Elijah: Prophet Of Courage And Confrontation
Sermon #8
1 Kings 19:1-4
HOW THE MIGHTY ARE FALLEN
Intro: We have followed the prophet Elijah through
many valleys and across a few mountain tops. He has
been at the lowest of lows and he has enjoyed the
highest of highs. He has witnessed the power of God
on a personal level and on a national level. We have
seen him as the Student Servant and the Champion
Soldier. In this chapter we will meet the Depressed
Saint. In chapter 17 we saw his humility. In chapter
18 we saw his heroism. In chapter 19 we are
confronted with his humanity. We are given startling
evidence of this by the words James used concerning Elijah,
"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we
are", James 5:17.
In essence, what we see here is a picture of a man
who has pushed himself beyond his physical and
emotional limits. Elijah is in a period of depression. In
this chapter, we are allowed to see a side of Elijah that
both shocks us and helps us.
It shocks us when we realize that great men and
women go through periods of deep, dark depression.
For instance, Winston Churchill said, "Depression
followed me around like a black dog all of my life."
A young lawyer in the 1800's suffered such a deep
depression that his friends did everything they could to
keep all razors and knives away from him. He wrote
these words, "I am now the most miserable man
living. Whether I shall be better, I cannot tell. I
awfully forebode I shall not." This lawyer later
became the 16th president of the United States. His
name was Abraham Lincoln. Even a man by the name
of Charles Spurgeon was given to periods of
depression. History tells us that there were times when
Spurgeon would be so depressed that he would refuse
to leave his home to go to church. On more than one
occasion, his deacons had to come and physically carry
their pastor to the pulpit.
While these accounts shock us, they also serve to
help us. How? They remind us that depression is a
common experience. It is something that often
happens in life. In other words, if you go through a time
of depression, you are not alone. Notice these facts
concerning depression.
- •Depression affects all classes, races, ages, groups
and genders of people.
- •17.6 million Americans will deal with some form of
depression this year.
- •One out of every 5 Americans can expect to deal
with depression in their lifetime.
- •The rate of clinical depression is twice that of men.
Statistics teach that one person out of every seven
in this very room will need some form of
professional help in dealing with depression in their
lifetime.
- •The National Institute of Mental Health estimated
that depression cost the nation between $30-$44
billion in 1990 alone. In addition to that, over 2
million work days are lost each year due to
depression.
- •Depression is the leading cause of alcoholism, drug
abuse, and other addictions.
- •Untreated depression is the number on cause of
suicide.
- •Depression is not something to mess with! If you
are dealing with depression, get help!
Of course, not all depression is bad. Depression is
the body's natural reaction to shock. When a time of
grief, stress, frustration, or illness occurs, the brain will
release chemicals that will serve to numb the mind and
body. This is like a shock absorber. However, there
are times when the brain and its chemicals become so
out of balance that clinical depression may occur.
Professionals say that a period of depression lasting
over 2 weeks should be considered serious and needs
treatment.
With these thoughts in mind, let's look at this
account from the life of Elijah and think about the
subject, How The Mighty Are Fallen. What happens
when depression comes and how can we handle it?
In these first four verses of this chapter, we will witness THE MISERY OF THE PROPHET
I. V. 1-3a WE SEE ELIJAH RUNNING
A. After the great events on Mount Carmel, Ahab
returns home to his wife Jezebel. She is, no
doubt, waiting to hear the news that her prophets
wrought a great victory. After all, she probably
saw the fire fall from Heaven and now she see
the rain. She must believe that Baal is
responsible for all these things. Instead of good
news, Ahab tells her that it was Elijah who won
that day and that he has even slain her priests!
When she hears this, she is infuriated! She
takes matters into her own hands and decides
that Elijah must die!
(Ill. I just want to interject a few thoughts right
here. Jezebel is a typical domineering woman.
Her actions prove this to be true. First, she
made all the decisions in this matter. Second,
she performed Ahab's job her way. Third, she
used scheming and intimidation tactics when she
saw her puny little husband beginning to cave
into the pressure. Ahab, on the other hand is a
true henpecked husband. He may have been
the king, but Jezebel wore the crown in that
castle! She was the boss, he was her puppet!)
