Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and
came to
Stop Thinking About Dying. Start Thinking About Living.
A survey made by the National Retail Dry Goods
Association revealed that 88% of salesmen quit after making one, two or three
new calls. This shows us that a majority
of people tend to give up quickly. Thomas
Edison did not give up when his first efforts to make the light bulb failed. As
each experiment failed, he would toss it out the window. The pile reached to
the second story of his house. One weary day on
Thomas Edison portrays an attitude and work ethic that we
can look up to. Never give up. Never surrender. No retreat.
Semper Fi. Do you have that “never
say die” attitude? Or are you a quitter
like the 88 percent of salesmen who quit after three tries? I don’t know anybody who would admit to
that. Yet I would venture to bet that
most of us have quit at one time or another - a class, a job, a relationship -
because we were just lazy, selfish, or not trusting in the Lord. In doing so, we have let people down. We’ve let our friends down - our family down
- ourselves down - and our Lord down - by quitting something that we shouldn’t
have.
Elijah was not a quitter.
This was not a guy who gave up at the first sign of trouble. No way.
Up to this chapter in 1 Kings 19 Elijah proved to be a stand up
guy. In great courage Elijah went to
evil King Ahab and told him, “As the LORD, the God of
However, the picture of Elijah in today’s text doesn’t
portray a man who is ready to fight.
Verse 3 says, “ he was afraid; he got
up and fled for his life”. Now,
Elijah didn’t just run to the nearest town.
He ran from Jezreel to
On the journey and also at Mt. Hermon God opens up Elijah’s
heart and soul and really gets to the core as to why Elijah was running. “He came to a broom tree, sat down under
it and prayed that he might die. "I have had
enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my
ancestors." Elijah was worn
out. He felt he was the only one left to
fight the fight. Even after the wonderful
and miraculous victory, this hadn’t changed Jezebel’s heart one bit. Even Ahab didn’t stand up to his wife in view
of such an awesome sight.
Notice how terribly humbling this was to Elijah. He said,”I’m no better than my ancestors.” What did he mean by this? Perhaps as he studied his Bible history he
had looked with contempt on how his ancestors seemed to give up at the first
sign of trouble. Think of how the
Israelites were so ready to give up in the desert - how they immediately whined
to God that they wish they had stayed in
Isn’t Elijah just a pathetic little chicken? What kind of a man - having witnessed the
power of God in fire coming down from the sky - would be so scared as to be
afraid of a woman’s threats? Or perhaps
you aren’t so harsh on Elijah. Maybe you think he was just having a moment of
weakness - that this is excusable and normal part of the Christian life?
If you’ve lived life at all - I would venture to bet most
of you are not so harsh on Elijah. More
likely than not you’ve been down that road - looked out that door - started on
that path - to run away from it all.
Maybe you’ve been going back and forth with your parents,
and no matter what you do you feel like you just can’t win. Anywhere would be better than home. Maybe your job has once again demanded you to
do overtime - and you’ve had it with the same old routine. Perhaps your spouse continually shows you no
appreciation, and he or she has ridiculed you one too many times. It’s at that time that you honestly can’t
take any more. You feel trapped. You know you shouldn’t run. You know it’s where God’s Word says you
should be - or where you feel the responsibility to be. You know what you
should be doing, yet you don’t want to.
You want to quit in the worst way.
You know you can’t kill yourself, even though that may have crossed your
mind. The most honorable way out - the
best way - without sinning - the easiest way out would be if God would just
give you a heart attack - an aneurism - or a car accident - so you could die
and leave this world behind. That’s what
Elijah was praying for. It really isn’t
that strange - is it?
When Jonah tried to run from God, God would have none of
it. He more or less took Jonah by the
hair and said, “you are going to
Why did God respond differently with Elijah than with Jonah? Jonah was fleeing seemingly with an attitude
of anger and arrogance. He felt the
Ninevites didn’t deserve God’s mercy - that God’s love
should be solely for the Israelites. The
Scriptures record no incidences of him being persecuted or his life being
threatened that I am aware of. Elijah,
on the other hand - was leaving because his life was in danger - and he was
tired and worn out. So instead of
threatening him or warning him, an angel of the Lord simply lets him get some
sleep, touches him, and then gives him a nice meal and drink of water. He helps Elijah go on his journey and gives
him the strength to do so.
God’s Word promises that, “A bruised reed he will not
break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” (Isaiah 42:3) God also describes Himself as
the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in
love and faithfulness. (Exodus 34) So we
see this Lord in action with Elijah - being patient, kind, forgiving, understanding,
and supportive to his faithful prophet.
This angel of the LORD may very well have been Jesus Christ Himself
before He took on human flesh. Wouldn’t
that be fitting? For
Jesus Himself would later feel a similar way as He prayed in the
I hope this story then means something to you. When you feel those temptations to quit and
you honestly pray to God to put you to death - it’s natural to feel guilty
about it. You say to yourself, “I
thought I could handle this job. I
thought I would be a good husband, a faithful wife. I thought I would make the team. I was so sure I wouldn’t give into looking at
that on the internet again.” You feel
worthless. You just feel like you can’t
do anything right. You feel lousy for
even feeling that way - and you wonder if God could love you after having such
thoughts. Perhaps you feel really guilty
because you did quit on something years ago - and now you can’t undo it. In this story God says to you - “I still love
you. I still care for you. I have died for you.” Jesus didn’t come for the healthy - but the
sick. God doesn’t base his love for you
on how strong you are, but on His own grace and mercy. He doesn’t forgive you because you deserve
it, but because Jesus died for you. God
promises you in Psalm 118 that “His love endures forever.” God’s not going to reject you just because
you’re going through a moment of weakness, especially when you’re in a time of
despair. He’s going to hold you all the
tighter.
