Seeking Help from God – 2 Kings 5

Posted on June 20, 2025 by dkoop

No matter who we are; or how strong, successful or wealthy, we all need help from God.

Do you have a need that only God can meet?  The healing of Naaman, the Leper is not just a story of the healing of a man from one of the most dreaded diseases of ancient times, but it is a story of salvation, one which illustrates the spiritual salvation we find only in Jesus Christ.  In Naaman’s healing there are a variety of people who play different parts; some good and vital to the salvation and healing of Naaman and others not so good. All illustrate the various good and evil persuasions of people that either aid or hinder bringing men to Christ.

In our passage, we are introduced to a commander of the Syrian army whose name is Naaman. Naaman was a great man and a valiant warrior.  Why he was highly regarded? Verse 1 tells us that “the Lord had given him victory over Israel.” God is against Israel at this point in Israel’s history because of their rebellion.  The Lord is blessing a Syrian commander who has been attacking and fighting against Israel. God is not blessing Israel but blessing Syria. God is not giving Israel victory but is giving Syria victory. Naaman is the perfect military hero for Syria, except he has a problem. Naaman’s problem is that he has leprosy.

  • No matter who we are, we get sick.

Verse 2 describes what the Syrians are doing. As they attack Israel, they are capturing various people. On one of those raids, they carried off a young girl from Israel who was then put into service/slavery to work for Naaman’s wife. Now this is an incredible young girl.  She is aged 10-12, but not bitter, angry or resentful, but desires the best for her captor.  She has great faith, spiritual understanding and shares a life changing nugget of information!  She tells Naaman’s wife that if Naaman could be with the prophet in Samaria, he could be cured. The servant girl is referring to Elisha. Not only does this young girl know about what Elisha can do, but she tells this Gentile, this Syrian, this invader of their land, this captor about this prophet who could heal Naaman.  Wow, no matter who we are or where we are we can be used by God in mighty ways.  I can’t put in words how impressed I am with this young girl.  May we all like her and bloom where we are planted, bring blessing and encouragement to those around us, not anger and negativity.

Naaman then goes to the king of Syria asking for permission to go find this prophet who can heal him. So Naaman sets out to find the prophet. He is bringing with him 10 talents of silver, 6000 shekels of gold, and 10 sets of clothing. This is about 750 pounds of silver and 150 pounds of gold. In terms of our money, this would be worth about 5.5 million dollars! It is an extremely excessive amount! The point is that Naaman is going to pay a big price so that he can be healed of his leprosy.

He also takes a letter with him from the king of Syria to give to the king of Israel. The letter said that the king of Syria has sent Naaman so that you will cure him of his leprosy. When Naaman arrives to the king of Israel with this letter, the king of Israel tears his robes over the impossibility of what is being asked. Listen to what he says in verse 7. “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” The king’s point is that only God can do what is being asked. Therefore, the king of Syria must be picking a fight with me because no one can do what he asks.

Elisha hears that the king of Israel is outraged and sends a message to the king. Why are you upset? Send him to me so that he will know that there is a true prophet in Israel! Elisha seems to say that you had no reason to freak out. You know that I am here. So Naaman goes to Elisha’s house. Please notice how Naaman goes to Elisha’s house: with his horses and chariots. He is coming to Elisha showing how important he is with his horses and chariots. So he comes up to Elisha’s door with all his horses and chariots. But Elisha sends a messenger to Naaman instead of going outside himself. He sends a messenger with a simple message. Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean.

This is good news. All Naaman needs to do to be healed and cleansed is to wash in the Jordan River seven times. But look at Naaman’s reaction in verse 11. Naaman went away angry. Why is Naaman angry? Is this not the answer to his prayers? No, he is angry. Look at what he says. He thought that Elisha would come out to meet him and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the leprosy, and then he would be cured. But that is not what he expected. Elisha did not meet his expectations.

Consider this: . Naaman was told that he could be healed. All that he had to do was wash in the Jordan River seven times. Why was he so mad that he refused to do what the messenger said? Why is he upset about this good news? The reason why is because his own selfish, prideful ideas of how things should be, robbed him of the joy before him. Naaman had in his mind the way he thought his cleansing and healing should go. Because the news did not match his expectation, he does not have joy at the news but is enraged.

  •  Misunderstanding, Frustration and Anger are common.

