1Ki 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
1Ki 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
1Ki 19:3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
1Ki 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
1Ki 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
Elijah was a great man of God but not a perfect man of God. It is a source of encouragement that God understands our weaknesses. The Bible says about Elijah:
Jas 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
Elijah was not a perfect man, but he was a godly man. The passage in 1 Kings 19 shows us Elijah’s feet of clay. Having had God give him victory over the false prophets of Baal and having seen God send bountiful rain after three years of severe drought, Elijah falls prey to the fear of man (well, it’s a woman—Jezebel).
Elijah runs away from Jezebel’s threat of murder and sits down under a juniper tree. There he wishes for himself to die. Under the juniper tree, he tells God about his worthlessness. There under that tree, he gives up on what God has for his life.
The angel of the LORD goes to where Elijah was and feeds him. After a while, the angel of the LORD tells him to get away from the tree.
1Ki 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
1Ki 19:6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
1Ki 19:7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
He was told to get away from this place and go elsewhere. Where did Elijah end up? He found a place where God’s still small voice was heard.
1Ki 19:9 And 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?
1Ki 19:10 And 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.
1Ki 19:11 And 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:
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.
1Ki 19:13 And 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?
1Ki 19:14 And 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.
1Ki 19:15 And 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:
1Ki 19:16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
1Ki 19:17 And 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.
1Ki 19:18 Yet 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.
When Elijah reached the place where he heard the still small voice of God, God reassured him that He was not done with Elijah, that the situation was not as bad as Elijah envisioned (there were still 7,000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal). God, moreover, revealed to Elijah what he was to do next (anoint your successor and anoint a king).
When we lose hope, get away from that juniper tree and go to the place where God’s still small voice is present. Stop feeling sorry for yourself as Elijah did. Stop telling yourself that there is no hope and no help. Get to God, and you will find that things are not as bad as you think. Get close to God’s Word (His voice) and listen. You will find there is so much hope in His voice.
Get away from those juniper trees!
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Tom Apusen, Assistant Pastor
Tom Apusen is an Assistant Pastor at North Valley Baptist Church. He is the pastor of the Filipino Department, and he heads up the missions, security, and transportation ministries.
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