1 Reis 19

1 Reis 19

1 Kings Commentaries Chart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission 1 Kings Chart from Charles Swindoll THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL (NOTE: Many consider Amaziah and Hezekiah as "good" kings) SEE ALSO: ESV chart - kings of Israel - more information ESV chart - kings of Judah - more information 1 Kings 19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Ahab: 1Ki 16:31 21:5-7,25 how he had killed all the prophets: 1Ki 18:40 1 Kings 19 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: 1 Kings 18:19+ “Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 1 Kings 18:40+ Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. BAD BAAL NEWS FOR JEZ One could also entitle this section "From Public Ecstasy to Private Agony!", "From Elation of Victory to Depression of Defeat", "From Glory to Gloom", "From Conquest to Collapse", "From the Summit to the Abyss," "From the Pinnacle of Joy to the Depths of Despair," "From the Fire of Triumph to the Ashes of Anguish". Warren Wiersbe entitles chapter 19 "The Cave Man!" I like Brian Bell's "outline" - "Elijah under a Tree. Elijah in a Cave. Elijah in a Field." How quickly we can move from the mountaintop of triumph to the valley of testing! Warren Wiersbe goes on to say "It encourages me when I read James 5:17NLT, "Elijah was as human as we are". I have a tendency to idealize the men and women in Scripture, but the Bible is the "word of truth" (2Ti 2:15) and describes the warts and wrinkles of even the greatest. When James wrote those words, he undoubtedly had 1 Kings 18 and 19 in mind, for in these chapters we see Elijah at his highest and at his lowest. When the psalmist wrote that "every man at his best state is altogether vanity" (Ps 39:5kjv), he included all of us except Jesus. However, the outstanding leaders in Scripture, with all their humanness, knew how to find their way out of what John Bunyan called "the slough [swamp] of despond" and get back on track with the Lord. We can learn from their defeats as well as their successes. Furthermore, by studying passages like 1 Kings 19, we're reminded to give glory to the Master and not to His servants (1Co 1:27-29). We're also reminded to prepare for what may happen after the victories God gives us. How quickly we can move from the mountaintop of triumph to the valley of testing! We need to humble ourselves before the Lord and get ready for the trials that usually follow the victories. If Elijah could have described to a counselor how he felt and what he thought, the counselor would have diagnosed his condition as a textbook case of burnout.... The prophet concluded that he had failed in his mission and decided it was time to quit. But the Lord didn't see it that way. (Bible Exposition Commentary) Paul Apple (page 305) - It was natural for Elijah to expect that the report of God’s dramatic display of power and sovereignty on Mount Carmel would move the hearts of Israel’s leaders to repent of their idolatry and fix their loyalties to the one true God. But such was not the case. How quickly Satan can turn our victories into defeats. Thomas