1 Kings 19:9–18
9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke 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 the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Prayer: Almighty God, You are the refuge for Your people in times of trouble. Grant us to trust You with all our needs and to find our comfort in the words of Jesus. Amen.
What Are You Doing Here?
In Christ Jesus, who drives away our doubt, dear fellow redeemed!
Last week, we heard about Elijah’s impressive victory over the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. There was no question that the God of Israel was the true God. Only he could respond to prayer and accept the offered sacrifice—consuming it all, from the dust to the last drop of water, with fire from heaven. Immediately the false prophets were executed, and the drought was ended. As the great heavy rain started to come, we learn that Elijah raced ahead of King Ahab to Jezreel, where he evidently hoped the king would repent and initiate a spiritual reform throughout all of Israel after seeing the Lord’s decided victory.
But Elijah’s hopes and optimism for a spiritual renewal in Israel were soon dashed. Instead of Ahab repenting, he went to tell his wife, Jezebel, all that happened on Mount Carmel. When the wicked queen Jezebel heard that her prophets were killed, she sent this message to Elijah, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
When Elijah received this death warrant, he ran for his life. He collapsed in the desert and “prayed that he might die” (I Kings 19:4). Exhausted and in despair, the angel of the Lord, sustained him with food and drink, giving him the nourishment he needed to go on a forty-day journey to Mount Sinai (I Kings 19:8). When he arrived at Mount Sinai, he hid out in a cave, likely the same cave Moses had dwelt in over five hundred years earlier. It’s here, after his long and arduous journey, that the despondent prophet receives the Lord’s probing question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
I. The Lord Bearing with Our Weakness
Elijah was tired and ready to give up. It’s not hard for us to understand why. He had faithfully done everything God commanded. He had preached the word of the Lord, the harsh judgement against Ahab, and lived by a brook and then in Zarephath during the three and half years of drought. Finally, he had his climatic battle with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and won. He prayed for rain, and the clouds came. Of course, you would be hopeful that things would finally turn around for Israel—that the people would repent, abandon their false gods, and follow the true God of Israel. You would think that Ahab and Jezebel would see how powerless their “gods” were and turn to the true God. Instead, Elijah finds himself running for his life and wanting it to be over. He saw no fruits from his labors, only thorns in his side. So, when the Lord asks him what he is doing in a cave, Elijah says, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
Despite his great efforts, he saw no change in Israel. He thought he was the only believer left and as good as dead. Elijah was disheartened and discouraged. This can happen to God’s preachers and people alike. There can be trouble at work, at home, at church, or in other parts of our life—we can get frustrated, burned out, and want to run away. Especially, when we have tried everything we could—worked hard, prayed about it, and trusted that things would improve—but we don’t see any change. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s okay to get angry or want to give up. Those are sinful attitudes. And we know that as Christians, which can make our struggles even worse, because our conscience can become weighed down not only with our difficulties but with how we are responding to them—it’s a vicious cycle. This is what led Elijah to be sulking in cave at Mount Sinai!
Elijah was a sinner with his own weaknesses and doubts. Despite seeing great miracles and the awesome power of God, in his despair he seemed to forget about all God had done for him. When we act this way, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine God saying, “I think you’re overreacting.” We wouldn’t be surprised if God came in a thunderous voice proclaiming his Law and judgement. But he doesn’t do that. The Lord didn’t come in the strong wind which tore the mountains apart or the earthquake or the fire. Instead, he came to Elijah in a still small voice, a low whisper. This lesson should impress upon our hearts how patient and loving our God is, how he bears with us in our weakness, and seeks to lift us up out of our sorrows and failures.
What Elijah needed wasn’t to see the Lord’s awesome power. He needed consolation and reminding that he could put his trust in God. And that is exactly what the Lord gave. He came to him in a low whisper. When the Lord asked him a second time what he was doing here, the Lord provided the answer. Elijah had more work to do. His ministry wasn’t over. He had to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and pass the mantel on to Elisha. The Lord was in control, and he had a plan for him. Elijah’s life didn’t end when he wanted it to. The Lord would be with him. Elijah now knew what he was doing here. What’s more, Elijah wouldn’t even see death—he would be carried away by chariots of fire to the land of rest.
