What Are You Doing Here?

Solomon built a magnificent temple for the Lord, but he did it with heavy taxation and forced labor. When Solomon died, the people came to his son, Rehoboam, with what I consider a reasonable request, “Your father put a heavy yoke upon us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put upon us, and we will serve you (1 Kings 12:4).” Rehoboam refused and, in fact, promised to be even more harsh than his father. The ten northern tribes of rebelled against Rehoboam and set up a separate kingdom. And so, began the time of the divided monarchy.

The tribes of Judah and Benjamin continued to follow the house of David, but the northern kingdom had a succession of dynasties. The southern kingdom of Judah, as it was called, had some good kings and some bad kings. The northern kingdom, called Israel, had only bad kings. One of the worst was Ahab.

Ahab married a foreign princess named Jezebel. She was a worshiper of the god Baal and prevailed upon her husband to introduce the worship of Baal into Israel. At first, Baal was worshiped alongside Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, but soon the worship of Baal began to supplant the worship of the True God.

Enter Elijah. Elijah was a prophet of Yahweh and he waged a tireless battle against Ahab and Jezebel and their intention to turn Israel to the worship of Baal. The climax of this battle came when Elijah confronted 450 prophets of Baal in a contest of the gods on Mt. Carmel. The set up was simple, whichever god sent down fire from heaven to consume an offering had shown himself to be the true God.

We know the outcome. The prophets of Baal prayed all day, they even cut themselves to show their devotion, and . . . nothing happened. Then Elijah stepped up. He built an altar. He piled the wood on it. He laid the sacrifice on top of the wood and, then just for good measure, he had the entire thing soaked with water. Then Elijah prayed a simple prayer to the Lord. And the fire fell, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the altar and even lapping up the water that had pooled in the ditch around the altar. The people shouted as one, “Yahweh is God! Yahweh is God!” The rain returned, not a drizzle, but a downpour and notice the words which end chapter 18:

The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel (vs. 46).

A notable miracle and a complete victory of the Lord over Baal. Elijah may be excused for thinking that this was the beginning of a great revival in the nation of Israel and a repudiation of idolatry. But that is not the way it happened.

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. ² So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them (vss. 1-2).”

People aren’t rational. If you doubt that, just consider verse 2. If people were rational, this is how verse two would read, “Jezebel said, ‘Baal is no god at all, Yahweh is the true God. Therefore, I repent of my sin of worshiping a false idol and turn to the worship of the True God, the God of Israel.’” But that isn’t what she said, is it? She sends a message to Elijah and says, in effect, “You’re toast! I am going to use every resource at my disposal to see that you are dead within twenty-four hours.” And Elijah, the man who had stood alone before 450 prophets of Baal only hours before, ran for his life.

³ Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, ⁴ while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, 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 (vss. 3-4).”

When people talked about the extent of Israel they used the phrase, “From Dan to Beersheba”. Dan being the furthest extent north and Beersheba being the furthest south. It’s like we say, “From coast to coast” to speak of the extent of America. So, Elijah went as far as he could go away from Ahab and Jezebel and remain in the Promised Land. But, the text says, he went even farther—a day’s journey into the wilderness. The implication is that Elijah is bailing—leaving his prophetic calling behind—quitting.

“I have had enough,” he says. I’m not asking for a show of hands, but who here has ever been where Elijah was? In a relationship, a job, a ministry? You’ve worked hard—you’ve put your heart and soul into it—and nothing. You had such expectations—such hopes and dreams—and you feel that you have nothing to show for it. Then you understand where Elijah is at. To say that Elijah is discouraged is an understatement. I have heard people describe Elijah as being depressed, but even that seems too mild. He is in despair. He prays to God to take his life! (This is a bit strange. He ran because he was afraid of death. Now he asks to die. Go figure.)

But I want you to notice how God answers the prayer of his despairing prophet.

⁵ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

⁷ The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank.

I really like this. God’s response is very practical. He gives Elijah the gift of sleep and nourishment. This is so contrary to what we normally do. Whenever we confront a believer who is struggling with depression, our response is often to scold them, to tell that they shouldn’t feel the way they do, that it’s somehow unspiritual to be depressed. God doesn’t do any of that. He provides for his prophet’s physical needs of rest and nourishment.

We tend to look at all our problems as spiritual problems requiring spiritual solutions. But sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is not more prayer, or Bible study, or any other “spiritual activity”, but good night’s sleep or a nourishing meal or a vacation. Human beings are both spirit and body and one affects the other.

 Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

God has provided for Elijah’s physical needs with rest and food and now God will provide for Elijah’s spiritual need. Elijah needs a one on one meeting with God and he is about to get it. God brings him to Horeb (better known as Mt. Sinai) the place where, 400 years before, Moses had had his encounter with God.

Verse 9 says, “he went into a cave and spent the night.” The Hebrew actually says, “he went into the cave”—a specific cave. Some Bible scholars believe that this cave was the very cave where God had placed Moses and covered him with his hand (Exodus 33:22) before the Lord had passed by. In that very special place, now Elijah would have his own encounter with God.

The text says, “And the word of the Lord came to Elijah.” God knew what Elijah needed. He needed more than rest and nourishment for his body, he also needed something for his soul. He needed the Word of the Lord. And we do too. God still speaks today, and the way he speaks most often is through his written revelation—the Bible. So, if we would have God speak to us, the most reliable way is to immerse ourselves in the Bible.

