“Journeyman’s Bread” (1 Kings 19:4-8)

1 Kings 19:4-8

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 12, 2018

In our reading from 1 Kings, Elijah had just come down from a mountain top experience at Mount Carmel. It was a battle between Elijah and the prophets of the false god Baal. It is a powerful and humorous story. When the false god Baal does not show up, Elijah asks if he stepped out to use the washroom. Elijah unmasks the lies and deception of false religion. The true and living God—Yahweh himself shows up in a consuming fire. People fall on their faces and confess, “Yahweh, he is God!” The false prophets are put to death. Elijah outruns by foot King Ahab who is riding a chariot over a distance of about 20 miles to Jezreel. And when King Ahab tells Queen Jezebel of it, they decide to kill Elijah. So, Elijah runs nearly 100 miles from the northern part of the Kingdom to the southern to Beersheba. Not only do I admire Elijah’s courage to boldly preach the truth to power, I am also impressed that he was an ultra-marathoner. Elijah continues a day’s journey alone into the wilderness—the same wilderness where the Israelites wandered 40 years.

Elijah’s mountaintop experience is now an all time low. He ran well over 100 miles and hiked for another day into the wilderness. He tells God he wants to die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” This is called the post-adrenaline blues. Athletes and performers talk about it all the time. You can get it after a huge school or work project. It is what Winston Churchill was referring to in war when he said, “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” We derive strength from the adrenaline rush and perhaps some carbs, sugar, or a little caffeine. But at some point those natural resources are not enough. Elijah’s battle is not with mere flesh and blood but against the powers and principalities of evil through false religion and the abuse of power.

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” Trouble found Elijah. He is so physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted that death sounds like a good way out of his misery. Even the Lord’s prophet Elijah got discouraged and felt despair. This great man of God was overwhelmed by the exhausting brokenness and evil of this world. I admire Elijah’s courage, authenticity, and humility. He casts this burden upon the Lord in prayer: “Take my life. I’m no better than my ancestors.” Elijah surrenders himself to God in the spiritual cradle of prayer and then surrenders himself to the physical cradle of sleep—a temporary escape and renewing of body and soul.

Elijah is quite literally a wonderful forerunner of how we ought to meet these dark nights of the soul when all seems lost and pointless. “It is enough,” we might also be bold to cry out the emptiness of our own strength and resources. “Take my life.” For those who have been baptized have died to sin. The old self has been drowned so that the new creation, Christ in us, will be raised. In Christ, we surrender ourselves to him and commend ourselves into God’s cradling arms “body and soul and all things.” This is not self-annihilation. It’s putting our lives into the loving hands to whom our lives already belong. “For the earth is the Lord’s and all that dwell therein.” “We are not better than those who have come before us.” We have no bragging rights or self-righteousness to pull ourselves up by our own proverbial bootstraps. We are at the mercy of God who good and gracious. Each night we ought to lay our heads down on our pillows in the sure and certain confidence that those in Christ who close their eyes to this life will one day open them to God’s promise of new and eternal life.

Elijah closes his eyes in this dark place. Weeping may have tarried for the night but joy comes in the morning. The angel of the Lord touches Elijah, stirs him awake, and tells him to get up and eat the miraculous bread and water prepared for him. He does so and falls back asleep. The angel of the Lord wakes him up again and says, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” “God knows our frame.” He knows our weakness, sinfulness and limitations. He knows what our journey ahead will be just as he knew Elijah’s. God has numbered our days. He will take us home when it is our time. Today is not Elijah’s time. He gives Elijah this miraculous bread and water to strengthen him body and soul for another journey—this time 40 days and nights in the wilderness. This is the same wilderness that the Israelites wandered for 40 years. God is pointing back to the Manna and the water from the Rock that sustained his people through their dark, sinful, and difficult journey.

And for us it points ahead to him who says, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ...I am the Bread of Life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ...Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” Do you feel that tap on your shoulder? Is God not stirring you to wake up to the new Kingdom reality? He knows our struggles. He knows our despair. He too suffered. He died and rose again so that he can offer you himself as living Bread. He knows our journey ahead. And he promises to strengthen us body and soul unto life everlasting. Get up. Take, eat. Drink of it all of you.