Gleanings from Elijah

This article is no more than its title indicates; it is only a gleaning, a snatching up of a few thoughts; a brief look into the life of a man and the God who was his Shepherd; who led him in paths of righteousness, even through the valley of the shadow of death.

“One would have expected, after such a public and sensible manifestation of the glory of God and such a clear decision of the controversy depending between him and Baal, to the honour of Elijah, the confusion of Baal’s prophets . . .after they had seen both fire and water come from heaven at the prayer of Elijah -- that now they would all as one man, return to the worship of the God of Israel and take Elijah for their guide and oracle, that he would thenceforward be prime-minister of state, and his directions would be as laws both to king and kingdom. But it is quite otherwise; he is neglected whom God honoured; no respect paid to him, no care taken of him, nor any use made of him, but, on the contrary, the land of Israel, to which he had been, and might have been, so great a blessing, is now made too hot for him.”

Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Vol. 2, page 680.

From the Mountain Top Into the Valley

Let’s look at Elijah’s “track” record.

His first race. “And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel” I Kings 18:46. His running was from the top of Mt. Carmel downward to the valley of Jezreel.

His second race. “ And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went [ran] for his life” I Kings 19:1-3a. Elijah had come from a mountain top experience [literally] to one that went down-in-the-valley. His courage as well as his countenance seemed to have fallen. We just read, “And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah. . .” The question now is, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?”

It's Raining.

"And Elijah . . .said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word" I Kings 17:1. "And when all the people saw it [ the sacrifice, the wet wood, the water, consumed by fire] they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord he is God; the Lord, he is God" I Kings 18:39. "And Elijah said. . .there is a sound of abundance of rain" vs. 41. (Israel had "repented", now the Lord would again send an abundance of rain!) "And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down [oh, did he ever!] upon the earth . . .and said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea . . .And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand . . .And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain" vs. 42-45. Elijah told Ahab at the very beginning: "there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."Ahab might have sought to kill Elijah, [him that troubleth Israel] a thousand times! But this cloud hung over his head: There will be no rain, no not ever - except at the word of Elijah. So - I cannot afford to allow any harm to come to him: no Elijah; no rain! But now the rain was come. Elijah's umbrella of protection is gone. Now Ahab may kill him; but wimp that he is; he'll give that into the hands of Jezebel!

Run, Elijah, Run!

“And when he saw that, he arose, and went [ran] for his life.” I’m not sure what he saw (or thought he saw) but it must not have been through the eyes of faith! “Where there is no vision, the people perish” Pro. 29:18. Elijah apparently took that personally, believing himself to be one of those people! Elijah did not wait: he ran for his life! If I didn’t know better, I would think that this brave soul who would contend with as it were an entire nation; a veritable Samson -- was afraid. And so he fled from Jezreel -- and Jezebel.

“and let us run the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. . .For consider him that endured such contradiction [opposition, strife] of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” Hebrews 12: 1,3. Oh Elijah! How this scripture parallels your state of affairs! But you were running away. In fleeing from Jezebel you were also running from God. Oh Elijah! have you not read; “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness” Eph. 6:10,11,14. (We read in I Kings 18:46 that “the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins!) Oh Elijah! Where’s that armor now? A sad commentary. He can utterly defeat 450 prophets of Baal along with 400 prophets of the grove, but his own flesh seems an enemy with which he cannot contend.

"How Tedious and Tasteless the Hours (when Jesus no longer I see)”

“And he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough. . .” vs.4. “he sat down.” Although a day’s journey into the wilderness, he had already traveled an extremely long distance in going from Jezreel to Beer-sheba! How futile. Elijah, you cannot run fast enough, hard enough, or long enough, to ever outrun your enemy. Your own worst foe remains with you - it is old self, the flesh. My brother, you’ve been running with the enemy. You’re tired, you’re weak, you’re dealing with the “opposition of sinners [Jezebel] against yourself; you’re wearied and faint in your mind:” your running has not been in the strength of the Lord. Did you think to flee to a place of safety? Dear Elijah, safety is not to be found in a place! It’s found in a Person!

Here is a wise rule of study: When engaging in the study of a Bible character and the circumstances in which he is involved - Stop! Where is God? What is He doing? What is He purposing to do in the life of this, His servant? What is He wanting to teach me? Our Lord had a purpose. What He has allowed; what He is doing in the life of Elijah is the fruit of Divine planning. The hand of the Lord was upon Elijah and could have remained so: but Elijah is His workmanship, the clay in the palm of His hands. . .

Elijah, Paul and the Lord.

Do we attempt to make a comparison of Elijah and Paul? We do. Let’s see where it takes us.

“Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.” “there was given to me [Paul] a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me” II Cor. 12:7. Paul “besought the Lord” that the thorn might depart. Elijah likewise besought the Lord: “he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life.” The answer given to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” The answer to Elijah: “Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat [Sovereign Grace] forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.” Elijah! “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness!”

We offer more comparisons. Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal, called fire down out of heaven; the water-drenched sacrifice was consumed: it was offered up to God by the Lord Himself. Paul had been “caught up into the third heaven. . .into paradise. . .heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” And then he is given his thorn in the flesh. But why? Paul himself explains the mystery: “lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that which he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should beexalted above measure” II Cor. 12:6b,7. Paul is being repetitious: twice in the same sentence does he say, “lest I should be exalted above measure.” (Of course, what is true concerning Paul may likewise be applied to Elijah.)

