And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
No man can hide from God's eye or word, not in a cave, not in the wilderness. Elijah came there melancholy and afraid, perhaps hoping to find God where Moses found Him, but God found him first, and His question cuts to the heart: what are you doing here, fleeing your calling?
AI summary
Commenting on 1 Kings 19:9-18
His zealousness for God's glory brought him only persecution, the more faithfully he defended the Lord, the more cruelly they hunted him. This is the bitter paradox he lays bare.
AI summary
Elijah spoke not from faith but carnal zeal, and his despair was willful blindness. He had just seen Obadiah shelter a hundred prophets, and the people at Carmel turn to God and execute Baal's prophets, yet he cried out that all was lost and he alone remained. His gloomy mind forgot what his own eyes had witnessed.
AI summary