The Other Shoe Drops

And Achav told Izevel all that Eliyahu had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Izevel sent a messenger to Eliyahu, saying "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, HaShem, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" (1 Kings 19:1-4)

In the fashion repeated so many times, including at the Mount of Transfiguration, after such a spiritual high comes an incredible low. (Of course, it may be that the low is really not all that low, but rather that it seems so much lower after having been to such incredible heights.) But instead of a demon waiting for Eliyahu in the valley, it is rather Izevel. She, for one, is not impressed by what HaShem has done this day, and is actually quite angry about what has happened to her friends, the prophets of Baal. (Remember, these are the ones whom Eliyahu referred to as regularly eating at Izevel's table. Quite likely, these prophets were essentially Izevel's inner circle of advisors and consultants, and it would be reasonable to assume that she relied heavily upon their words.)

It is also not unusual to find Eliyahu's response confusing. When reading the story thus far, one would think that he would figuratively laugh off Izevel's threat. Yet, he fears for his life and flees the region. Going a day's journey into the wilderness, he sits down beneath a tree and effectively prays for a merciful death at the hand of HaShem rather than the violent death planned for him by Izevel.

But before we settle into judging Eliyahu's apparent lack of faith, it might bear examining how we might respond in a similar situation. Suppose, for the sake of comparison, that any one of us became the crucial witness in a trial against an organized crime boss. And suppose that, knowing that as Believers in Messiah we are obligated to do the right thing, we proceed with our testimony and are instrumental in seeing this criminal sentenced to a life in prison. Then suppose that after he has gone off to prison, we receive a message in the mail from him that simply states "You're dead." Would our faith in the Holy One be so strong that we would simply laugh off the threat and go on with our daily life? Or would fear begin to rule in our minds and start to deter us from rational thinking? Obviously, we cannot know for certain what we would do unless such a thing actually happens, but imagining such a scenario can open our eyes to how we might feel.

Likewise, Eliyahu is faced with a serious threat from one who is well known for her ability to see such promises to fruition. We have only to refer back to Eliyahu's meeting with Obad'yah to be reminded that, had not Obad'yah feared HaShem and hid 100 prophets away, Izevel would have slaughtered 100 more prophets of HaShem than she did. While we do not know for certain how many she did take, it is assumed that it was no small number, and from what we read of Izevel, was completely remorseless. When she threatens Eliyahu, it is not an idle threat at all. Izevel would have gladly cut down Eliyahu in a heartbeat had she gained the opportunity. His fear, then, while debatable spiritually, was well founded in the human sense. Fear, in this sense, is nothing more than the built in drive to survive that the Holy One instilled in each of us. The fact that Eliyahu did not bring it immediately into subjection to his faith in the Holy One can be criticized, but his fear is nonetheless understandable. This, then, becomes the hinge point that brings us to our question.

As Eliyahu lays beneath the broom tree waiting to die, he falls asleep. He is awakened by an angel, who instructs him to eat and drink food that was provided for him. He sleeps again afterwards, and again is awakened by the angel and provided nourishment, with the admonition that he has a long journey ahead of him. This food must have been very special from HaShem, because these two meals are sufficient to keep Eliyahu going for the forty day journey he takes to reach Mount Horeb, called the Mount of G-d.