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The Elijah
Complex
1 Kings
19:1-14
Introduction: A Grimness of the Soul
There is a kind of
grimness that can grip the people of God. It comes when we take ourselves too
seriously and fail to take God seriously enough. When we lose sight of God’s
sovereignty, are overwhelmed by the seeming destructiveness of evil and forget
that we are not alone, we can be gripped by this grimness of the soul. This is
the sickness of The Elijah Complex.
It displaces the joy of Christian
faith with the self-assertiveness of an obsession. It begins with doubt,
spreads into disappointment and immobilizes in despair. This spiritual malaise
is named for its founder and its cure is discernible in the way God dealt with
that man’s life. Healing is present for us today. It waits for our honest cry
for forgiveness and wholeness as we come to the Lord’s Table. Let’s read about
the account in 1 Kings 19:1-14.
Now Ahab told Jezebel
everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the
sword. 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. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the
desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might
die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no
better than my ancestors." Then he
lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a
cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and
then lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came back a second time
and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for
you." So he got up and ate and
drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until
he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.
The LORD Appears to Elijah
And the word of the LORD came
to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
He replied, "I have been
very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your
covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the
sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
The LORD said, "Go out
and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to
pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks
before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an
earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD
was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over
his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
He replied, "I have been
very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your
covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the
sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
Understanding Our Vulnerability To The Elijah Complex
Following immediately after
the victory over the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah was struck with a
blow that almost destroyed him. Ahab’s recounting to Queen Jezebel of the
massacre of her prophets invoked bitter threats of fierce vindication against
the prophet of God.
So Jezebel sent
a messenger to Elijah, saying, "May the gods punish me terribly if by this
time tomorrow I don't kill you just as you killed those prophets."
1
Kings 19:2 NCV
Was Elijah worried? Yes,
he was! He
was worried to the point of being immobilized.
It was unbelievable. This
unflinching, unflappable man, who had just fought for Jehovah and won, was
worried. This man of God who had prophesied drought and watched enemy crops
wither; who prayed for rain and saw it fall in a rush of blessing; who snatched
the Phoenician widow’s boy from death; who confronted the richly vested,
royally maintained Baal priests and in spite of their demonic leaping and
self-mutilation had put their sun-god to shame under his own burning rays; who
had kept pace with and beat Ahab’s chariot steed to Jezreel in a downpour of
rain for which he had prayed—this man was worried!
More than that, he was drenched
with despair. In the face of the indomitable image of evil in
Jezebel and the power of evil in the world, Elijah turned on his heel and he
ran for his life. He didn’t stop running for twelve tormented hours. He finally
collapsed in utter exhaustion under one of the common-to-the-area broom trees
where he begged God,
"I've had
enough. Just let me die! I'm no better off than my ancestors."
1
Kings 19:4 CEV
Later, he continues his
pity party.
“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.”
1
Kings 19:10 NLT
All he wanted to do was sleep
the sleep of utter despair.
At the moment of victory
something broke within this man and he became the cause of his own defeat. Does
this sound familiar?
Have you ever found that
after some significant personal or social or ministry achievement you encounter
a drab, dry spell? Have you ever chalked up an exciting victory over some habit
only to find that you fallen into a more subtle and serious one? It’s the
Elijah Complex—a sudden sickness of the soul.
Understanding The Symptoms of the Elijah Complex
What were the symptoms in
this complicated complex?
1st
Symptom: Elijah Was Profoundly Naïve
Elijah was extremely naïve
in his view of evil. He had such a limited view of the spiritual realm that he
believed all evil was localized in the priests of Baal. He was amazed to learn
that the great Mount Carmel victory had barely scratched the surface. The
sensual prophetess Jezebel was still in power. In despair, it’s likely that
Elijah wondered if what had happened on Mount Carmel was anything more than a
deplorable failure.
Have you ever felt that
way? Have you ever worked hard to establish some new program, stamp out some
evil in the community, help someone in great need or overcome some personal
problem—only to find that this sickness of the soul has broken through in some
new place? We are all too familiar with Elijah’s frustration.
2nd
Symptom: Elijah Deeply Desired To Measure Up
Another facet of the
Elijah Complex was that he deeply wanted to be adequate as God’s man in Israel.
There was so much to do—the need was so great—and he had barely begun to touch
the need, to mobilize the necessary reform, to be able to savor the wonder of
being in God’s service. He was humiliated by the cutting realization that he
simply failed to measure up.
I find in myself—and in no
small number of you—the abrasive guilt of unfulfilled promises, unrealized
dreams and unsupported causes. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just get away from
it all? We would love to hear the magical “Ding” of the Southwest Airline commercial
and escape from reality under a broom—or better yet a palm—tree!
