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Focus: 1 Kings 19

When do you feel most lonely?

Elijah Alone

Read: 1 Kings 19:1-5

Context: The Lord’s mighty miracle of sending down fire from heaven on Mt. Carmel did not change the heart of wicked Queen Jezebel. Already having killed many of the Lord’s prophets, she now swore to kill Elijah who slaughtered the false prophets of Baal.

[Q] In verse 4-5 Elijah found himself in a place by himself- Why was he there?

In verse 3 it literally says, “Elijah saw and ran…” What evidence shows that Elijah was running because he was afraid?
Is there anything that indicates this might be something other than fear?

[Q] What statement did Elijah make by his actions?

Wise King Solomon described a man in an isolated situation (and the lessons we can learn from him) in Ecclesiastes 4:7-12.

Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

There was a man all alone;

he had neither son nor brother.

There was no end to his toil,

yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.

“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,

“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”

This too is meaningless—

a miserable business!

Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,

one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

and has no one to help them up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

There is a difference between being alone and feeling lonely. Loneliness is dangerous, and in recent years it seems like society in general has become worse at being alone and better at being lonely. This has a lot to do with how we end up feeling.

[Q] Elijah’s way of thinking led him to a place that where he was lonely and alone. What was the Lord’s teaching Elijah in his response? (vs. 5-9)

In the Miracles?
In the Wilderness?

1 Kings 19:9-18

[Q] Twice in this section the Lord asks the same question. It’s not as if he doesn’t know the answer. What is he getting Elijah to do?

[Q] What unspoken complaints do you find in Elijah’s response in vs 10?

[Q] Now Contrast Elijah’s claims in vs. 10 with the reality described in 18:3-4. What’s the issue with Elijah’s loneliness?

1 Kings 18:3–4

and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.)