Could Elisha have come out to greet Naaman? Sure, he could have done that. Could Elisha have waved his hand over the leprosy and made Naaman well? Of course he could have done that. So why did he not do any of these things? Why did Elisha not match Naaman’s expectations? Why did this go the way it did? One thing that we see throughout the scriptures is that God acts in such a way to defy our expectations so that we will not rely on our own wisdom but truly depend on God. Elisha does not match Naaman’s expectations. He does not take his money. He does not even meet him. The point is simple: will you trust the words that are told to you, even when they go against your expectations?

What God is doing by defying our expectations is challenging us to humble ourselves before him. You see that Naaman must humble himself if he is going to accept what Elisha has told him to do through the messenger. Remember that Naaman is an important man in Syria and a valiant man who the Lord has been using to give victory against Israel. He has come with millions of dollars to buy this healing. This is the moment where Naaman is being challenged to humble himself and accept what he is being told to do for cleansing. You can see that Naaman wrestles with this. Why can I just wash in the rivers of Damascus? They are certainly much better than all the rivers in Israel. His servants also challenge him in regards to this as well. They tell him in verse 13 that if a great word had been told to you, you would have done it. But since you were told to do a simple thing, you reject it? What sense does that make? Just go wash in the Jordan River seven times!

It is interesting how we have limited the power of God because we do not see God working through some great thing. If God heals through medicine, we think it is the medicine rather than God. If God transform our lives or changes our condition, we will neglect to consider that God did it but that it was us or a series of fortunate events. Yet God is telling us that he works through the mundane. He does not have to do a big show. In fact, he does not do a big show to see if you will trust him.

God does not feel compelled to meet our expectations of him. God goes out of his way to challenge our expectations. Saving the world by having Jesus killed challenges our expectations. The apostle Paul described this as the foolishness of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18). God acts to destroy the wisdom of the wise (1 Corinthians 1:19). So we begin by realizing we need to reject our expectations of God. God has no reason to meet our expectations. God does not do things our way. His ways are higher and greater than ours. This is what we should expect of God. We should expect him to do things differently than us because he is not human. He is the Lord Almighty.

But once Naaman got past his anger, frustration and misunderstandings, then he could be healed. He goes and dips in the Jordan River seven times. When he does as the man of God told him, his flesh was restored and he was clean.

Now I think it is important to ask this question. If Naaman decided to dip himself in the waters in Syria, would he have been healed? If Naaman decided to dip himself in a different river in Israel, would he have been healed? Could Naaman have said that he believed in Elisha’s word but then not do what he said and really have believed? If Naaman had dipped himself in the Jordan River three times, would he have been healed? Why not? What does it really matter if Naaman does exactly what Elisha said?

It matters because it is the only way to show his faith in God’s declaration. It matters because it is the only way to show that are willing to humble yourself and do what God says. You might say that it does not matter where he dipped or how many times. Water is water, right? But it matters that we do things the way God says because God wants us to reject our expectations and our logic and simply follow what we are told to do.

We cannot come to the word of God and reject what he says and think we are going to be cleansed before him. We cannot skip repentance and think that we are going to be clean before God. We cannot skip confession Jesus with our hearts and our lips and still be saved.  We are showing that we reject our expectations and logic and are willing to follow exactly what the Lord has told us to do.

But let us go further with this. We cannot bring our expectations to the laws of God. We cannot come to the Lord’s teaching about sexual purity, the Lord’s condemnation of sexual immorality, adultery, and divorce and think that we are standing clean before God. We cannot bring our expectations about how we treat other people, doing what we want to do and think that we are standing clean before God. God told us that we have to love our neighbors as ourselves. God told us that if we love him we will keep his commands. We cannot bring our expectations of how we want to live life, defy what God has said to do, and think that we are standing clean before God. God is challenging our expectations. Holding on to your expectations on what you think life should be like or doing what you want to do or what you think God should be like will cause you to miss the joy of cleansing and healing in Jesus.

  • God heals our greatest sickness, sin.

Verse 14, beautifully illustrates what Christ does for us:  “cleansed, restored, made new” The simplicity of the gospel message of salvation in Jesus–that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-10). The invitation of the gospel is “come, purchase without money and without price . . .” (Isaiah 55:1). And how do you do that? By faith. The way of faith is the way of humiliation and repudiation of self worth, human ability, or religious works, which then casts us on the grace of God (Rev. 21:6; 22:1; Rom. 4:1-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:4-5). Faith is the one thing we can do without doing anything. Faith is the recognition of God’s ability.

