“And
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the
prophets with the sword. 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 by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for
his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth
to Judah,
and left his servant there. 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.”
1 Kings 19:1-4 KJV
To
put the above scripture into context, the land had been experiencing a severe
drought. Ahab sought out Elijah to stop
the drought. Elijah told Ahab to call
together all the prophets of Baal (especially those who ate at Queen Jezebel’s
able). He proved their god Baal, false
and the God of Israel the only true God by goading the prophets of Baal to set
up a sacrifice and call fire down from Baal upon the sacrifice. The prophets of Baal spent all day praying,
calling out and even defacing themselves to get Baal’s attention to no
avail. Then Elijah prepared his
sacrifice and even doused it with huge amounts of water which should have
prevented it catching fire. He called
upon the Lord and immediately fire came down and not only consumed the
sacrificial animal but the wood, the stones that made the altar, all the water
upon and around it, and even the dust (1 Kings 18). Once proven as false the prophets of Baal
were grabbed by the Israelites and Isaiah himself killed them all. Then Isaiah told Ahab to get ready for rain
and rain came.
You
might wonder why, after such a great victory, Isaiah would get
discouraged. Sure, Jezebel put a hit out
on him (to use modern terms) but was not his God greater than Jezebel? I love that Isaiah got discouraged, because
it shows us he was human and subject to the same feelings we are. This story also shows us how God deals with
our discouragement. Did he chide Isaiah
right away and tell him to get himself together? No. He
met Isaiah’s needs first. What was his
first need?
“And as he lay and slept under a
juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and
eat. 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. 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. 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.” 1 Kings 19:5-8 KJV
What
Isaiah went through on the day of slaying the prophets of Baal was physically
taxing. God knew he needed nourishment
and rest. God also knew Isaiah needed to
get off by himself uninterrupted by any distractions.
“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? 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.” 1 Kings 19:9-10 KJV
Isaiah
was hurting. He felt he was alone in the
world, that no one could understand what he went through and was going
through. God gave him the opportunity to
just get it out: all that frustration,
anger and hurt. Knowing that Isaiah had
not yet emptied himself of all that emotion distracting him God provided
another opportunity for Isaiah to release it, but this time God used physical
circumstances to gain his attention.
“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: And after the earthquake a
fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 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? 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.” 1 Kings
19:11-14 KJV
God
knew Isaiah needed to vocalize and get all his anger and frustrations out, but
in this opportunity He reminded Isaiah that physical circumstances did not
prove or disprove God’s Presence or work in Isaiah’s life. God was not in the wind, the earthquake or
the fire, but He was still there: “And, behold, the Lord passed by… a still
small voice…” This is what Isaiah
needed. God knew Isaiah would not be
able to truly hear His encouragement if his mind and emotions were still full
of all his distracting frustrations.
Have
you ever felt that way? Hopeless and
frustrated and when you finally spill it all out to the Lord a quietness
settles over your sour? It is when we
finally quiet our soul’s inner noise we can hear our Lord’s “still small voice”.
What
did God tell Isaiah to do when he could finally really listen to Him? Go! He
told Isaiah to go do the duties and service of a prophet, the very things God
originally called him to do. What did
Isaiah do? Go! He went and did as God had directed.
God
will not expect you to keep going when you are discouraged, but when you are in
a place of discouragement He wants to meet with you, meet your needs, encourage
you, and then release you to your fullest potential in Him.
Jean
E. Syswerda said it best,
“Follow the Lord’s prescription for
discouragement:
1)
Get enough
rest
2)
Eat healthy
foods on a regular basis
3)
Spend some
quiet time with yourself and the Lord
4)
Now go”
