Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, Arise and eat. Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.
So he arose and ate and drank, and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. And there he went into a cave and spent the night in that place. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? So he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts.
For 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 he said, Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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. And after the earthquake, a fire.
But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, a still small voice. 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, Mahola, you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill. Whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. Yet I have reserved 7,000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.
So he departed from there and found Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back again, for what have I done to you?
So Elisha turned back from him and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen's equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and became his servant.
Introduction and Passage Overview
Well, the three broad strokes in this particular passage are found in verses 1 to 8. We see the flight from Jezebel. In verses 9 to 18, we see the revelation at Horeb. And then in verses 19 to 21, we see the call of Elisha.
And when we saw the flight from Jezebel, we noticed the particular occasion. It was the aftermath of the contest at Carmel. God the Lord consumed with fire the bull that Elijah had offered up, and then God sent rain to correct the problem of the drought. But nevertheless, we see that Jezebel continues to reject and resist.
She remains the power behind the throne. We will see that as we move through in the exposition of 1 Kings. So Elijah has every reason to believe that at least on the surface, the things that he had seen in terms of the contest at Carmel and the end of the drought had not worked in terms of producing national repentance. They had indeed responded properly when God came with fire to that particular bull.
But as we move on, it seems the case that their status quo in Israel. In fact, at Naboth's vineyard, it's very simple, very easy for Jezebel and Ahab to turn the hearts of men to rule in their particular favor. What Elijah, no doubt, is concerned with is that the continual trajectory of Israel is on a collision course with Baal-worship. And so, Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, essentially saying that, I'm going to kill you.
Now, note in verse 3, it says, when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life. Now, I think that this is a proper translation. I think those versions that say, and he was scared or he was afraid and then he ran, probably don't get it right. It's he saw that, he arose and ran for his life.
Now, we explain the difference between verses 3 and 4. On the one hand, he's running for his life in verse 3, and on the other hand in verse 4, he's asking God to take his life. I think the idea is that he doesn't want to die at the hands of Jezebel. He doesn't want to die at the hands of this wretch because it might validate Baal worship, it might indicate that she was victorious over God's true prophet.
The verse 4 situation is in fact his discouragement, it's his despondency. He is distressed, he is depressed because of what he has seen around him. And he utters this prayer that the Lord might take him. Take my life, for I am no better than my father's." Now God deals with him very graciously, very kindly and mercifully in verses 5 to 7.
He provides for him, just like he did through the ravens at the brook Kereth and then through the widow at Zarephath. The Lord has shown his mercy and his kindness and his sustenance to Elijah all along the way. So God doesn't answer the prayer with reference to taking his life, but as we move through the chapter, we don't see that Elijah is driven by self-pity or by, you know, some sort of a thing that is contrary to the purposes of God, but what he does here is absolutely consistent with the purposes of God, and Elijah is functioning here consistent with his own character. So as we look at the revelation at Horeb, there are two things we ought to consider.
First, the reason for his going to Horeb, and then secondly, the revelation at Horeb.
The Revelation at Horeb
Now, the reason for his going to Horeb is typically explained like this, and just two sample quotes here. Matthew Poole. And Matthew Poole is a fantastic, wonderful commentator. You should have Matthew Poole.
I'm sure you can find him online. But here on verse 9, in terms of Elijah at Horeb, Matthew Poole is somewhat symptomatic of commentators. He says that, verse 9, in the question asked by God, what are you doing here, Elijah, is a tacit reproof. And then he says, this is not thy proper place, nor the station in which I set you, which was in Israel, to turn that backsliding people, to which end I gave you my help and would have proceeded to assist you further if you had continued there.
Nor did I give you those excellent gifts to lie idle in this wilderness, but to employ them for the people's good, whom you have deserted and have come hither, not by my command, but through your own fear and cowardice. So that's pretty typical of the way that commentators treat Elijah here at Horeb. In other words, Horeb is another name for Sinai. Elijah needs to depart from there and go back to the children of Israel to preach and teach to them.
