April 24, 2020

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?” 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.” Then the LORD said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.  

I Kings 19:13-18 NKJV

Sometimes God answers our prayers far more wonderfully then we could have imagined. I confess that often I do not know what I need to pray for, but the Lord Jesus Christ helps me to pray and intercedes for me and for all who believe in His name. When Elijah went to the Lord he requested that his life be taken. He spoke of his zeal for the Lord’s glory, the elimination of the Lord’s prophets, and the wickedness of the king and queen of Israel.

Elijah was casting his cares on the Lord and laying his burdens at the feet of Him who carries us and our burdens. Some have said that Elijah’s prayer was too severe and that the Lord was showing His patience and grace in His response so as to teach Elijah something he did not yet understand. While we can agree the grace and mercy of the Lord was certainly on display (simply consider His gracious preservation of 7,000 faithful believers and His merciful removal of a wicked royal line), we do not need to think poorly of Elijah’s prayer. The Lord did not rebuke or correct him but rather seemed to confirm, acknowledge, and approve of Elijah’s zeal through His answers to Elijah’s speech. The Lord reminds us that He is jealous for His own name and glory and will not despise those who are likewise properly jealous for Him. After demonstrating His power and glory, the Lord directly answered Elijah.

First, the Lord told of the means He would use to judge Israel and Judah for their sin. Elijah was told to anoint Hazael king over Syria to judge the populations of Israel and Judah. In the days of Elisha the prophet, Hazael brought much harm to Israel and Judah as the instrument of God’s judgment on the land.*

Second, the Lord told of the destruction of wicked Ahab, Jezebel, and the royal line of Israel. Elijah was called to anoint Jehu king of Israel in Ahab’s place, and the Lord promised to use Jehu to bring judgment on the house of Ahab.

Third, the Lord addressed Elijah’s desire to depart from this world. In essence, the Lord told Elijah that his entrance into glory was being prepared by having Elijah call another prophet who would rise up in Elijah’s place. With this promise came Scripture’s first mention of the prophet who would have a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha.**

Fourth, the Lord corrects Elijah’s concerns about being the last Christian in Israel. As always, the Lord had His remnant of worshipers who would not bow to foolish idols. In Noah’s day, there were but eight souls. In Israel the number was nearly 1,000 times higher.

God will not be left without His remnant even in the worst of conditions. He is saving a people for Himself from every tribe, language, nation, and tongue. The wicked may try to wipe out Christ from their country, burn the Scriptures, and persecute His church,  but God’s people will remain as they did in Israel, even if in small numbers.

Dear Christian, do not hesitate to cast your burdens and cares upon the Lord. He who carries us from the womb to our old age will surely bear our burdens and will deliver us from them all. Go to your God with humility, boldness, and confidence, as children to a Father, for He is able and ready to help.

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*You can read of Hazael’s conquest of Israel and Judah primarily in II Kings 12.

**I believe we can agree with Matthew Henry and commentators Keil and Delitzsch that the reference to Elisha killing those escaping from Jehu’s sword refers not to physical killing but killing with the sword of the Word of the Lord. While we might think of the incident with the children and the bears in II Kings 2, it was God who sent the bears at the word of Elisha and not Elisha’s hand that killed the children. Furthermore, in Jeremiah 1:10 and 18:7, the Word of the Lord from the prophet’s mouth would be used to tear down and destroy kingdoms. Hence we should take this word figuratively, even if at times God does use His prophets for the physical killing of God’s enemies (i.e., Elijah orders the Israelites to kill the 450 prophets of Baal).

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