God Restores Elijah / The Heart Of The Problem

1 KINGS 19, GOD RESTORES ELIJAH

INTRODUCTION

Today we’re returning to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. 1 Kings 18 tells us about Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. In 1 Kings 19, we find that Elijah has become very depressed. He thinks he’s a failure, but God helps him back on his feet.

I gave a first talk on this subject two weeks ago; this is now the second and last talk on this subject.

SETTING THE SCENE

Let’s set the scene. Israel and Judah have split apart. Both nations fell away from God, but Israel fell away faster. At the time of Elijah, Ahab, the king of Israel, had married Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Tyre. She introduced Baal worship into Israel and brought with her 450 prophets of Baal. Baal wasn’t just one god; there were lots of Baals.

It seems that in Elijah’s time most of Israel had been drawn into Baal worship. Most, but not all. God told Elijah, ‘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.’ If just 7,000 people had remained faithful to God then the vast majority had fallen away.

But Elijah yearned to call the Israelites back to God.

Elijah’s first strategy was to pray that there would be no rain – for three and a half years! Baal was supposed to be the god of rain. If there was no rain for three and a half years, then he clearly wasn’t much use. But three and a half years without rain would not be funny. No rain would mean no crops and no food. There would be real hardship. God was not speaking in a mild way.

Elijah’s second strategy was to call the people to a showdown between God and Baal on Mount Carmel. At the end, God sends fire which consumes the sacrifice which Elijah had prepared. God had accepted sacrifices by sending fire in the time of Moses, of Gideon, and of Solomon, so maybe that was what gave Elijah the idea.

After God sent fire which consumed the sacrifice, ‘the people saw it … fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”’ Then Elijah said to them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.’ Then they killed them. This isn’t something we like to hear about. But Moses did much the same when Israel started to worship a golden calf.

Ahab got into his carriage and went down to Jezreel, and Elijah ran ahead of him. When Ahab arrived, he told Jezebel what had happened. When she heard the news that all her prophets were dead, she sent a message to Elijah to tell him: ‘So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.’ Elijah flees. At some point, he lies down under a broom tree and prays to God, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.’

That is the point we’ve reached. Elijah is so depressed that he even prayed to God to take away his life. But by the end of the chapter, Elijah is on his feet and back to work. What happened?

According to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. So, this passage is well worth our attention. But before we go further, I want to give a caveat. We are looking at one instance of depression. We should not assume that what happens here applies equally to all cases of depression. However, the principles that I think come out of the passage fit with what I have read about depression.

FIRST STEPS

When Elijah lay down under the broom tree he was depressed. But his depression was made worse by tiredness and hunger and fear of Jezebel. His run-in with the prophets of Baal must have been exhausting, and after that he’d had two long runs.

He sleeps. An angel appears to him and gives him some water and cake, and encourages him to eat. Then he sets off on a 40-day journey to Mount Horeb. The rest, the food and water, the encouragement to eat, the exercise, and time all help Elijah on the road to recovery.

We looked at this two weeks ago. If you feel like being an angel to someone who’s depressed, follow the example of the angel who came alongside Elijah. Give them cake and encourage them to eat and get out and walk. Encourage them to seek God’s presence.

GETTING THROUGH

Let’s imagine that you’re eighteen and you’ve just got your ‘A’ level results. They aren’t what you – or your parents – were hoping for. When your parents ask you what happened, you tell them it’s because of coronavirus and some mysterious algorithm. You disappear into your room. You feel you’ve failed personally and you’ve also failed your parents. You’re prickly and defensive and your parents really can’t get through to you.