a mountain with nothing but the uncaring forces of nature and no sign of the presence of God, who he’s just ticked off. We might call this rock bottom. Then, the slightest whisper of hope. Elijah goes to the mouth of the cave, covering his face. The Lord, having well and truly gotten Elijah’s attention, asks the question again: “What are you doing here?” And even after all that, Elijah trots out his rehearsed response, stubbornly sticking to his story. “I’m all alone, woe is me” is a bit of a hollow complaint when you’ve spent 40 days running into the wilderness. Even face-to-face with YHWH, on the very mountain where Moses received the law, Elijah doubts and complains. And God doesn’t strangle him. There is such hope in that. What God does is give him a command summed up in His first two words: “GO BACK”. No more running; you have a job to do. God will use Elijah to oust the evil king and queen, and God will carry out his purpose through a new and bolder prophet. Oh, and by the way, you’re not alone. There are 7 thousand people who haven’t lost the faith. God is in control. Doubt, panic, and self-pity accomplish nothing.
The Lessons of 1 Kings 19 (in no particular order)
- God is in control.
- You are not alone.
- Running from your problems does not make them go away.
- God’s miraculous intervention does not occur in order to solve all your problems – it serves to further His kingdom, often by giving you the strength to carry on.
- You don’t actually want to die – you’re probably just tired, hungry, scared, or confused.
- Our ministry is never finished even (or especially) after a huge success (like 1 Kings 18).
- The kingdom will always have enemies. Why does this surprise us?
- Be like Elisha, who burned his plows to follow God’s call without encumbrances. Don’t have a Plan B.
God Said write 