It is Enough

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

1 Kings 17:1–8 KJV 1900

Elijah was already hearing from God, he was in tune with the will of God and already had his life in submission to the Lord.

Elijah learns that God is able to sustain in times of famine, when there is no provision God is able to provide the needs for His people.

There would not be a

The blessings Elijah experienced hinged on obedience to the Word of the Lord, he had to “Get there” the condition that prefaced the blessing that was brought to him, gave him confidence in God’s ability.

In we see how Elijah was used by God to overcome the prophets of Baal, how God brought a great victory, and God’s hand was on Elijah.

1 Kings 18:38–40 KJV 1900

Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

1 Kings 18 KJV 1900

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly: For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

1 kings 18:38-

1 Kings 18:46 KJV 1900

And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

1 kings 18:

The Proclaimation

The Timing

This occurs right after God brought a great victory in the life of Elijah: Satan always times his attack at the most opportune moment, when we will at our weakest.

The of response is also short, until tomorrow shows how dire the situation has escalated

Ahab enters Jezreel after Elijah, he rode his chariot into the city most likely in shock from what he had just witnessed on Mt. Carmel.

I feel like Ahab was astonished and amazed by how God just moved, the consuming of the alter and Elijah slaying the false prophets of baal.

1 Kings 19:1 KJV 1900

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

However, Jezebel did not share the same excitement about the situation. Her being a baal prophetess and worshipper from the beginning became angry and desired that Elijah also be killed.

Terror

1 Kings 19:2 KJV 1900

Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.

It often seems in our lives that great victories are shortly lived, we celebrate them and feel excited and happy. Then bad news comes our way and hearing it causes us to retreat back, we quickly forget about the great victory that just transpired. Even if the victory is great, it fades quickly into the past.

The Place

Elijah hearing the news from Jezebel fled for his life. This was not a laughing matter or something to be taken lightly. His life was now on the line for serving God.

We now find Elijah fleeing to familiar places, Beersheba. This was not a short distance in fact more than 100 miles from the city of Jezreel.

1 Kings 19:3 KJV 1900

And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

1 Kings 19:3–4 KJV 1900

And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

1 kings 19:

Secluded

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 Day’s Journey

DAY’S JOURNEY, jûrʹni (דֶּרֶךְ יו̇ם, derekh yōm, Gen 30:36; Nu 10:33; 11:31; ἡμέρας ὁδός, hēméras hodós, Lk 2:44): The common way of estimating distances in the East is by hours and days. This is natural in a country where roads are mere bridle paths or non-existent, as in the desert. The distance traveled must of course differ largely according to the difficulties of the way, and it is more important to know where night will overtake the traveler than the actual distance accomplished. A day’s journey is now commonly reckoned at about 3 miles per hour, the distance usually covered by a loaded mule, the number of hours being about 8. Hence a day’s journey is about 24 miles, and this may be taken as a fair estimate for Bible times.

The distance that Elijah traveled was approximately 150 miles to Beersheba. This was a 6 and a half day journey for Elijah, then he took another day’s journey into the wilderness at Beersheba.

Sacred

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 Beersheba

BEERSHEBA, bē-ēr-shēʹba (בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, be’ēr shēbhaʽ; Βηρσαβέε, Bērsabée): Allotted originally to Simeon (Josh 19:2), one of “the uttermost cities of the tribe of the children of Judah” (Josh 15:28).

1. The Meaning of the Name

(1) The most probable meaning of Beersheba is the “well of seven.” “Seven wells” is improbable on etymological grounds; the numeral should in that case be first. In Gen 21:31 Abraham and Abimelech took an oath of witness that the former had dug the well and seven ewe lambs were offered in sacrifice, “Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them.” Here the name is ascribed to the Heb root שָׁבַע, shābha‛, “to swear,” but this same root is connected with the idea of seven, seven victims being offered and to take an oath, meaning “to come under the influence of seven:”

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 2. A Sacred Shrine

2. A Sacred Shrine

(2) Beersheba was a sacred shrine. “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jeh, the Everlasting God” (Gen 21:33). Theophanies occurred there to Hagar (Gen 21:17), to Isaac (26:24), to Jacob (46:2), and to Elijah (1 K 19:5). By Amos (5:5) it is classed with Bethel and Gilgal as one of the rival shrines to the pure worship of Jeh, and in another place (8:14) he writes “They shall fall, and never rise up again,” who sware, “As the way [i.e. cultus] of Beer-sheba liveth.” The two unworthy sons of Samuel were judges in Beersheba (1 S 8:2) and Zibiah, mother of King Jehoash, was born there (2 K 12:1; 2 Ch 24:1).

Beersheba would have held a special meaning for Elijah as it was the place where God had appeared before to people. It would make sense that Elijah would go here to get into a place where he could find rest and be refreshed.

The Prophet

Elijah has now gone in alone into the wilderness of Beersheba to be alone, it is here his discouragement is revealed.

Statement

1 Kings 19:4 KJV 1900

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

1 kings 19:

“It is Enough”

“An exclamation denoting sufficiency. enough enough I'll hear no more.” Websters 1828

Elijah expresses his discouragement to God and pleads that he is not better indicating his worth compared to his fathers.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 Juniper

JUNIPER, jo̅o̅ʹni-pẽr רֹתֶם, rōthem; ῥαθμέν, rhathmén, 1 K 19:4 f, m “broom”; Ps 120:4, m “broom”; Job 30:4 trd “broom”): This is quite certainly the Arab. ratam (Retama retem, N.O. Leguminosae), a variety of broom which is one of the most characteristic shrubs of the deserts of Southern Pal 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 (cf 1 K 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). Indeed SO hopeless is this root as a source of food that many commentators believe that the accepted text is in error, and by altering a single letter, substituting ח for ה, they get a reading, which has been adopted in RVm, “to warm them instead of “their meat,” which certainly is much more probable.

Struggle

This is encouraging to me that even the man of God gets discouraged and down at times. However, even in our discouragement God is listening and knows are needs even when we don’t know.

Elijah became tired and burnt out from all that had been taking place in the last few months in his life, God was moving and blessing at Mt. Carmel, yet here he is down and defeated.

I’m glad that when we speak foolishly God does not commit to our request yet shows forth His necessary and needed provision to help in time of distress.

The Provision

1 Kings 19:5–6 KJV 1900

And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

1 kings 19:5-

God knew Elijah needed rest, he provided not only rest but refreshment to nourish him in is weariness.

Similar

God gave him familiar provisions, the cake and cruse were to remind Elijah that He is the God that is able to provide when the situation is dire, when the circumstances are impossible.

It was a token to Elijah that God carried him through with a little oil and meal, He will carry him through this great trial of his life.

Sustaining

This provision was accompanied by a Christophany with yet more to sustain him for the journey.

1 kings 19:

1 Kings 19:7 KJV 1900

And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

The journey of life is too great for us with the Lord to walk with us, we must have Him along the journey if we hope to be sustained in the deep valleys of life.

It is in the deepest darkest valleys that God reveals Himself the most to us.

The provision sustained Elijah for the journey that lied ahead of him, he was able to fast 40 days and 40 nights, a feat only attributed to Moses, Elijah, and Christ.

The Presence

Works

1 kings 19:9-

1 Kings 19:9–13 KJV 1900

And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And 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. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Whisper

When we get into the place of the presence of God, we can not only petition our cause to God but we can regain focus.

Elijah was reassured, recharged, and ready to serve God fervently again.

The still small voice came after the fire, an almost identical experience to Moses’ burning bush with God.

The Purpose

He was Reassured

He was Recharged

He Returned

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