When You Feel Like Running Away

I Kings 19:1-16
By Harold Dinsmore, M.Div.
© 2007 Harold Dinsmore

               Turn in your Bibles to the book of I Kings 19.  In this section of I Kings we come across the prophet of God by the name of Elijah.  In chapter 18 he confronts the prophets of Ba’al who were 850 strong.  As they met on Mt. Carmel, Elijah posed this question before the people of Israel.  “How long will you go limping with two different opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Ba’al, then follow him.”

               Israel thought they were living it up by having the best of both worlds.  They believed they were covering all the bases religiously.  But in actuality they were destroying the faith of Israel and forsaking the one True God.

               So Elijah proposed that a bull be prepared for a sacrifice and to call upon their god.  He said that he would do the same and the one who answered with fire “let him be God.”  So the prophets of Ba’al prepared and called on their god all day long and in verse 27 Elijah mocked them saying, “cry aloud, for he is a god, either he is musing, or he has gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”  You god must be on vacation is really what he was getting at by his mocking them.  Nothing happened.  No one answered the prophets of Ba’al.

               Then Elijah prepared his bull and sacrifice and made a trench and poured water all over the sacrifice and wood and filled the trench with water.  Then he prayed in verse 36 and following.  When he finished fire fell from heaven and not only consumed the offering, the wood, but the stones, the dust and the water.

               Following this action, the word was given to seize the false prophets and all of them were killed.  Now enter the focal text for this morning.  Read with me at verse 1 of chapter 19.  (Read 1-16).  What does this prophet do?  He gets scared sill and runs away!  Yep!  He goes as far south as Beer-sheba then goes another day’s journey into the Negev.  After eating a few meals provided by God he takes off again and this time he travels for 40 days and nights and comes to Mt. Horeb which is also known as Mt. Sinai.  That is all the way down the Sinai peninsula to almost the tip.  This is in modern day Saudi Arabia.  This is also the spot where Moses received the Ten Commandments and the Law.