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What we have remaining
in this series are (1) the question, (2) the breaking, shaking, burning, and still small voice, (3) a summation, and some sort of conclusion. Hopefully, you
have been noticing certain warning signs or indicators of when you might be in
the wrong place, and it’s never by accident; thinking precedes doing. The wrong
place for us as believers is being outside of God’s will for our lives. For
convenience's sake, we will lump persons, places, or things under “a ‘place’ we
don’t belong.” Elijah was in the wrong place, physically and spiritually.
It seems like such a simple truth that you can put it out there one time, and people grasp immediately how profound it is and take it to heart, but sadly, such is not the case. The Bible is replete with characters that did just that very thing taking their eyes off the LORD and finding themselves in a place they didn’t belong. What quickly comes to mind, for instance, is David who decided to stay in Jerusalem when kings go forth to war. He already had taken his eyes off the LORD, and Bathsheba comes into his field of view. How about David’s son, Solomon (1 Kgs 11:4)?
There are plenty of illustrations in Scripture on why it is so vital that we keep our eyes on the Shepherd of our souls and not on the things of the world, and I am not talking about being so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good either. Common sense 101: keeping our eye on the ball and keeping it rolling (Col 1:9; 3:2)! It’s like we have these outbreaks of stupid occurring in our lives, and we’re clueless. If that isn’t bad enough, then we go through the rationalization process of justifying our acts of stupidity being clueless about the real reason or simply in denial. Thank God that there is final relief in glory. The sin nature can never be domesticated here on earth, no matter the buffeting, only eradicated in glory.
Finally, we find Elijah in a cave in Horeb who had just spent the night there, and the LORD came to him in the morning and said,
“What are you doing here, Elijah” (1 Kgs 19:9).
As this series progressed, I have been hinting at what the LORD meant when He asked Elijah that question in the cave in Horeb. You may not agree with my interpretation and that is okay, but I think what is about to be said is compelling, as well as more fitting with the context. Elijah replies,
“I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (1 Kgs 19:10).
Note that Yahweh does not respond to any of Elijah’s reasons. Instead, He told Elijah,
“Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD” (1 Kgs 19:11a).
Elijah had no idea what Yahweh was up to. What he was about to witness at the entrance of the cave I believe is directly related to the question. In fact, once Yahweh is finished with His visual and auditory demonstration, He asked Elijah the same question again (1 Kgs 19:9, 13)! Let’s state the obvious observation as a matter of record; the wind, the earthquake, the fire, and a still small voice (1 Kgs 19:11b-12) are sandwiched between the same question (1 Kgs 19:13b). This is key to understanding and interpreting properly what the LORD was communicating to Elijah through these dramatic displays.
1 Kgs 19:11 – “And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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;”
1Ki 19:12 – “and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”
Since the proper interpretation of all this is found in the question posed to Elijah, let’s read the next two verses and address the nature of the question then get back to the purpose of the breaking, shaking, burning, and a still small voice.
1Ki 19:13 – “So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”
1Ki 19:14 – “And he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.’”
The fact that the LORD asked the same question again strongly suggests that Elijah didn’t give the right answer. Even after the demonstration outside the cave, Elijah still gave the same answer, indicating he still didn’t understand the nature of the question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So let’s take a closer look at the question. It’s rather a straightforward question, but for some reason, Elijah is having a problem with it!
The correct answer to the question may not be as obvious at first with only a cursory reading and little reflection. But can we differentiate between what was asked and what was not asked to get to the right answer to the question? What are you doing here as opposed to why are you here? Are they not one and the same, or is there a more subtle inflection between the two? Again, whenever God is asking us a question, He is not soliciting or inquiring for information as to the mechanics of why, what, when, where, or how; because He is omniscient or all-knowing. Any form or line of questioning from the LORD is for our benefit of self-discovery and self-awareness. God already knows; He wants us to come to self-realization by the very nature of the question, and the LORD really knows how to get to the point because we all have a tendency to dillydally in explanations.
Let’s rearrange the question from God to Elijah another way from “What are you doing here Elijah?” to “You are here doing what, Elijah?” It comes across as “What are you accomplishing by being here, Elijah?” The focus is on the wrong locality, no production, no contribution, and no purpose. If he answered, “I’m running for my life,” then he crosses over into the various shades of rationale, and the sovereignty of God or His ability comes into question which may imply that God’s responsible. Compare Adam’s response to Yahweh’s question “Where are you? … “The woman whom You [emphasis mine] gave to be with me…” (Gn 3:9, 12)?
