Jezebel was Scary

Jezebel was livid! Could you say ‘frothing’ at the mouth with her fists clenched?! Watch out Elijah! She means business. If her husband King Ahab wimped out, she sure wasn’t going to. Ahab had the confrontation with Elijah at Mount Carmel in 1Kings 18. God demonstrated that He alone is God and Baal was very much a false god. Baal was as ‘dead as a nit,’ unable to respond to the cries of his worshippers. At the impressive display of God’s power, the people chanted: “The Lord, He is the God!”  King Ahab couldn’t deny it. The false prophets were wiped out and a torrential rain marked the end of a long famine.

The King galloped home to tell his wife Jezebel about the false prophets being wiped out. She was outraged. She immediately text messaged Elijah, the man of God. (Had the technology existed back then, she would have definitely used it – flaming fingers flying furiously over her cell phone keys!) “Elijah, by this time tomorrow you’ll be dead meat!”  Her message went like this: “So let the gods do to me and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them (the slain false prophets) by tomorrow about this time.” 1Kings 19:2

Elijah received the urgent threat. “That lady sure doesn’t mince words. I hear her. By this time tomorrow I’m a goner!”  In a flash, fear gripped him and he bolted! Have human legs ever run so fast? Look at the trail of dust he’s leaving behind as he charges down the road. It’s called running for your life!  

“And when he (Elijah) saw that (the message from Jezebel)

He arose and went for his life

And came to Beersheba which belongeth to

And left his servant there.

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness

And came and sat down under a juniper tree:

And he requested for himself that he might die;

And said, It is enough; now, O Lord take away my life…”

1 Kings 19:3-4

Just 24 hours ago this prophet of God fearlessly stood before the wicked King on Mount Carmel . He confronted him with his wickedness and idolatry. He was mightily used of God to expose the emptiness of the false god Baal. He convincingly proved the might and power of the Almighty God. He took decisive action to wipe out the 450 prophets of Baal. And now…..yes, that blur is Elijah at top speed! One brief message from Her Royal Highness Jezebel and Elijah is running for his life. Huffing and puffing until he crashes under a juniper tree. He turns to the Lord and says: “Let me die.”

Dear Child of God have you had a spiritual high? A mountain peak of Christian experience when you sensed the very presence of God? The closeness and intimacy and spiritual energy were very real! Have you had a recent victory over some dark battle? Have you just taken a stand for your Lord against something your friends were doing? But today is different. The strength is gone. Things couldn’t be bleaker or weaker. The nasty fingers of fear have a death grip on your throat - choking you. You feel you’re going to lose this one. The only light at the end of the tunnel is the light of an approaching train. Sounds like you’re under your own juniper tree.

Get your eyes off yourself and focus again on your God.

It seems that ‘E’lijah saw only two things – the wicked determination of ‘J’ezebel to murder him and his own inability to prevent it from happening.  E < J.

Little wonder Elijah thought it was all over. Here’s the formula he needed to focus on: E + G > J

Replace the ‘E’ with your initial and the ‘J’ with your threat. Psalm 56:3

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Be sure to enjoy the Lord today

Warmly in Christ,

Peter Ramsay

Is This All There Is To Life? Read Ron Mills' story, as well as a Christmas Message and the latest pictures at: www.heaven4sure.com