Finding Jezebel and Losing Hope

 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.  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.”



Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.  
                                                                                 1 Kings 19:1-3a

I know Jezebel.

Although, in my life, I call her disappointment, or financial difficulty, or lust, or insecurity.  She is waiting around every victory, hiding behind every rising hope.  She is waiting to pounce, waiting to crush my dreams and my good feelings.

You know her, too.

I don't know who or what she is in your life- maybe one of the same things she is in mine, or maybe something or someone else- but she is there.  She is as real to us as she was to Elijah, and we fear her and run from her just the same.

It seems that for every victory in life, something wants to tear us down.   Have an awesome time of worship and come home to find an earth shattering email.  Finally commit to giving God more of your time and love, and then lose your job.  Have a great conversation with someone about Christ then hear the news from the doctor and its not good.   I mean, it's almost like we're being opposed!

Elijah certainly was.  He had prayed to God and seen fire fall from heaven, just killed 850 false prophets, just prayed for rain to end a multi-year drought and seen the water flow.  The next day, he gets that message.  He had beaten her, he had proven her gods to be nothings.  Yet she threatens him and he runs.

God pursues Elijah, like he does us.  He sends an angel to feed and encourage him.  Then God speaks to him, not in the wind, or in an earthquake, but in a gentle whisper.  Elijah's response?  "I'm lonely and people want to kill me.  I'm done."

Elijah made several mistakes.

1.  He listened to Jezebel.  She had his attention, and she didn't deserve it.  I'm not saying we ignore the issues in our lives, our Jezebels, but we do not need to give them our devotion.  We do not need to give them a hold or power over us.  Elijah had just seen God prove Jezebel a nothing, but still Elijah fears her.  He stood up against a nation, 850 prophets, their 'gods' and the king.  But the queen?  That's just too much.

2.  He lost hope.  Because he listened to her rather than God, Elijah failed to hear and see what God was doing.  He lost sight of God because all he could see was Jezebel.  It's easy to lack hope when you can't see it.  He had endured much, he had faced the enemy and won.  He thought it was over, but it wasn't.  When the battle seems never ending, it's hard to hope in a good end for you.  Even if our enemy is defeated, the battle still goes on. 

3.  He didn't listen to God.  Twice, Elijah says, "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."  Both times in response to God asking him why he was at Mt Hebron throwing a pity party.  God tried speaking to Elijah, but he wasn't listening.  He only wanted to see the bad.  That's key.  He WANTED to see the bad instead of the good.  There are times we don't want to see the good.  Why?  I really don't know, but it's true.  We just want to wallow in our mess.

So, what does God do?  He tells Elijah the plan.  The plan is to keep on going as planned, but Elijah is being replaced.  Elijah is to appoint a new king in Aram, anoint a new king over Israel.  Oh, and name Elijah's own successor- Elisha.  The moral is, if you lose hope like Elijah did, and refuse to see what God is trying to show you, you can be replaced.  God will find a way to accomplish His will, and He wants to use you, but He will not let you sabotage the good He intends to bring about.

Now, Elisha's appointment doesn't meant the end for Elijah (there's grace and restoration at work here).  But take a lesson from Elisha.  He is farming when he is called.  He goes back, and slaughters his oxen and burns his farming tools.  He essentially says, "My past is done.  Let's move forward."  Compare that to Elijah in his pity party who can't look past an enemy already defeated.  Perhaps that is a lesson for us as well- learn from and grow from our past.  Good and bad.  But never dwell on it.  Never leave an opening for return to it.

Sometimes looking back over our shoulder at our defeats as well as victories is how we miss the hope right in front of us.