Yet I want you to keep in mind WHERE Elijah was going and
WHY he was going there. If you think
about it, Elijah had never given up on the LORD. He had given up on HIMSELF. While
he was running in fear from Jezebel, he was also running TO the LORD. Even though the LORD spoke through him on a
regular basis - Elijah needed a different kind of speaking to. When the LORD spoke to Elijah - He was
speaking messages to the Israelites.
Elijah needed the LORD to speak directly to HIM. So he went to where he knew his ancestor had
been spoken to directly by the LORD - to
When you are at your wit’s end - when you are ready to
give up - what a great example Elijah is to us.
He ran 300 miles - on foot - to have some alone time with the LORD. Think about that. If you are feeling burned out - run to the
LORD. You don’t have to go 300
miles. Just close your bedroom door at
night and open your Bible. You’d be
surprised at how refreshing it can be just to turn the TV off, turn on the
night light, and just read a few chapters of the Bible. Through these words it
will seem as if God Himself has entered the room and personally talking to
you. It will remind you that His angels
are taking care of you and maybe even feel as if they are right there with you.
But this isn’t the only place you can run to the
LORD. Remember the Sabbath Day - the day
of rest. We celebrate it on Sundays
now. I more than occasionally hear
members and friends tell me about how busy they are - how they don’t have time
for worship. More often than not they
have a sense of anger or agitation or frustration in their voice. That could be relieved if they would just
take the time to sit and listen to the Word.
If they would come and take the Lord’s Supper - they would be reminded
that they’re not in this battle alone.
Jesus is still with them. Even
the Apostle Paul, strong as he was, found great refreshment in visiting with
his fellow believers. He wrote in Romans
15:30-33,
I urge
you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join
me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the
unbelievers in
When Paul had the prayers and
fellowship of the Romans, he knew he would feel refreshed and ready to serve
more. These are all ways that we can do
our own version of running to
As you are on the journey, let me assure you - the LORD
won’t let you down. Look at what
happened with Elijah. He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the
strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. Think about that - with this one meal the
LORD was able to sustain Elijah for a 40 day and night journey to Horeb. That’s quite a meal! Yet with the LORD’S blessing through it, He
could work this miraculous sustenance in Elijah. It strengthened him and enabled him for the
journey ahead. And don’t forget what the
LORD did once Elijah arrived. After a
mighty display of a wind, earthquake, and fire - God appeared and spoke to
Elijah through just a gentle whisper.
The LORD assured Elijah that he wasn’t alone. He provided deliverance from Ahab and
Jezebel. He also gave Elijah a much needed companion by the name of
Elisha. The LORD provided, like He
always does.
The LORD will provide for you when you seek him. You can’t expect Him to come to you through a
bottle of booze. He’s not going to be
able to help you any if you just take a vacation but don’t seek the LORD in
it. The Holy Spirit doesn’t work through
campfires or Bahama beaches. He works
through the Word and sacrament. This is
what sustains us. You might say to
yourself, “I know Jesus died for me. I
know my Bible. I’m ready to die.” This isn’t about dying though. Sometimes we forget that the Bible doesn’t
only help prepare us to die, it also gives us strength to live. If we’re not dying anytime soon - we all need
that strength. The Holy Spirit will
provide it. He’ll answer your
prayers. He’ll give you guidance in how
to deal with your boss. He’ll show you
patience and provide that patience you need to get back in the ring with your
spouse or children. After you’re
finished visiting with the LORD, you’ll have a renewed strength to make that 40
day journey. God’s Word will remind you
that you’re not in these battles alone.
The power to be patient, strong, forgiving or firm doesn’t rely only on
you. It relies on the grace of God
working through you - and the Holy Spirit who lives within you. This is what God does. But He only does it through today’s
A man decided to join a monastery and one of the rules of
the group was that you were only allowed to speak two words every ten years. At
the end of ten years he said, "Bad food!" Ten more years went by and he said,
"Hard bed!" Finally, on his 30th anniversary with the brothers, he
thundered, "I quit!" And the priest in charge responded, "You
might as well. All you do is complain
anyway."
After years and years of service, Elijah never did quit
his ministry. He just needed a
break. Ironically, God never granted his
request to die either. Elijah remained a
prophet to the day he entered eternal life - without dying. “I quit” is not something any of us want to
say when it comes to our call as teachers, fathers, mothers, or especially as
Christians. Unfortunately, it happens
more often than we would like to hear - and sometimes from people we never
expected it from.
One New
Year’s Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly
sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until
someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was this float represented
the Standard Oil Company. With its vast oil resources, its truck was out of
gas.
Often, Christians neglect
their spiritual maintenance, and as a result they end up burned out and ready
to quit. When you’ve hit that wall, and
your resignation letter is written, do me a favor. Before you send it in the mail, follow the
path of Elijah. Go to
When you do, you will find a LORD who isn’t just asking you to be a faithful father, employee or child. You will find a LORD who cares about you and wants to listen to your complaints. He’ll give you a place to rest - in His wounds. He’ll give you a nice relaxing bath - in your baptism. He’ll feed you - with His own body and blood. He’ll take care of you. He’ll give you Christian friends to help you. He’ll strengthen you. He’ll give you courage to stop thinking about dying, and start thinking about living. Amen.