A more modern says it a little bit more harshly or severely. He says, what a contrast. Elijah the hero on Carmel, victorious over Baalism. Elijah the coward of unbelief at Horeb, self-occupied, utterly discouraged, wishing to die, praying against rather than for God's people.
Yeah, and that's pretty common of the way that people treat Elijah the prophet here at Horeb. Now, the context indicates something absolutely different than what this symptomatic treatment indicates.
Journey to Horeb: Divine Prompting
In the first place, we saw last week, but I'll rehearse these things again, the journey to Horeb comes at the prompting of God. Notice in verse 7, The angel of the Lord came back the second time, touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." That cannot mean going back to Jezreel, because Elijah had already made that journey. He was familiar with it. He was acquainted with it.
He wouldn't need special food. I'm not saying this was special food in the sense that it was you know, different than other food, but it was empowered by, or rather, God used it to empower the prophet so that he could make this 40-day and 40-night trek to Horeb specifically. So he goes there, it's 200 miles south of Beersheba. He wouldn't need the supernatural sustaining with the food of verse 7 if he was merely returning to Jezreel.
He goes to Horeb with divine authorization. This is the prompting of God. So in verse 8 it says, he arose, he ate and drank, and he went in the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. Now that 40 days and 40 nights ought to suggest a parallel or a connection, first with Israel wandering in the wilderness, and then with Moses who spent 40 days and 40 nights on Horeb, on the mountain of God.
What happens when Moses goes on Horeb, or Sinai, on the mountain of God? This is the place where covenant business is transacted. This is the place where God meets with Moses to discuss the nation, well, to command with reference to the nation of Israel, and Moses mediates these things to the people of Israel, Another time, Moses goes back to the mountain of God because the children of Israel had sinned, and Moses goes to that covenant to transact business and to ask specifically for mercy, grace, and forgiveness. So the journey to Horeb comes at the prompting of God.
God's Questions: Invitation and Lawsuit
Now notice, secondly, the questions posed by God. And I think this causes some persons to stumble. The question of verse 9 is repeated in verse 13. What are you doing here, Elijah?
And then again in verse 13. What are you doing here, Elijah? And again, most commentators take this as an indictment or as Matthew Poole says, a tacit reproof. In other words, God is saying to Elijah, what are you doing here?
You're not supposed to be here. Get back to the field of battle. But perhaps this is God the Lord in His mercy and kindness, specifically in verse 9, condescending to and demonstrating His kindness toward Elijah. What are you doing here in terms of unburden your heart before the living and true God?
In other words, he's a man that is discouraged, he is a man that is depressed, he is a man that is despondent, and God provides for him by way of food and rest, and now God provides for him by way of enabling him to unburden his heart. Isn't this the blessed promise of Psalm 55 and quoted by Peter in 1 Peter chapter 5? We get to cast our burdens upon the Lord because He cares for us. Verse 9 is an invitation to Elijah the prophet to voice his concern concerning the nation of Israel.
When we get to verse 13, this is more of the formal situation where God is essentially asking the prophet to state his case. So on the one hand, unburden yourself, Elijah, and on the other hand, same sort of a question, but now in the context of a covenant ceremony where Elijah is functioning as the prosecuting attorney. And so when God asks him in the first place and he unburdens his heart in verse 10, it is to indicate the covenant unfaithfulness of the nation of Israel. When God asks him in verse 13, in terms of an official courtroom proceeding, he unburdens his heart in the same sort of a way.
In other words, we ought to conclude with reference to his despondency, his depression, his discouragement, it's not self-pity. It's not because he sees himself as a big zero or as a big failure. The concern of the prophet Elijah is well stated and we ought to listen to him specifically in verses 10 to 14. These interpretations that see him as selfish or engaged in self-pity or what were some of the untoward things that this other man said, self-occupied, utterly discouraged, he was discouraged but not utterly.
He's not at the point where he is going to give up, but rather he is upset about the condition of Israel. I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel, have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life. That's not the utterances of a man self-occupied.
When he says, I alone am left, he is not disregarding that there were other prophets, any more than he did in 1 Kings 18. When he says that he was the only prophet, he doesn't mean that those hundred that Obadiah hid were chopped liver. He means that those men were hiding in caves and he was on Mount Carmel directly confronting these false prophets of Baal. And the same sort of thing is here.
