1 Kings 19:3, commentary and pictures

After Carmel and his run before Ahab's chariot to Jezreel, Ahab told Jezebel what had happened and she in fury for Baal sent word with an oath to make him as the slain prophets of Baal by the next day, so on seeing the danger he arose and fled for his life to Beer-sheba in Judah where he left his servant and went on alone into the desert. His flight was hasty and unsent, with no word from God telling him to flee and no clear errand or direction, leaving the work given him at Samaria, Cherith, Sarepta, Carmel and Jezreel with his voice silenced and himself wandering in sorrow and uncertainty. Worn and exhausted by long struggle through drought, famine and opposition, with strength failed and will weakened, he gave way to fear of death and bitter disappointment that Israel had not turned and Jezebel had not lost influence as he expected, until his life-work seemed defeated. In that dark hour his faith and courage forsook him, he lost sight of God's care and forgot the God who had sent fire and rain and had before hidden him from hatred and search, running as though pursued without waiting for the Lord to speak or to tell him where to find refuge when he should have appealed to God and trusted for protection and another victory. Yet he was a man of like passions and not above human frailty, and his fall is faithfully recorded as warning against unbelief and encouragement to the desponding that God has not forgotten His threatened servant in trial, but cares for him, refines him through testing, and calls him back to duty to remain at his post and trust wholly in the Lord rather than fear when all looks dark.

Setting and Flight Details

The verse continues the same sequence after Carmel, following Elijah's run before Ahab's chariot to Jezreel. It shows him fleeing for his life from the rage of an enraged woman, becoming a weary, travel-worn fugitive crushed by disappointment as his life-work seemed threatened with defeat.

After Ahab returned to the palace and told Jezebel what had taken place, she, being devoted to the service of Baal and jealous for the glory of her god, was roused to fury by his words. She sent word with an oath that by the next day Elijah would be made as one of the slain prophets of Baal whom he had slain for slaying the idolatrous prophets. The verse thus illustrates the power and influence of one woman devoted to an evil work.

On receiving the oath to kill him, he saw the danger, arose and started up bewildered from sleep in night and pouring rain and darkness on every side, and fled rashly for his life as though pursued by the avenger of blood behind him. He fled to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, traveling to Beersheba in Judah. There he left his servant behind on the way, and went on alone a day's journey into the wilderness, until in the morning he was alone on a dreary desert far from men. His flight began when fear and discouragement made him lose his hold on God and lose sight of God's protection, despite undaunted courage on Carmel and many blessed evidences of God's loving care.

His flight was hasty and unsent, with no errand from God to do there and no clear direction or purpose for his steps, wandering in sorrow, confusion and uncertainty. God had not told him to flee at that time and had given no warning to flee nor word to speak telling him where to find asylum. He had left the work God had commissioned him to do in carrying a message to Ahab in Samaria, in going to the brook Cherith, in going to the widow of Sarepta, in standing before the idolatrous priests on Carmel, and in guiding the king's chariot by God-given strength to the gate of Jezreel, so that his voice was silenced and he was not actively engaged in service.

Causes of Elijah's Failure

After standing alone for God on Carmel through drought, famine and opposition, Elijah was overcome by weariness, weakness and exhaustion from his long struggle. After the terrible day when idolatry was cast down and rain testified to blessing after three and a half years of famine, his strength failed, his will power weakened, and his faith ceased to repose in God. Though he had stood undaunted before Ahab and faced the whole nation with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal at their head, that reaction when pressure was removed left him vulnerable to temptation.

Fear of death overcame his faith in a moment of weariness, and fear and discouragement made him lose his hold on God. Bitter disappointment, discouragement and murmuring joined it, for Israel had failed to turn to God as he had expected. He had looked for the display of divine power to bring reformation and Israel's loyalty and Jezebel's loss of influence over Ahab, and when it did not his life-work seemed threatened with defeat until he saw nothing desirable in life.

In that dark hour his faith and courage forsook him and he lost sight of God's care and protection. He did not look by faith to God's promises or remember God's faithfulness in past emergencies. He forgot that God was the same all-powerful and pitiful God who had granted fire from heaven and rain, and who three years before had directed his course to a place of refuge from Jezebel's hatred and Ahab's search.

Instead he ran to save himself rashly, as though pursued by the avenger of blood, without waiting for the Lord to speak. He did not wait to be told to flee or where to find asylum, though God had before warned him when to flee. He should have remained at his post and met the threat with appeal to God for protection and trust in divine defense. Had he waited with faith and patience God would have shielded him and defended him, and would have given another signal victory and lasting reform in Israel in sending judgment upon Jezebel.

He was not above the frailties of mankind but a man of like passions, subject to temptation and despondency despite blessed evidences of love and care. His strong spirit sank under temptation in fearful trial, proving it nothing strange for men of spiritual power in self-sacrificing labor to become discouraged and desponding when pressed beyond measure. This shows Satan's policy of assailing with fiercest temptations in the time of greatest weakness, by which he gains victory over those who have stood long and valiantly for the right. He takes advantage of human weakness, attacks weak points of character, seeks to shake confidence in God, and tempts to distrust God and question His love whenever one is encompassed with clouds, perplexed by circumstances, or afflicted by poverty or distress.