3rd
Symptom: Elijah Lacked Courage When Evil Became Personal
Another component of the
Elijah Complex was his complete lack of courage when evil became
personal—incarnate in an evil woman who wanted to kill him if it was the last
thing she did. He could deal with evil in the nation—as an external force to be
fought. But when he came face to face with an evil woman whose name was the
most feared in Israel, Elijah wasn’t so different from everyone else. He could
confront her evil cause but he couldn’t deal with her.
Are you intimidated by the
power in some person? Do your eloquently practiced protests evaporate on your
lips when you are finally in the presence of some person who actually
personifies the evil against which you crusade? Can you stand and say what you
think when your opportunity presents itself?
Elijah couldn’t. Even
after he had so thoroughly disarmed Jezebel that her only weapon was a vain
threat, he turned and he ran and he ran and he ran. He could have destroyed
her, but he was afraid of her. Poor Elijah! At least that’s what he thought.
4th
Symptom: Elijah Ignored His Physical Needs
It is significant that the
psychological symptoms producing the Elijah Complex had physical roots. Elijah
had worked without caring for himself for many days. After he had raced Ahab to
Jezreel, he had then staggered over 95 miles to Beersheba and then another
day’s journey beyond that. Please don’t miss this point: Extreme physical
exhaustion is always the result of working for God instead of allowing God to
work through us. It is the result of our attempts at omnicompetence rather than
relying on His omnipotence. You and I can never replace God—and we never will
no matter how much we push ourselves.
5th
Symptom: Elijah Isolated Himself From People
When Elijah arrived in
Beersheba he made the mistake of leaving his servant behind and going on into
the wilderness by himself. He isolated himself. There are times when it’s good
to get away by yourself. There are other times when that’s the worst thing you
can do.
Despair often drives us
into the wilderness of isolation. The most dangerous place is the one where you
allow no one else in. But, it’s the only place you want to be. You have neither
the desire nor the energy to be around other people. It’s at this moment when
you most need people and everything in you screams, “Don’t bother me.” At that
moment you have to draw on whatever remnants of normalcy remain to realize that
isolating yourself only draws you deeper into the darkness of despair.
6th
Symptom: Elijah Overestimated His Own Importance
Instead of being a temple
of God’s Spirit, Elijah had made his body a tomb of self-perpetuating ego. The result was a kind of early megalomania—a
telltale symptom of the Elijah Complex. Elijah thought that he alone was left
as faithful to God in Israel. He was reduced to thinking, “It’s just you and me
now, God.” And, it was it in that order—with God relegated to playing second fiddle
in Elijah’s pitiful little band.
We do the same thing. It’s
often true on the home front. Have you grown in the conviction that you alone
are left to keep faith alive in your family? Do you see yourself as God’s last
hope of getting your husband or wife to church? Do you feel you represent
something your family doesn’t have and can only get through you? Do you ever
feel downright grim that it’s just never going to happen?
It can also happen in how
you see yourself in your church. Do you suspect that only you and God are being
faithful to the religious heritage you value? Do you ever feel that you are all
alone in keeping your church pure? Do you think everyone else is believing too
little, trusting themselves too much, spending money on all the wrong things
and putting the wrong people in positions of leadership? Do you secretly wish
you could straighten them out and make them see everything the right way—your
way? Well, that’s the sickness of the Elijah Complex threatening to overrun
your soul.
Understanding The Remedy For The Elijah Complex
It’s not up to us to
provide the remedy. Only God can do that. How does He deal with the Elijah
Complex?
Rx # 1: Take
Care Of The Obvious Needs First
How does God deal with the
Elijah complex? The first thing He did was give Elijah rest and food. God is
very practical. He created the laws by which we live and our healing begins
when we acknowledge those laws and practice them. Elijah had to rejoin the
human race and stop thinking he was god over Israel. God knew what was
happening. As the Spirit of God penetrated Elijah’s unconscious mind, his sleep
was not an escape but an encounter—an encounter with the living God as God
sends His angel to care for Elijah.
A simple instruction is
usually the first step in breaking the Elijah Complex. Oswald Chambers
observes,
The angel
did not give Elijah a vision, or explain Scriptures to him, or do anything
remarkable. He told Elijah to do the most ordinary thing—to get up and eat. If
we were never depressed we should not be alive. It is the nature of a crystal
never to be depressed. A human being is capable of depression; otherwise there
would be no capacity for exultation. There are things that are calculated to
depress, things that are of the nature of death; and in taking an estimate of
yourself, always take into account the capacity for depression.
