Pretty much at the end of your tether?
Relax, you are not alone. If you are an Indian, you might have used Charminar to calm your soul at times like these, or if you are a News Week reading American, Marlboro might have been your preferred poison:
Either way, you are in great company. Look who is saying the following words:
“I have had enough, Lord, Take my life” 1 Kings 19:4
Elijah, that’s who!
Now if that name doesn’t ring a bell, you bunked Sunday School!
As prophets go, Elijah was pretty big. All of a sudden he makes an appearance in the book of 1 Kings 17 (verse 22) and fairly dominates the narrative until 2 Kings chapter 2 – most of 8 chapters.
During his reign as it were, he made some tough prayers and God gave a positive answer to every one of them; the prayer above being the sole exception.
He stopped the rain, moved about on wings of wind, was fed by ravens, arranged an endless supply of food for a poor widow, resurrected her little boy, challenged false prophets, brought fire from heaven, and slew 400 (or was it + 450) of them, predicted rain etc. etc.
He thought his life’s work was done. And he was ready to die as a hero or, better still a martyr! Fresh from throwing a gauntlet and winning a challenge over the prophets of Ba’al and finishing them off in the name of the Lord God of Israel, our man goes into a bit of a depression.
Yes, Elias indeed was a man subject to like passions as we are . James 5:17
And God doesn’t answer his prayer – positively. Obviously the prayer wasn’t according to the will of God. Looks like he wasn’t done with Elijah yet.
Now see what verse 3 of 1 Kings 19 has to say:
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.
Afraid of what?
Afraid of losing his life at the hands of a woman – Jezebel. The opening verses of the same chapter tell us about the threat:
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
What is curious here is, Elijah is tired of life and in fact wants to die – but apparently does not want Jezebel to have the pleasure of retribution. This, we surmise by reading the rest of the account in the same chapter:
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.
Here was a would be martyr!!
A guy who had accomplished great things for God. Now he felt all alone in standing up for Him and was feeling discouraged and desolate.
There was another character in the Bible with a similar death wish that came after the most effective evangelistic campaign of all time. We have dealt with his fantastic story (up to a point) in the Fourteenth Page.
What our friend here does not know -for all his prophetic wisdom – is that
he is not the cat’s whiskers!
Yes, he is not the only one on God’s side . Go down the narrative and get to verse 18:
18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19
Mind you, we are human and we are dealing with God.
His ways are far higher (Isaiah 55:9)
Yes, it was not His will to let Elijah die the death of an ordinary man.
There isn’t any tombstone to visit.
behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 2 Kings 2:11
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Brilliant piece Judah
Thanks, Daisy