Look at verses 17-18. Naaman understood that this cleansing meant that he was now devoted to the Lord and to no other gods. He declares that he will only offer sacrifices to the Lord and not to the other gods. Even when the king of Syria compels him to enter the house of Rimmon with him, he asks for pardon as he enters while the king worships this false god. Naaman understood that this cleansing was the transforming moment for his life. He must give himself to the Lord because he has been healed and made whole. The apostle Paul says the same thing in Romans 6:1-4 that you are now walking a new life once God has cleansed you. You have a new life. You are a new creation. You are now clean. You have a new direction. You have been moved from death to life. Honor the Lord who has saved you. Humble yourself before the Lord, believe his word, and do as he tells you to do. Reject your ideas of God and simply follow what he says. 

What are some of the key lessons we can glean from this passage?

(1) God is constantly at work to lead people to Himself, no matter how dark their condition.

(2) God uses any committed believer, no matter how ordinary or insignificant he may be. How? Because of the mighty God who indwells us. This makes us significant as His instruments of light.

(3) The grace of God cannot be bought with silver and gold or power or position. We must come to God in faith and believe His revelation in the Scripture.

(4) Two of the greatest hindrances to experiencing God’s blessing for believers and unbelievers alike are: (a) our pride–Naaman almost lost out because of his pride, and (b) our opinions–Naaman almost lost out because his thinking was contrary to Scripture.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/organizations/370f8a6e-16bc-464f-8c43-0b7623fd2952)

Sources:
Bible.org/Healing-Naaman-2-Kings-51-19
2 Kings 5 – Great Expectations – Bret Kercheville
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Facing Change – Part 2 – 2 Kings 2:1-15

Posted on June 12, 2025 by dkoop

Change or transition is hard, but we can face it bravely with God’s help. The transition in leadership from Elijah to Elisha reminds us to be ready for change, to depend on the Holy Spirit, and to courageously take up the task given us.

2 Kings 2:1-15

Today we look at the transition in leadership from Elijah and Elisha.

These two were similar in names, and also in their spectacular miracles. They performed more miracles than any prophet other than Jesus. Yet, they were quite unique as individuals. Elijah was a loner who preached repentance and brought down evil kings in sensational challenges. Elisha lived among the people and showed a deep concern for the poor and downtrodden.

Today’s scripture points to their transition. We all go through times of transition. Some of us get married, and later lose a spouse to death or divorce. We start a career, we retire. We go back to work in a different field, and we retire from that. We move from house to house, from job to job, from one level of care to another. We make friends and we lose friends. And most profoundly, we’re born and we die.

Every one of us faces transitions in life. So I wonder, can we learn anything from Elijah and Elisha about transitioning well? I think so. I want to encourage us to…

  1. Be ready for change.

This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised how often we ignore them, pretending they’re not happening. Change is hard. We don’t like it when friends move away. We don’t like saying good-bye. We have trouble facing a terminal illness. Everyone believes in heaven, but no one wants to go, at least not yet.

Elijah and Elisha faced head-on their great transition, a change of command ceremony for the lead prophet of Israel. Elijah notably went to each of the seminaries to personally say good-bye. That’s what these or schools of prophets were. They were like our modern-day seminaries. That’s what Elijah was visiting when he traveled to Gilgal and Bethel and Jericho. He was saying good-bye to all of his “sons” in the faith.

As Elisha contemplated the loss of his great mentor and friend, he was understandably a little raw in emotion. You can see it when he snapped at each group as they asked him if he knew about Elijah’s imminent departure. Change is hard, isn’t it? But the good thing is, Elisha refused to leave Elijah’s side. Elijah offered three times for Elisha to stay behind, and three times Elisha adamantly refused. Elisha wanted every possible moment left with his mentor.

Pay attention to the changes happening around you. Express appreciation to one stepping down from leadership. Build up the one taking on new tasks. Be sure to say good-bye to friends who move away. (I’m reminded of Paul’s tearful good-bye on the seashore with the elders of Ephesus, recorded in Acts 20.) Don’t ignore the changes happening; embrace them, even when they hurt, because there is love behind the hurt. And #2,

  1. Depend on the Holy Spirit. 

In verse 9, Elijah asked Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha replied, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” What was he asking here? Was he selfishly wanting to upstage his master? I don’t think so. Elisha was using the language of Hebrew inheritance law. The firstborn always received a double portion over all the other kids. Elisha was basically saying, “I want to be your firstborn. If I’m going to be able to step into your shoes, I’m going to need twice as much of your spirit as anyone else would need!”

After all, who could follow Elijah? He was the man! He was the spiritual leader of Israel during a time when kings were corrupt and godless. Elijah carried the country through some very dark times. And now, to follow in those footsteps? A daunting task indeed!

