What are You Doing Here?

And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here,Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. (I Kings 19:9-14)

What a pointed question! What an attention getting question! “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” God was fully aware of what was going on. He wanted to make Elijah just as aware. Our biggest problem, in serving God, is being totally aware of where we are and what we are doing in relationship to where God wants us to be. This question reveals that Elijah was not where God wanted, nor was he doing what God intended for him to do.

God is also saying, “Why are you here?” It is interesting to note that Elijah had come to Horeb, the mount of God. (v. 8) This is were Moses saw the burning bush. It is also where God gave Moses the Law.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

I. HIDING.
Ourselves

  1. There are times when we need to hide.

    Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
    (I Kings 17:3)And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. (Mark 6:31)

  2. The time for hiding for Elijah was over.

    And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. (I Kings 18:1)

  3. Here is the man who faced the false prophets of Baal and called fire down out of heaven.
  4. The man who slew those false prophets.
  5. The man who prayed for it not to rain and it didn’t rain until he prayed for it to rain.
  6. The man who stood up to the king and declared it was he that was troubling Israel.
  7. And now he is trembling in fear because of the threats of a woman.

    And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
    (I Kings 19:1-3)

    (“Discretion is the better part of valor.”) (What would have happened to her if Elijah had not run?)

  8. Had God died? Could this have been a time of greater victory over false worship?

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

II. FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF.

  1. I’m the only one left. (There was Obadiah and the Hundred prophet he saved. And there were seven thousand that never bowed the knee to Baal. v. 18)
  2. Oh, how sad when we start to feel sorry for our self.
  3. We begin to blame everybody for our problems, but ourselves.
  4. But the truth of the matter is that we have failed.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

III. MAKING EXCUSES.

“He that hath not the will to do a thing hath an excuse ready.”

 

  1. When people start making excuses, they know they are in the wrong, but don’t want to admit it.

    For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. (Romans 2:12-16)

  2. All the excuses in the world will not change reality.
  3. We are living in a time when people do not want to take responsibility for their behavior.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

IV. NOTHING.

  1. He had given up.

    But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. (I Kings 19:4)

  2. If he really wanted to die, all he had to do was go knock on Jezebel’s door and say, “Here I am”.
  3. Aren’t you glad God does not answer all our prayers?
  4. God had called him to Israel and he had ran away when they needed him the most.
  5. They had declared that God was the true God and now there was no one to teach them what God wanted them to do.

And now I ask you:

V. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE TODAY?

  1. You are in God’s House as Elijah was in the mount of God, but what are you doing?
  2. Are you hiding?
  3. Are you feeling sorry for yourself because things are not what you want them to be?
  4. Are you trying to make excuses for not doing what God wants you to do?
  5. Or are you just here doing nothing?
    1. No prayer life.
    2. No Bible study.
    3. No dedication to God.
    4. No separation from the world.
    5. No commitment to the cause of Christ.
    6. No participation in the services.
  6. Or are you here because God called you here?
  7. God sent Elijah out to work.

    And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. (I Kings 19:15-16)

  8. He has a job for you to do.
    1. Be faithful to Him.
    2. Reach others for Him.
    3. Get busy for Him.

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