He hasn't forgotten these hundred prophets. He's not forgotten Obadiah, but he is speaking in terms of the one man, the one voice from God that is actually trying to confront the Baalism in Israel. And so what we have in terms of these questions, the first is a means by which God invites the prophet to unburden his heart. The second was the formal occasion of the subsequent lawsuit.
Elijah's Answers: Covenant Faithfulness
Thirdly, the answers given by Elijah show the reason why he was despondent. Verses 10 and 14. Not because he's just a sad sack of bad feelings, but rather because the name of God has been denounced. It has been rejected.
Baal has been worshipped.
The Moses Connection at Horeb
Fourthly, as I've already intimated, there is a Moses connection. You are to see Elijah in a posture similar to what we have in Moses. You see that even with reference to verse 8. 40 days, 40 nights, as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. This is Sinai.
This is where covenant business is in fact dealt with. Davis says, it sounds like Elijah is charging Israel with apostasy rather than crying over a failed ministry. See, most of the commentators take it that way. He's crying over a failed ministry.
That is to utterly disregard verses 10 and 14 in response to God's question. Davis goes on to say, indeed, I think verses 13 and 14 constitute a formal lawsuit against Israel. After the covenant Lord comes, he puts the formal question to the prosecutor in verse 13, who then levels the formal charges against the accused in verse 14. Elijah's mission at Horeb was to bring a covenant lawsuit or covenant accusation against Israel for breach of the covenant.
Now this is something that is paradigmatic or programmatic or a pattern for later prophets. When you read through the writing prophets in the Old Testament, you will see these lawsuits. You will see the prophet come to sue the people of Israel for their failure to believe and failure to repent. This is a common theme or motif among the prophets of Israel.
In fact, Paul the Apostle takes up this particular charge in the book of Romans. That's how he is functioning there in Romans chapters 1 to 3, when he is suing or holding forth the reality that all men are liable, guilty under God Most High. They come in the name of God to tell the people their transgression and to bring this lawsuit to bear upon them. That's what Elijah's doing at Horeb.
He's not trying to find himself. He's not wallowing in self-pity. He is not obsessed with himself, but rather he's presenting to the Lord first by way of unburdening his heart, and then when the formal question is given, he gives the formal declaration concerning his situation. The answers given by Elijah reveal that this was a covenant lawsuit on Covenant Mountain.
In fact, in Romans 11, 2, Paul says, or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah how he pleads with God against Israel saying. That's the language of the courtroom. He pleads with God against Israel saying. Now in the context in Romans chapter 11, the Apostle Paul is dealing with the unbelief of Israel.
And the Apostle Paul is showing there's nothing new under the sun. Elijah faced the same sort of issues. And he pleaded with God concerning the nation. And then the most secure way or the best way that we know that we are on the right track in terms of this interpretation is God's answer in verses 15 to 18.
God answers him very specifically. In other words, he doesn't say, Elijah, I'm tired of hearing you bellyache. I'm tired of hearing your self-obsession. I'm tired of hearing your pity party.
I just want you to go back to the nation and preach to them. That's not what God does. God answers him very specifically concerning the particular issues at stake. In other words, God says, I'm going to deal with the nation.
I'm going to bring judgment, verses 15 to 17, but there's also going to be mercy, verse 18. So that is his reason for being at Horeb. It's not that he's out of place. It's not that he is running from God.
He runs to God to meet Him at the mountain of God to sue the nation of Israel for having turned away from God when they saw this glorious display at Carmel and they felt the rain from on high. That's the situation confronting Elijah the prophet.
The Manner of God's Revelation
Now note the revelation in verses 9 to 18. The manner of it. I'm sorry, verse 11. It says, then he said, go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by, and a great...
Well, before we get to there, same sort of thing with Moses, isn't it? Isn't that what God does with Moses? Moses wants to see God's glory, and so God puts him in the cleft of the rock, and he passes by him, and he reveals himself to Moses in that very instance. Some suggest the particular cave that he's standing in is that cleft of the rock where Moses was hid by the Lord God Most High.