Elisha knew he would need the very power of God, a double helping of the same spirit at work in Elijah’s life, the Holy Spirit himself. Perhaps you’ve been there, when you’ve been desperate for God’s strength to accomplish a task. It’s a scary place to be, but it’s also a great place to build your faith. You know you need God to see you through that health challenge. You need God’s Spirit to lead your home through turbulent times. You need God’s presence to make peace in your family. You need God’s strength to risk ministering in new ways.  And God will come through, as you depend on him.

Elijah was wise enough to say that was not his decision to make. But he told Elisha, “If you see me depart, then you know it has been granted to you.” And Elisha saw it all! One moment he was walking with his mentor and friend, and the next, he saw his friend carted off to heaven in a whirlwind by a chariot and horses of fire. Elijah became the second man after Enoch to go to heaven without having to die first. Not a bad gig! Elisha was so moved that he cried out in deep respect, in verse 12, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”

What happens next bring us to our third point, and that is, to…

  1. Take up the task given you.

Since Elisha had been able to see Elijah’s departure, he knew that the Lord had answered his request. Verses 13 and 14 record what happened next: “Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. ‘Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.”

Earlier Elijah had struck the water and it parted; now Elisha, his successor, struck the water, and again it parted. God confirmed Elisha’s leadership publicly much as he did for Joshua so many years before. Remember how Moses had parted the Red Sea? After his death, God enabled his successor Joshua to part the Jordan River in the same way, as the people first entered the Promised Land. God always confirms his new leader.

Yet, Elisha had a role here, too. He had to reach down and pick up his mentor’s cloak. He had to strike the water in front of all the prophets, not knowing for sure until that moment what would happen. Elisha obeyed the prompting of God and God rewarded him publicly, stating in effect, “This is my man now. Follow him!”

When God gives you a task, take it up. Do it with all your heart, and watch God honor you for your obedience. Sure, you may be new to your responsibilities. Maybe it was never done the way you’re going to do it. But people will follow you, as you are obedient to the cause.  Many of us are now homeschoolers, house church pastors, having to stretch income, forced to be creative at home, learning new recipes and balancing new stressors in changing world.  God says, “you’ve got this!”  I have placed you on the planet at “such a time as this.!”

God did bless Elisha. Remember how he asked for a double portion of God’s Spirit? Do you know that scripture records exactly twice as many miracles attributed to him as to Elijah? And at his death, the king of Israel would shout out: “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” (2 Kings 13:14). Do these words sound familiar? The very words Elisha said for his mentor and friend would later be said at his own death. The apple did not fall far from the tree.

May each of us be ready for the changes taking place around us, depend on the Holy Spirit and courageously take up the tasks given us!

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/organizations/370f8a6e-16bc-464f-8c43-0b7623fd2952)

Sources:
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – History, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2003), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 481.
Life Application Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 550.
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Facing Change – 1 Kings 19:19-21

Posted on June 11, 2025 by dkoop

Change or transition is hard, but we can face it bravely and powerfully with God’s help. The transition in leadership from Elijah to Elisha reminds us that we can be obedient to what God is calling us to do without understanding all the details.

Elijah was one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, bold, daring, full of faith.  Elisha succeeded Elijah. Elisha wanted to be like Elijah and he was bold enough to ask for a double portion of Elijah’s anointing.  And God, in his sovereign will, gave Elisha, who studied under Elijah, a double portion of this anointing.  Elisha actually performed more recorded miracles in scripture than anyone, with the exception of Jesus.

What’s interesting about Elisha is he was very ordinary; he was a plow boy, an Aggie if you will!  He wasn’t the son of a priest, he wasn’t a scribe, he wasn’t an outward spiritual giant.  He was an ordinary guy who was living at home with his parents, working on a farm when God called him to do something incredible.  He lived during the 9th century B.C. in a time when Israel was divided and there was great tension between the two.  Many people were worshiping the false god of Baal and God raised up this ordinary guy and did something extraordinary through his life.

1 Kings 19:19-21 are the verses we’ll examine today.

Elijah finds Elisha plowing a field. Elisha’s name means “God has salvation.” Elisha was plowing with 12 yolk of oxen and he, himself, was driving the 12th pair.

What we’ll notice is he was doing the same job he had been doing for a long time.  Think of the monotony to plow behind a yolk of oxen every single day?  What do you smell?  What is your scenery?  Oxen rears!

Some of us may feel a little bit like Elisha.  We’re not looking at oxen rears, but you’re doing the same thing day in, day out.  And it gets really monotonous.  You may be in sales and it’s just the same day in, day out.  You may be a student and you think, “I study and I work.”  Parents, what do you see all day long?  Diaper, laundry and dishes; oxen rears are everywhere!