The truth of the matter is that Elijah was not accomplishing anything in Horeb, but under God’s guidance, he could be if he had remained in Jezreel even under the threat of hostility for making Jezebel a national mockery and belittling her Baal religion. She had the people riding the fence or siding with Baal; just where the devil wanted them. In a moment of weakness and spiritual irrationality, Elijah feared Jezy more than Yahweh. Ever feared someone or something more than God? We all have. God wasn’t bigger than the circumstances, and we folded and fled. Acknowledging and submitting to the Sovereignty of God under stressful situations always becomes an issue when we take our eyes off the LORD, and our brain tells our body to take it somewhere else post haste.
So why did Yahweh not say, “Why are you here, Elijah?” Because there was no legitimate reason for Elijah being there, particularly since Elijah was the prophet of Yahweh, the LORD God of hosts, no less! “What” focuses on the purpose of being there and why opens the door to a host of excuses. God wanted Elijah to realize the utter futility of where he was; nothing happens out there, and nothing is getting accomplished at all. Elijah gave a why answer to a what question; he answered why he was there not what he was doing there. This is suggested by Yahweh asking the same question for the second time but only getting the same answer. Elijah was so obsessed with the subjective content of his answer to Yahweh that the objective truth behind the question indicated that he never understood the nature of the question because he thought that his reasons or obsessions were legitimate. Everything was physically very still out there on Horeb after the breaking, shaking, and burning, but within the heart of Elijah it was very noisy, “I’m here because yada, yada, yada.” By being in the wrong location, we will accomplish nothing for God only occupying dead space and being clueless, numbed by the dumb.
Elijah only offered excuses much like Adam did, blaming it on someone or something else. What are you doing here, Elijah? He is not doing anything or can do anything, but isn’t that the point? He was in a place where he didn’t belong because he took his sights off God, and disobedience ensued. Whenever we are in a place where we don’t belong we are there like Elijah, we aren’t doing or accomplishing anything for the LORD either; we are serving no purpose. From our vantage point, it cuts against the grain of Mt 5:14-16 or Eph 2:10)?
You know what might have been a truthful and respectable answer to the question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He could have answered the interrogative in a word, “Nothing,” meaning that “I am out here in the middle of nowhere accomplishing absolutely nothing for you or for anyone; I am not where I need to be.”
It seems like such a simple truth that you can put it out there one time, and people grasp immediately how profound it is and take it to heart, but sadly, such is not the case. The Bible is replete with characters that did just that very thing taking their eyes off the LORD and finding themselves in a place they didn’t belong. What quickly comes to mind, for instance, is David who decided to stay in Jerusalem when kings go forth to war. He already had taken his eyes off the LORD, and Bathsheba comes into his field of view. How about David’s son, Solomon (1 Kgs 11:4)?
There are plenty of illustrations in Scripture on why it is so vital that we keep our eyes on the Shepherd of our souls and not on the things of the world, and I am not talking about being so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good either. Common sense 101: keeping our eye on the ball and keeping it rolling (Col 1:9; 3:2)! It’s like we have these outbreaks of stupid occurring in our lives, and we’re clueless. If that isn’t bad enough, then we go through the rationalization process of justifying our acts of stupidity being clueless about the real reason or simply in denial. Thank God that there is final relief in glory. The sin nature can never be domesticated here on earth, no matter the buffeting, only eradicated in glory.
Finally, we find Elijah in a cave in Horeb who had just spent the night there, and the LORD came to him in the morning and said,
“What are you doing here, Elijah” (1 Kgs 19:9).
As this series progressed, I have been hinting at what the LORD meant when He asked Elijah that question in the cave in Horeb. You may not agree with my interpretation and that is okay, but I think what is about to be said is compelling, as well as more fitting with the context. Elijah replies,
“I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (1 Kgs 19:10).
Note that Yahweh does not respond to any of Elijah’s reasons. Instead, He told Elijah,
“Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD” (1 Kgs 19:11a).
Elijah had no idea what Yahweh was up to. What he was about to witness at the entrance of the cave I believe is directly related to the question. In fact, once Yahweh is finished with His visual and auditory demonstration, He asked Elijah the same question again (1 Kgs 19:9, 13)! Let’s state the obvious observation as a matter of record; the wind, the earthquake, the fire, and a still small voice (1 Kgs 19:11b-12) are sandwiched between the same question (1 Kgs 19:13b). This is key to understanding and interpreting properly what the LORD was communicating to Elijah through these dramatic displays.