But this is the issue. He says, and behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a still small voice." So this strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire is probably a reference to the former manifestation on Mount Carmel. In other words, God had displayed himself in this sort of a way and the people rejected it.
The people forsook it. The people were not won by it or affected by it. So essentially what God is saying to the prophet is that from this time forth, we're going to proceed by way of a still small voice. In other words, the Word of God, the Word of Prophecy, vis-Ã -vis specifically what we have in verses 15 to 17.
God's not going to work through this mighty wind. He's not going to work through this earthquake. He's not going to work through this fire. He's going to work through the still, small, prophetic voice.
In other words, He is going to raise up external forces via Hazael in Syria to bring judgment to bear upon Israel. He is going to raise up Jehu, which is going to be internal turmoil for the nation of Israel that is going to bring judgment upon these people. And then there'll be the prophetic ministry of Elisha the prophet that is going to bring judgment upon the people. So it's not going to be with this strong wind, it's not going to be with this earthquake, it's not going to be with this fire, but never conclude it won't be.
You see, that's what we often fall prey to. It's the glorious manifestation of God that wins the day. The glorious manifestation of God in chapter 18 did not win the day. I think what God is teaching us throughout this particular section is that we're not always to be looking for the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, but we're always to be listening to that still small voice.
We're always to be listening to the prophetic word. It is the word of God that demands our allegiance, that demands our careful attention. And it's not the case that wind, earthquake, and fire is going to automatically solve the problems of the day. I think there's a great lesson for us in this, because it's miracles, it's signs, it's wonders.
If the pagans will only see that, then they'll flock unto Jesus. Well, the pagans in Jesus' day didn't flock unto Him. He upbraids the cities in Galilee and says that Tyre and Sidon and Sodom and Gomorrah are going to fare better on the day of judgment than for those cities in Galilee that saw his mighty deeds, but they didn't repent. You see, brethren, our job is not to woo people or wow people or to dazzle people. with the wind, with the earthquake and the fire.
We're to bear faithful witness to the still small voice of God Almighty. That's what's imperative and that's what God is telling the prophet. Up to this point, Elijah, you have seen some amazing and wonderful and glorious things. But God says, I'm going to work and operate in a way that isn't going to be razzle-dazzle.
It's going to be through historical means, specifically through these three men that are mentioned in verses 15 to 17. John Gill says concerning these three first emblems, which may represent the power of God, the terribleness of His majesty, and the fury of His wrath, which He could display, if He would, to the destruction of His enemies. But rather, the point is the still small voice. God's Word alone is powerful to right the wrongs in the nation and to set things straight, specifically the historical means that He's going to reveal in verses 15 to 18.
Davis says, might this suggest that God will not be giving many dramatic, overt proofs of His reality as at Carmel now that such revelation has been officially rejected? Instead, His presence and reality will primarily be seen in His ongoing work of judgment and grace, which through His voice and His word, He has disclosed to His prophet. The quietness of God's work does not mean He is not at work, but rather that the kingdom of God has gone into its mustard seed mode. You see, I think this is a very valuable and a very important lesson.
Perhaps not for us, because we're Reformed and we're supposed to love the Word, but for the Charismatics and the Pentecostals and the Sensationalists that oftentimes populate the churches of Jesus Christ. They want the wind. They want the earthquake. They want the fire.
They're always seeking these signs. They're always seeking something else. They're always looking for this heightened experience. It has more affinity with what Baal offers than with what God promises.
Not to say that God can't send fire down and consume Elijah's bull. He most certainly can. This God just sent rain to end a three and a half year drought. This God is absolutely positively sovereign.
But it's not the case that these manifestations of power and glory make man believers. It is the still small voice of God's holy word working in and through history that brings about his particular purpose. We are to value and prize and delight in the word of the living God. That's what Elijah is being taught here at Horeb, and I don't think Elijah I don't think God's saying, okay, Elijah, here's the thing, you're just a foolish...