II. The Lord Demonstrates Loving Care
So, what about us? Maybe you’re thinking “Lord, it would be nice if you could give me an experience like Elijah. To see your power and to hear your voice—a low whisper.” Especially, when we are going through great times of trouble.
The voice that Elijah heard was no mysterious outside voice. It was the words of Jesus. The angel of the Lord who visited Elijah in the desert, fed him, and encouraged him, the Word of the Lord that came to Elijah, and the voice which spoke to him—was the Son of God, the pre-incarnate Christ, sent by God the Father to help Elijah.
It was this same Word and Voice of the Lord that became flesh and dwelt among us. God saw us in our need and had pity. This is the most important moment of all history which changed our lives eternally. The messenger who visited, touched, fed, and consoled Elijah, is the Lord of glory who descended from his throne to become brother in flesh and blood. Our Lord Jesus came to us in our need, healing the sick, raising the dead, comforting the weary, and forgiving sins. He came to live a righteous life in our place—when we’ve sinned or felt like giving up, Jesus lived perfectly and committed his whole life to saving us. He bore in his body all our sins and weaknesses, taking the punishment that we deserve, so that we could go free. Jesus rose triumphant on Easter morning, showing that his Word is true—he is our Savior from sin and death!
Even though we know God’s love and power, like Elijah, we sometimes forget it when life gets tough. It’s at those moments, that we long for the still small voice, the low whisper, that gave Elijah forgiveness, courage, and strength. But you don’t need to search for this voice. You don’t need to go to Mt. Sinai to hear it. You hear it in the words of Jesus—in the words of Scripture. He comes to us in our sin and weakness, our moments of despair and times of trouble, not to condemn us, but to forgive us and remind us that we are not alone. He reminds you about what he has done for you and what he promises to do for you.
As Elijah went to carry out the tasks the Lord laid before him, every trouble and worry still stared him in the face—Jezebel still had his death warrant out, Israel still flirted with idol worship, and things didn’t outwardly look great. But Elijah went forward to do the Lord’s work knowing that the Lord was with him and that he would be strengthened by the Lord to do it. And it made all the difference!
The Lord used Elijah’s troubles to teach him that he couldn’t do it alone. The Lord had to remind the prophet that though Elijah was weak, he was strong. And sometimes God does that with us. We see a lot of terrible troubles in this world. The persecution of Christians and sad tragedies in this fallen world. When we see these evils, when we are confronted by our own sins and weaknesses, then lean on him whose mercy is unfailing, whose love and forgiveness knows no bounds.
What are you doing here? Why do you come to church? You come to receive that which alone can cleanse your troubled conscience: the forgiveness of sins. You come to be encouraged through the preaching of the Word, to be reminded that God loves you and he is working through you and in you. You come to be fed the meal of immortality of his body and blood under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of all your sins. You come to receive the peace which this world cannot give. You come to worship with fellow believers and be reminded that you are not alone. God was with Elijah and he is also with us. He had preserved 7,000 who had not bowed down to Baal. He reminds us that though the church may appear small and though the world rage against it, its number is too great to count and “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
God’s people aren’t robots with no emotion. There are times in our lives that we may feel that God is far away from us and we have no hope. This is why we need to regularly hear the voice of Jesus, which drives away our doubts. What you and I need most, is what we already have. As the hymn verse puts so well (ELH 413):
O blessed voice of Jesus,
Which comes to hearts oppressed!
It tells of benediction,
Of pardon, grace, and peace,
Of joy that hath no ending,
Of love which cannot cease.
O cheering voice of Jesus,
Which comes to aid our strife!
The foe is stern and eager,
The fight is fierce and long;
But Thou hast made us mighty
And stronger than the strong.
Amen.