Last week we saw Aaron Burr challenge Alexander Hamilton to duel set to take place at dawn on July 11, 1804. Each man, called by man to serve man, faced each other and fired one shot. Burr was unscathed, but Hamilton was mortally wounded.
So what happened to Aaron Burr? He was charged with murder! However, charges were dismissed against the vice president despite the fact that duels were illegal.
Last week, we also saw Elijah singlehandedly challenge 450 prophets of Baal to a sacrifice to determine if the god of the false prophets was God or if the God of Elijah was the true God. We know the outcome – Elijah’s God was the true God. (Remember the sacrifice to God had been drenched with water and with a water-filled trench all around, and God sent fire that consumed everything including licking up the water in the trench.) Therefore, the false prophets were killed.
So what happened to Elijah? King Ahab told his wife, Jezebel, about Elijah’s challenge and that the Lord was recognized as God. Queen Jezebel was outraged! She ordered Elijah’s death the following day. And Elijah? He ran for his life! To the wilderness.
God in His wisdom does not let one stay on the mountaintop in the exhilaration of a spiritual victory – whether it may be someone coming to faith in the Lord or a seasoned believer achieving victory after a spiritual battle.
Elijah found shade under a broom tree and sat down. Exhausted and discouraged, he prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord!” he said. Then he laid down and fell asleep. End of story? Not yet.
The story picks up in 1 Kings 19:5. An angel touched Elijah and said, “Get up and eat.” Elijah looked around and saw baked bread over hot coals and a jar of water. He ate and drank and laid back down.
The angel of the Lord came back a second time, touched Elijah and said, “Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you.”
When God calls us for a specific task, He provides what we need to complete it.
So Elijah got up, ate and drank. The meal was more than an ordinary energy bar and sports drink. It was packed with spiritual nourishment that enabled him to travel 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God. He found a cave and spent the night.
We can run, but we cannot hide from the eyes of the Lord God Almighty.
The Lord said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Elijah explained all that had happened, that he was the only prophet left, and that they were trying to kill him, too.
But God did not let Elijah slip into self-pity. The Lord said, “Go stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord for the Lord is about to pass by.
God always involves His people in accomplishing His plan.
First a mighty wind tore the mountains apart and shattered rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was a powerful earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then came a blazing fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
Pay attention, Elijah. —>> After the fire came a gentle whisper.
God’s gentle whisper is often found in the quietness of a humbled heart. He whispers, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Shouldn’t we step back from the noise and activities of our busy lives and listen humbly and quietly for His guidance? His protection? His provision? It may come when we least expect it, as it did for Elijah.
Sometimes serving God may not be easy when God calls us for a particular mission as Elijah was called. But God’s call is not for our comfort, but for His service.
One of the last things Elijah did in his prophet ministry was to anoint Elisha to step into his sandals with his cloak wrapped around his shoulders to be a faithful prophet of God to the people of Israel as Elijah had been.
Is God calling you into a leadership role or are you leaving a godly example for someone else to follow? Are you listening for God’s gentle whisper? “Be ready! I am coming soon!” How will you answer Him?
Spoiler alert – Elijah, along with Moses, appear in the New Testament with Jesus.