1 Kings 19:1-18
1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 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.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (1 Kings 19:1-4)
When King Ahab told Jezebel what had happened on Mount Carmel — how God had answered Elijah with fire and how Elijah had killed the prophets of Baal — Jezebel saw red. She flew into a rage and swore that within twenty-four hours she would take the life of God’s prophet. This was nothing out of the ordinary for her, because from the previous chapter, 18:4, we learn that she was systematically killing off the prophets of the Lord. Not one of them was left except the hundred prophets whom Obadiah, Ahab’s palace administrator, had hidden in two caves, and, of course, the prophet Elijah. Jezebel did not know about the hundred hidden prophets. She knew only about Elijah. So now he was her one and only target.
Even though he had come away as a hero and a conqueror from his battle with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, now, hearing Jezebel’s threat, Elijah perhaps felt unappreciated, and he sank into despair. Verse 3 tells us that he “was afraid” of Jezebel. He feared for his life and fled to inaccessible places. Going out into the wilderness, he “came to a broom bush and sat down under it.” The broom tree is an ordinary shrub, some two to four meters high, with small white pea-like blossoms in the spring. But the broom tree under which Elijah sat could no longer remain ordinary, because it became a witness to Elijah’s despair. There, under it, Elijah “prayed that he might die.” And so this broom tree became a symbol of self-pity and depression. That is why, from here on, when we speak of the broom tree, I would like you to understand that we are not talking merely about one juniper shrub, but about the whole situation of gloom and discouragement into which Elijah had fallen.
Elijah went through this experience of his and came out the other side of it. But the question today is, what can we draw for ourselves from Elijah’s experience? What can we learn from the wisdom of the broom tree?
THE INEVITABILITY OF THE BROOM TREE
First, the mere fact that God has been at work in our lives does not mean that we will have no problems. The day before had been the climax, the summit of Elijah’s ministry. He had turned the whole nation back to the Lord. Fire from the Lord had come down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering on Elijah’s altar. All who were present had fallen on their faces and cried out, “The Lord — he is God! The Lord — he is God!” (1 Kings 18:38-39). At that moment Elijah was not afraid to stand before the prophets of Baal. Without so much as batting an eye, he put them all to death (1 Kings 18:40). After that he prayed, and after three years of drought God gave rain to the land. And now this same Elijah is afraid of one woman, queen though she was. His boldness evaporated, and he seemed to become fainthearted. Could God not have struck down Jezebel and settled the matter? He would — but a little later, through Jehu. Now, however, Jezebel was a problem for Elijah. The fact that God has worked in our lives before is no guarantee that we will never have problems again. Sometimes everything can be going well for us, and then suddenly either “our brook dries up” or a “Jezebel” comes chasing after us (1 Kings 17:7). We need to know that if this happened to the great prophet Elijah, it will happen to us as well. In other words, we must be prepared. Difficult as it is, we must expect the troubles, the storms, and the tempests of our lives, and decide beforehand how we will respond to them.
If we are not careful, we can find ourselves under the broom tree for a variety of reasons. Take overload, for example. If we are too busy and buried under commitments, this can throw off our priorities, and our own personal relationship with the Lord can slip into the background behind our work or our ministry. A tendency toward this kind of spiritual undiscipline can bring us “under the broom tree.” From Elijah’s reaction we may conclude that he had not been praying. It is not that he had not been asking for and receiving things from the Lord, but that he had not had personal time of fellowship in the presence of God — and that neglect, that loss of close and personal contact with the Lord, is exceedingly dangerous.
THE WORLD SEEN FROM UNDER THE BROOM TREE
So then, how does the world look from under the broom tree? Seen from there, it is twisted and deformed. It is a world with a small God and a large “I.” When a person is in depression, his condition is marked by four features.
The first mark of the broom tree is looking at oneself (v. 4).
