Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-02-17

The victory which Elijah had won over
the prophets OF Baai caused him to be
greatly elated. Now that the leaders of
Gods foes were out of the way, he sup
posed that the religious reformation that
he so desired would take place at once,
and go forward uninterruptedly He
realized that the difficulties that had been
the cause of the drouth were about to be
removed, and accordingly he went up to
the mountain top to pray that rain might
return. We remember how. stimulated by
the victory which he won, he ran the IL
miles from Carmel to Jezreel ahead of
Anab, reaching the city about dusk
ELIJAH DISCOURAGED.
Ahab told JezebeI what had occurred
during the day, and the knowledge of the
fact took away some of the keenness of
the pleasure which had come to her from
the delightful rain that was refreshing
the earth. She was enraged. and realized
that the victory which had been won
would undo all that she had spent her
life trying to accomplish. She dared not
lay hands upon Elijah. for the people
would not have permitted that; but she
did threaten him, that within "a hours she
would take his life. Elijah, although ex-
hausted by the excessive strain of the
day, got up Immediately and left Jezreel,
taking the road south along the coast un-
til he came to Beersheba 50 miles south
of Jezreel. 1t must have taken him two
or three days to make this trip.
Leaving his servant in the little town
built around the well of the OATH where
Abraham had rested centuries before, he
went a days journey on south into the
wilderness, and as evening approached,
utterly exhausted, he dropped down I'M
der the shade of broom tree, and pray
ed that he might die.
There are some questions that might
arise in our minds with regard to this
action of Elijah's. DO you think that he
did right to Hee7 Was 1t the part of
wisdom to go out of the way of danger
as he had done during the past lthree
and half years, or do you think had he
remained at his post of duty. the revival
which had begun so auspiciously would
have been carried on to completion and
the nation turn back to God? Was Elijah
afraid of Jezreel, or was he discreet in
stepping aside for time until her an
ger subsidized, and then renewing his at
tack on the idoIaArous religion which she
championed? Personally, incline to the
latter view.
/ am glad that Elijah became discour-
aged, however; it makes him appear
more human. When stand on Mount
Carmel with him, and see him calling
down fire from heaven which consumes
water and stones and offerings, 1t is
hard for me to feel that he is man
like myself; but / have no doubt of 1t
when I sit by him under the broom tree
1t is no sign of weakness to become dis
couraged; some of the greatest men of
the world have suffered thus. Moses
asked that he might die, he was so dis
couraged over the condition Of the peo-
pie; and Jonah did the same thing just
after he had preached a sermon that
had been so effective that city of more
than a million people had been convert
ed. What was the cause of Elijah's dis
couragement?
I think there were several reasons for
It; the mans physical fatigue was one,
and the reaction that had set in, as the
result of It, The immediate strain that