1 Kings 19:4-8, “Under the broom tree…”
Today’s text comes from 1 Kings 19:4-8, about Elijah’s low point in his life. The immediate background of today’s text is chapter 18, in which Elijah called down fire from heaven and saw God answer his prayer in a powerful way. Elijah had just taken on the priests of Baal and Asherah, a total of 850, at Mt Carmel and proved that the God of Israel was the true God and the Baal and Asherah were not. He also prayed for rain, and God sent it in answer to his prayer. Elijah might have thought that Israelites would finally turn to the worship of God, abandon their idols, and things would get better. Perhaps Elijah had especially hoped that the events on Mount Carmel would turn around Ahab and Jezebel, the king and the queen of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the leadership of Israel in general. To his disappointment and frustration, however, that wasn’t the case. His powerful demonstration of Jehovah God’s mighty presence and power was just a one-time event for the Israelites. Elijah saw that the powerful demonstration of who God was did not have much effect on the Israelites despite the undeniable evidence that Jehovah God was the true God.
To make matters worse, his destroying 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah, who were under the protection of the wicked Queen Jezebel, angered her, who swore to kill Elijah within a day, so Elijah fled. He ran as far away from the northern kingdom as he could—to Beersheba, the territory of the southern kingdom, Judah. And then he went even further; in verse 4, “a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree.” Here we see that Elijah, who had faith enough to take on the priests of Baal and Asherah, seemed to have lost his heart, courage, and purpose in life, so he asked that he might die, “It is enough now, O LORD, take away my life for I am no better than my ancestors.” ‘I am no better nor stronger than they who have gone before me; I am like a dead person, like those who are already dead.’
Today’s text teaches us that even the greatest spiritual warriors of the Lord can be anxious, doubtful, and exhausted. They had experienced low points in their lives and their ministries, so can we. Men and women of great faith can grow weary in their life journey; here, Elijah had come to the end of his energy and strength. So, he pleaded with God, “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life.” We know that Moses, Jonah, and Job had hit their rock-bottom and prayed the same prayer Elijah prayed, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life. I am no better than my ancestors.” They were dismayed and had lost purpose at some point in their lives.
It should not surprise us, therefore, when we experience frustration, discouragement, doubt, or even religious questioning from experiencing life’s troubles and heartaches, losing our loved ones, jobs, or physical independence due to stroke or getting age. No one is exempt from having low points in life. Grief and loss are part of our human finitude. I met a patient at the hospital the other day who had a hard time breathing. He said that it is better to die than to live like that.
Having faith in God does not make us immune to life’s troubles. Having faith in God does not guarantee that we will always have mountain top experiences, feeling high and mighty always. Like Elijah, who had mountain-top experiences bringing fire from heaven, bringing rain to end the three and a half years of drought, and killing 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah fell from mountain top to the valley, figuratively speaking, and wanted to die today, while running for his life.
This leads to another point: It is God who accomplished everything through Elijah, not on his own. If Elijah was bold and strong, it was because God made him bold and strong, not by his own strength. He himself alone had no power or strength. He was no better than his fathers who had gone before him. Without God, all he could do was run for his life, fearing his enemy’s threat. It is all God, not him.
Secondly, when we are exhausted and burnt out, we need rest and food. The spirit needs to be fed, and the body needs food, too. We should not belittle these matters; it may seem to some people that food and rest are trivial things, but these may be the very first elements needed to help depressed and burnt-out people.
In the context of resting and feeding, which Elijah needed, helping him to recover from his spiritual and physical burnt out, we note from verses 5 to 7 that God provided a broom tree under which Elijah fell asleep and sent an “angel” to bring bread baked on hot coals and water jar to Elijah. In other words, to help God’s people come out of their spiritual slump or burnt out, God uses means and people, providing a resting place and sending “someone” to bring bread and water to those burnt out. In the context that the “angel” used in vs. 5 can be seen as “someone” in its original meaning, anyone sent by God to care for those who have physical and spiritual needs is God’s messenger who is critical to recuperation and restoration of those who experience burnt out. God appointed “someone” to bring food and water for Elijah’s journey. The angel cared for the discouraged prophet and gave him food and drink, through whom God gave strength to Elijah so that he could continue his ministry.
Do we know that we may be God’s messengers, “someone” that God sent to those who need restoration and recuperation from their spiritual slump and burnt out? As God’s hands and feet, being messengers of God, God wants us to bring “bread baked on hot coals and cold water” in verse 6 to the weary and discouraged brothers or sisters.
Then what is “bread baked on hot coals and the water jar” we must bring? The word “hot coals” on which the bread was baked can be found in only two places in the Old Testament; one is here in 1 Kings 19:6, and the other in Isaiah 6:6 referring to the coals taken from the altar of incense and of the burnt offering, which touched Isaiah’s lips to purify him. In other words, “bread baked on the hot coals” symbolizes Jesus Christ, the bread of life, who offered Himself as the atonement offering on the altar of burnt offering. As for the “water jar,” this “jar” is also found in 1 Kings 17, which refers to the jar of oil belonging to the widow of Zarephath. Remember the story of the widow of Zarephath? Because of God’s provision, that “jar” miraculously remained full of oil during the drought and provided food for Elijah and the widow. In this context, the “water jar” symbolizes the water that never runs dry, which is the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
In caring for those who experience low points in life, being burnt out and exhausted, we need to bring Jesus, the word of God, and prayer. Instead of preaching, simply reading the scripture to them, praying for them, bringing sacraments such as the Lord’s Supper, and helping them to meditate on the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ are the basic caring elements we need to bring.
Lastly, to recuperate fully, one needs to rest and eat in the Lord fully to continue one’s life journey in God, fulfilling one’s mission given to them. Recuperation and restoration take time. We must eat God’s word fully, be enveloped in God’s love, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. After Elijah ate and drank the first time, he lay down again and slept, and once again, an angel touched him and urged him to rise and eat again in verse 7. It was because our life on earth is full of troubles and problems; life has “too much” trouble. Elijah complained to God, “I have had enough” in verse 4. It was “too much” for me. The angel also reminded him that “The way is too much for you” in verse 7. The word I have had “enough” and “too much” is the same word (rab). Elijah has had enough/too much, and his journey ahead is also too much/enough for him.
The good news is that God will provide all we need to make our life’s journey. God provides His Word and the sacraments, and especially other people who come into our lives to minister to us, give us food and drink when we need it, encourage us in our faith, and be with us when we feel tired and discouraged. And God may be calling us to do that to a brother or sister, to be a Christian caregiver. You may be that angel to another. Amen.