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Verse 3
Theosis · English Bible
3 Kingdoms (1 Kings)

3 Kingdoms (1 Kings) 19

Old TestamentTheosis · English Bible

1And Achaab told Jezabel his wife all that Eliu had done, and how he had slain the prophets with the sword. 2And Jezabel sent to Eliu, and said, If thou art Eliu and I am Jezabel, God do so to me, and more also, if I do not make thy life by this time to-morrow as the life of one of them. 3And Eliu feared, and rose, and departed for his life: and he comes to Bersabee to the land of Juda, and he left his servant there. 4And he himself went a day's journey in the wilderness, and came and sat under a juniper tree; and asked concerning his life that he might die, and said, Let it be enough now, O Lord, take, I pray thee, my life from me; for I am no better than my fathers. 5And he lay down and slept there under a tree; and behold, some one touched him, and said to him, Arise and eat. 6And Eliu looked, and, behold, at his head there was a cake of meal and a cruse of water; and he arose, and ate and drank, and returned and lay down. 7And the angel of the Lord returned again, and touched him, and said to him, Arise, and eat, for the journey is far from thee. 8And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights to mount Choreb. 9And he entered there into a cave, and rested there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said, What doest thou here, Eliu? 10And Eliu said, I have been very jealous for the Lord Almighty, because the children of Israel have forsaken thee: they have digged down thine altars, and have slain thy prophets with the sword; and I only am left alone, and they seek my life to take it. 11And he said, Thou shalt go forth to-morrow, and shalt stand before the Lord in the mount; behold, the Lord will pass by. And, behold, a great and strong wind rending the mountains, and crushing the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire the voice of a gentle breeze. 13And it came to pass when Eliu heard, that he wrapt his face in his mantle, and went forth and stood in the cave: and, behold, a voice came to him and said, What doest thou here, Eliu? 14And Eliu said, I have been very jealous for the Lord Almighty; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, and they have overthrown thine altars, and have slain thy prophets with the sword! and I am left entirely alone, and they seek my life to take it. 15And the Lord said to him, Go, return, and thou shalt come into the way of the wilderness of Damascus: and thou shalt go and anoint Azael to be king over Syria. 16And Ju the son of Namessi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisaie the son of Saphat shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. 17And it shall come to pass, that him that escapes from the sword of Azael, Ju shall slay; and him that escapes from the sword of Ju, Elisaie shall slay. 18And thou shalt leave in Israel seven thousand men, all the knees which had not bowed themselves to Baal, and every mouth which had not worshipped him. 19And he departed thence, and finds Elisaie the son of Saphat, and he was ploughing with oxen; there were twelve yoke before him, and he with the twelve, and he passed by to him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20And Elisaie left the cattle, and ran after Eliu and said, I will kiss my father, and follow after thee. And Eliu said, Return, for I have done a work for thee. 21And he returned from following him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled them with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they ate: and he arose, and went after Eliu, and ministered to him.

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3 Kingdoms (1 Kings) 19:3

John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom4th century

Upon hearing these words, Elijah fled. Where is the great and exalted Elijah? My goal is to illustrate that he also succumbed to sin. I refer to sin not to condemn a righteous individual, but to impart a lesson of salvation. This is so that when you witness the righteous committing transgressions, yet still clinging to hope and experiencing God's mercies, you may find renewed hope for your own salvation in times of failure. When Jezebel declared, ‘This let the gods do unto me, and more, if by tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those whom you have slain,’ Elijah, upon hearing these threats, took flight and escaped for forty days. Oh, the magnitude of his fear! He received the message from the woman and fled—not just one day, or two, or three, but he retreated for forty days. What is troubling you, Elijah? You sealed the heavens and halted the rainfall; you demonstrated authority over the skies, called down fire, and executed the prophets of Baal. You confronted King Ahab, declaring, ‘As the Lord lives, there will be no rain except at my word.' You transformed the widow’s surroundings into a bountiful harvest, commanded the elements, yet at the mere sound of a harlot's words, you turned away and allowed yourself to be ensnared by a woman. Two strongholds trembled at the voice of a woman: Peter feared a servant girl, and similarly, this great prophet was intimidated by Jezebel, leading both to a shared downfall. Elijah fled for forty days. Where is your passion, Elijah, that once fueled your proclamation, ‘As the Lord lives, there will be no rain except at my command,’ when you denounced King Ahab, summoned fire from the heavens? You accomplished so much, yet could not withstand the words of one woman! Where is your steadfastness when you refused to implore your Lord for rain upon the earth? He instructed you through astonishing signs: ‘Pray to Me, for even though I can bring rain without your intercession, I desire you to participate, so the one who has wrought evil might also facilitate blessing. Truly, Elijah, your action was harsh; yet God, in His compassion, recognized the calamities facing the land, for He is the Creator and Sustainer of all; He wished to alleviate your cruelty, but you remained unyielding. He revealed to you His awareness of the suffering, the cries of mothers, the tears of children, the devastation of His creation, and He sought to extend mercy. However, He did not wish to act without your consent, allowing you, the perpetrator of evil, to remain engaged with His blessings. I honor you. Oh, the boundless mercy of the Lord, shown toward a servant! Yet Elijah believed himself devoid of sin; in truth, he fell into sin, for God allowed this to remind him of his own humanity, to cultivate kindness toward others. The scripture notes that Elijah fled for ‘forty days.’ Where are those powerful words he spoke to the people on Pentecost, through which he called down fire and consumed the sacrifices? Thus, God intended to demonstrate that, even while Elijah performed miracles, it was not by his own power but through God's might. Observe what transpires; when God was at work, kings, authorities, and the populace trembled; but when God withdrew, the woman appeared threatening. God withdrew, and human frailty was laid bare.