I Kings Chapter 19 "Elijah's
Flight [1-14]." This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription is provided with written permission by http://www.theseason.org All of the prophets that were slain at the altar of Baal were Jezebel's selected priests, and now they were lying dead on mount Carmel. We now see why she kept the other four hundred and fifty from attending the challenge that Elijah made to Ahab. The grove worshipping priest presided over the sexual fertility rites, and those religious forms that were at the center of Jezebel's heart, were spared. I Kings 19:1 "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword." So with the loss of life of those four hundred prophets of Baal, would Jezebel's heart be touched? I Kings 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 [the Baal priest] by to morrow about this time." We see at this point who really rules the throne in the house of Israel. Ahab ran to his wife and told her what happened up on mount Carmel, and the order to kill Elijah came from the mouth of his Zidonian [Kenite] wife of Ahab. Ahab sat back and did nothing. Jezebel is making the statement to Elijah; "Let the gods kill her, just like they did the Baal priests, or even more so, if I do not take your life by this time tomorrow." She is swearing this oath by her gods that she is going to have the head of Elijah within twenty four hours. Elijah's great faith had no affect on Jezebel at all. Jezebel like many people even today, had no faith, nor did she believe fact before her eyes. I Kings 19:3 "And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there." When Elijah received that threat from Jezebel, he got up and ran for his life. Elijah left the land of Israel all together, and went to the southern most part of the nation of Judah. "Beer-sheba" being interpreted means "the well of sevens". In Elijah's mind he thought that he was going to die, and he left his servant there in Beer-sheba and ran for his safety. I Kings 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." This verse shows that Elijah was just as common as you or I. This prophet had such great faith that was displayed on mount Carmel, and now he was sitting here under a Juniper tree completely in a state of despair, and asking God that he might die. So where was Elijah's faith at this moment, after making this rapid journey out of Israel, and scared away by the message of Jezebel? When he saw how God had worked in his life, and realized the next day how Jezebel was taking the death of her four hundred Baal priests, Elijah knew that he would be killed also. Even in this state of mind, God had his hand on Elijah, and a mission for him. There had been great men that had lead the house of Israel down through the years, and many miracles had come through their hands. Think of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, and all the great miracles of Moses. Think of Joshua and the battle of Jericho, when the walls came tumbling down. Many miracles were done, and after those miracles had happen, those Israelites witnessing those miracles also were filled with doubts. So now after God had preformed such a great miracle through Elijah up on mount Carmel, the people as well as Jezebel had already turned their backs on that work by God. Here in just days after the miracle at the altar the people were going back to their idolatry. So Elijah is saying, I'm no better than they were. I followed your plan right to the letter, and said the words that you would have me say, yet it wasn't any more effective for me, than it was for our fathers. This is the way that man can be. You can be a great servant for God, yet if you are not mentally on your toes, you can fall in the same state of mind. God likes to test those that He gives a great gift to. Stop looking around for directions, but keep focused on the throne of God, and His Word, or you will end up just like Elijah here, ready to throw in the towel and quit. However, God will not allow Elijah to quit, for He is not finished with Elijah yet. At a weak moment Elijah allowed himself to fall back into the flesh and fear Jezebel, the very one that he had no fear of before this moment of weakness. I Kings 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." " This is the third feeding of Elijah by God. The first was the feeding of the ravens by the brook Cherith, the second he was fed by the widow woman, and now the third time by an angel of God. It should be obvious by now that God takes care of His own. I Kings 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." Elijah rose and drank the cruse, or small bottle of water, and ate the cake, and lay back down again to sleep. I Kings 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." " Elijah is a days journey deep into the desert, alone and under the shade of this juniper tree. Though Elijah thinks that it is all over, The Angel of the Lord is letting it be known that Elijah is about to be off on another mission for the Father. If you are going to be doing the work, than God expects you to take care of the matters concerning your health and well being. Elijah is about to take a journey through the same desert that the children of Israel did their wandering in, and he will end up in at the same location that Moses was given the law on mount Horeb, also called Mount Sinai. This Angel is strengthening Elijah for the hard march that Elijah is about to start. God knew and provided exactly what it would take to finish the journey. I Kings 19:8 "And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God." Remember what happened at mount Horeb? Remember that Horeb