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Elijah Flees before Jezebel
v. 1. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. He was bound to give her a report of all that had transpired, and his heart undoubtedly had to sanction the execution which had taken place.
v. 2. Then Jezebel, lashed to fury by this turn of events, sent a messenger unto Eujah, 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 tomorrow about this time. She did not dare to have him put to death outright, and would probably not have carried out her threat, on account of the attitude of the people, but she hoped to get rid of the prophet by this scheme.
v. 3. And when he saw that, when he noted the conditions in the northern kingdom and the unchanging hatred of Jezebel, which seemed to make all further attempts useless, he arose and went for his life, commending his soul to his God and Lord, that he might be secure in His protection, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, on its extreme southern boundary, and left his servant there, since he intended to be entirely alone in the wilderness with his God.
v. 4. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, the northern Arabian Desert, and came and sat down under a juniper-tree, a furze-bush or broom-plant, abundant in beds of streams; 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. He felt that he had lived long enough, that he had done his duty; he was tired of his prophetic office and longed for rest.
v. 5. And as he lay and slept under a juniper-tree, under the furze-bush which he had sought, behold, then an Angel, the special Messenger of God, touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
v. 6. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake, one of the usual small bread-cakes, baken on the coals, on the heated stones, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again, overcome by his great weariness.
v. 7. And the Angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, for he had not finished his meal, because the journey is too great for thee, namely, the trip which the Lord had in mind for him.
v. 8. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat, food which had been given supernatural powers of sustaining strength, forty days and forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God. Like Moses before him, he was miraculously preserved by God. Note: It happens time and again that faithful pastors become weary and distressed when they see that their earnest labors bring so little fruit. But God always has strength for them in His Word and in the power of His Spirit.