M-G: 6.21.14 // What are you doing here, 1 Kings 6:21, Part 6 of 17

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Upon leaving Beersheba, Elijah went alone into the Negev Desert a day’s journey (about 15 miles or less given his physical condition) and parked it under a “broom tree” (1Kgs 19:4), a common Palestinian shrub that grows 5 to 10 feet in height or greater in the dry and desolate region.

Retama raetam – Broom Tree, Negev Desert, Israel

Credit: botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/

It’s not the shadiest of trees, but you take what you can get when you run out of steam – “and [Elijah, added] came and sat down under a broom tree.”  And as far as we know this is the first time he prayed to God since praying for rain atop Mt Carmel. Remember, he didn’t pray to God for protection or if he should go or stay. He just took off in a flight of fear. Notice what he asked from Yahweh, 

“It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (1 Kgs 19:4).

He is exhausted, defeated, distraught, distressed, disappointed, discouraged, depressed, and despondent (and any other “D’s I may have missed) and wants to throw in the towel; suicide wasn’t an option. Let me share a positive side to this prayer by Elijah. No matter where we are we can pray to God. 150 miles ago he was in Jezreel stressing out over Jezebel wanting to kill him; now he wants to die sitting under the broom tree! Elijah is praying because He knows God is everywhere and hears. God knows Elijah is asking that he might die, and Elijah knows God is hearing every word, and he is correct. Prayer is a blessed privilege to have as a believer; we do not avail ourselves enough of it. If we knew just how close God really was to us inside and out we might talk to Him more. If Elijah wanted to die why did he run to survive? Some think that he was upset and didn’t really mean it; I think he did, “It is enough!” He just didn’t want to die at the hands of the likes of Jezebel but that is my opinion. He may have left his servant at Beersheba because it would serve no purpose for him to be with Elijah any longer. It was not his servant’s failure but his.

When we take our eyes off the LORD, our prayers are not concerned about God's will but our own – “take my life.” Does this sound vaguely familiar (Jon 4:3, 8)? He is not even praying in the will of God, and this is exactly what happens when losing sight of God. The will of God is in the Northern Kingdom, not languishing under a solitary broom tree in the middle of nowhere. We know that God will give him the incredible honor of going to heaven without dying, but he doesn’t know that yet and here he is asking God to kill him! What’s wrong with this picture? Aren’t you thankful God doesn’t answer some of our foolish prayers? We may all scream “Enough!” one day; maybe, we already have. Ever felt like your prayers were ricocheting off the ceiling? He was out in the open, but his request was not going any higher than the broom tree. God was not going to grant Elijah that prayer; He had other plans for him.

When we take our eyes off the LORD, our spiritual rationalizations can get a little squirrely, “for I am no better than my fathers.” I guess it is logical that we give God a persuasive reason to kill us. In Elijah’s mind, he wasn’t any more successful than his fathers in purging idol worship from God’s people. It would be wiser not to compare ministries. Jesus’ words to Peter should be considered,

Jesus said to him [Peter], “If I will that he [John] remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (Jn 21:22).

Jesus was telling Peter that he needed to be faithful in living his own life and not worry or compare it with others. So, Elijah thought he was no better than his father's is unwarranted; besides, God had other plans for him! Since God did not answer Elijah, an angel being dispatched to strengthen his body indicates that silence in response to his prayer meant “no.” Elijah probably would have died out there in the desert under that broom tree had God not intervened. Elijah is out of God’s will right now, and the LORD is nurturing and sustaining him. I am thankful God does not abandon us when we are on the lam. What a wonderful God we served.

While Elijah was sleeping under the broom tree, an angel awakened him and had him eat some baked bread and drink a jar of water, “Arise and eat” (1 Kgs 19:5). Rather than getting a talk to from the LORD, Elijah chewed on some heavenly fortified bread. How long the angel hung around after waking Elijah up is unclear. After he finishes eating, Elijah settles down under the broom tree and falls asleep. After an undetermined amount of time, the angel of the LORD awakened Elijah a second time,

“Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you” (1 Kgs 19:6).

The Bible doesn’t say that the angel mentioned Horeb in either visit, only “the journey is too great for you.” Did Elijah originally intend to go to Horeb when he left Jezreel or Beersheba?

An omniscient LORD would know what Elijah was thinking! All we know at this juncture is after eating the second time Elijah was off for Horeb where the Law of Moses was given (1 Kgs 19:8). How far away was it? It all depends on where you think Mt Sinai or Horeb (Ex 3:1; Deut 5:2; 1 Kgs 8:9; Mal 4:4) is located. It wouldn’t take him forty days and forty nights to get there, but this journey was going to be at a much slower pace than from Jezreel to Beersheba. God was determining the pace, providing Elijah with some time for reflection. Elijah knew exactly where Horeb, the mountain of God, was located and arrived forty days later in the strength of that angel’s cooking and went into a cave to spend the night (1 Kgs 19:9a)! You kind of get the impression God isn’t through with Elijah, but we knew that already, knowing the end of the story.

I supposed there is something to be said for the “forty days and forty nights.” Moses stayed on Horeb for the same amount of time (Ex 24:18; 34:28). But there are a garden variety of opinions on its significance. Numerology in the Bible is an interesting study and has merit, but it can also be fanciful in interpretation. The snail's pace to Horeb would be an opportune time for some heart-to-heart talk between God and Elijah, but we are unaware of any dialogue between them during this journey. I have been in the Mojave Desert where the temperature was climbing in excess of 110°F. It was so hot, still, and remote; you think your heartbeat is interfering with your ability to hear yourself think! A forty-day hike provided plenty of time for contemplation.

Why go to Horeb? Why not any isolated place in the region? Since Horeb was the mountain of God where the Law was given to Moses, I think there was a lesson to be learned from Elijah who loved God’s Law. Maybe, going to where it all originated will yield valuable insight and give some kind of spiritual perspective; who knows? 

In any event, Yahweh is going to ask Elijah a question when he arrives there. The question is probing and revealing. You can't help but wonder if this whole trip was to help Elijah understand that it was more important in ministry where the Law was to be observed rather than where it was given. The battle was there not here; he truly was in a place he didn't belong. This will become clearer later, hopefully. Though Horeb was considered sacred as “the mountain of God,” it wasn't there that God expected His Law to flourish, but in the hearts of God’s people living in Canaan. It hadn't dawned on Elijah; it is like building bridges, you have to go where the rivers are. He was out there in the middle of nowhere staring at a massive clump of rock and dirt in an oppressive climate.

Yes, it did rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights (Gn 7:12), and Goliath made a show of himself for forty days, morning and evening (1 Sam 17:16), but I don’t think that had any bearing here. One commentator indicated that forty days and forty nights are “an indication of a crisis point in Divine affairs” (Peter Pett’s Commentary on 1 Kings). The antediluvian (before the flood) civilization was completely destroyed afterward, and Goliath was rocked to sleep with his head and sword out of the game. Elijah hiked that period of time, but he didn’t stay up on Horeb in the cave for more than a day or two.

This is what I do believe; if there was a crisis point, Elijah didn't get it. Whatever Elijah had been ruminating over during those forty days and forty nights; he was clueless about putting two and two together or connecting the dots with any possible symbolism with the number forty. And you know why I say that? He answered Yahweh's question with the same answer twice because he was obsessed with the subjective content of his answer to Yahweh rather than the objective truth behind the question. And yeah, when you take your eyes off the LORD, you can wind up being hardheaded; it is called having an unteachable spirit. It makes sense when you are out of God’s will, right? <><

To Part 7