Elijah’s Challenge – Part 9, In His Palace of Pity
2004 : Week 39  |  Printer Friendly Version  

The past few weeks, we have seen Elijah broken and scared. We have seen him run into the patient arms of the Lord who understood what Elijah had gone through, and the gentle lovingkindness of the Lord gave Elijah a season to rest and heal. By leading Elijah to Horeb, perhaps the Lord was getting Elijah to focus back on Him and His words. There, in the solitude of Horeb, Elijah could learn again what was most important in life.

When Elijah arrived at Horeb we're told that he, 'came to a cave and lodged there.' (1 Kings 19:9, NASB) We're not told how long he lodged there, but we're told that at a certain point, "...the word of the Lord came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:9, NASB) Elijah responded:

	10 …"I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
	1 Kings 19:10 (NASB)

We saw, in an earlier devotion, that Elijah's response was only partly accurate, since he had not been left alone. Elijah had missed the obvious; God was still with him. As well, God advised Elijah that there were 7000 people in Israel who had not given in to Baal worship, but what strikes you as you read Elijah's response is the almost child like quality of it. The response is full of self-pity and anxiety. This is at least 40 days after he ran away from Jezebel, and the Lord has sustained him miraculously, yet Elijah doesn't see, or doesn't want to see, the power of God working in his life. He doesn't see that Jezebel cannot overcome the power of God.

God then gives Elijah an example of His power. There at Horeb, the great place with so much history of God's interaction with man, God interacts with man again: this time with Elijah. God tells Elijah to, "...Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord." (1 Kings 19:11, NASB) Then the Lord showed Elijah glimpses of His power,

	11 …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: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
	1 Kings 19:11-12 (NASB)

It’s almost as if the Lord is saying, "Elijah, snap out of your depression. Do you not see the One that can shatter mountains, cause earthquakes and controls fire is with you?" The Lord speaks to him as a father would to a scared child, in a soft voice to help to put him at ease. If a child were scared of lightning and thunder, a father wouldn't yell at him to calm him down. Instead, he would speak to the child in a soothing reassuring voice, to put him at ease.

Unfortunately, the display of the Lord's power and gentle reassurance has done nothing to snap Elijah out of his depressed state. After all this, the Lord asks Elijah again, "...What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:13, NASB) Rather then having his spirits uplifted and a renewed sense of the Lord's power in his life, Elijah's response is exactly the same, word for word, as the last time the lord asked him,

	14 …Then he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
	1 Kings 19:14 (NASB)

When we read a story like this, how can we not be amazed at the patience and grace of our Lord God?

Before we're too hard on Elijah, perhaps we need to look inward. How many times has the Lord had to exhibit a similar patience in our lives? We have all been the recipients of the same grace and patience the Lord showed Elijah. Look at our salvation for example. We did not deserve this, since we were utterly lost and depraved, yet the Lord still saved us. Further, we have all continued to be the recipients of the Lord's grace and patience after our salvation. We all have sins in our lives, and we all have things that we are trying to weed out of our mind set. Daily we try to walk closer to Him, and daily we try to live more like Jesus would have us, but the process of sanctification is a lifelong one. Even with all our imperfections, the Lord still loves those he has called.

Further, how many times have we been downcast like Elijah? How many pity parties have we thrown where we were the main guest? How many times has the Lord sent people to minister to us, and we ignored them and remained solemn? How many times has the Lord changed the circumstances for us, and we have remained in that state or sorrow? Logically, we knew our spiritual state was inappropriate, but it's almost as if logic no longer functioned in that state of pity. We see it in Elijah; the Lord, literally, shakes the mountains and causes an earthquake to get Elijah's attention, and Elijah still won't move from his palace of pity. "It's pathetic", we say to ourselves when we see it in others. Are we as critical when we see it in ourselves?

Next week we’ll see what comes next for Elijah in his down cast state.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always…



Printer Friendly Version

Archives  |  Tell Your Friends  |  Submit a Devotion