No, I think it's reiterating, it is assuring, it is stabilizing, it is bringing blessing to his servant, Elijah the prophet.
The Formal Covenant Lawsuit
Now notice, the formal complaint is made in verses 13 and 14. Elijah responds properly, doesn't he, to this theophany. A theophany is a manifestation of God. And so God manifests Himself to Elijah in 11 and 12.
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? I mentioned A.W. Pink last week and his quote with reference to Elijah wasn't so good there, but it's certainly good here.
The wrapping of his face in his mantle betokened two things, his reverence for the divine majesty and a sense of his own unworthiness." You see, that's the way men of God respond to an appearance of God. They don't say, hey, how you doing, buddy? How's it going, big fella? That's not how persons respond. when they're confronted with the divine majesty in Holy Scripture.
There is humility, there is abasement, there is a falling down, there is a confession, woe is me for I am undone. There is John on the island of Patmos falling down as a dead man. That's the righteous response when a man is confronted with the glory and majesty of God. And we see it here very specifically.
He wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave God then formally levels or formally asks, what are you doing here, Elijah? And he repeats his complaint. Again, it's in the formal context of a covenant lawsuit, and then it comes to God's response in verses 15 to 18.
God's Response: Judgment and Mercy
In the first place, God would demonstrate judgment. There will be judgment. Notice in verse 15, 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 Mahola, you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill. Whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. This is the divine response to this covenant lawsuit.
This is God affirming the prophet's complaint, agreeing with the prophet's complaint, and indicating that he's going to deal with the prophet's complaint via this judgment through these historical means. Now, each of these three fellows are going to make their appearances here in 1 and 2 Kings. just made up to appease Elijah at Horeb, but this is programmatic for how the narrative is going to flow out. I mean, the chapter doesn't end without the call of Elisha. Davis again says, according to verses 15 to 17, Elijah was to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha.
Elijah actually anointed none of them. He threw his mantle upon Elisha. Elisha's deputy anointed Jehu, 2 Kings 9, and Elisha predicted, apparently apart from actual anointing, Hazael's rise to kingship. Now, some would say that Elijah was less than obedient.
Oh, he didn't really anoint them. But Davis says, I think H.L. Ellison is nearer the mark. For Elijah to anoint those who were to carry on his work, whether he did it personally or by proxy, is rather to stress with what authority they would act when they brought judgment and destruction on Israel.
The idea isn't that he would actually take the oil and anoint each of these several men. The idea is that God's word through the prophet has come. That God's word through this prophet would be normative with reference to the outflow of history in terms of God's judgment through these three particulars. For Elijah to anoint those who were to carry on this work, whether he did it personally or by proxy, it is rather to stress with what authority they would act when they brought judgment and destruction on Israel.
So that's what's happening here. And then the three men indicated would indeed be the divine response to Elijah's complaint. Hatza'el, external. It's going to be Syria that comes to deal with Israel.
Jehu is internal. He's a son of Jehoshaphat that becomes a king in the northern tribes. And what does he do with Baalism? He is no friend of Baalism whatsoever.
In fact, some of the most exciting narrative in all of the Bible are the Jehu narratives. I mean, he is just a... a warrior in terms of eradicating Baal worship from the face of the earth. And then, of course, the prophetic ministry of Elisha. So that's the judgment of God that's coming in response to this formal complaint concerning the covenant breach of Israel.
But notice verse 18. You can mention this on Sunday past. God always has a nevertheless, or a yet, or there's a but God, or there's some sort of indicator that it's not all gloom and doom and judgment and mayhem. And we see that even here.
The nation of Israel is in a desperate condition. We've seen it in chapter 16. Their kings are terrible. Ahab's on the throne.
He's terrible. Behind him is Jezebel. She's probably even more terrible. And she basically calls the shots and makes him dance as she sings.
You'll see that with reference to Naboth's vineyard in chapter 21. But it's just a mess. And we might expect that verses 15 to 17 would indicate the utter decimation of the entire northern kingdom. And they all deserve to die because they're all engaged in wickedness and profligacy and rebellion against Yahweh.
