Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-09-11
lBy William T. Ellis.l

u WlllldIu i. E!lilS.J
In the mood Of spiritual exaltation
which had followed the spectacular
victory Of Mount Carmel, Elijah, recon-
ciled to the convinced and converted
king, had ruin before his chariot all the
way to Jezebel, a feat possible only to
such a hardy and conditioned physique
as that Of this desert dweller. Doubt
less, in a vague way, Elijah assumed
that now the worship of Jehovah would
be restored at the palace. What great
plans Of reestablishing the honor of
God in Israel thronged his brain as he
ran toward Jezebel.
Both king and prophet, however, had
reckoned without the oma In the
case. II Ahab had thought that his
wife would be converted by the dra-
matte trial by fire, he little knew Jeze-
bel. More than most women, that
tigress was dominated by personal pre-
JUDGES, and not by principles of
reason. She CRASHED in fury w the
fate of her pet priests. AS for her arch
enemy, Elijah, she could not withhold
the threat that, "As surely as you are
Elijah and / am Jezebel, may the gods
do to me what they will, If I do not
make your life as the life Of Il of
them by tomorrow about this time" A
nice, ladylike sentiment that!
The prophet who had confronted a
hostile king and nation, with jeers and
taunts and easy assurance, collapsed at
this woman's fury. He was afraid
and arose and went for his life"
Under the Juniper Tree.
Discouraged, despairing and seem.
ingly defeated, Elijah resumed his
exile life, and fed south across coun.
try to far B~eersheba.
Out from Beersheba the prophet
went, taking to the desert in all his
troubles as naturally as a bird fees to
its nest or a fox to its hole, and sitting
down under a juniper tree (probably
the broom plant) prayed that he might
die. The blue devils of encouragement
had him on the run. ut is enough
he cried; he was ready to quit. What
a succession of Elijahs have sat under
that juniper tree; it is one of the most
popular vacation resorts OF earth, al
though no place is worse for the
health.
Now what Elijah thought was a
spirit -dal experience was primarily a
matter of physical health. He needed
sleep and a square meal, which God
gave him, rather than a lecture on I'M.
belief. Many a minister since has had
his blues cured in the same way,
though the wise angel that provided
the food was his wife. Happy Is the
leader who can find refreshment after
exceptional toll in a fishing trip, a golf
course, or a tramp through the woods
Elijah needed relaxation for his nerve
strain, and he needed to go apart
where his vision of relative values
would be clearer.
On the Road Again.
With a hearty meal under his leather
girdle. and with his frazzled nerves
soothed by long and repeated sleep,
the prophet turned his back on the
Juniper tree and started on a desert
journey. The desire to die had depart
ed. Instead, he wanted to be up and
doing. So he set forth to the south.
east, for the mountains of Sinai. This
Transforming experience which he had
undergone on Mount Carmel turned his
thoughts to that other mountain OF
Gods presence, Horeb or Sinai, where
the law had been given. He would go
and fellowship in spirit with that other