And this is where Elisha was, but was being faithful to the task at hand.  God loves to reward those who are faithful in the little things.  When we’re faithful with a little, he can trust us with much.  And Elisha, even though it might not have been the favorite thing to do, even though it could have been incredibly draining physically, emotionally, he was faithful.  And in the middle of his faithful daily routine, God sent something new!

The end of verse 19 says this — “”Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him.”  Elijah didn’t say a word to the young man but merely cast his mantle (outer garment) over him to indicate that the Lord had called him to serve the prophet and then be his successor.  Meaning, “That which I was under, now you will be under.  You will be my student; I will be your mentor.  As God has been working through me, now God is going to work through you.” And he put his covering over Elisha.  Elisha and his family were part of that “remnant of grace” that God had set apart for Himself. No matter how bleak the days may seem, God has His people and knows when to call them.

The cloak was the most important article of clothing a person could own. It was used as protection against the weather, as bedding, as a place to sit, and as luggage. It could be given as a pledge for a debt or torn into pieces to show grief. Elijah put his cloak on Elisha’s shoulders to show that he would become Elijah’s successor. Later, when the transfer of authority was complete, Elijah left his cloak for Elisha (2 Kings 2:11-14).

Let’s apply this story to our lives and see how an ordinary man responds to an extraordinary call.

First, God is going to call him to follow Elijah and he’s not going to know all the details.  We don’t have to understand fully to obey immediately.  When God calls you to do something, you don’t have to understand all the details to obey immediately.

First Elijah puts the cloak around him, then in verse 20, Elisha, what did he do?  He simply said, “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye and then I will come with you.”  Notice this:  He didn’t have to pray about it.  He didn’t have to do a list of pros and cons.  “Here’s the reasons why and I should;” “here’s the reasons why I shouldn’t.”  He didn’t have to consult his counselor.  I don’t know the details but since I believe you’re in on this, I will obey immediately.

That’s the way God calls. God will rarely give details.  I believe God is often vague in his directions.  We want details; I believe God says, “You can’t handle the details.  If I showed you everything, you wouldn’t do it. I’m just showing you the next step.”  God often will guide even with just one word.

When God called me to ministry my senior year at Texas A&M, it turned my world upside down as I had 177 hours and was prepared to work as a County Agent in Agriculture or an Agriculture or Biology teacher.  Ministry was not on the table!  I had to depend on God, step by step, day by day to see where, what, how, when and every other detail about this calling.

When God was giving Moses direction, you could summarize the directions in one word. “Moses, go.”  “Go.”  “Abraham, go.”  “Go.”  “Go to the land I will show you.”  Peter, in the New Testament, Jesus was walking up on water.  “Jesus, if that’s you, tell me to come.”  And Jesus gave him one word.  He said “come,” one word.

Maybe in your marriage you’re struggling and thinking about leaving and your one word is: “stay.”  And you don’t have to understand completely to obey immediately.  Maybe have a health situation and it doesn’t look good, and God gives you one word: “trust,” Maybe you’ve got an idea for business or ministry. You think “how” and “when” and “how are we going to pay for i?”  And God gives you one word: “start.”

Maybe you’ve been hanging around the church for a while and you’re starting to grow with God but you’re still observing.  And God may give you one word: “commit.”

2nd:  Those God uses the most are the ones that hold on to the least.

Watch what Elisha does in verse 21.  “So Elisha left him and went back.  He took his yolk of oxen.”  These were the animals that brought about his livelihood.  And what does he do with the oxen?  “he slaughtered them.” Then what did he do with the plows?  “he burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people and they ate.” He made an Aggie bonfire out of the plowing equipment and cooked steak for his buddies!  It’s crazy, kill the cows and burn the plows!

There are sometimes when you’re so convinced that you just burn the bridge back, because you’re not turning back because something has happened in you and you’re never going to be the same.  You can’t go back because God is calling you forward.  There are some of you, God is going to give you a plow-burning faith where deep within, you’re willing to do whatever it takes to follow God to the next place.  For Elisha to have 12 yoke of oxen meant that he had some sizable land to work and some good income to afford that many yolk of oxen. The modern day equivalent of having a tractor.  He left behind some things of great value and future for a better future.

My brother was very successful in semiconductor installation business, it paid very well, but it meant moving all over the place.  He wanted to be a family man, do what he loved to do which was welding and farm work, so we wanted to teach welding in a small town, he left a tremendously lucrative career to go and teach high school welding.  And to this day, I’ve never seen him happier than living down the street from his Ag shop, his work, married to the small town girl, raising his kids in a small town and in church.   He had to burn some plows to leave where he was so he could go to where God wanted him to go.

