1 Kings 19:1-8
Elijah Flees Jezebel

When Jezebel, the pagan wife of evil King Ahab, hears about the slaying of the 450 prophets of Baal, she is infuriated. She swears by her little-g gods that she will kill Elijah within 24 hours. We expect Elijah to laugh in the face of her threat. After all, Jezebel’s gods have just been proven impotent, illusory in fact, in the great contest between Yahweh and Baal. Instead, Elijah is afraid and runs for his life, traveling 100 miles south to Beersheba in the very southern part of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. He acts entirely on his own; the key phrase “the word of the LORD,” which has been prominent since Elijah appeared on the scene in Chapter 17 of 1 Kings, is conspicuously absent.

The battle Elijah fights in this week’s passage is not against an enemy outside himself – an evil king or false prophets or a counterfeit god. The battle is against enemies within, and the fact that he says to the Lord, “I’ve had enough! I’m done!” is evidence that he’s losing the battle. Pastor Dave taught that Elijah’s internal enemies were fear, pride, and a lack of understanding. Those same enemies lurk within us, and we fight the same battle. Before the Lord, think about a circumstance in your life of which you’ve said, or are sorely tempted to say, “I’ve had enough! I’m done!” Maybe it’s an unhappy marriage or strife in some other family relationship. Maybe it’s physical suffering or mental illness that’s gone on a long time with no end in sight. Maybe it’s a difficult and stressful responsibility. Whatever it is, think about how the three enemies Dave listed are involved. Fear of what’s ahead tempts us to seize control. Pride, perhaps better called arrogance, causes us to think we know better than God. We lack understanding because we charge ahead, fueled by emotion, instead of waiting to hear from the Lord. Drag those enemies before the throne of your King and ask for His help.

Calvary Family

Lift up our youth. Ask the Lord to give each one a glimpse of His reality and power and glory, sufficient to lead them to a commitment to Him. Pray for steady spiritual growth and for the personal disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and corporate worship that nurture it. The teenage years are a crossroads; pray for parents and youth leaders who are striving to point our youth to the ancient paths, the good way. (Jeremiah 6:16)

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

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