Focusing on God’s purposes brings hope out of despair. This is a Bible study teaching for “Hope” on 1 Kings 19:1-18 for the “Explore the Bible” series from Lifeway.

 

hope in the lord

Today’s lesson is on Hope and we will be covering the passage in 1 Kings 19:1-18, which is the story of Elijah in the cave after his show down with the prophets of Baal.

And I realized as I was preparing this lesson that this is the third time I’ve taught a lesson on Hope for this class in the past year. Every time the lesson is on hope, it’s my turn to teach. Have you noticed that? I taught on Job 14 and Hope Defined last year. Then I taught on the Promised Hope a few months ago on Palm Sunday. And today’s lesson is on Hope in the face of discouragement.

Maybe God thinks I need to get the point.

what is the definition of hope

I’m going to hand out these cards and I’d like you to write down what hope means to you. Maybe draw a picture that represents hope to you or a situation that reminds you of hope.

….

Hold on to those cards

If you remember, we learned before that there are seven different words used in the Hebrew Bible that is translated as hope in English. We’re going to review those:

there are seven words in Hebrew translated as hope

What is Hope?

You’ve each written down your definition or something that means hope to you.

The dictionary gives three definitions of the word “hope,” two nouns and one verb. The first is “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” The second is “a feeling of trust.” Hope as a verb is to “want something to happen or be the case.”

These defintions are from an article on “Hope in the Hebrew Bible” by a theologian named Cherice Bock.[1]

  • בָּטַח (batach): trust, with a secondary meaning of hope
  • חָסָה (chasah): refuge, shelter, trust in for safety and protection
  • יָאַשׁ (ya’ash): despair, no hope
  • יָחַל (yachal): wait, hope, patient waiting, longing, so far disappointing but still hoping and waiting
  • בֶּסֶל (basal): the loins, trusting or hoping with the confidence of the place where a man’s strength comes from
  • קָוָה (qawah): “to hope strongly; to stretch out the mind in a straight direction towards an object of hope or expectation” (222); includes תִּקְוָה and מִקְוָה.
  • שָׂבַר (sabar): look for expectantly, hope for

Elijah's God showed up the prophets of Baal

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

Now we’re going to read the passage for today. The title of the lesson is hope, but none of the seven words in Hebrew are actually listed in the passage, but we can see where parts are an illustration of those different words.

When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life.

Elijah had just faced down 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah and saw God destroy them all. These prophets were supposedly Ahab and Jezebel’s connection to their gods, and they were gone. What are your thoughts about Elijah’s response?

He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

Elijah had been given the victory over his enemy. What had changed from that day of victory to the day of Jezebel’s message?

Out of these words, what describes the state that Elijah is in?

Elijah sat under a broom tree

So Elijah tells God that there’s nothing left for him and to just take his life. This is very similar to Job’s words in chapter 3 when Job doesn’t think that there is anything left for him other than to lay down and die. But the difference is Job had just experienced a series of calamities while Elijah had just experienced threats. What are your thoughts on this?

Elijah had been in this great battle where God had given him victory. He receives a threat, runs, and then goes out on his own, not even taking his servants, and then just tells God he’s ready to die. Do you notice what he hasn’t done? (prayed to God asking for direction or for help)

5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

Even though Elijah didn’t ask for help, God sent help anyway.

7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.

elijah hid amidst the rocks

Even though Elijah hasn’t yet asked God for direction or help, God sends it anyway. This translation is the NLT and it names the mountain as Mt. Sinai, the same mountain where God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and where the 10 commandments are given. The name given in 1 Kings is Mt. Horeb and the lesson actually mentions a couple of times to point out that Mt. Horeb and Mt. Sinai are the same location, it was just called by different names at different times. If you have a translation like the NLT, it will just call it as Mt. Sinai and put a note on the verse.

Elijah seeks God

The Lord Speaks to Elijah

But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

This is interesting isn’t it? The way Elijah describes the situation. All the pagan prophets were just killed but what does Elijah say?  What are your thoughts?

Looking at these Hebrew words again, what is Elijah’s mindset?

God speaks to Elijah in a whisper

The Lord Speaks in a Whisper

11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

There is a description in the lesson guide of the mantle describing it as one that a prophet or a king would wear, the NLT refers to it as a cloak. But I think the main point of verse 13 is not the type of cloak itself, but the fact that Elijah covered his face. He knew the presence of God was there, he covered his face so he could be closer to God’s presence.

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

I had been puzzling over this passage. I understand that the natural response of such a high and dramatic moment that Elijah experienced was a let down. It’s easy to let discouragement overcome you after intense emotional experiences. You think it’s over and it’s done, but it’s not.

This is similar in a way to the last time I taught on hope, when we talked about Palm Sunday. When the disciples were with Jesus during the Triumphal entry, they thought that was the end. They thought it was going to be over and all easy times from then on. But that isn’t how it worked out was it? Instead of being crowned as king, Jesus was given a prisoner’s crown of thorns, whipped, beaten and crucified. Things didn’t turn out the way they expected.

Elijah's God showed up the prophets of Baal

Things didn’t turn out the way Elijah expected either. I read a sermon on this passage by Charles Spurgeon and in it he made the point that Elijah probably thought that the great display of power on Mt. Carmel would have resulted in the king and the people repenting and turning back to God. God had proven himself over the false gods, but still the people’s hearts were hardened. Instead of turning their allegiance to God, Ahab and Jezebel threatened Elijah. It was the setting of expectations on a certain outcome rather than on God himself that brought about the disappointment.

But God was good to Elijah. God allowed him time to rest. God provided food for Elijah and sent him direction that he didn’t even ask for and a time to rest, recuperate, and be alone and apart from any other demands on him by taking him 40 days into the wilderness. Elijah thinks he’s failed. He doesn’t think his efforts have done any good, but God gives him instructions on what to do next and assures him that he is not the only one. He has not failed.

15 Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. 16 Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! 18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

I want to point out that when we read this, they seem like some simple instructions don’t they? How hard can any of those things be? But the lesson guide points out that what God was asking Elijah to do was dangerous and was actually considered treason against the existing kings. Elijah had stood firm in all God asked him to do, often standing alone. And in his final assignments … those weren’t really any safer. Elijah stood firm to the end.

This section ends with a word of encouragement for the faithful in the middle of what would be a time of turmoil for Israel. The people refused to repent, and in the actions God was instructing Elijah, he was decreeing turmoil and bloodshed for Israel. But 7,000 of the faithful would be preserved, they would be kept safe.

Soon Elijah’s job would be at an end, and he was faithful to the end. And I have to think that Elijah’s persistence must have been an influence on those 7,000 who stayed faithful to God. The story didn’t turn out the way Elijah expected, but God’s plan still came through in the end. And that is true in our own life. We put our trust in who God is, that he is good, not what we think the outcome will be.

I’d like to hear what you put down on your cards on hope and your thoughts about how God brought Elijah through a time of discouragement.


This Bible lesson was originally taught by Carla Alvarez on July 17, 2022 in the Kingdom Citizen Bible study Class at the Second Baptist North campus in Kingwood, Texas.


Endnotes

[1] Cherice Bock, “‘Hope’ in the Hebrew Bible,” Cherice Bock, March 12, 2016, accessed June 13, 2021, https://chericebock.com/2016/03/12/hope-in-the-hebrew-bible/.