Some of us, we’re like a little kid holding onto our “blanky” or pacifier.  We hold onto something that keeps us secure.  To step towards our calling and be obedient, we have to step away from our security.  God is going to speak to somebody and give you the faith to believe that he’s calling you to something new. You may be looking at oxen rears today, but in your faithfulness, God may call you to do something even greater for his kingdom.  You have to have the faith to go and you don’t have to understand fully to obey immediately.  Those that God uses the most, are those who hold on to the least.

Will you trust and obey?

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Read Along Daily Bible Reading: YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/organizations/370f8a6e-16bc-464f-8c43-0b7623fd2952)

Sources:
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – History, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2003), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 481.
Life Application Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 550.
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Dealing with Depression – 1 Kings 19

Posted on June 10, 2025 by dkoop

Depression is real, and affects all of us at some point, even godly, committed, faith filled people of God.  We are going to examine depression in the life of a man of God, who just had one of the greatest victories ever on Mount Carmel, and after he saw God work in a supernatural way, he came down to a very low point in his life.  So, we will pick up the story of Elijah in I Kings 19, starting in verse 1.  “Now Ahab and Jezebel, Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he killed all the prophets with the sword.”  If you remember, Ahab was the evil king.  1 Kings 16 tells us “he had done more evil in the eyes of God than any of those before him.”  

1 Kings 19:2, “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 one of them.’ ”   And she’s referring to dead false prophets.  In other words, “I’m going to kill you.  You are going to be a dead man of God by tomorrow.”  In verse 3,  “Elijah was afraid and,” what did he do?  He, “ran for his life.”  Huh?  Now, wait a minute.  When we read this, this is very confusing, if you think back to all that God had done in Elijah’s life.

Week number one, we learned that the king had turned the hearts of the people away from the one true God to these false prophets, so God raises up, out of nowhere, this prophet, Elijah, who confronts the king, and says, “It’s not going to rain until I ask God to cause it to rain.”  He pronounces this huge drought, and, it doesn’t rain at all for three years.  Then, God takes him to this place of brokenness, the Karith Ravine, where he’s humbled in a season of hiding. While the king’s trying to kill him, God sends ravens that drop meat and bread  He drinks at a brook during a middle of a drought, when there is no rain.  He learns to depend on God.  Then, brook dried up, and God let him out of the Karith Ravine to a place called Zarephath, where he met a widow, who had just a little bit of oil, a little bit of flour, and it wasn’t enough.  She thought she was going to die, and God miraculously multiplied that, so that it was enough.  God showed up again.  Then, one day, the widow’s son died, and for the first time ever recorded in scripture, Elijah takes this dead boy up into the upper room, prays, and God raises this boy from the dead!

Then there is a worship showdown. God calls Elijah back to go confront the king, and he says: “Get the four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah.  Bring them up to Mount Carmel, and we are going to see who is the real God.  Is it your god, the storm fertility god, or is it the one true God?”  They built a couple of altars, put some bulls on it, and say, “Fire come down.  May your god send fire”, and all the false prophets do this dance, and they cut themselves, and it goes on all day long, and nothing happens.  And then, Elijah says, “Maybe your god is going to the bathroom.  Then he calls on God, and God sends fire from Heaven.  It burns everything up.  And then, he goes to the mountain and prays, “God, send rain.  God, send rain.   God, send rain.”  Seven times he prays, and off in the distance, he sees a cloud the size of a man’s hand.  And by faith, he believes that is a storm coming, and sure enough, it is.  Miraculous provision, miraculous protection, miraculous God.  Over and over and over again, for years, he’d seen the faithfulness of God.  And then one day, a woman says, “I am going to kill you,” and he freaks out.  He panics, and he runs for his life.

Today, I want us to look at the ways we get depressed and what God does:  “Elijah 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 he prayed that he might die.”  Interesting.  He just had this great victory, and now he’s praying that his life would end.  He, he prays, “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.”  How do you get depressed?