(Ill. Besides this, Ahab paints another picture for
us. He had been confronted with the truth that
God was greater than Baal. He knew that, like
the people of Israel, he should fall before the
Lord in humble repentance. Yet he refuses to do
so. When he arrives home, he even refuses
to give God the credit for what transpired on
Carmel, v. 1. He gives all the glory to Elijah! He
is a picture of that lost man or woman who is
confronted with the truth of salvation. But, while
they come away knowing what they need to do,
still they persist in their sins and refuse to bow
before God. Friend, when the Lord calls you to
come to Him, do not delay, but come quickly,
while there is time and hope. Remember, the
opportunity may never present itself again, Gen.
6:3; John 6:44; 2 Cor. 6:2.)
B. When Jezebel hears the news that Elijah has
slain her prophets, she sends him a warning that
she is going to have him put to death. Instead of
standing, like he did before Ahab and the
prophets of Baal, Elijah tucks tail and runs away.
After all he had already faced: the dry brook, the
empty barrel, the dead boy, the prophets of Baal
and the lack of rain; and after all that he had seen the Lord do: close the
heavens, replenish the barrel, raise the boy, consume the sacrifice, enable the
prophet to destroy the false prophets and to run to Jezreel - it seems that Jezebel was
a nothing, a non-problem. Yet, Elijah does that
which is irrational and runs away. I mean when
you are kicked by a mule, just consider the
source! When a carnal person kicks your life
and work, just ignore them and carry on!
He doesn't just leave Jezreel, Elijah runs due
south almost 125 miles. He actually left Israel
and ran all the way to the southern border of
Judah. He went as far as he could so that he
might avoid the reach of one woman!
(Ill. His behavior is irrational, but that is one of
the effects of depression on the human mind. It
causes the sufferer to think in ways that are not
normal. Depressed people often do things that
defy logic and description. Yet, to them, their
actions make perfect sense.
A good example of this pattern of thought is
found in Psalm 42. There, the Psalmist vacillates
between sorrow and joy. He pours out his pain and
lets us know that one minute he is up and the next
he is brought low.)
I. We See Elijah Running
II. V. 3b-4a WE SEE ELIJAH RETIRING
A. Elijah leaves his servant at Beersheba and goes
alone another days journey into the wilderness.
Sits down under a juniper tree, throws in the
towel and asks God to take his life. Poor old
Elijah has reached rock bottom. There are
several aspects of these events that we want to
consider this morning.
B. Elijah displayed some characteristics in this event
that show us that his thinking was anything but
rational. Elijah is at the end of himself and it
shows. When these characteristics begin to
appear in our lives, we need to take a close look
at the condition of our heart. Note these warning
signs.
1. Elijah cut himself off from those close to
him, v. 3. As a result, he felt all alone.
However, notice that this is irrational thinking.
God still had 7,000 who had not bowed to
Baal in Israel, v. 18. Elijah never sought
them out. (Ill. One of the worse effects of a
depressed spirit is the desire to separate
oneself from every one. Many people who
become discouraged have a tendency to
develop an "I'm all alone" or a "Nobody
understands" mentality. If these feelings are
allowed to go on unhindered the pessimistic
person begins to think that they are the only
person in the world who is right. It becomes,
"me against them." That is a sad, lonely
place to be! You see this kind of thinking in
the church all the time. A person will become
discouraged and will drop out of church
saying, "No one understands me. I just
don't fit in." What they are doing is
projecting their own feelings of hopelessness
onto those around them. They are looking
for a scapegoat to place blame upon so that
they do not have to look too closely at
themselves. Yet, the fellowship of the church
is so important, Heb. 10:25! Even if the people at church
don't understand what you are going through,
at least they can pray with you and be a
friend to you! You need people around you!)
2. Elijah took his eyes off the Lord and
focused instead on his own
circumstances, v. 3. When we leave God
and His power out of the picture, we are in
trouble. (Ill. Peter - Matt. 14:28-31. We must
learn to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus -
Heb. 12:1-2)
3. He stopped interceding for others and
started requesting for himself, v. 4. This
was the first time Elijah had prayed for
himself. He had forgotten that he was the
prophet to Israel. His attention is full of
himself. (Ill. When we become so self-conscious that it dominates our thinking, we
are in trouble spiritually. When we get to the
place where everything is about "me", we
need to check up. Someone is in trouble and
on the verge of a time of discouragement and
depression. We must always strive to be
God-conscious.)
