Why was Elijah afraid of Jezebel?

Overcoming each and every problem in our life is something that we are used to. We rejoice when each challenge passes us by. We praise God and may even testify about His great deeds. But the question we need to ponder upon is, “Are you ready to face the same problem again?” Let’s look at the life of Elijah as we try to find the answer to this question.

So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. 1 Kings 18:2,3

Elijah was one of the boldest prophets in the bible. He stood against Ahab, the king of Israel. When Ahab’s actions warranted divine intervention, he declared that there won’t be rain or dew except at his words. For three years, it did not rain or dew like he said.

During those three years, God looked after him. He was fed by ravines. He was fed by a widow whose flour and oil did not run out. When the time came for him to declare rain on Israel, he summoned the prophets of baal and asherah and challenged them to summon fire from heaven. When they failed, Elijah called on to the true God and God answered him by sending fire from heaven before all the onlookers. He did not stop there; he put these prophets to death.

If we look at these things we see how good Elijah’s testimony looks. How God performed miracles in his life. Even if the whole world doubts God, he has no right to doubt Him. Then the question arises, if Elijah was so sure that God is there for him, then why was he afraid of Jezebel?

To add to Elijah’s merits, we can say how proficient he was in hiding. For three years, he hid himself from Ahab. When Ahab was looking for him in all the nations and kingdoms, this man of God stayed in the kingdom of Sidon, which is also the same kingdom as Jezebel. Hence, why couldn’t he hide again when Jezebel threatened him?

The answer lies in our human tendency to fear reliving past challenges, even after conquering them. In a way, wasn’t Elijah afraid of going into hiding once again? Wasn’t he tired enough to go through the same difficulty? It is evident in the words he spoke to God, “I have had enough, Lord.”

Why did Elijah say he had enough? On one side, he got a massive victory over his enemies. But on the other side, he had enough of the troubles he was going through. He was tired of hiding. We know he spent three years in hiding, but at that moment, Elijah did not know. He was waiting for the word of the Lord to command him, so he could reveal himself to Ahab and command the rain and dew to pass. For him, those three years may have seemed to be like three decades.

What God hates and scolds us about is the unbelief we possess even after witnessing great and wonderful works of God. When the Israelites were journeying through the deserts, they faced a lack of water and food. God provided for them every now and then, but when they faced the same problem again, they started to grumble. The disciples of Jesus saw many great miracles, but even then, they were frightened when faced with same situation.

We too may proclaim the great faith we have in God, but we need to ask ourselves, what if the same problem happens again? Will we face the problem with boldness or will we grumble again?

God does not leave his people even when they are exhausted by problems; instead, He empowers them. Elijah was fed by angels, and he walked for forty days and forty nights to mount Horeb, where he talked with God, and God assigned him new missions. Not to mention, the threat of Jezebel was never mentioned again in the bible. But Elijah grew more and attained many feats. The same Elijah who said to God that he was the only prophet left saw many companies of prophets from different parts of Israel prophesying about his departure from this world. He prophesied the death sentence of both Ahab and Jezebel. He anointed three different people to stand for God’s purpose.

No matter how tired we are of God’s ways, He is not tired of us. He is ready to take us to the next level. Are we really ready to face the same problem again in our lives? God’s people should not be afraid of any problem, especially the ones we have defeated before. Don’t worry about the targets we achieved and get ready for some new ones for that is what is expected of all the people in the Quiver of God.