1 Reis 19
J. Vernon McGee · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Reis 19
Vernon McGee - You must admit that this is quite a change for the man who stood on top of Mount Carmel and defied the prophets of Baal. Now he is hiding under a juniper tree way down at the other end of the land, hiding from a woman, Jezebel. Ahab had not made any effort to arrest him or destroy him, but Jezebel hated Elijah, and she was not going to let him live if she could help it....When Ahab went back and reported to Jezebel all that had happened, she sent a telegram to Elijah saying, "I want you to know that I intend to get you!" She is the most wicked woman in the Bible. Elijah got his eyes off the Lord and ran to an area that was beyond the farthest outpost of civilization. When he got to Beer-sheba, he just kept going. Finally he felt that he was out of her reach....I am sure that some very pious Christian would have given Elijah a fine little lecture on how to be cheerful and optimistic and smile in his situation. They would tell him that Romans 8:28 was still in the Bible. May I say to you, I don't think you could have gotten Elijah to smile while he was under that tree. (SEE Thru the Bible Vol. 13: History of Israel - 1 and 2 Kings) JUNIPER [ISBE] 1 Ki 19:4 f, margin "broom"; Ps 120:4, m "broom"; Job 30:4 translated "broom"): This is quite certainly the Arabic ratam (Retama retem, Natural Order, Leguminosae), a variety of broom which is one of the most characteristic shrubs of the deserts of Southern Palestine and southward to Egypt. Though the shade it affords is but scanty, in the absence of other shrubs it is frequently used by desert travelers as a refuge from the sun's scorching rays (compare 1 Ki 19:4). The root yields good charcoal, giving out much heat (Ps 120:4). For people to be reduced to chew it for nourishment betokens the lowest depth of starvation (Job 30:4). (E. W. G. Masterman) Spurgeon Study Bible - 1 Ki 19:4 “I have had enough! LORD, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers.” When we read the Scriptures in our youth, we are often astonished at the peculiar conditions in which we find even good people. It is difficult for us to understand why David could be in such distress and why such a man as Elijah could be so dreadfully depressed. As we get older, and as trials multiply around us, we can better understand why God allowed his ancient servants to be put into such peculiar situations, for we find ourselves in similar places. We might wonder why Elijah should get under a broom tree. We can understand his attitude on Mount Carmel and comprehend his slaughtering the prophets of Baal, but we ask in perplexity, “What are you doing here, Elijah, under a broom tree, or away there in a cave on the hillside?” (see 19:9). But when we get under the broom tree ourselves, we are glad to recall the fact that Elijah once sat there. And when we are hiding away in the cave, it is a source of comfort to us to remember that such a man as this great prophet of Israel was there before us. He, too, could grow weary of his appointed service and ask to be allowed to die. The best of people are but people at the best. He was one whose spirit could be depressed even to the uttermost, just as the spirit of any one of us might be. He failed, as all God’s people have done. I scarcely know of any exception in all the biographies of the Old or New Testament. It is some comfort to us when we see that we are not the only persons who have failed through the infirmity of the flesh. I do not hold up Elijah’s passions as any excuse for us to indulge them, but if any are almost driven to despair because such passions have overcome them, let them shake off that despair. Nobody doubts that Elijah was a child of God. God loved him even when he sat trembling under the broom tree. Charles Swindoll - SELF-PITY 1 Kings 19 Day by Day with Charles Swindoll: Daily Devotions for a ... - Page 47 A severe case of ingrown eyeballs strikes all of us every once in a while. In both dramatic and subtle ways, the stubborn enemy of our souls whispers sweet little nothings in our ears. He reminds us of how unappreciated and ill-treated we are . . . how important yet overlooked . . . how gifted yet ignored . . . how capable yet unrecognized . . . how bright yet eclipsed . . . how valuable yet unrewarded. But the most damaging impact of self-pity is its ultimate end. A frown will replace your smile. A pungent criticism will replace a pleasant, “I understand.” Suspicion and resentment will submerge you like a tidal wave, and you will soon discover that this sea of self-pity has brought with it urchins of doubt, despair . . . and even the desire to die. An exaggeration? If you think so, sit with me awhile beneath the shade of a juniper tree located at 19 First Kings, the address of a prophet named Elijah. Elijah had just won a great victory over Ahab and his Baal-worshiping pawns. In fact, God stamped His approval upon Elijah in such a way that all Israel knew he was God’s mouthpiece. As a result, Jezebel, Ahab’s spouse (he was her mouse), declared and predicted Elijah’s death within twenty-four hours. Now, the seasoned prophet had surely been criticized before. But this threat somehow found the chink in his armor. So Elijah ran for his life. Then, beneath the tree, overwhelmed with self-pity, he said, “I’ve had enough . . . take away my life. . . . I’ve worked very hard for the Lord God of the heavens; but the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you and torn down your altars and killed your prophets, and only I am left; and now they are trying to kill me, too” (1 Kings 19:4, 10TLB). Yet God didn’t rebuke His man, nor strike him dead. He encouraged him to take a rest, enjoy a catered meal or two . . . and get his eyes off himself and his situation so that they might get back on the Lord. God even gave him a close friend, a fella named Elisha, with whom he might share his life and his load. Feeling sorry for yourself today? Why not try God’s remedy: Take a break, stop trying to work things out yourself. And take a long, loving look at your Savior in His Word . . . and then spend some time with a friend. You’ll be amazed at the outcome. Self-pity is the smog that pollutes and obscures the light of the Son. John
1 Reis 19
Vernon McGee - Do you know who I think baked that bread? I believe it was the same One who prepared that breakfast on the shore of Galilee one morning after the Resurrection. It was our Lord who comforted Elijah, fed him, and then put him back to sleep. (SEE Thru the Bible Vol. 13: History of Israel - 1 and 2 Kings) Allen Ross on the Angel of the LORD - The Angel of Yahweh appears a good bit in the narratives of Elijah, such as in 1 Kings 19 and 2 Kings 1. It seems pretty clear in these and other passages that the title “the Angel of Yahweh” refers to “Yahweh” Himself, and so it is a description of an incarnation of the Lord, for He appeared in human form to many people. The Bible does not clarify who this Yahweh is Who appears as the “Angel” (or messenger), but every indication is that it would be the second person of the trinity, the divine Son. What commends this interpretation is 1) the appearances of the Angel of Yahweh parallel appearances of Yahweh which later Scriptures indicate would be Christ, 2) and this fits theology because it is the property of the Son to be the one who reveals the Godhead on earth, the Father never having taken on human form to walk among men, and the Spirit never having the property of corporeality, and 3) the phenomenon of the visitation of this Angel of Yahweh ceases when the incarnation occurs, indicating that there would no longer be a need for a “pre-incarnate” appearance now that the LORD took on mortal flesh to reveal the Godhead fully And touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” - The Angel shows His omniscience in foreseeing Elijah's imminent trip to Mount Horeb. The Angel indicates Elijah will need to take in nutrition before he makes that 40 day journey, estimated to be 200-250 miles further south of Beersheba.