4. Elijah adopted an attitude that said, "Life is
hopeless.", v. 4. Elijah said, in effect, "I've
had it! I quit!" He sat down and he gave up.
Elijah felt that life was no longer worth living.
As long as we can remember that there is
hope, we can make it through. May we never
forget that God is still on the throne, and no
matter how bad things become, God is in
control! He knows where we are and what
we are facing. He will see us through! As long as there is a God in Heaven,
there is hope for you - Rom. 8:28; Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17. (Ill. Job
- Job 23:10!) Elijah
gave up on life, on ministry and on God.
5. Elijah claimed that he wanted to die, v. 4.
Many people who are depressed have these
types of thoughts. However, most are
irrational as were Elijah's. If he really wanted
to die, why didn't he just stay in Jezreel and
let Jezebel take care of it for him? Again,
this is just more evidence that he is thinking
very irrationally.
C. All of these things that Elijah said and did are
typical of depressed individuals. In fact, it might
be helpful to you for me to list some of the
symptoms of depression.
•Lethergy - Everything seems like it's too
much trouble to do.
•Disturbed Sleep - Early waking, difficulty
getting to sleep, waking up tired after a
normal might's sleep)
•Loss of interest in Usual Activities
•Feelings of Guilt, Worthlessness and
Hopelessness
•Lack of Concentration
•Irritability
•Exhaustion
•Lack of Sexual Desire
•Sensation of Utter Despair
•Sense of the Hopelessness and Uselessness
of Everything
•Fear Of Death
•Phobias
•Obsessional Behavior
•Permanent Sense of Anxiety
•Feelings of Wanting to Cry, but inability to do
so
•Bouts of Uncontrollable Crying
•Thoughts of Suicide
•Changes in Appetite and Weight
•There Are Many other symptoms. This is not
a definitive list by any means.
D. If several of these things are true about your life, then you may
need to seek some sort of help. Do not be ashamed to get the help you
need, because depression can literally ruin your life. It can even take
your life!
I. We See Elijah Running
II. We See Elijah Retiring
III. V. 4b WE SEE ELIJAH RATIONALIZING
A. Elijah attempts to rationalize his request for
death by saying that he was no better than his
fathers. The question I have is "Who told him
that he was better in the first place?"
Apparently, Elijah had come to believe that he
was something special. After all, hadn't God
used him in a great way? Hadn't he trusted God
and seen the impossible done time and again?
Yes he had, but he was no better than anyone
else. It seems to me that Elijah must have
thought that Ahab and Jezebel would repent
when they saw what God did. He must have had
dreams of leading the whole nation into a great
revival. I guess that he thought he was the man
of the hour and that the world would fall at his
feet. Nothing shocks the system quite so hard
as finding out you weren't all that you thought
you were!
What is Elijah's problem? Pride! He was
guilty of believing his own press! He was caught
in the backwash of a great victory and he may
have felt as though he were invincible. He
believed himself to be more than he was and
when he was reminded that he wasn't what he
thought he was, he was thrown into the pit of
despair! The saint of God had better beware of those special times of
great victory!
(Ill. Of course, this is a problem that we all face
from time to time! We are all guilty of believing
that we are greater than we are in reality. When
the truth hits home, it can lead to depression and
times of spiritual drought. When we do hit
bottom, we are often guilty of trying to rationalize
our behavior. We try, like Elijah, to convince
ourselves that things are as bad as we think they
are. In truth, they never are, nor will they be, as
bad as we think!)
B. Ill. When we consider the great ministry enjoyed
by Elijah, we may wonder what got him into this
shape. I think there are two primary reasons
why Elijah ended up under that juniper tree
asking God to take his life. These are the same
two reasons that can lead to serious problems
for you and me if we do not heed the warning
signs.)
1. Elijah Is Physically Exhausted - Think of
the activity on Carmel and of his flight into the
wilderness. This man is totally exhausted.
The Lord knows this and therefore He does
not rebuke Elijah for sleeping. Rather, God refreshes the prophet and
allows him to sleep and to rest, v. 5-7.