When
the Spirit of God comes He does not give us visions. He tells
us to do the most ordinary commonplace things conceivable.
Depression is apt to turn us away from the ordinary commonplace
things of God’s creation, but whenever God comes, the inspiration
is to do the most natural simple things—the things we would
never have imagined God was in. And as we do them we find
He is there. The inspiration which comes to us in this way
is an initiative against depression; we have to do the next
thing and do it in the inspiration of God. If we do a thing
in order to overcome depression, we deepen the depression.
But if the Spirit of God makes us feel intuitively that we
must do the thing, and we do it, the depression is gone. Immediately
we arise and obey, we enter on a higher plane of life.
My
Utmost For His Highest, p. 48
Rx # 2: Face
Your Reality—In God’s Time and In His Way
Elijah was given
instructions to go to Horeb, the mountain of God, a journey of forty days.
There, half-healed and unaware of what God was up to, he hid away in a cave of
escape. But God wouldn’t leave him alone with his wound only lightly healed.
Elijah had to leave his cave for a manifestation of God’s truth for him.
God asked him, “What are
doing here, Elijah?” It was the basic, clarifying question and it was
intensified by the awesome display of God’s power. There was great wind. Next,
there came an earthquake. Then, there was fire. Do you realize what was happening?
The physical manifestations on which Elijah had been depending for his
experience of God were no help. God wasn’t in any of these.
Then, in the utter silence
of Horeb, God spoke—in a still, small voice. By this we understand the Spirit
of God confirmed His presence within Elijah and spoke inaudibly through
Elijah’s thoughts and insights. Peace and power are the gifts of the Spirit and
can be found nowhere else. Elijah heard God now because for the first time he
was quiet enough to listen.
There are voices of
inspiration, correction and direction that we never hear because we don’t
listen. When we are in the quiet in the woods, sounds that we have never heard
become audible.
Rivers that
flow beneath the ancient city of Shechem can’t be heard in the daytime above
the noise of the bazaars in the narrow streets as vendors try to sell their
goods. When evening comes and the clamor dies down one can hear the music of
the buried streams.
This is the
wonder of the desert of to me. The desert is a place where life seems so
limited. But there in the desert, away from the cacophony of noise heard in the
city, you can hear the chirp of the cactus wren on the mighty Saguaro, the
scurrying claws of the tiny lizard trying to hide from this unwanted invader and
even the buzz of a single fly flitting around.
What is true of our
physical world is also true of our spiritual lives. We have caught the art of
being strenuous: “Whatever you hand finds to do, do it
with all your might.” And, we have lost the art of being still: “Be still and know that I am God.” I am frightened
when I realize how little of God I know because I have been quiet so little.
George Matheson wrote,
There are
tidings from the Eternal Spirit who is not far from any one of us; tidings that
will come and go unnoticed unless we have won the grace of being still.
“What are you doing here,
Elijah?” Up to this moment he was too depressed, too exhausted and too guilty
to hear God asking the question. Now, in the gentle stillness, he hears and can
answer.
Conclusion: The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
This is the ministry of
the Holy Spirit in our lives. In quietness He works on our character. In stillness
He tempers our emotions, heals our frustrations, clears the cloudy vision and
helps us see things as they really are. We need these times of deep quiet
during which the issues of life become clear.
Do you have those times
when you experience the Spirit of God? Are there those times and places where
He can ask:
·
Why
do you have that attitude?
·
Why
do you resent that person?
·
Why
do you fear that situation?
We need to respond to the
same question God asked Elijah.
·
What
are
you doing here?
·
What
are
you doing here?
·
What
are you
doing here?
·
What
are you doing here?
·
What
are you doing here?
Think of the many ways
that one question can be asked and the different areas of our lives that God
asks for permission to invade with the presence of His Spirit to transform us.
Elijah’s journey back to
wholeness began with a simple response to this invitation: “Get up and eat
because the journey is too much for you.”
A similar invitation is
extended to us at The Lord’s Table. There is no accident in the fact that our
Lord first offered these symbols of new life to a company of grim,
disillusioned, fear-riddled, ambitious men. He knew they could never make it
alone without Him. He demonstrated the means of grace for them in the broken
bread. The broken bread is God’s way to be made whole.
“Take and eat. This is my
body… broken for you.” This alone heals the Elijah Complex and gives us Christ
confidence. Are you willing to take the first step away from the grim grip of
the thoughts and complexes that cripple and warp? In this simple response we
may indeed enter a higher plane of living. It is here where we hear words of
forgiveness, words of courage and words of hope. And then, through the thoughts
and emotions of our quieted hearts, we are ready to hear God’s words of
direction.
Be still. God has
something to say.
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