But notice in verse 18, yet I have reserved 7,000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him. Now, Davis suggests that this ought to be rendered as a future instead of a present or a past. yet I will reserve 7,000 in Israel." And that seems to fit the context, because in verses 15 to 17, the judgment is sort of looking forward. What's going to happen with Hazael? What's going to happen with Jehu?
What's going to happen with Elijah? But in the midst of that judgment, in the midst of that covenant prosecution, nevertheless God says, I have reserved 7,000, or I will reserve 7,000, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him." So the Lord God promises that even in the execution of His justice and in His judgment, there will be a remnant. And that's the beautiful thing of Old Covenant religion. No matter how bad it got, there was nevertheless a remnant.
There were the faithful people of God in the midst of even very very uh... wicked days and ages and this is one of those seasons or one of those periods and highlights God's graciousness and his mercy and his kindness with reference to his dealings with people. I have reserved or yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him. It's a beautiful description of God's faithfulness and goodness. So that's Elijah at Horeb, the revelation at Horeb.
The Call of Elisha
Let's look quickly at the call of Elisha in verses 19 to 21. So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelve. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. Now, Paul Howe says this was a symbolic way of transferring the prophetic power from one man to the next.
It was a sign, a symbol, an emblem that what is going on here is this transfer of authority in terms of the prophetic ministry. This doesn't mean Elijah is done and over with. He's still going to continue for a bit, but it means that God has called Elisha as the successor to Elijah. Now, Elijah knew this was happening, didn't he?
Because God just told him in verses 15 to 17. What about Elisha? I don't want to psychologize the passage, but we ought to appreciate the calling of God can be quite unexpected, can't it? I mean, there was nothing in Elisha's mind and heart on that day than to plow these fields.
The last thing he thought was that Elijah the Tishbite was gonna wander by and throw his prophetic mantle on him and employ him into service. The call of God is unexpected. You see that in Matthew's gospel when Matthew rehearses his own call to the apostolic ministry. You see that in Matthew chapter nine.
Matthew's sitting there at the tax office collecting and counting his loot and Jesus comes along and says, follow me. What does he do? He follows Him. You see, it may come unexpectedly, but when it comes, we need to follow.
We don't need to continue to count our loot or continue to work those oxen. We need to follow the Lord. We need to go wherever the Lamb bids us to go. That is a principle that is underscored throughout Holy Scripture.
But in this instance, it was an unexpected call for Elisha. But notice as well with reference to the call of Elisha specifically. And when I say the end of, I don't mean it like he would have never seen this again or never had this. It just means sort of the end of a particular era or the end of a particular time in Elisha's life.
End of Natural Relations
In the first place, it was the end of natural relations. The end of natural relations. Notice what he says in verse 20. Please let me kiss my father and my mother and then I will follow you.
He's got these natural relations with father and mother. He wants to kiss them goodbye and now follow Elisha. Again, I don't know whether he ever saw his father and mother again. I don't think that's the point.
The point is that he's making a break with the past as he's embracing God's future, present and future. He is ending, ceasing, and desisting those things that defined Him and characterized Him prior to this particular point. And again, it's a unique call and redemptive history to a particular prophetic ministry under the tutelage of Elijah the prophet. So, it's not normative in the sense that, hey, this is going to happen to you and I, but I think the principles do hold fast.
The idea is that when we come to the Lord Jesus Christ, there ought to be that kissing of father and mother and following the Lamb of God.
End of Familiarity
Secondly, it is the end of familiarity. The end of familiarity. I stole this right from Dale Ralph Davis because I thought it was so good. The end of familiarity.
Don't we like familiarity? I mean, most of us. There's some people that like to live by the seat of their pants. They like to show up at the airport and try to get a ticket then.
I mean, that kind of mindset just, I don't get it. You know, if I haven't got my ticket and all that figured out, you know, months in advance and I confirm it and look at, you know, I just can't function. Familiarity, stability, getting up, brushing your teeth, having coffee, whatever your routine is, that routine is good. And life is a pretty unroutined thing in and of itself.