(Ill. These bodies were not designed to be
pushed constantly. The Lord set this thing
up so that man could have a day of rest,
Mark 2:27; Even the Lord Jesus Christ took
time away from His work to rest His body,
"And he said unto them, Come ye
yourselves apart into a desert place, and
rest a while: for there were many coming
and going, and they had no leisure so
much as to eat.", Mark 6:31. That's why I
say if you can take a vacation, take it! Your
body needs the rest and the break from
activity. Let's face the truth; we run from
activity to activity, with a cell phone in one
hand and a day planner in the other. We
stay up late and get up early and never take
time for our bodies to rest. This is not what
God planned and it can lead to serious
trouble for you!)
2. Elijah Is Emotionally Spent - This man is
drained from the ministry he has been
performing. He has been giving out
constantly. He is emotionally drained.
(There is an old Greek saying that goes "You
will break the bow if you keep it always
bent." There are times when you and I must unstring ourselves and relax. It we do not,
we will break after al while! God never
designed us for the types of pressures we
allow ourselves to be subjected to.) (Ill. The constant stress of life is
a major cause of disease and death. You see, when we are under stress, our
bodies release a chemical called adrenalin. It energizes us and helps us
get the things done that need to be done. It gives us sudden bursts of
energy. However, when adrenalin is constantly being pumped into your
system, it can have negative long-term effects on the body. Some
scientists believe that it can cause serious damage. Hence, there is the
need to unplug. Especially after times of stress and pressure.)
C. Ill. Elijah Was Not Alone In His Feelings - I can
think of at least two other men in the Bible who
had feelings similar to Elijah's. One was Moses,
Num. 11:10-17. Moses nearly broke under the
physical and emotional demands of leading
Israel. The Lord helped Moses by giving him 70
assistants aid him in the work. Another that
comes to mind in Jonah, Jonah 4:8-9. Jonah
was depressed because of faulty thinking on his
part. His primary problem is spiritual. Of course,
he too was physically and emotionally drained.
God told the prophet what he needed to hear.
The Lord set him straight. Sometimes our
depression can come as a result of faulty
spiritual thinking!
While I have never entertained the thought of
being better off dead, I too have nearly broken
under the constant pressures of ministry. The
only thing a person can do is to unplug from the
demands of life and seek refuge in the Lord. He
will strengthen the burdened life and give
renewed strength for the journey. I have also
suffered from bad thinking. I have seen things
from my own perspective rather than from the
perspective of the Lord.)
Conc: This is a bad place for us to leave our friend
Elijah today. I wish there was adequate time to tell you
all that the Lord did for him. However, we will consider
all of that when we come back to Elijah next week. In
the meantime, let me leave you with the following
assurances:
1. Elijah had not been forsaken by the Lord.
2. God still had a plan for Elijah's healing and for his
future ministry.
3. God wanted to bring Elijah out of the valley of his
depression.
Friend, God wants to do the same for you. Do not
think that you are above having episodes of
discouragement and depression. It can happen to you!
If you have recognized a tendency in your own life to be
depressed and discouraged, let me invite you to bring
your need to the Lord Jesus. He wants and waits to
help you. Remember what He said: "Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest.", Matt. 11:28; "I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee", Heb. 13:5; "Casting all your care
upon him; for he careth for you.", 1 Pet. 5:7.
I will leave you with this thought, your depression is
not a sin, and it may not always be the result of sin!
However, to allow yourself to wallow in it is a sin! If you
see signs of depression in your life seek the help you
need.
There are some people who do not believe that
Christians can become depressed. They will say things
like, "Just snap out of it."; "Where is your faith?";
"Just get over it!"; "If you trusted God like you
should you wouldn't feel like you do." My friends,
talk like that is foolish! I want you to know that Jesus
Christ promised to save those who trusted in Him from
Hell. However, He never promised to save us from
discouragement and depression. He did promise to
help us, to be with us, to sustain us and to bring us
safely home when our journey is ended.
So, here is the invitation: If you are like Ahab and
have never been saved and feel the Lord is calling you
to come to Him, then you come and be saved today. If
you are depressed and discouraged and need God's
help with a matter, then you come. If the Lord is calling
you to come to Him today for whatever reason, then you
come right now. This altar is open and the Lord is
waiting!
