THE KING’S BUSINESS
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that sound of gentle stillness, he knew that God was there. In a sense of his own un- worthiness, he wrapped his face in his man tle (cf. Ex. 3:6; Isa. 6:2, 5). Again God puts to Elijah the searching question, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” v. 14. “And he said, ‘I have been very jealous for the LORD God of Hosts; be cause the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only am left; and thy seek my life to take it away.”’ Even yet, Elijah did not make confession of his failure, but still dwells on his own faithfulness and the fail ure of others. Elijah’s repeated assertion, “I, even I only am left,” shows that he thought that God’s cause depended upon him. When a man gets to thinking that, God soon puts him aside. It was this that led to the setting aside of Moses, as well as Elijah. v. 15. "And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Da mascus; and when thou comest anoint Ha- zael to be king over Syria; and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Abel-meholah shall thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.’’ Jehovah showed Elijah how independent He was of him by pointing out three men whom he should go and anoint with his own bands, to do the. work of God which he was to lay down. It must have come like a death knell to Elijah to be told to anoint “Elisha to be prophet in thy room.’’ Anyone who
is chosen of God to do service for God, must walk very softly and humbly before him. When Elijah failed, one of the greatest spiritual heroes of all history failed; and we all do well to take heed lest we fall (cf. Num. 20:12; Deut. 3:23-26; 1 Sam. 13:13, 14). Elijah did not lose his place, as a son, but he lost his position as a servant: he was still honored of God in a way that no other man but one has even been honored (2 Kings 2:11, 12); and he was still permitted to do some work; but he was deposed from his position as the most outstanding ser vant of God in the whole nation. He sank into comparative retirement though he had the privilege not only of anointing but also of training his successor. In verses 15 to 18 we see what a variety of instruments God uses in carrying on his work; Jehu, Elisha, Hazael; by them all together all Is rael shall be reached. The strange sounding words, “Him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu, shall Elisha slay,” are interpreted by 2 Kings 2:23, 24; Jer. 1:10; Hosea 6:5; Isa. 11 -A. v. 18. “Yet I have left me seven thou sand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.’’ This was Jehovah’s final answer to Elijah’s assertion that he was the only one left in Israel who was loyal. He tells Elijah that so far from this being true, He had seven thousand faithful followers; and so God today has far more faithful servants in the world than most of us are accustomed to think.
LESSON OUTLINE.
Questions: How did Jezebel expect to slay Elijah when she could not protect her own proph ets ? Judges 6 :31. Can a true prophet go beyond the word of the Lord ? Num. 22:8. Does God turn the counsel of the wicked into foolishness? 2 Samuel 15:31.
(1) The Prophet Disappointed and Dis couraged, vs. 1-7. Jezebel threatens the prophet’s life, vs. 1 , 2 . Elijah flees for refuge to the wilderness, vs. 3, 4. He calls upon God to take his life, v. 4. God sends an angel to minister to him, vs. 5-7.
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