Elijah

Read Part 1.

Even God’s greatest servants may suffer extreme discouragement, as we are learning from a brief survey of the experience of the prophet Elijah. One of my seminary professors invented a name for his response to the threats he faced following his glorious victory on Mount Carmel—the Elijah Syndrome.*

I define the Elijah Syndrome as a combination of physical and spiritual fatigue, resulting in despair.

On Mount Carmel, Elijah experienced one of the greatest spiritual victories recorded in all of Holy Scripture. His triumph over Ahab, Jezebel and “the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah” (1 Kings 18:19) devastated the wicked king and queen.

The Puzzle

Jesus testified of John the Baptist that, “if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.” (Matt. 11:14). John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Lord. Therefore, when Jesus will later speak in reference to John the Baptist, as “Elijah…come already” (Matt. 17:12-13), He is saying that John was an Elijah-figure, even though John himself had told the people that he was not Elijah (Jn. 1:21).