and Sinai are one and the same. When Moses was forty years old, he fled to the desert of Horeb [Sinai] out of Egypt, then years later this is the same desert that Moses led the children of Israel through for those forty years. Now Elijah is making his forty day and forty night journey over the same path. It was the same mount that was adjacent to Moses' father in law's house. However it also is the same mount that Moses went up on, and God gave him the commandments. The distance that Elijah would travel from mount Beer-Sheba is about 180 miles. This trip should have taken far less than forty days, however, Elijah is doing a lot of mediating and considering during this time. This is a type of what is going on in this end generation, and it was also forty days and forty nights that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness Himself by Satan. The number forty in biblical numerics stands for probation, and God is placing Elijah on probation. God will also place you and I on probation, when He gives us a gifts and the duty to complete a task that he has set before us. It isn't time to loose patience when it seems like things are just not going well, and when you are giving all the effort that you have. However, God will test you to see if you are up to the challenge, before He sends you out on your next task for Him. That is the time though that we should keep our focus, and prepare for what every that task should be. You should know from the start that God will give us the victory before we even start on that mission. I Kings 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?" " Apply this personally to yourself, just like it was applied to Elijah. After the journey has ended, and you have arrived at the point that God lead you to, the question is; "Now what are you going to do, while you are here?" What do you believe and what are you going to do with what you know? When God's Spirit places the knowledge in your mind and gives you the gifts you have, what are you going to do with that knowledge? It was on this same mountain some six hundred years earlier that Moses was in the cleft or cave of the mount, that God spoke to Moses. Exodus 33:22 "And It shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock [a cave], and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by:" Exodus 33:23 "And I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen." " This may have even been the same cave on mount Horeb that God is going to reveal himself to Elijah. God spoke to Moses, and now He is going to speak to Elijah and give him instructions also. This is the Elijah that shall even appear in our generation, at the time of the end, to turn the hearts of the children back to their fathers and the fathers back to the children. We know that there are two fathers, for one is Satan the false christ that shall come first, and the Second father is our Lord Jesus Christ that shall come to earth and the close of this earth age. I Kings 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." Elijah is in complete despair as he laid down and cried his eyes out before the Lord God. It won't take long though for Elijah's strength and courage to return, and prepare him for the mission that God has for him. The reason that it is important that you and I pay attention to what is happening to Elijah here, is that we should guard against it happening to us, as we prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually. Don't grow discouraged when it appears that all things around you are stacked up against you. There will be a time for probation in all our lives, and when it happens, that is the time to prove your worth before the Lord. Serving God is not a religion in our lives, but it is a reality, for you are going to see it through because God has promised you that He would see you through. You have the book of Revelation and in detail it is stated over and over that God's people, His elect will win, so don't be a doubter. The weaker you are, the stronger you become. The less you rely on yourself, the more you put your faith and trust in the Father. God makes us stronger, and in God's strength there is no task that we cannot handle. I Kings 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:" This lets us know that the Lord can allow the mountain to shake, and He can allow the wind to shake the mountain and cause the rocks to break in pieces. There is a wind or spiritual shaking that is in this world that God has allowed to be here, yet those shaking and happening are not of God. God is not in those evil happenings. Those things happen for no apparent reason, but God is going to allow it to happen anyway. But if vil events are to happen, God is going to warn his people before it does happen. God let Elijah to stand on the mountain and witness as the mount shook all around him, large rocks smashed and the heavy winds flowing. As it all happened, Elijah was safe standing there on top of the mount. There are events that are going to happen that are recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 and the book of Revelation, as well as throughout the Scriptures, to our generation just as it is stated here. We shall see those events, and when we do, the prophet Elijah shall also return to our generation. Malachi 4:5, 6 tells us so. Those seven signs of winds, earthquakes, the shaking of mountains or nations, the one world system and so on are all signs of the end times that Jesus gave to us, and we had better wake up to those events as they come to pass. They are the same signs that are given in the book of Revelation as the seven trumpets of the latter days. These