1 Reis 19

1 Reis 19

Ironside - 1 Kings 19:4, 10 It took real courage—the courage borne of the conviction that he was God’s own messenger—for this sturdy Tishbite to rebuke so powerful and wicked a ruler as Ahab. It took even more courage to declare beforehand what nature saw no evidence of, but which faith counted on God to perform (1 Kings 18:41). Yet we see this bold man tremble before the wrath of a proud, haughty, vixen-like Jezebel (1 Kings 19:2–3), whose threatening words so disturbed him that he preferred death to further conflict (1 Kings 19:4). In this we may see how he was a man of like passions with ourselves: not some wonderful, mysterious, superhuman being, but a very human person who God had taken up in grace and commissioned for a great work. His greatest weakness was in connection with his outstanding testimony: he was inclined to think of himself as Jehovah’s sole representative on earth. When he said, “I alone am left (1 Kings 19:14), God rebuked him by telling of seven thousand hidden ones in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal (chapter 19:18). We need to learn the same lesson. However faithful or devoted we may imagine ourselves to be, God has many more than ourselves who are true to His Word and faithful in their stand against apostasy. Not that there be less to bear, Not that there be more to share; But for braver heart for bearing, But for freer heart for sharing— Here I pray. Not that joy and peace enfold me, Not that wealth and pleasure hold me; But that I may dry a tear, Speak a word of strength and cheer On the way. Billy Graham - Overcoming Discouragement 1 Kings 19:4NIV - Hope for Each Day We all experience discouragement, and sometimes it can be almost overwhelming. Look at Elijah. He had been one of God’s most faithful servants, never wavering in the face of disaster or King Ahab’s threats. Then God used Elijah to confront the pagan prophets of Baal and demonstrate to all the nation that God alone was worthy of their worship. But only days later, discouragement and depression almost overwhelmed him. Fearing Queen Jezebel’s rage and convinced the people’s hearts were unchanged, Elijah fled to the desert and concluded he was a failure: “I have had enough, LORD.” How did God answer? First, He provided rest and food: Elijah had neglected to take care of himself, and it affected his emotions. Second, God showed Elijah His glory, reminding him of the greatness of the God he served. Finally, God assured him that He still had work for him to do. When discouragement comes and you wonder if you can go on, remember Elijah—and be encouraged. David Jeremiah - DELIVERANCE FROM DESPAIR Your Daily Journey with God: 365 Daily Devotions - Page 206 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance. Psalm 42:5 Many new Christians are surprised to discover that some of the greatest saints in history suffered from moments of despair, even depression. The prophet Jeremiah cursed the day of his own birth (Jeremiah 20:14), and the prophet Elijah pleaded with the Lord to take his life (1 Kings 19:4). And no one could fault Job for his lament that he had ever been born (Job 3). The single most encompassing statement in Scripture about despondency is found three times in the book of Psalms (42:5, 11; 43:5). In the first half of the statement, the psalmist acknowledges that his soul is “cast down” and “disquieted” within him. Being honest about one’s condition is an important first step. But the psalmist doesn’t stop there. He immediately tells himself, “Hope in God.” He looks to the future and says, “I shall yet praise Him for [His] help.” Identifying the problem is good, but moving to God’s solution —hope —is better. If you are downcast today, admit it to yourself and God. And then confess your hope in Him and praise Him for his help. The Christian’s chief occupational hazards are depression and discouragement. JOHN R. W. STOTT The Battle Within - N D Hillis “Every person will have to bear … his own … load of oppressive faults.” (Galatians 6:5—Amplified) One of the toughest battles you will continually face in life is with yourself: • Your self-incrimination from an overactive conscience. • Your fear of rejection … failure … the future. • Your inner spiritual turmoil over reappearing sin. Someone has jokingly said, “If life is a bowl of cherries, why am I always in the pits?” Well, at times, life is the pits!… For ALL of us: • Paul spoke of being perplexed … wretched … (despairing) even of life.”15 • Jonah and Elijah harbored a death wish; Moses approached burnout. (Jonah 4:8; 1 Kings 19:4; Exodus 18:13–20) So … What is the answer to bearing my “own load of oppressive faults”? Escape to the Fiji Islands or South America? Hardly, since you still have to face yourself. Perhaps the simplest answer is JESUS: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest … for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28, 29) He is the solution to every heartache, every dilemma, every unsolvable problem, every disappointment … the deepest loneliness. Have you ever crawled up on His lap … buried your head in His shoulder and wept? Poured out your soul to Him? It is doubtful that all the psychology and self-help books in the world can give you the peace and release that true intimacy with the Lord Jesus affords. It is to us He says, “How often I wanted to gather (you) together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling …” And when our inclination is to turn to everyone but Him He says, “your house is being left to you desolate.”16 Charles Swindoll - WHEN THE DARKNESS HITS Read 1 Kings 19:1–9 Great Days with the Great Lives: Daily Insight from Great ... - Page 181 Why did Elijah fear Jezebel’s intimidating threats? Why did he run away from his longstanding priority of serving God and hide in fear under the shadow of that solitary tree, deep in the wilderness? First, Elijah was not thinking realistically or clearly. He was so shortsighted that he failed to consider the source of this threat. Think about it. The threat hadn’t come from God; it had come from an unbelieving, carnal human being who lived her godless life light-years from God. If Elijah had been thinking clearly and realistically, he would have realized this. Second, Elijah separated himself from strengthening relationships. Third, Elijah was caught in the backwash of a great victory. Our most vulnerable moments usually come after a great victory, especially if that victory is a mountaintop experience with God. That’s when we need to set up a defense against the enemy. Fourth, Elijah was physically exhausted and emotionally spent. For years Elijah had lived on the edge. He was a wanted, hunted man, considered by the king to