Depression is a devastating, debilitating malady that affects our total person--spirit, soul, and body. (b) At Kadesh Barnea, the people walked by sight and forfeited the privilege of entering the land. Becoming personality-oriented nearly always leads to another consequence. Indeed, He sought him out and ministered to him. and I alone am left,” i.e., there is no one else to maintain your cause, God. While Jezebel was killing off the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water. In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. I wonder what would have happened if he had said, “I saw God, Yahweh of Israel, at work today. Let’s look at the text and see what we can learn. Raised as an evangelical Protestant, he is a convert to Catholicism. When people focus on people, one of two things happen: (a) either they brag about the person they admire, which may bring temptation to that person and encourage others to glory in man, or (b) they attack and criticize bringing persecution and heartache. He prayed, and it did not rain. A number of commentaries have followed the same line of reasoning saying this would be too out of character for Elijah. Because it stresses our vulnerability as Bible-believing Christians. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. He had failed. endures all things.” Please note, believing and hoping is sandwiched between bearing and enduring. reath of the Spirit Ministries - Barbie Breathitt, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete), Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Sermon on the Mount - Bible Story Verses & Meaning, The Prodigal Son Parable - Bible Story Verses & Meaning, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. In each case, God met him there and transformed his life. There is a song that was popular in the 1950’s with the words, “O what a beautiful morning, O what a beautiful day, I’ve got a wonderful feeling, everything’s going my way.” This song expresses the typical attitude of the world. Elijah is first mentioned in Scripture when he declares to King Ahab that a severe drought would begin immediately to test Israel and its leadership. Then suddenly, sometime during the fifth year, it shoots up ninety feet in sixty days. In Elijah’s exhausted state, he prayed, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life.” Instead, the Lord lovingly and graciously sent an angel to feed and nourish him. Just like the rest of us, he experienced the problem of depression--that mental and emotional condition marked by feelings of discouragement, worthlessness, dejection, guilt, apprehension, and failure. NO! Horeb, the “mountain of God.” In his fear and discouragement, the great prophet ran to his Father’s arms like a young child in distress. As a result, his focus precluded any chance for repentance. But nearly all other versions, NASB, RSV, NIV, Amplified, etc., have “and he was afraid.”. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. But something really shattered Elijah’s focus and his faith. Recognizing God’s Providence: Fellowship Restored (Gen. 45:1-28), 8. [Chorus] Behold He comes riding on the clouds. We stop enjoying life, we forget our goals, lose ground, and withdraw from God and people--the very ones we need the most. Elijah was trying to do too much himself. It attacks the young and old alike. It’s what we would expect, but not so with Elijah. “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. We read “Now Ahab told Jezebel all . So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. In the next scene, we find Elijah discouraged, depressed, hiding, and failing to minister to his people. So, suddenly, all became hopeless. By contrast, the Apostle said, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice” (Phil. Doing nothing only reinforces the depression. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. He was also not alone from the human standpoint. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. Elijah's story begins by introducing the state of affairs for the people of Israel. 3:5-9), and He does so in different degrees (Matt. Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds will feed on those who die in the country.”. When feeling down, depressed, apart from getting needed rest, do not give in to the temptation to mope about and do nothing. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. The results are in His hands, not ours. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”, Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Elijah is initially presented in 1 Kings 17 as the seer who foretold a three-year drought in the land of Israel. He failed to realize that God was at work regardless of how things appeared to him. Would you say the bamboo tree grows in six weeks or in five years? Bible studies in the life of Elijah. Compare 1 Corinthians 15:58 and Galatians 6:9, “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” We are all to find our significance, our value in the Lord and His grace. Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Stephen Beale is a freelance writer based in Providence, Rhode Island. Elijah had been residing out in the desert where there was a river with drinking water and God had sent ravens to bring him food. Eventually, others must be able to share our load and even take our place. Have they become demands God must meet for our happiness and security? When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD—he is God! This does not mean He forsakes us. Does this mean we are to be ignorant of the problems or ignore them so that we stick our heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich--if they really do that? The problem was not that he arose and ran, or went down to the desert to hide. We must count the costs of depression. Elijah is described as of Gilead, a land outside of Canaan, the country east of Jordan, considered unholy as compared to the land west of this dividing river. I wonder what would have happened if Ahab had seen God in the events on Mount Carmel and then reported them as such to Jezebel. (c) Finally, he saw himself as an absolute failure, as worthless, as no better than his fathers who had allowed the nation to fall into this condition. (5) Finally, it is helpful to remember we cannot truly remain occupied with the Lord and our problems at the same time. In August of 2001 he was diagnosed with lung cancer and on August 29th, 2002 he went home to be with the Lord. . I don’t know what Elijah was expecting. Num. We saw that there was not going to be any rain for 3 â years so God told Elijah to go to the brook Cherith. “. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. For the story of Elijah teaches us that it is in the silence of words that we enter into the presence of the Word. 3:1; Gal. Cherith means 'a cutting off or to cut off'. Well, our lives and ministry are often like the bamboo tree. 4:1-11). For three and half years not a drop fell from the sky. Matthew 17:9 ESV / 3 helpful votes .” This was basically true, but focusing on this caused him to forget or ignore some other important principles of the Word. He wrongly assumes that he is the Lord’s only prophet within the kingdom of Israel. In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years. The text says, “and he was afraid.” There is a slight problem here. King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, constructed altars to the false god, Baal, and the Israelites worshipped a made up god who could do nothing for them. God always has a remnant (Isa. In such a state, what do we do? Later in the chapter, God illustrates that to the Prophet. 3:18-4:2). Why do we choose it? People didn’t care. (3) Wrong thinking about himself. We become apathetic and faithless. “Shout louder!” he said. Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. “Surely he is a god! She went away and did as Elijah had told her. . (2) He then got Elijah to face his true condition, the real problem. (b) He began to think of himself and his ministry as indispensable to the Lord’s cause. He didn’t try to turn him around or get him “back on track.” Nor did he pepper him with pep talks or verses about victory and trust. Depression occurs two times more often in females, than males, and it occurs three times more often in higher socio-economic groups. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. I think not! Though it would highlight several ideas: (a) our expectations, (b) our focus, (c) our strategies, and (d) the consequences, it would show how our focus (how we see a situation) can empower and encourage us, or neutralize and turn us into whimpering complainers or discouraged discontents. He is also one of two prophets who appear with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. 31 Tim LaHaye, How to Win Over Depression, p. 49. When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. Elijah didn’t mess around with small requests for God. Hampton wrote many articles for the Biblical Studies Foundation and on... More, 9. All of this “stinking thinking” blinded him to the Lord and the principles of Scripture. Elijah Fed by Ravens 2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. Elijah prophesied during the reign of King Ahab of Israel. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. We experience it only as we learn to keep our focus on the Lord and His purposes, and as we rest by faith in God’s person, principles, and promises (Phil. This illustrates the need to be in the Word where we listen to the Lord (hear His still small voice), focus on Him, and apply truth. Eventually, the river also dries up and God instructs Elijah to go to the home of a widow who will provide him with food. J.A. J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M. 55:11; 6:9-11). In th… We try to fly by the seat of our pants rather than by our biblical instrument panel. We might expect depression in this kind of person. (6) It may of course have physical causes. Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the LORD’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. (4) Whenever we walk by sight, we forfeit a great deal of God’s blessing and provision. The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.