1 Kgs 19:11 – “And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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;”
1Ki 19:12 – “and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”
Since the proper interpretation of all this is found in the question posed to Elijah, let’s read the next two verses and address the nature of the question then get back to the purpose of the breaking, shaking, burning, and a still small voice.
1Ki 19:13 – “So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”
1Ki 19:14 – “And he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.’”
The fact that the LORD asked the same question again strongly suggests that Elijah didn’t give the right answer. Even after the demonstration outside the cave, Elijah still gave the same answer, indicating he still didn’t understand the nature of the question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So let’s take a closer look at the question. It’s rather a straightforward question, but for some reason, Elijah is having a problem with it!
The correct answer to the question may not be as obvious at first with only a cursory reading and little reflection. But can we differentiate between what was asked and what was not asked to get to the right answer to the question? What are you doing here as opposed to why are you here? Are they not one and the same, or is there a more subtle inflection between the two? Again, whenever God is asking us a question, He is not soliciting or inquiring for information as to the mechanics of why, what, when, where, or how; because He is omniscient or all-knowing. Any form or line of questioning from the LORD is for our benefit of self-discovery and self-awareness. God already knows; He wants us to come to self-realization by the very nature of the question, and the LORD really knows how to get to the point because we all have a tendency to dillydally in explanations.
Let’s rearrange the question from God to Elijah another way from “What are you doing here Elijah?” to “You are here doing what, Elijah?” It comes across as “What are you accomplishing by being here, Elijah?” The focus is on the wrong locality, no production, no contribution, and no purpose. If he answered, “I’m running for my life,” then he crosses over into the various shades of rationale, and the sovereignty of God or His ability comes into question which may imply that God’s responsible. Compare Adam’s response to Yahweh’s question “Where are you? … “The woman whom You [emphasis mine] gave to be with me…” (Gn 3:9, 12)?
The truth of the matter is that Elijah was not accomplishing anything in Horeb, but under God’s guidance, he could be if he had remained in Jezreel even under the threat of hostility for making Jezebel a national mockery and belittling her Baal religion. She had the people riding the fence or siding with Baal; just where the devil wanted them. In a moment of weakness and spiritual irrationality, Elijah feared Jezy more than Yahweh. Ever feared someone or something more than God? We all have. God wasn’t bigger than the circumstances, and we folded and fled. Acknowledging and submitting to the Sovereignty of God under stressful situations always becomes an issue when we take our eyes off the LORD, and our brain tells our body to take it somewhere else post haste.
So why did Yahweh not say, “Why are you here, Elijah?” Because there was no legitimate reason for Elijah being there, particularly since Elijah was the prophet of Yahweh, the LORD God of hosts, no less! “What” focuses on the purpose of being there and why opens the door to a host of excuses. God wanted Elijah to realize the utter futility of where he was; nothing happens out there, and nothing is getting accomplished at all. Elijah gave a why answer to a what question; he answered why he was there not what he was doing there. This is suggested by Yahweh asking the same question for the second time but only getting the same answer. Elijah was so obsessed with the subjective content of his answer to Yahweh that the objective truth behind the question indicated that he never understood the nature of the question because he thought that his reasons or obsessions were legitimate. Everything was physically very still out there on Horeb after the breaking, shaking, and burning, but within the heart of Elijah it was very noisy, “I’m here because yada, yada, yada.” By being in the wrong location, we will accomplish nothing for God only occupying dead space and being clueless, numbed by the dumb.
Elijah only offered excuses much like Adam did, blaming it on someone or something else. What are you doing here, Elijah? He is not doing anything or can do anything, but isn’t that the point? He was in a place where he didn’t belong because he took his sights off God, and disobedience ensued. Whenever we are in a place where we don’t belong we are there like Elijah, we aren’t doing or accomplishing anything for the LORD either; we are serving no purpose. From our vantage point, it cuts against the grain of Mt 5:14-16 or Eph 2:10)?
You know what might have been a truthful and respectable answer to the question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He could have answered the interrogative in a word, “Nothing,” meaning that “I am out here in the middle of nowhere accomplishing absolutely nothing for you or for anyone; I am not where I need to be.”
When we take our eyes off
the LORD, we accomplish that very thing: absolutely nothing for God or for anybody.
Had Elijah said that; he would have answered the question, at least in my mind,
correctly. And what was the breaking, shaking, burning, and a still small
voice all about? Well, we know it was related to the right answer to the
question but that will be in Part 8. <><
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| To Part 8 |
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