Chapter 174. 1 Kings 19:9-189And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 11And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 14And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 15And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: 16And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. 17And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. 18Yet 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. (1 Kings 19:9‑18) Elijah in the Cave
AFTER Elijah’s rest under the juniper tree, he went to Mount Horeb and took shelter in a cave. He was very much discouraged and depressed and no doubt he knew he was not where the Lord would have him. We cannot be truly happy unless we are doing God’s will. God called Elijah and said to him, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” The prophet answered “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy Covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain. Thy prophets with the sword and I even. I only, am left, and they seek my life. The prophet was pitying himself, when he should have been helping and encouraging the very people he now was accusing. “Go forth,” said the Lord, “and stand upon the mount before Jehovah.”
Then the Lord caused a great hurricane to pass over the mountain. The wind tore the rocks to pieces, but God was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, the ground shook around Elijah and he must have felt very much frightened. The Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire. It must have been a fearful sight to see the mountain ablaze. Elijah felt God’s power, and his own littleness; but power does not bring the heart into the presence of God. Then a still small voice spoke. When Elijah heard it he wrapped his face in his mantle, and stood at the entrance of the cave. The voice had reached his conscience.
The voice said, “Elijah, what doest thou here?” “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy Covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword and I only am left and they seek my life, to take it away,” answered Elijah. But the Lord wanted the prophet to cease thinking of his own faithfulness. and the shortcomings of his brethren, and to look to Him. If Elijah had been faithful, it was God’s grace that had kept him. The Lord commanded him to go back through the land he had traversed and to go far North, miles beyond Jezreel, to Damascus in Syria, and there to anoint the servant of the King Ben-hadad, Hazael, as future king of that country. From thence he was to return to the land of Israel, and anoint Jehu, a commander of the army, to be King instead of Ahab: Next, he must go South again to Abel-Meholah, in the Jordan valley, to a man called Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who was to be the prophet’s helper and friend, and later, when Elijah’s work on earth was done, Elisha should be prophet in his stead. Then God showed Elijah that judgment must come on Israel for their wicked ways. Those who should escape the sword of Hazael would be slain by Jehu, and those who escaped Jehu would Elisha slay. “Yet,” the Lord said, “I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”
How sorry Elijah must have been to have accused his brethren so, and yet how thankful that some were not what he had thought them! He knew himself better now; knew how weak and sinful his own heart was. He had learned it alone with God, after his lack of faith, and his failure. God had searched him through and through with much love and patience, and now in humility, he was ready to go once more and do his Lord’s bidding.
Let each of us, that we may be kept from failure, pray, like David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Ps. 139: 23, 24.)
ML 03/04/1917