4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (1 Kings 19:4)
Notice that Elijah said to the Lord, “I am no better than my ancestors.” These words show that in this moment Elijah was looking at himself, not at God. The moment we take our eyes off Jesus and begin to look at ourselves, we surrender ourselves into the clutches of despair. Then our problems begin to look insurmountable, and we — powerless. That is why the author of the letter to the Hebrews exhorts us (Hebrews 12:1-3):
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Not to look at ourselves, but at Jesus — this alone can save us from faintheartedness and depression.
The second mark of the broom tree is self-pity. It runs like a refrain through Elijah’s words. Later, at his meeting with the Lord, he says, “I, the wretched one… I am the only one left, and now they are trying to take my life too” (vv. 10, 14). These words sound almost like weeping. Elijah was pitying himself. He thought that after all his successful ministry he should not, in the end, die at the hand of Jezebel. But what lies at the root of self-pity? Pride and selfishness — things we need to be set free from.
Discouragement is one of Satan’s favorite weapons. If we do not shake it off when it comes upon us, it will lead us down into the pit of depression and self-pity. And self-pity is like a little baby — it wants to be rocked and cuddled. But if we keep giving ourselves over to our self-pity, it will grow up, and from a little baby it will turn into a terrible monster — a monster that will put us in isolation and seize us in paralysis.
The third mark of the broom tree is thinking that you are something more than others. “I am no better than my ancestors!” Evidently Elijah had thought he was better than his ancestors, but in the end he was disappointed in himself. Still, Elijah thought he deserved at least a little recognition. In verses 10 and 14, at his meeting with God, he says, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty…” If we are honest, we too must admit that we are often tempted to think that we are at least a little better than others. We must not forget, however, that before the cross of Calvary we are all equal. We are equally lost without God and his mercy.
The fourth mark of the broom tree is a spirit of death: “Now, Lord, take my life!” — “Bring me home!” Elijah said it, but he did not mean it. If he had truly wanted to die instead of to flee, he simply needed to stay put with Jezebel. She would have been more than happy to grant him this wish of his to go and be with the Lord. In fact Elijah did not want to die, but he seemed to be angry with the Lord. He was saying to him, “Since you allowed this to happen to me, it means you do not love me. I cannot bear any longer the life you offer me. Enough is enough — I have had enough! Take my life!” Elijah was displeased with God.
Looking at self, self-pity, comparing, a spirit of death — Elijah found himself in the lowest and most humiliated condition into which a person can sink. But God pulled him out of there. So do not be afraid! Whatever condition you may find yourself in, with God there is still hope for you!
HOW DO WE COME OUT FROM UNDER THE BROOM TREE?
And so, having considered the inevitability and the marks of the broom tree, it is time to ask ourselves how to come out from under it — how to escape from a state of despair and depression, if we have fallen into one.
First, we must know that the main credit for our being pulled out from under the “broom trees” in our lives belongs to God. He loves us and will never forsake us! What did God do to bring Elijah out of the state into which he had fallen? First, God sent his angel to care for Elijah and to feed him (vv. 5-7).
5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (1 Kings 19:5-7)
Psalm 34:7 says:
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. (Psalm 34:7)
See, on his way into the wilderness Elijah left his servant in Beersheba, but God sent him another servant. This angel prepared food and a jar of water for Elijah. He tended to his needs and encouraged him. In the New Testament we read that God sends his angels for us as well. Hebrews 1:14 says:
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)
Notice that the food which God’s angel prepared gave Elijah supernatural strength (v. 8).
8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. (1 Kings 19:8)
Secondly, in order to bring him out from under the broom tree, God called Elijah close to himself — he summoned him to his own mountain, the place where he had given the Ten Commandments to Moses, where the rock gave water, where he had revealed himself to his people. Elijah, however, was still not ready to hear God’s Word. Arriving at the mountain, he settled into a gloomy cave. It was as though his body was on the mountain, but his heart was still under the broom tree. And yet God was the one who was helping him to come out of the state of despair and discouragement into which he had fallen.