things are going to happen and you can count on it. They are the warning signs to alert us that it is time for the appearing of the two father, and you had better be ready for both, with your spiritual eyes wide open. Satan comes at the sixth trumpet to deceive the world, then after he does his wonders and workings on this earth, the three woes of the seventh trumpet start, and the end is here in a matter of minutes. God even gives us at three and one half day warning that the entire world will see, that will mark the end of this earth age. Do you see how serious this all is? I Kings 19:12 "And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." After all these events happen, there will be a gentle breeze. After all these events and things happen, we will see our Lord and Savior. We will hear the comfort of our Father through His Spirit, but we know that these things will happen first. Satan will have his time on earth to deceive the world, while the earthquakes are shaking, and the winds are blowing, and the mountains are blowing their tops, what we should be listening for is the instructions of the still small voice of our Father. Wake up and prepare yourself to recognize the signs of our times as they come to pass before our eyes, both physical and spiritually. I Kings 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:" " After these things happened in Elijah's day, he listened and heard that still small voice of the Lord. As Elijah stood at the entrance of that cave, God ask him; "What are you doing here, Elijah?" God is asking him if he is finally catching on to what God is asking of him. I Kings 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." This excuse is the same thing that Elijah said before while sitting under that Juniper tree off in the wilderness. That is the way that it appeared to Elijah, as he was feeling sorry for himself. Elijah spoke the truth as it came from his mind. Elijah cared about God's children, and when God's children were suffering, so was Elijah. I Kings 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:" God now gave Elijah a mission, for he is to head back through the wilderness that he just came through, and go directly to Damascus of Syria. I Kings 19:16 "And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room." God has just given Elijah his next mission and there is one thing for sure, and that is that God will not allow Elijah to die. We will see later that God will send the whirly wind or the round object to pick Elijah up and take him away. So we see in this verse that God is establishing a replacement for Elijah. God is telling Elijah that you are going to go to Abel-meholah, and you are going to anoint Elisha to be your replacement. We will see that Elijah did not do the anointing of these three men in the order stated here. In the long run, it was Elisha that ended up anointing Hazael, but that is okay for the task was done. That work of Elijah is continuing all the way to today. I Kings 19:17 "And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth for the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay." I Kings 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." " "Seven thousand" is an complete number in biblical numerics, and Paul speaks of this in Romans 11:4; Romans 11:2 "God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew. Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias [Elijah]. how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying," Romans 11:3 "Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, and digged down Thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life." Romans 11:4 "But what saith the answer of God unto him? "I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." After Jezebel came down hard on Elijah, he thought that he was the only one that was left that would make a stand on the side of the Lord. However God let it be known that He has His army out there of men and women, boys and girls that are ready to make a stand for the Lord. They will not bow a knee, or give in to the Antichrist or his system. Romans 11:5 "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." Just like God told Elijah that He had seven thousand of His election set aside that would not turn against God, today there are God's seven thousand, what ever that complete number is, for it may be in the millions around the world, and each one that makes that stand are of the remnant and according to the election of grace. They know absolutely who Satan is and Who the True Christ is, and they cannot be deceived. So we see that this eighteenth verse is also prophecy, for there will also be the seven thousand that will stand against the Antichrist, along with many kings and queens of the Ethnos, in which they all will serve the same duties and purpose and same calling. Not one of them will bow and be deceived by the false Christ when he appears right here on earth. Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." That appearing of Satan, the great dragon, or what ever you call him by the roles he played, will be at the sixth trumpet, The one that sounds just five months prior to the seventh trump and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those of the Elect are the "sealed of God", which means that they have God's Word which is the knowledge of the events sealed away in their mind, so that they simply cannot be deceived into worshipping Satan or any part of His system. Revelation 9:4 "And it was commanded them [Satan and his fallen angels] that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads [minds]." Satan's one world system will be great environmentalists. They will be out to save the trees, the fish, the birds and every other thing that you can imagine, for those things will be all part of Satan's earthly kingdom. That system is here and now, and the sealing in your mind had better be taking place also, for Antichrist has not yet arrived. Once Satan arrives, that is the time that you will either sealed in your mind, or you are not, for immediately at his appearance, those that are not of the elect and seal in their mind are instantly going to be drawn to Satan, the false Christ, and for five months they will serve Satan and his system. Revelations 9:5 "And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." Two things happen when a scorpion strikes a man, the first is that he is rendered helpless to defend himself, his mental capacity is shut down, and secondly all the digestive processes of the scorpion takes place not in the scorpion, but in the man himself. God is going to allow those that have not prepared themselves for the time of the end, to be deceived and complete taken over by Satan the Antichrist the moment that he arrives in person on earth. However those that have the world of God in their minds, and know and expect these events to happen can identify each as they take place, and they will not bow to Baal, to Antichrist or any other heathen form of religious practice. They are God's election, the "seven thousand" that God has set aside. That number "seven thousand" merely means that it will be complete, it will include all those that are of God's election, and that number may number into the millions. I Kings 19:19 "So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him." "Shaphat" means "to judge". It is short for the word "Jehoshaphat"; which is to say "God is our Judah". Elijah is using twelve pairs of oxen to do his plowing when he was called. To have a prophet place his mantle upon you, was a call to that person to go into the ministry. Elijah was calling Elisha to be a prophet of God. This was the mission that God gave to Elijah while he stood outside that cave high up on mount Horeb [mount Sinai]. Elisha was selected by God to be a prophet for Him, and Elijah is performing the act that God assigned him to do. Elisha was the man God selected to replace Elijah, for God had other duties for Elijah. It is obvious that Elisha was a very wealthy man in that he had twelve yoke of oxen to tend to his fields. Elisha and his family followed God's ways, and God blessed them for their faithfulness. God knew that Elisha would be obedient to Him. Don't listen to those that would tell you that you have to be poor to serve God, after all that is why you pray for God's blessing and follow his ways in the first place. God enjoys blessing those that serve him, and those that don't, won't have the blessings. Elisha was a very worthy servant of God. I Kings 19:20 "And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee." And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?" " Elisha had been touched by God and he knew it. What is said here looses a little in the translation. What it is really saying is; "certainly you go back, this mantle I have placed upon you is not to overburden you, or is not something that you can not handle." God does not do anything that keeps a person from the option to have free will and give love to your family. It is important to note that this is how God operates; He expects you to take care of the personal matters at home as well as matters He has given you. I Kings 19:21 "And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him." When Elisha turned back from Elijah, he took two oxen and slew them. Elisha took the yoke and the wooden plow and build a fire with it, and cooked the meat and served it to his family in a feast. After the send off feast, Elijah arose and took off the mantle of Elijah and from this time on, Elisha would be Elijah's assistant or servant. With in this final act at home, when he took the tools of his trade and burned them, so that there could be no turning back, and set out on the service of the Lord. He left his earthly path, and took up his new spiritual occupation that would fill the rest of his life. There was no going back and no questions asked. Before Elisha's life has ended, he will have preformed twice the miracles that were done at the hand of Elijah. This shows us that many times those that are brought into the ministry by a man of God will have a far greater increase than that minister, or prophet. This increase is to the glory of God and not to any man, but it shows us that only God must have the glory and honor and praise, no matter what the increase. We are His servant, and all the praise of any servant always goes to the Master. Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." God created all souls, Elijah's and Elisha's, including yours and mine. What ever honor and praise that any of God's created souls have, goes directly to the Father, and His Son Jesus the Christ. Each of us were created for only one purpose, and that is to give pleasure to God, so let me ask you; what pleasure have we given him lately. Do we honor him in thanks for the blessings we receive? How about those times of testing that God gives to build up our character and strength, do we thank him for those things? Elisha will have his own ministry, and Elijah will be taken without dying, and God has picked out the man that will continue in Elijah's ministry, and it will be God that gets the praise for both men and their ministry. Who is the greatest? Of course it is God, He is the Master.
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