Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God
as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,
and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
But the LORD God called to the man,
“Where are you?”
(Genesis 3:8-9, NIV)
Before continuing to examine the typological link between Elisha and Jesus, a closer look at the low point in Elijah’s ministry is warranted. We are all prone to temptation and often we are blind to our own weaknesses. Thousands of reputable ministries have been tarnished or ruined after notable accomplishments.
It is remarkable how Elijah had great success in challenging the 450 prophets of Baal, calling down fire from heaven, and then having these false prophets put to death (1 Kings 18:20-40). Finally, through prayer, he broke the three-year drought that had ravaged the land (Kings 18:41-46).
But after being cursed by Queen Jezebel, he runs away, becoming depressed and suicidal. How could just one woman have such a devastating impact on this hero of Israel? To what degree was she involved in the occult, and the manipulation of others through secret word curses?
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.” (1 Kings 19:1-2, NIV)
Jezebel believed she could destroy Elijah just like she destroyed many other men before him. But ultimately, she did not finish well.[i]
In the Alcoholics Anonymous twelve-step program, the acronym HALT is used to identify occasions when we are most vulnerable to temptation and even despair. Elijah suffered from all four temptations after his exhausting victory on Mount Carmel. His stunning success left him 1) Hungry 2) Angry 3) Lonely and 4) Tired.
What began as a flight from the woman, Jezebel, became a flight from God.
But God, in his compassion, ministered to Elijah’s four needs, giving him food and drink, counsel, companionship, and sleep (1 Kings 19:3-9). When Elijah said, “take my life”, it is reminiscent of Jonah after his success in Nineveh, where he too did not want to live. In that loss of hope, God spoke to Elijah not in the thunderstorm, earthquake, and pyrotechnics, but in that still small voice—the whisper of the Spirit (1 Kings 19:11-13).
The flight from woman and the LORD ended when Elijah started listening and instead of just ranting at God.
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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” (1 Kings 19:14, NIV).
Elijah had to give up the lie that he was the only one left. And furthermore, in listening to God, Elijah had to admit that he was not ultimately in control.
E. Stanley Jones
One of Ed’s heroes, E. Stanley Jones, listened to that still, small voice every day for one hour in the morning and one hour at night. He called it his listening post. Facing total burnout, Jones told God that he was done. God offered to take over if he would let go and let God order his life. He experienced Jesus’ healing when he came to a deep self-surrender. Elijah on Mount Horeb similarly had to come to a self-surrender. Surrender is like death for spiritual superheroes like Elijah. It is the breaking point that is often needed so we can be fully yielded to God’s will.
This flight from woman can be seen as representing a crisis in masculinity. CS Lewis scholar Leanne Payne wrote a remarkable book Crisis in Masculinity which she dedicated to Dr Karl Stern. He was a Montreal Jewish psychiatrist (and believer in Jesus) who wrote the 1965 book Flight from Woman.[ii]
Leanne Payne, mentored by the healing pioneer Agnes Sanford, had a remarkable ministry of bringing wholeness to broken people, particularly those struggling with identity issues. She saw that many men were running from the feminine, because they were in crisis with their own masculine identity. The image of Narcissus to Leanne represented how many men curve in on themselves in self-worship.
Leanne was powerfully used in helping many men become whole through embracing their true identity as sons of the heavenly Father. Through healing prayer, Leanne helped many recover the divine imagination and creativity that had been lost in their self-absorption. All of us need healing in areas where the image of God has been broken inside us. Such powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit enable us to become more fully human. Such healing gives men the courage to responsibly embrace the unique challenges of marriage and family.
This crisis in masculinity has only deepened since the days of Payne and Stern. The identity confusion for young men is often paralyzing. The well-known Canadian psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson often talks about how men are now the minority in university, and how many of them are struggling to find direction and academic accomplishment. These difficulties often begin in the elementary grades, where all too often there are no male teachers, few positive male role models, and academic performance among boys has seen an alarming decline.
We are witnessing a well-documented male aversion to leadership. Both boys and men are refusing to assume the mantel of leadership.
In post-modernism, men are often defined as the problem. Our culture deconstructs people through guilt and shame, and then often leaves them in nihilistic despair. In contrast, the gospel gives hope to people.
While Jordan Peterson is not yet a Christ follower, he has discovered how the Bible can help men be more authentic in living out their life’s calling as responsible contributors. Healthy men fight for their families and marriages. They do not run from them. Healthy men sacrifice for their families. They don’t sacrifice their wives and children on the altar of personal fulfillment and business success.
Elijah has much to teach men in our 21st century context. Even after he ran from woman, he ultimately was found by God, and returned to face the challenges that God had set before him.
Hiding never works. It did not work for Adam and Eve, and it did not work for Elijah. Everyone loses when men hide from the responsibilities of life.
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[i] 2 Kings 9:30-37
[ii] “Karl Stern: Freudian to Catholic”, “The Flight From Woman (1965), a philosophical treatise on modern society’s polarization of the sexes and its de-feminization, would make him a common name in women’s magazines”. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/karl-stern-freudian-catholic
I love the Psalms 