So if we can carve out a niche in our life and have some routine like, oh, say, get up early, hitch up the oxen, go out and plow the fields, come home, have supper, kiss your mom and dad, go to bed. There's a familiarity there that's quite enjoyable. It's gone for Elisha. I mean, you're hitching your cart to the Elijah pony.
You never know what's going to happen, right? I mean, this tishbite, you never know what can happen when you're with this particular fellow. So it's the end of familiarity.
End of Financial Security
But thirdly, it's the end of financial security. Now, note the text specifically. He was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the 12th. Now, this may indicate that this was a sizable farm.
This may indicate that this was a lucrative farm. This may indicate that there was indeed security for this man, Elisha. C.H. Spurgeon was once asked, if you want to get rich, don't join the Baptist ministry.
And I would suggest it was probably the case in the prophetic ministry in the days of Elijah and Elisha. So when Elisha hitches his cart to that pony Elijah, it doesn't mean there's going to be health, wealth, prosperity, and loads of benefit. I'm certain, you know, if he hadn't heard, he's going to hear. Yeah, and I used to live by this brook, and ravens would bring me my daily food.
And then when the brook dried up, I went to Zarephath, way up in Phoenicia, and there a widow who was about to drop dead, her and her son. But they kept feeding me with this oil and this flower that wouldn't dissipate. So there was no surety, no security, nothing in Elisha's future at this point. But he goes.
The 12 yoke of oxen indicates that it was a sizable and no doubt profitable farm. And then notice what he does in verse 21. Elisha turned back from him, took a yoke of oxen, slaughtered them, and boiled their flesh using the oxen's equipment. This means the apparatus to yoke them and to attach them to the cart and probably the cart itself.
That probably wasn't because there was an absence of wood. I mean, they'd come out of drought conditions to be sure, but I don't think there was no wood in Israel. We don't ever read of that. But it was probably a symbol that signified his breach with the past.
He's not going back to oxen. He's not going back to farming. He's not going back to his former way. That security, that familiarity, those natural relations, are no longer the thing that defines Elisha the prophet.
He is going to follow Elijah and to be utilized for the glory of God. John Gill summarizes it this way. He left his worldly employment, the riches he was heir to, his parents, his friends, and followed the prophet. So that's a very wonderful display of fidelity to the living God.
Again, some significant differences in terms of the redemptive historical significance of it and our conversion to Christ, but that's the way it ought to look. We ought to be willing to make a breach with the past. We ought to have a decisive break with the past. Now, don't bring this over into the New Testament and say, well, those wretched disciples kept their boats and kept their fishing gear.
You can't interpret scripture that way. You can't take it and impose it on that. Different scenario, different situation. But even then, the same sorts of principles hold true.
End of Self
And then notice, finally, in terms of this call of Elisha, it is the end of himself. The end of himself, the casting of the mantle onto him certainly shows the transfer of the prophetic ministry, but note the very last statement. Then he arose and followed Elijah and became his servant. This is what I mean, the end of himself.
This wasn't for notoriety. This wasn't for prestige. In fact, look at, excuse me, 2 Kings 3.11. 2 Kings 3.11. I had to repent this afternoon for anybody who's ever heard my tea story and the situation faced me at a conference not too long ago, holding someone's cup of tea.
I had to repent because Elisha would have held that cup of tea. If you don't get the reference, I apologize. I'm not going to include you at this particular time, but there's a couple of you who do get it. So, look at what Elisha does.
Verse 11, Jehoshaphat said, is there no prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of the Lord by him? So one of the servants, the king of Israel, answered and said, Elisha, the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. You see, it's an end of himself. He doesn't pursue this because of what it affords in terms of his prestige.
He doesn't try to up-stage Elijah. He doesn't say, I'm new blood, I'm fresh blood, I'm the face of the future. He doesn't do that. He's happy to pour water on the hands of Elijah.
He's happy to be a servant to Elijah. So on the one hand, it kills this idolatry where we pursue prestige and we'll step on people in order to try and achieve it. But on the other hand, it should kill discouragement. I mean, brethren, if this is God's calling that you pour water on the hands of Elijah the prophet, then embrace it and praise God for the opportunity and the privilege to do such things.