be Public Enemy Number One. There is little doubt that Elijah had come to the end of his rope physically and, for sure, emotionally—all of which couldn’t help but weaken him spiritually. I don’t know if Elijah was disgusted, but I can tell you he was exhausted. You can hear it in his weary words: “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4). Fifth, Elijah got lost in self-pity. Self-pity is a pathetic emotion. It will lie to you. Exaggerate. Drive you to tears. It will cultivate a victim mentality in your head. And in the worst-case scenario, it can bring you to the point of wishing to die, which is exactly where Elijah was. We open the door for that pathetic liar, self-pity, when we establish an unrealistic standard and then can’t live up to it. Self-pity mauls its way inside our minds like a beast and claws us to shreds. Watch for God’s faint beginnings! He…sat down under a juniper tree. (1 Kings 19:4) Springs in the Valley - Page 30 This is Elijah! One is startled, perplexed, disappointed. A while ago we saw him on Mount Carmel surrounded by the thronging thousands of Israel, undismayed by the bold audacity of the worshipers of Baal, and confidently appealing to God to vindicate His own honor, and confound Baalim. Here he is, the prey of deep depression, forgetful of the past, giving all up, wanting God to take away his life. God has not once failed him. Not to any extent at all has one single foe prevailed against him. He should not have lost heart, should not have fled, should not have asked God to take away his life; all this was wrong. He should have remembered how God had wonderfully stood by him in the past, and have firmly trusted Him still. Is not his privilege ours also? May not God’s people trust Him fully, firmly, and under all circumstances, and at all times? God is not “afar off,” neither has He forgotten to be gracious; and that which He has promised He will unfailingly remember, and do. Are we not always in His hands and under His care? Should we ever have a single fear? Why should we be cast down, or disquieted? J. T. W. Have faith in God, the sun will shine, Though dark the cloud may be today! HAVE FAITH IN GOD! The Man Who Feels Sorry for Himself (1 Kings 19:4). Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 19:1–18 Introduction Elijah comes upon the stage of Israel’s history with the shout of a prophet and disappears from it in a whirlwind. When Jesus came on the earth, people thought he was much like Elijah, so much so that some said that he was Elijah come back to earth again. The prophet Malachi had said, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Mal. 4:5–6). Jesus said that John and Baptist was that Elijah (Matt. 17:10–13). John the Baptist and Elijah had remarkable similarities: they wore the same kind of clothes, they were sons of the desert, they were called upon to preach messages of judgment, they displayed superb courage, they were hated by a woman, they were immortal in their faith, they stood with the Lord, and they suffered a temporary eclipse of faith. F. B. Meyer said, “It is noteworthy that the Bible saints often fail just where we should have expected them to stand.” Elijah showed human weakness when he was under the juniper tree. Sitting there under the juniper tree, he said, “It is enough.” He felt he was through. He was a man who felt sorry for himself. I. The man who feels sorry for himself must understand that God’s people will experience opposition from Satan and the world Ahab and Jezebel were Satan’s agents at work in Elijah’s day. Ahab had said that Elijah was the one who was troubling Israel (1 Kings 18:17). Ahab also called Elijah his enemy (21:20). Ahab adopted this viewpoint because he was unrighteous, while Elijah was righteous. The person who dares to stand for the right and live for the Lord can expect opposition from Satan and the world. Paul said, “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Elijah was feeling sorry for himself because he was now experiencing opposition. II. The man who feels sorry for himself must remember that the most powerful forces are not vocal Elijah stood at the entrance of a cave on Mount Horeb. The sky blackened. The wind tossed boulders down the mountainside and broke them in pieces. Elijah said, “This is God.” But God was not in the wind. Then an earthquake convulsed the land. Elijah said, “This is God.” But God was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire. Elijah said, “This is God.” But God was not in the fire. After the fire there was a small voice—the sound of gentle stillness; God spoke (1 Kings 19:8–18). The most powerful forces in the world are not always those that make the most noise. Often we confuse noise with influence, prominence with eminence, glaring light with sunshine. Too often we fail to distinguish between shadow and substance. God speaks to us when we feel sorry for ourselves. III. The man who feels sorry for himself puts himself at the center of the universe and God at the circumference When Elijah lay down under the juniper tree, he put himself at the center of the universe and God at the circumference. Jezebel got after him, and she became central in his thoughts. He started feeling sorry for himself. The moment God is not central, life becomes complex, filled with frustration and futility, and we feel sorry for ourselves. Have we put God at the circumference and humanity at the center of our universe today? Do many not believe that science is the ultimate source of knowledge? Do many not look to the government for their needs? Humanity has accomplished much, and many feel that ingenuity is sufficient for any and all situations. Do many not believe that the absence of faith is a sign of intellectual acumen? Well, we should know better. Our world has not turned out so well. The moment God is not central, life becomes confused and we feel sorry for ourselves. IV. The man who feels sorry for himself underestimates the power of God Elijah became too sure of himself and too unsure of God. 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 19:10). God answered Elijah by saying, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (v. 18). Because our plans fail is no reason to conclude that all other people have failed or that God is dead and his cause defeated. When our purposes turn sour, God’s cause is not doomed. When we feel sorry for ourselves, God does not become weak, and his work does not stop. God is not indifferent. He always cares, and he is always at work. Conclusion Look to the Lord in the hour of discouragement. Look to the Lord in the hour of defeat. Look to the Lord, and he will show you the way. He will speak to you and lead you out of your despondency.