Look at what God said to Elijah, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” It’s a strange question. Didn’t God know what Elijah was doing there? Of course, but he wanted Elijah to think about it and he wanted Elijah to pour out his heart. And that’s what we get in verse 10:

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too (vs. 10).”

Does it seem to you that Elijah is having a bit of a pity party here? It’s perfectly understandable. We understand how the prophet has come to this place, but he’s just venting his frustration, his despair, his discouragement, and I think God wanted him to do that. Isn’t it better sometimes to express these things rather than keep them bottled up in your heart?

First, God listens to what his prophet is feeling and thinking and then he will give Elijah what he needs. Elijah needed more than theological understanding, he needed to meet God in the midst of his despair. See how God does it in verse 11:

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

The Lord tells Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain because he is about to pass by. Then comes all the usual phenomena that accompany a theophany—wind, earthquake and fire—but God’s presence is not in any of them. Talk about an anticlimax!

I believe that after the events on Mt. Carmel there was an expectation in the prophet’s heart that God would always reveal himself is huge, dramatic ways. If God shows up, it will be in the mighty wind, or the earthquake, or the fire falling from heaven. But, do you see what God was teaching Elijah? “Don’t look for me always in the spectacular and dramatic, because I may not be there.” Look where he was in verse 12, “And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” The KJV says, “a still, small voice”, another version says “a sound of sheer silence (NRSV).” And God was in that quiet sound.

I going to suppose that Elijah did not expect to meet God in a gentle whisper. If you’re the prophet who is used to seeing God in fire from heaven, you might begin to think that that’s the way he will always work, but God won’t be defined by our human expectations. “This time, Elijah, I’m going to come in a gentle whisper.”

Let us be careful that we don’t try to limit God in the way he works. Not because he won’t work, but because when he does work in a way that we don’t expect, we might miss him. If we are looking for God in the big, the loud, the dramatic and he comes in the gentle whisper, we might miss what God is doing. The opposite is also true. If we think God can only work in quiet, gentle ways, and he chooses to do something big we might say, “O, that can’t be God” and discount God’s work. He wants to connect with us, but we need to put away our prior expectations and allow God to do it the way he chooses.

Notice what happens when Elijah hears this:

¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah hears the quiet whisper or the still small voice or the sound of sheer silence and he realizes, “It’s the Lord!” and covers his face with his mantle out of humility. The true reaction to an encounter with God is humility. We realize that he is holy and we are unholy and dare not look upon the face of the Lord. The mark of someone who has had a true experience with God will be humility.

And what does the voice say? Verse 13b—“What are you doing here, Elijah?” Basically a word for word repeat of what he had already said. I think this informs us that when God speaks, he will often say things he has said before.

God is not ready to move on until Elijah is ready to move on. If God keeps telling you the same thing, maybe it’s time to wonder whether you have done what he has already told you.

And you gotta love Elijah reply, “If you’re going to ask me the same question, I’ll just give you the same answer.

¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

Yes, God, I’m still in the very same place. I’m still feeling discouragement and despair and I feel like I’m all alone. So, what have you got for me?

And see what God said,

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.

God tells Elijah, “We could talk about this all day, but I’ve got work for you to do. It time to get busy with my work.” Elijah seemed to be crippled by his discouragement and fear and God says, “You’ve spent enough time there. Let’s move on.”

¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.

You can almost see Elijah furiously taking notes—saying “There’s so much I have to do, I’d better get busy.” And, suddenly he’s not thinking about himself and his despair.

What was it that had Elijah so upset? It was that Jezebel wanted to kill him. Do you realize that God did not speak to that at all? “Elijah, you get about my business and I’ll take care of you.” And you know, Jezebel never did kill Elijah. In fact, Elijah is one of the few people in the Bible who never experience death.

Instead, God gives Elijah the assurance that his ministry will continue even after he is gone: “anoint Elisha . . . to succeed you as prophet (vs. 16). A younger man would continue the prophetic ministry even after Elijah was gone. Here is hope. Your ministry will not end with you, it will continue on in the person of Elisha.

Then we have the final assurance given to Elijah:

¹⁸ Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Elijah thought he was all alone. He thought his ministry had been a failure. He had complained to God, “I am the only one left . . .” But God said, “No, Elijah, you’re wrong. I still have 7,000 faithful ones in Israel who have not bowed down to Baal.” There are seven thousand people that your ministry has touched that you knew nothing about.

And I think that that moment was a n “Aha! moment” for Elijah. Although he had expected the spectacular, miraculous events on Mt. Carmel to ignite a great nationwide revival, that was not the way that God was going to work in this situation. This time God would work through that gentle whisper in every heart.

I like it when God does big things—big evangelistic campaigns, miraculous healings, spectacular miracles. God does those things and I pray he does more. But I never want to despise the gentle and quiet ways that God moves.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel bad when someone talks about the big things God has done in their life. Because, God doesn’t generally work that way with me. I’ve got to learn not to despise the gentle, quiet ways that he works in my life. It is very precious and enduring.

It was enduring enough to keep 7,000 people faithful to the Lord in some of the worst days of apostacy in the history of Israel. I wonder about those who were convinced by the miracle on Carmel—where were they days, months, years later? Some of them, doubtless remained faithful, but I am sure many more faded away when things got difficult and the miracles stopped. But those 7,000, those in whom God had done the deeper quiet work, endured.

So, we say, “Do it both ways, God. Do mighty, supernatural things among us, but also do the deep work of the gentle whisper.”