It's a blessed thing to serve where God has you. You don't get the vibe, you don't get the jist that Elisha's grumbling, whining, and complaining because his official function up to this point is pouring water on the holy hands of Elijah. He just does it. We need to plant where we are or bloom where we are planted.
We need to grow where God has us and not always be chasing something that is out there, something that is bigger and better and brighter. Just be faithful where we're at and do what the Lord God has called us to do.
Application and Conclusion
So, in conclusion, I think in this passage, far from seeing the faithlessness of Elijah, we see the faithfulness of Elijah. Instead of seeing his self-centeredness, we see his God-centeredness punctuated by verses 10 and 14, and those things that really makes him grieve is when the name of the Lord God is brought down. When the name of the Lord God is not esteemed, it's not praised, when the children of Israel forsake his covenant, tear down his altars, and kill his prophets. That's what bugs Elijah.
As well, in this passage, I think we see the glory of God. We're just trying to quickly summarize here. First, his kindness in response to Elijah's prayer in verse 4. Elijah is despondent.
Elijah is sad. Elijah is having a negative, nelly day in verse 4. But how does God respond? He feeds him, He gives him rest, and then He gives him another mission.
Go to Horeb and there lay out your case before me. As well, we see the revelation, or God's revelation, of the manner of His revelation. It's not always going to be through this wind, earthquake, and fire. It may be the still, small voice.
Believers who are constantly looking for mighty demonstrations of God's presence through wind, earthquake, and fire may unwittingly overlook the most obvious demonstration of God's presence, namely the Scriptures. Shame on us if we're chasing wind and chasing earthquake and chasing fire to the neglect of the Bible. Shame on us if we're more caught up in some alleged signs and wonders than a thus saith the Lord. Shame on us if we're seeking out a new word from God if we can't give a basic description or a basic gist of what the prophet Amos says.
I mean, it's always amazed me that the persons who have this ongoing revelation from God are typically persons who haven't read the whole Bible. And my question is, why would God speak to you if you haven't read Amos? Why would God tell you new things if you haven't read Obadiah? Why would God tell you new things if you haven't read, you know, say any of the other minor prophets?
Why? Why would God do that? Why would he say, oh, OK, I'm going to come and give you a special word, even though I know you're too lazy to have ever read First Kings? Why would he do that?
It's craziness. Brethren, the church today in many of its sectors or many of its expressions are busy looking for wind, earthquake, and fire to the neglect of the written word of God. Let us be those who value the still, small voice. and then as well his promise, or rather his response to Elijah's lawsuit. The promise of judgment to those who violate his covenant, and then the grace and mercy of God in verse 18.
Yet, I have reserved 7,000 in Israel. Ralph Davis says, with reference to verse 18, yet I have reserved. He says, it is the Old Testament equivalent of Jesus, I will build my church. Isn't it?
It's the same thing. I will build my church. The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Davis says grace will have a remnant.
The God of grace insists on it. Yahweh, so the text teaches, will always have a people, even an Israelite people, to worship Him upon the earth. He has decided that He will have a true people, and He will have them and keep them, and there is nothing any Jezebel can do about it. It is the infectious assurance, the defiant certainty, the holy dogmatism of this text that keeps some of us on our feet.
I think that's very encouraging, and I think that's a very encouraging place to end our study in 1 Kings 19 tonight. Well, let me close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we have seen many things here at Horeb, and God certainly, the manifestation of your glory and the revelation of who you are and what you will do to the prophet Elijah is most excellent. God, give us grace to be more than content with the word of truth that you've given us, Genesis to Revelation, as unspeaks of your majesty and your glory and your excellence and your goodness and your kindness toward your creatures. Help us to treasure that word and help us to search out these things and help us to feed upon the promises of God. We would ask as well that you would grant us grace to see something of the call of Elisha, to see something in our own lives that is similar Help us to be willing to renounce all things for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Give us that kind of discipleship, that kind that Jesus describes in Matthew 16, where we deny ourselves, where we take up our cross, where we follow after Him who is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. Grant us grace to do these things, we pray, and go with us now, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.