The obvious should be obvious: (1) God will not share His glory with any man; neither should we ever entertain the idea that He would. (2) If praise is due, let it be to God; rather let us be abased: “He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all” John 3:30-31a. (3) “For I say . . .to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” Rom. 12:3. (4) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” Eph. 2:10. His workmanship, His good works [dare we call any of our own works good?] “before ordained that we should walk in them.” That is, walk in His good works, as His workmanship; certainly not in the works of the flesh! (5) How easily these men could have been lifted up; how ruinous could their lives have become if Pride had been allowed to rein! (6) God will be worshipped. No man can whole-heartedly worship his Lord while attempting to share the throne with Him. And how is one to truly worship God? Well, to begin, “The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” What of Christian service? Again, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Servitude apart from this may be superficial; it may be for reward or recognition; it may be because of intimidation. . .

Elijah was alone with God in the wilderness. Paul was basically alone with God in the confines of a prison. Alone with God! How our own hearts should burn within us; how we desperately need to come apart lest we come apart! Oh Dear Shepherd! Lead us beside still waters, restore our souls. Lead us in paths of righteousness; even if we must walk through some dark valleys on the way. . .

It is enough - I quit!

Elijah sat down. I give up! What’s the use! I quit! Enough is enough! “O Lord, take away my life . . .I, even I only am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” Dear Elijah! How different is the attitude of our brother Paul! Yet consider his plight: “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea . . .In weariness and painfulness . . in hunger and thirst . . .cold and nakedness. . .” II Cor. 11:24-27. And what does Paul say concerning these things? “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake. . .” II Cor. 4:8-11.

My dear reader; I greatly fear that I might bear a greater resemblance to Elijah. . .

Breaking the Bronc.

There is another comparable line of thought that we might consider. Everyone should be familiar with the “breaking” of wild horses: this is one of the trademarks of the Old West! The cowboy would ride (or sometimes attempt to ride) an unbroken horse. He was in no wise angry with the horse, neither did he mean him any harm. It was just something that had to be done; the horse was of little use until his spirit was broken. After the horse was “broken,” horse and rider might work so closely together that they appeared almost as one, a strong bond developing between the two. Not that I’m comparing God and Elijah with the cowboy and his horse!

Who has not read of David’s cry unto the Lord? “O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” Psalm 51:15-17. And what of Jacob who wrestled with the Lord: “He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint. . .and he halted [limped] upon his thigh” The testimony of Jacob: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” Gen. 32:25,31,30. Thus we see Jacob’s thorn in the flesh; a man broken before the Lord. And what of Job? Job did not receive buffeting from the messenger of Satan, rather at the hand of Satan himself! Was any man more broken than he; and what a thorn in the flesh he bore! His testimony: “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. . I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seest thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” Job 42:2,5-6. Behold Elijah and Paul: were they not broken before the Lord? My dear friend, are we to think ourselves exempt? May it not be so. If the Lord so determined for us to suffer a broken spirit, may we know that it was for our good and for His glory, and has flowed from a heart of unfathomable love.

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle . . .” Psalm 32:8-9. “I will guide thee with mine eye.” But how can the Lord guide us with His eye - unless we are “looking unto Jesus;” seeking the face of God? And who, pray tell, is more apt to seek His face than one who is broken and submissive before Him?

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Did the workmanship of the Lord find success in the lives of Elijah and Paul? Consider their finish. The testimony of Paul: “I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course. . II Tim. 4:6-7. As for Elijah -- Behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire. . .and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” II Kings 2:11. Elijah had concluded his running; he had finished his course, the time of his departure was at hand! (It is rather ironic that Elijah was caught up in the whirlwind; that he did not see death - considering his former petition before the Lord; “he sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life!”)

Make room under the gourd, Jonah! You have company! Jonah sat under a gourd; he "fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than live." Elijah sat under a Juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now O Lord, take away my life." Here are two brethren who were "running the race," although their choice of direction is somewhat questionable!

In summary, I leave the reader with these observations: "Great accomplishments" are not necessarily a deciding factor in determining the depth of one’s spirituality. Had not Elijah accomplished much? Were there not notable victories to be attributed to our brother? Elijah had said, “I, even I only am left; and they seek my life to take it away.” Methinks that Elijah was having a pity party; that he was feeling sorry for himself; may be even feeling sorry for God! "Lord, I'm all you have left! They've all deserted you! What's wrong with people, anyway?" After the fiery display from the Lord God of Israel why the entire nation should have immediately repented and turned from their heathen idols; but did they? Huh! Poor Elijah! The only thanks for his many accomplishments was a threat upon his life from that wicked Jezebel. So like a whipped puppy he tucked his tail between his legs and ran away. No matter how great the victory on Mount Carmel; it was without success. Israel did not rally around him; his victory had ended in defeat. Elijah had so surrounded himself with his circumstances that he had no vision of anything outside of his world. As the old saying goes, he had jumped into a hole and was about to pull it in after him! And the Lord replied, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” Amen!

A dear Brother, a notable evangelist, upon reading this article said, The question for today is not "Where is the Lord God of Elijah," but "Where are the Elijahs of the Lord God?" I heartily assent to that question and place it here for us to consider.