M-G: 6.19.14 // 1 Kings 19:9, What are you doing here, Part 4 of 17

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Sitting in a doctor’s office this week with three other men, the chit-chat turned to events in the Middle East. We all shared a common concern over global terrorism. Then the conversation turned to Abraham when this one man blamed the whole mess on him for bringing the Arab nations into existence because “he didn’t wait on God” and had a son (Ishmael) through Hagar. The tone in his voice revealed that he truly believed Abraham was at fault.

I chimed in at this point and calmly said, “If my memory serves me correctly, Abram left Haran at 75 (Gn 12:4, ref added) and Ishmael was born when he was 86 years of age (Gn 16:16, ref added), and 25 years after leaving Haran for Canaan, Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old (Gn 21:5, ref added). Abraham kind of reminds me of us; we all have a problem with waiting on the Lord, too!” I didn’t mean to shut the man down, but that lanky old codger never responded or said another word. Maybe it was for the best. It has been said when you point the index finger at someone else that there are three fingers pointing back at you.

Jesus is a son of Abraham (Mt 1:1). Paul reminds us that those of the faith are sons of Abraham (Gal 3:7) and that makes Abraham our father if we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Elijah was a son of Abraham as well. So as believers, we who are of the faith are related spiritually to Abraham and Elijah; they are our spiritual brothers in Christ. We will see them in heaven one day. Before this series concludes, I will say some tough things about our brother Elijah; things you know already or maybe you don’t, coming right out of Scripture. It is true, Abraham didn’t wait on God; Elijah deserted his post, and we all have been guilty of both at one time or another…

If I am being completely honest with you, I can’t tell you the times I felt like these questions were penetrating my soul, “What are you doing here, Michael?” as well as “Why are you here, Michael?” It was nothing dramatic as to what was going on with Elijah, but I had been in places I didn’t belong, and my reasons for this or that were no more than lame excuses. Elijah was a spiritual giant though he deserted his spiritual post. I know the word desertion is an inflammatory word right now in light of the firestorm circulating around a young man that supposedly deserted his post in Afghanistan, and the White House traded five Taliban leaders and terrorists incarcerated at Guantanamo for the release of this controversial soldier held by terrorists for five years. Elijah, however, wasn’t in the armed forces. We know his story, and the LORD didn’t throw him into prison as a traitor or have him killed. I loved the way the life of Elijah turned out, but there are some things we can identify with him during his flight and learn to stay put until the Lord says, “Go” (cf. 1 Kgs 17:3).

This series is meant to be an encouragement that there is life after making a decision under pressure that turned out to be a bad one, and we wound up in a place we didn’t belong (cf. Rom 15:4). How can we avoid those situations? How do we get back to where we belong? Where is “belong” anyway? It may be impossible to return to the former place as was in the case of Elijah, but God has a place for us and something for us to do as long as we are breathing; I am living proof of that. This series will help us to find answers to those questions as well. 

Mount Carmel is a mountain range that runs from the Mediterranean Sea about 13 miles in a south-southeasterly direction. The elevation is around 1,740 feet (give or take a couple of feet) above sea level. The Jezreel valley spreads out north and east of Mount Carmel. On the NE face directly below is the Kishon River running through the Valley Kishon where at least 450 false prophets of Baal were put to death (1 Kgs 18:40). The map below helps you to see the different places in our story: Samaria (capital of Israel), Mt Carmel (Elijah versus the prophets of Baal), Jezreel (the royal winter palace of Ahab and Jezebel or literally a fortress), Beersheba (Elijah left his servant there (1 Kgs 18:43; 19:3) and went a day’s journey into the desert and collapsed under a broom tree, 1 Kgs 19:4), except for the main location where the question was asked of Elijah on Mt Horeb or Mt Sinai.

I elected not to show a map of the original site claimed to be Mt Sinai for I am not convinced that Mt Horeb is where it is historically claimed to be but that is not the scope of this series. The point is Elijah knew precisely where it was and reached a cave up on Horeb after a forty-day hike. But he would never have made it had he not been strengthened by some angelic home cooking prior to setting off for Horeb (1 Kgs 19:5-6, 7-8).

Old Testament Canaan

After that dirty business was concluded on Mt Carmel, Ahab had a change of heart but really never repented from his sin. Those riding the fence previously may have actually been genuine when they publicly declared, "The LORD, He is God" (1 Kgs 18:39), by putting the false prophets to death for idolatry at the Brook Kishon according to Elijah's instructions (1 Kgs 18:40), sanctioned by the Law of Moses (Deut 6:14-15; 11:16-17), all the while knowing that Jezebel was the real force behind the Baals. Ahab would have been unwise to say otherwise. Wiersbe remarked about the killings, 

“It is not enough for us to acknowledge that ‘the Lord, He is God’ (1Kgs18:39); we must also hate that which is evil and remove it from our lives. Judgment always prepares the way for blessing” (Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on 1 Kgs 18:39-40). 

It was a great victory for Yahweh. The people under the rule of Ahab had to have felt a great relief that Baal worship proved to be a sham, and that rain was on the horizon heading their way. The defeat of Baal had to have humiliated Queen Jezy once she heard the bad news (1 Kgs 19:1). She was not a happy camper as we soon will see (1 Kgs 19:2).

Elijah prayed on Mt Carmel (1 Kgs 18:42) and black clouds were forming over the Mediterranean Sea. So Ahab is instructed to return to Jezreel before the rain prevents him from doing so. “Except at my word” the rain was returning 3.5 years later just like Elijah said it would (1 Kgs 17:1). Ahab is now heading down Mt Carmel to beat the rain to his winter capital in Jezreel, and Elijah is strengthened by the LORD and runs down the Mount and beats Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel some 12 to 25 miles away (1 Kgs 18:46) who is probably riding in a chariot (1 Kgs 18:45)!

According to MacArthur, “It was customary in the ancient Near East for kings to have runners before their chariots. The prophet showed Ahab his loyalty by rendering to him that service” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, p.422). It seems more than loyalty is viewed here. There may also have been a more somber message being conveyed to Jezebel at the Winter Palace, the real power behind the Baals and the pagan puppeteer pulling Ahab’s strings (cf. 1 Kgs 16:31; 18:4, 19; 19:2; 21:25; 2 Kgs 9:22; Rev 2:20).

Though Ahab must have been elated about the rain after 3.5 long years of famine, I am not convinced that he was looking forward to telling Jezebel all that had happened up on Mt Carmel. It was going to be a long winter’s night for Ahab, rain or no rain. <><

To Part 5