STEPS FOR COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE BROOM TREE
What must we do in order to come out from under the broom tree? The first step is called “realization” (v. 9).
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9)
Notice that when the Word of the Lord came to Elijah, it opened the conversation with a question: “What are you doing here? Why are you not in your place? Why have you run away from your responsibility?” We need to stop and think. Where are we, and where ought we to be? We need to stop looking at ourselves from a selfish point of view and instead see ourselves through God’s eyes. In other words — to take up our responsibility — our responsibility as disciples of Christ, as fathers and mothers, as ministers. This is very hard. Because most often, instead of answering God’s call, we begin to slip away and make excuses, when in fact what we ought to do is stop, think, and repent.
The second step for coming out from under the broom tree is to come out of our shut-up-in-ourselves state and to stand in God’s presence (v. 11).
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. (1 Kings 19:11)
God did not want to speak to Elijah while he was in the cave. In this case the cave is like a sister to the broom tree. It tells us that as long as we remain in a posture of self-focus, self-pity, self-praise, and self-defense, we are incapable of receiving the leading of the Holy Spirit. If we want to hear God’s voice, we must climb the mountain, to a place from which we see not only ourselves, but from which the horizons before us are open.
The third step for coming out from under the broom tree is the hearing of God’s Word. Once he came out of the darkness of the cave, Elijah was ready to hear God’s voice (vv. 11-13).
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13)
All these manifestations — the wind and the earthquake and the fire — had in the past, in one way or another, been forerunners of God’s appearing. But here it says that God was neither in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire. He was in the whisper — in the gentle, quiet voice. What does all this tell us? To seek not only God’s manifestations, but his Word. God’s written Word is the primary way in which God speaks to us today. This is why we must read it, study it, and fill our hearts with it. Here, in the written Word, we will find God’s encouragement and support for our lives.
The fourth step for coming out from under the broom tree is to return to the path of ministry on which we have set out, and to trust fully in God’s plan for us (vv. 15-19).
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:15-18)
At the beginning of the chapter we see Elijah behaving as though God’s plan had failed. Elijah thought that of all God’s faithful people he alone was left. In his self-justification before God he says twice: “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 take my life too.” At the end of the chapter, however, God answers him that this is not true. God’s plan has not failed. God has provided people who will carry out his will and punish Jezebel and her followers. God has prepared not one but three — Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. Moreover, it is not true that of all Israel only Elijah has remained faithful to God. Besides him, God has reserved for himself another seven thousand who have remained faithful to him and have not gone after Baal. So Elijah is not alone. That is why, instead of pitying himself, he was to “go back the way he came” and continue his ministry.
Is it not often the same with us? We get discouraged, we despair, we give up. We are angry with God. But from history and from the Word of God we learn that, no matter what people and Satan may do, God will never be defeated. He will never leave us without a plan and without a way out. The question is whether we will be tuned to hear that gentle, quiet voice with which he speaks to us.
SUMMARY
And so, we have been speaking about depression and despair and how to come out of them. First, so as not to arrive at such a pitiful state, we must not allow our priorities to be disrupted, letting our personal relationship with the Lord slip into the background behind our work or our ministry.
Second, in order to come out of our depression, we must climb up high and stand “on the mountain” before the Lord. This means not shutting ourselves up in ourselves and giving in to self-pity, but shaking ourselves off and “climbing up” to a place from which we have a higher perspective. There, “on the mountain,” God will speak to us.
Third, we must not expect any dramatic manifestations, but simply take up our Bibles and begin to read and to pray. God will speak to us through the Scriptures and through his Spirit.
Fourth, we must return to our everyday responsibilities and continue to follow God’s plan for our lives. God is a God of plan, order, and providence. He knows the end of the story. So the only thing we can do is thank him for including us in his plan.
Elijah went on. Will you go on too?