Depression Occurs When…

  1. I Exhaust myself. Wear yourself out. If you will notice, over the past few years, he had been on this massive spiritual battle, trusting God, praying; trusting God, praying, seeking God, praying, trusting God, battle, faith, battle, faith, battle, and then, he runs for his life.  And geographically, he couldn’t have run any farther than he did.  The place that he ran was the very southern tip, and then he leaves his buddy, the servant, and runs another day’s journey out into the desert.  He went as far as he could, and he was totally and physically exhausted … much like many of you.  You wonder, “Why am I depressed?”  Well, you’ve worn yourself out.  Some of you moms, you’re working a full-time job, taking care of the house, putting dinner on the table, carting kids all over the world, involved in PTA, involved in the church, and you’re wondering why. Some of you, you just off a great semester in school and you’re working a full-time job, and you’re, you’re involved in activities and you’re coming off of this time, and you’re going, “Why am I so depressed?”   You’re exhausted.  Some of you, it’s not just a physical exertion, but it’s emotional.  “I’ve got to be there for them, and I’ve to make sure that, that they’re covered.  And I’ve got to be strong for everybody.  And I’ve got to be the provider.  I’ve got to help nurture them,” and it’s all these things going on emotionally. .  You’re totally exhausted.
  2. I Exclude Myself Number one exhaust yourself, number two is to exclude myself and that’s exactly what Elijah did. He abandoned his closest friend, his servant. He said, “You stay here, and I’m going on.”  And, that’s what a lot of us do when we get overwhelmed, “I’m not going to let you in.  I’m not going to tell you what I’m going through.  If I did, you wouldn’t understand, anyway,” so we wall up and we start to push people away.  That’s what I do when I’m worn out, when I’m hurting, I put the wall up.  I think, “I’m going to deal with this myself.  I can get through with it.  I, I, I … You wouldn’t even understand what I’m going through, anyway.”  We start to stiff arm people.  You want to get depressed?  Exhaust yourself and exclude yourself.
  3. I Exaggerate My Problems, which is exactly what our hero, the man of God in great faith did. What did he say? He said this.  He said, “I’ve had enough.  I’m, I’m no better than my ancestors.”  What’s funny is, nobody was asking if he was, but in his mind, this self-pity started to take over.  And what self pity does is, it exaggerates.  “I’m never going to be any good.  I’m always going to be stuck in this life.  My life’s never going to get any better.  I’m never going to get into that school after this grade.  I’m never going to get the promotion.  It’s all the bad things, and none of the good things.  You want to get depressed?  Here it is, right here in scripture, you just exhaust yourself, exclude yourself, and exaggerate your problems.

Let’s talk about the answer, because this is the word that you need to hear from God.

As we look at 1 Kings 19, we will see God’s prescription for our depression.  Elijah, he didn’t have any hope.  He’s hiding out, wanting to die, and I want you to notice.  God sends an angel to represent God, and I want you to notice what God does not do through this angel.  There is no sermon..  There is no rebuke, there’s no shame.  The angel is not saying, “Oh, if you only had more faith, if you only memorized more Bible verses, if you just quoted the Bible verses and quit acting like a baby …” There is no rebuke, nothing negative.  The very first thing that the angel of the Lord says, “Eat and rest.”  The very first part of the prescription for our depression,

  1. God Wants Me to Get Nourished and Rest

Look, look at  verse six, here’s what the Bible says.  “All at once the angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ ”  Verse 6 says, “Elijah looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water.”  I love the way God provides food all the time.  “He ate and drank and then lay down again.”  Eat and rest.    Some of you, the most spiritual thing you can do is not go to another meeting, not read another Bible verse, but the most spiritual thing you can do is rest.  In fact, perhaps one of the most disobeyed commands of God in the world we live in is, people don’t rest.  Honor to God with the Sabbath, and yet, we just shake that off like it, like it’s nothing.   “But, I got to do this, and I’ve got to do this, and I got to do that,” and I believe God would say to you, “It does not matter if the clothes are dirty.  It doesn’t matter if the house is not clean.  It does not matter if the yard is not mowed.  It doesn’t matter if a few things go undone, but perhaps the most important thing, the most spiritual thing you could do is rest.”  The angel of the Lord provides food, and lets him take a nap.

Read on in scripture.  Verse 7 and 8,  “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 Elijah got up and ate and drank.”

“Strengthened by the food,” and certainly by the rest, “Strengthened, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.”  This is the same mountain, most scholars believe, where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses.  Basically, “Eat, rest, and go to church.”  Go to the place where God is.  God’s prescription for, for depression:  Eat and rest, and now, go to the place where you will experience God.  The first thing he does.  He says, “Go, eat, and rest.”

