He entered a cave there and spent the night. But the Lord
said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:9
Elijah went from being used by God in some pretty miraculous ways to falling into a deep depression because of fear, exhaustion, and self-pity.
Initially, the Lord met with and cared for him under the broom tree, and now he journeyed on to Horeb, the Mountain of God.
Once there, God asks him a question. Not once, but twice.
But first, let’s back up and talk about how long it took him to get to Horeb.
Table of Contents
Detour to Horeb
It took Elijah forty days and nights to reach Horeb, the mountain of God. The journey would have taken only fourteen days if he had gone straight there. But it took him much longer.
Although we aren’t told why, some commentators suggest God was using the time to teach Elijah or remind him of the prior lessons he had learned. Therefore, Elijah was taking a God-ordained detour.
Others say it took Elijah forty days because he was still running, still depressed, and didn’t know where he was going until he got there. In other words, he roamed around until he got to Horeb.
It could be a bit of each.
What Are You Doing Here, Elijah?
Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah? (1 Kings 19:9 CSB)
When Elijah arrived at Horeb, he spent the night in a cave.
Then, the word of the Lord came to him and asked him what he was doing there.
What was Elijah doing there?
Elijah Responds
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life. (1 Kings 19:10 CSB)
Elijah told God he had been very zealous for Him (and he had), but the Israelites had broken their covenant with Him, torn down His altars, and killed all of His prophets (not entirely true).
The Israelites had indeed worshiped Baal, but after seeing the Lord consume the sacrifice on Mount Carmel, they knew He was the real God. And they declared, “The Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God.”
Furthermore, Elijah knew he was not the only prophet left. Obadiah had told him he hid 100 prophets in two caves, but since he felt sorry for himself, Elijah wasn’t thinking straight.
Because Elijah was the only prophet of God who challenged the prophets of Baal, he felt like he was the only one; he felt alone and defenseless. His discouragement had turned to self-pity.
However, God did not rebuke him.
Go Out and Stand Before Me on the Mountain
Then He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord‘s presence. At that moment, the Lord passed by (1 Kings 19:11a CSB)
Instead of reprimanding Elijah, God told him to go out and stand before Him on the mountain.
Why? Because He was passing by.
God is Not in the Wind, Earthquake, or Fire
A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains…but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. (1 Kings 19: 11b-12a CSB)
God demonstrated His power to Elijah. First, a mighty wind came, then an earthquake and a fire. But God did not reveal Himself in any of these.
These ways more closely resemble how God had used him previously. But now, He would reveal Himself in a different way.
God Whispers
And after the fire, there was a voice, a soft whisper. (1 Kings 19:12b CSB)
Other versions say:
- sound of a gentle whisper (NLT)
- sound of a low whisper (ESV)
- sound of a gentle blowing (NASB)
- still small voice (NKJV, KJV)
- gentle whisper (NIV)
Elijah heard a soft voice or something that sounded like a low whisper, gentle blowing, or a still small voice. Whatever he heard, it was barely audible.
So, Elijah pulled his cloak over his face and went to the entrance of the cave. At the entrance, the voice asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?
God asked Elijah the same question, and Elijah gave the same answer. Nothing had changed.
So, why did God ask Elijah this question?
One possibility is that God had not sent him there, disapproved of Elijah’s response, and was essentially decommissioning him as a prophet. Since Elijah had not changed his perspective or learned much from his recent interactions with God, God was releasing him.
Or maybe when Elijah heard the sound of a gentle whisper, this was God’s way of telling him He would now use him in less dramatic ways and be gentle with him in his fragile state.
Go Back the Way You Came
Then the Lord said to him, “Go and return by the way you came… (1 Kings 19:15a CSB)
God then told Elijah to go back the same way he came, and when he arrived, he was to anoint three individuals:
- Hazael as king over Aram
- Jehu as king over Israel
- Elisha as prophet in his place
Additionally, God told Elijah that He had seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed to Baal.
Elijah had not failed during the three and a half years. He did everything God told him to do. However, when Elijah complained about Israel, God decided He could no longer use Elijah in the same ways.
This seems to be what Paul says in Romans 11:2-4 when discussing how God has not totally abandoned his people, Israel. Paul asks, “Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah–how he pleads with God against Israel?”
Paul is referring to Elijah’s answer to God’s question. And Michael Vanlaningham, in the Moody Bible Commentary (p. 1762-63), explains what Paul meant:
Paul referred to the record of Elijah (citing 1 Kg 19:10, 14, 18), who had an over-inflated view of his own importance and wrongly saw himself as the sole Jew still faithful to God (v. 3). But God spiritually preserved a faithful remnant of 7, 0000 (v. 4), just as He was doing with the faithful remnant of Jews in Paul’s day and throughout the Church age.
RELATED > > > > > Elijah Part 9 – How Does Elisha Respond When Elijah Anoints Him?
What We Can Learn
Elijah was a great prophet. He was obedient to God and saw Him do miraculous things over the three and a half years.
But when Ahab did not turn back to the Lord, Elijah felt defeated, like everything he had done was for nothing. Furthermore, he did not trust that Israel would stay faithful to the Lord. He felt alone and unable to do anything more. So, he ran.
Unfortunately, Elijah believed the lie that he was the only prophet left and the only one who still worshiped the Lord God. This led to self-pity and a critical spirit.
Have you ever felt like Elijah? Like you thought you knew what God was doing, only to be disappointed and exhausted when things didn’t go the way you thought they would?
Elijah thought he knew God’s timing–that after the drought ended (1 Kings 18:44-45), Ahab would return to the Lord. If Ahab returned, the people would also remain faithful to God.
Of course, he didn’t know if the people would revert back to Baal just because the king didn’t start worshiping the Lord God. Elijah didn’t consider that God wasn’t finished working or that He knew something Elijah didn’t know.
For a moment, Elijah forgot that God is sovereign.
If you have felt like Elijah, remember that God will not give you more than you can handle and will deal with you gently.
Don’t let your weariness lead you to lose hope and faith, and set yourself up to believe lies about yourself and God. Instead, take hold of His promises and who He is.
Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB) Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Final Thoughts
When God asked Elijah what he was doing at Horeb, he complained. He couldn’t let go of what he thought should have happened and didn’t.
Previously, Elijah had complained at the broom tree and been cared for by the angel of the Lord, but rather than trusting God, he kept running. He continued to hold onto his false view of what was happening.
God dealt gently with Elijah. He wasn’t finished with him, but neither would He use him in the same ways.
He sent him back and told him to anoint three individuals, one of which would be his replacement. Finally, He let Elijah know that he was wrong about being the only one who had remained faithful to Him.
In fact, there would be seven thousand people who remained faithful to God and didn’t bow to Baal.
When have you felt like Elijah and how did you respond?
I am sure we are all guilty of feeling like Elijah and losing hope and faith when everything doesn’t go our way. I love the comfort of knowing that God will never give us more than we can handle. This alone should give us comfort and hope in times of adversity. I think the story of Elijah is in the bible as a good lesson for all of us to take in. Thank you for breaking it down into an understandable and thoughtful article.
Yes, I agree that we can all relate to responding like Elijah when things go differently than we expected. Thank God He is merciful and kind, and when we respond to His mercy, we will see His goodness.