By that one yielding to human weakness and letting go of faith he cut short his life-work, so that the work he had begun he was not to complete. He turned away from the greater victories opened by the triumph on Carmel into a weaker position, needing to learn to trust wholly in God. God bade him anoint another to be prophet in his stead. The episode also illustrates the power and influence of one woman devoted to an evil work, Jezebel being devoted to the service of Baal and jealous for her god's glory.

Encouragement and Duty Lessons

Even when the faithful servant is threatened and must flee for his life to Beer-sheba in Judah and leave his servant there, after Jezebel threatened him in danger, that danger does not mean he is forgotten but that he remains under care in severe trial. Though shortly before he had acted with zeal and strength to call apostate Israel to choose between God and Baal, fear and disappointment over Israel's failure to turn could overwhelm trust in promises and past faithfulness, leaving him weak and wandering in uncertainty with no course directed by a particular word from the Lord, yet he was not forgotten. He is thus an example of God's faithful people facing severe trials while remaining under God's care.

God had marked faithful heart-service in the unpleasant work of reproving sin, when as a prophet walking with God he had to flee from place to place to save his life, hunted like wild beasts that men might destroy him. His flight from Jezebel's threats began a period of discouragement and solitude in the wilderness where weariness and weakness overcame faith and he prayed to die, and by that one yielding to human weakness and letting go of faith he cut short the work he had begun so that he was not to complete it and another was bidden to be anointed prophet in his stead. This came after standing alone for God on Carmel, where through faith idolatry was cast down and blessed rain testified to showers of blessing waiting for Israel after three and a half years of famine and faithful warning against national idolatry. Yet God did not leave him to perish in discouragement and solitude in the wilderness nor to descend to the tomb, but angels bore him in glory and triumph to heaven, giving him not descent to the tomb but ascent with angels to the presence of glory.

His fall is faithfully recorded with all its faults and follies to be a lesson to all following generations and a warning to avoid unbelief, showing that if he had been without foible he would have been more than human and sinful natures would despair of reaching such excellence. Seeing where this mighty prophet, weary and travel-worn as a fugitive before the rage of an infuriated woman with bitter disappointment crushing his spirits until he saw nothing desirable in life and asked that he might die, struggled and fell, and where he took heart again and conquered through grace and gained fresh vigor to rise above evil nature, encourages desponding hearts, stays the fainting heart with hope of mercy, and leads to renew the conflict, press on and surmount obstacles. That men of spiritual power spending their lives in self-sacrificing labor become discouraged and desponding when pressed beyond measure under trying circumstances is nothing strange or new, even as people now strive, waver and fall into error when a strong spirit sinks under temptation in fearful trial despite being favored and entrusted with great responsibility. His Horeb experience therefore brings hope and courage in assurance of watchful care, love and power to all tempted to give way to despondency and distrust, teaching that sin can bring only shame and loss and unbelief means failure, but mercy reaches to the deepest depths and faith lifts the repenting soul to share adoption as sons of God.

His experience offers help in difficulty and is to be studied anew when zeal for God's cause is misunderstood or unappreciated, counsels and reproofs slighted, efforts at reform repaid with hatred and opposition, and those from whom help and support should come add to the burden. Each person should keep to the way of duty, remain at the post, trust in the Lord rather than human wisdom, and wait patiently and prayerfully for defense and power instead of letting fear discourage them when everything looks dark. He who had stood undaunted before Ahab and throughout the terrible day on Carmel as sole witness before the whole nation weakened in will-power and failed in faith in a moment of weariness when fear of death overcame faith, though he had recently seen God's power on Carmel and had earlier experienced God directing him to safety, losing sight of protection. He should have remained and trusted God to protect him, for had he done so God would have shielded him and could have brought another victory and lasting reform; Satan's policy is to assail with fiercest temptations at the time of greatest weakness, when pressure is removed from those impelled to do a special work and despondency may shake the most heroic faith and weaken the most steadfast will, yet God understands and still pities and loves His servants and reads motives and purposes of the heart. In the hour of greatest weakness when hope was gone and life-work seemed threatened with defeat he learned one of life's deepest lessons, the need and possibility of trusting God under the most forbidding circumstances, for the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on God while maintaining integrity is really invincible and Heaven never forsakes him.

His hasty flight into the wilderness to Beer-sheba to escape danger was without an errand from God, turning him away from the greater victories opened by the triumph on Carmel into a weaker position that he needed to recognize while learning to trust wholly. He had left the work commissioned to him in carrying a message to Ahab in Samaria, in going to the brook Cherith, in going to the widow of Sarepta, in standing before the idolatrous priests on Carmel, and in guiding the king's chariot by God-given strength to the gate of Jezreel, so that his voice was silenced and he was not actively engaged in service with no errand to do where he hid. God's question exposing his presence in the wilderness by asking who sent him calls every silenced and inactive one back to the commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to prepare a people for the day of God. His trial also shows that testing brings hidden natural impulses, passions and impurity to the surface while what is fine and true endures as dross is consumed, for God uses trials to refine each person individually.