seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Kings 19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”
21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Here's the link to the commentary I read.So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time: Jezebel heard about all that Elijah had done, encompassing the great confrontation at Mount Carmel. Yet her response was not to say, “The silence of Baal and the fire from Yahweh proves that I am wrong and Yahweh is God.” Instead, she responded with a vow to kill within 24 hours the man who exposed the lie of Baal worship and displayed the glory of Yahweh.
He himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness: Beyond the distant city of Beersheba, Elijah secluded himself even more.
And he prayed that he might die: This mighty man of prayer — mighty enough to make the rain and the dew stop for three and a half years, and then mighty enough to make it start again at his prayer — now he prayed that he might die.
It is enough: We sense that Elijah meant, “I can’t do this anymore, LORD.” The work was stressful, exhausting, and seemed to accomplish nothing. The great work on Mount Carmel did not result in a lasting national revival or return to the LORD.
As he lay and slept under a broom tree: This was the mercy of God extended to Elijah. Physically speaking, he needed rest and replenishment. God gave him rest under a broom tree, and provided miraculous food for the replenishment.
Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you: God set Elijah on a 200-mile, 40-day trip to Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai. This shows that God did not demand an immediate recovery from Elijah. He allowed the prophet time to recover from his spiritual depression.
I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts: Elijah protested to God, “I have faithfully served You and now look at the danger I am in.” To Elijah — and many servants of God since — it seemed unfair that a faithful servant of God should be made to suffer.
You shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel: God had more work for Elijah to do. He would also demonstrate God’s choice of Jehu to be the king to succeed the corrupt Ahab and his wife Jezebel.
Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place: God gave something else to the discouraged and depressed prophet, beyond work to do. He also gave him a friend and a successor.
He departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat: Elijah did what the still small voice of God told him to do. He happened to do it in reverse order than God described to him in the previous passage. Perhaps Elijah believed that he first needed a friend and apprentice.
Took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate: This demonstrated Elisha’s complete commitment to following Elijah. He destroyed the tools of his trade in a going-away party for his family and friends.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Jezebel threatened Elijah.
Elijah took off!
You know that hymn that goes "Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling"?
Elijah had been running for so long, he finally had to stop. His body was depleted. He needed food and water. It's like he ran out of gas.
God sent an Angel to wake him up and feed him. Then, belly full, he went back to sleep and the Angel had to wake him up again.
That's when the prophet, Elijah, traveled 40 days to Mount Horeb. [Please note 40 days for Elijah and 40 days for Noah and 40 years for the Israelites wandering around in the desert.] That's when God showed up. There was an earthquake, wind, and fire that would run anyone else off, but Elijah was in a cave or clef in the rock, so where was he to run to?
When everything stopped quaking, blowing, and destroying, it got quiet. That's when Elijah peeked out of his hiding spot and met with God.
God asked him why he was running. Then, God gave him his marching orders.
Don't worry about Jezebel, he was to anoint Hazael king of Aram [Syria] and then he was to anoint Jehu king over Israel to replace Ahab and Jezebel.
It's almost as if God said "Don't worry about Jezebel, she can be replaced!".
Then Elijah was to go find Elisha and anoint him as Elijah's replacement.
Look at what God says in verse 18. I can imagine, in today's lingo, God was saying "Don't worry about Israel. There are still some who haven't converted."
When Elijah got to Elisha, Elisha agreed to give up his work and follow Elijah. Apparently, Elisha was pretty wealthy. He had 12 teams of oxen. That's a statement of wealth. He slaughtered his plow team and fed the meat to his family and friends and then joined up with Elijah to do God's work instead of just plowing all day.
Gotta admit it here... I've always had a problem with Elijah and Elisha. I get the names mixed up. It would have been easier if Elijah and Elisha were named something easier to separate... like the names John or Paul. But the names of these two prophets are spelled a lot alike.
I wonder if God called two prophets with names that sound and look alike so that old women like me have to read carefully!
Elijah anointed Elisha.