2. God Replaces My Lies with His Truth and Presence

This is going to speak to some of you. God replaces our lies, the lies that we are believing, with His truth.  Look at verse 9 and 10.  Scripture says this. “There Elijah went into a cave and spent the night.  And the word of the LORD came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ “  Now, let’s just pause there and acknowledge that God already knew what Elijah was doing there.    What God wanted Elijah to do was to voice his problem, to verbalize whatever lies he was believing, so God could correct the lies.  “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  Verse 10, He, “He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty.”  True.  “The Israelites have rejected your covenant,” true.  “broken down your altars,” true.  “and put your prophets to death with the sword.”  True.  “I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”  False.  “I am the only one left.”  False.  “I’ve been doing all the work.”  False.  “I’m the only one who cares.”  False.  “I’m the only one that can get it done.”  False.  He owned more responsibility than was actually his.  He had done what God had asked him to do, and he thought he was supposed to do everything.  “There’s no one who cares like me.  Everybody’s depending on me.  I’m all alone.  Nobody understands.”

God’s actually going to say in verse 18 “Elijah,  there’s seven thousand other Israelites.   Seven thousand others who have not bowed down to the false gods of Baal and Asherah.  There are seven thousands others still seeking Me and praying.”  Don’t believe the lies.  You’re not the only one.”  What is God going to say to so many of us today, when we believe the lies? “My life will never get better.”  Why? With God, all things are possible.  Replace the lie with the truth.  “My kids, they’re never going to come back to Christ.”  Why?  With the faith as small as a mustard seed, God can remove mountains.  “I got this medical report, and I’ve got thirty days to live.”  Is that too hard for God?  And so many of us, we believe the lies.  “My life’s never going to be any better.  I’m never going to have an intimate relationship.  I’m going to be all alone for the rest of my life.  I’m stuck in this dead end job.  I’ve got no real ministry.  I can’t make a difference.  My husband’s never going to believe in Christ.  I’m always going to feel alone.”  God takes those lies and replaces it with truth.  “Take every thought captive,” scripture says, “and make it obedient to Christ.”

The next thing that God does, and this is so meaningful to me, and I hope it is to you, as well. God speaks to me in a whisper. God says, “Eat and rest.”  God replaces our lives with His truth.  God speaks in a still, small voice.  Elijah’s used to dealing with, the God of fire, the God of miraculous provision, and so he goes to meet with God and he’s probably thinking, “God’s going to show up in this big, huge earthquake.  God’s going to send this fire, and be in the fire,” but watch what the Bible says.  Verse 11, “The LORD said to him, ‘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.  And after the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a,” a what? …

“After the fire came a gentle whisper.”  Sometimes, when we are lowest, God seems to speak the softest.  Have you ever noticed that?  Sometimes, it’s just a word.  It may not be much, and it may not be loud, but it’s always exactly enough.  A gentle whisper, not the booming sign that God is capable of doing and done before, but just the voice.  And here’s what I take so much comfort in today, is that I know there are those of you that you’re hurting, and God can and will speak to you.  If you listen closely enough, you may just hear that still, small voice.  “I’m here.  I’m with you.  I’ll never leave you.  You’re not alone.  I am enough.” … The still, small voice of God.

Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you could do is rest.  Other times, you have to capture those lies and replace them with truth.  You listen, and God may speak.  The next thing that God does to Elijah, and I think this is beautiful, is this.

3. God Has Something for Me to Do.

To overcome depression, God says, “Eat and rest. Replace the lies with truth.”  God speaks in whisper, and then God gives us that divine assignment.  Look in verse 15 and 16.  The Lord says to Elijah, “Go back the way you came, and go over to the Desert of Damascus.  When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.”  In other words, “Go back to doing what prophets do.  Go back to doing what prophets do,” and I believe the Spirit of the Lord will speak unto many of you today and say, “There is something yet for you to do.”  You, you feel down.  You feel blue.  You feel hopeless.  You feel afraid.  You’re unsure.  You’ve lost your confidence.  You don’t see it, and God may say, “If you are still alive, you are not done!”  If you are still here, it is because God has something to do.  Go back to doing what prophets do.  You may say, “I am not a prophet.”  What are you?  You’re a mom, go back to doing what moms do.  Are you a business person?  Go back to doing what a business person do … Are, are you a person of prayer?  Go back to praying like people of God pray.  Do you have the gift of serving?  Go back and serve someone.  Do you have the gift of giving?  Go and give something.  Go back and do what God called you to do, and watch as He brings life back out of you!

I find so much comfort in seeing a man of God, Elijah, on the top of the world, and then on the bottom.  Because, in reality, that’s the reflection of the way I live.  After a great accomplishment sometimes I go home and think, “Oh, I just can’t go on,” and that’s when God says, “Rest”.  That’s when God seems to speak, and that’s when God says, “Go back and do what you’re supposed to do,” because He is always, always enough.

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