COMMENTARY

Old Testament: 1 Kings 19:1-8
Threatened by Jezebel, Elijah flees for his life and is fed by an angel on his way to Mount Horeb. To understand this pericope, we need to get the background in chapter 18. On Mount Carmel, Elijah calls down fire from heaven to prove that Yahweh is the only true God. This is followed by his slaughter of the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal supported by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who sends a messenger to Elijah to tell him that within twenty-four hours she will have his life. Scared to death Elijah flees to Beersheba and to the wilderness out of the reach of Jezebel. Under a broom tree alone, he sits discouraged, depressed, and desires death. He falls asleep but Yahweh as an angel comes to him with food and drink and twice orders him to eat tha…