Episode 142: Elijah is touched by an angel

1 Kings 19

Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah

19 ¹ Ahab told his wife, Jezebel, that Elijah had killed the prophets of Baal.

² Jezebel sent a message to Elijah, saying, "I'm going to kill you tomorrow at about this time."

^3-4 When Elijah heard that, he went into the wilderness near Beersheba in Juda and sat under a juniper tree, and said to God, “Just kill me now.”

An angel visits Elijah (and feeds him cake)

⁵ Then Elijah went to sleep and was touched by an angel, who said to him, "Get up and eat."

⁶ Elijah looked up and saw a cake and some water. So he ate the cake, drank the water, and went back to sleep.

⁷ The angel came back, touched him again, and said, "Get up and eat. It's time to get going."

⁸ So Elijah got up and walked to God's mountain (Mount Horeb). The journey took him forty days, during which he neither ate nor drank.

The word of God visits Elijah

⁹ Elijah went into a cave where the word of God came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

¹⁰ Elijah said,

With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of hosts.

But the Israelites have destroyed your altars and killed your prophets.

Now they want to kill me.

^11-12 The word of God said, "Go stand on the mountain in front of God."

So Elijah stood on the mountain, and a strong wind blew that tore the mountain apart. But God wasn't in the wind. Then an earthquake came. But God wasn't in the earthquake. Then there was a fire. But God wasn't in the fire. Finally, there was a little voice. A voice said to him, ¹³ "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

¹⁴ Elijah said,

With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of hosts.

But the Israelites have destroyed your altars and killed your prophets.

Now they want to kill me.

¹⁵ God said to him,

Go anoint Hazael the king of Syria, ¹⁶ Jehu the king of Israel, and Elisha the prophet who will replace you.

¹⁷ Jehu will kill whoever isn't killed by Hazael.

And whoever isn't killed by Jehu will be killed by Elisha.

¹⁸ But there will be 7000 in Israel who haven't bowed or kissed Baal who will survive.

Elisha joins Elijah

¹⁹ So Elijah found Elisha, who was plowing with twelve oxen, and put his mantle on him.

²⁰ Elisha said to Elijah, "Let me kiss my mom and dad, then I'll follow you."

Elijah said, "OK".

²¹ Elisha killed his oxen, boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people. Then he followed after Elijah.