And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
The fire has fallen on Mount Carmel, the drought has broken, and Ahab rides home through the rain. The closing line raises two questions: where did a worn-out man get such strength, and why did he run ahead of the king he had just rebuked?
Power Not His Own
Elijah's fitness does not explain this run. The verse opens by naming a hand laid on him from outside himself.
Leslie M. GrantElijah, by the power of the Spirit of God, ran to Jezreel, to arrive before Ahab's chariot! We might think that after such a day Elijah's energy would be worn out. But the grace of God was what sustained him. We too can have the encouragement of God's word: "they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength."
The Secret Place Behind It
The strength has a traceable source. It came from the hilltop, where he stayed on his knees until the cloud appeared.
William J HockingGod enables the unable, too. Elijah displayed a mighty energy when he ran before the chariot of Ahab from Carmel to Jezreel. But he ran that way because he knew the secret place of strength. The praying man of God would not rise from his knees until the little black rain-cloud appeared. Then he rose on wings as an eagle; after three years of famine, he ran and was not weary.
Gathering Up the Robe
The detail about his clothing is not decoration. One writer explains the custom, then reads it as a picture of the inner life.
Andrew MillerGirding means applying truth to the soul. It is the word dealing closely with the will and with the movements of the heart. This is arming for conflict in a very practical and effective way. But we must do it in the presence of God, before we meet the enemy. The soldier's belt fastens his other pieces of armour more closely to him. So he is able to march, and strong to fight. There is also a reference to the custom of eastern nations, who belt their long loose garments around them so the clothes will not hinder them in travelling or working. Elijah gathered up his garment and ran after Ahab. It is the bracing up of the affections, the whole inner man, for Christ, and for the things of Christ.
The Prophet as the King's Footman
The same man who confronted Ahab now runs ahead of his chariot like a servant. One hand directs both.
Hamilton Smith"And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel." But "the hand of the LORD was on Elijah." The hand of the Lord was with the man who had been with God on the top of the hill. And when the hand of the Lord is upon a man, he will do all things rightly and at the right time. Guided by the Lord, Elijah had stood before the king to rebuke him for his idolatry. Now, still guided by the Lord, the prophet runs before the king. He does it to honour the king and to uphold his authority in the eyes of the people. In season he will show his fear of God, and in season he will honour the king.
One writer grounds the act in the office, not in the man who holds it.
W. W. FeredayElijah was morally far superior to Ahab. We may wonder, then, that he ran before Ahab's chariot from Carmel to Jezreel — no small journey. He would honour the king. This is always the right attitude of God's people towards the highest ruler, whatever his personal character. The ruler, whoever he may be at any time or in any land, is God's representative. He may be too ungodly to understand this himself. But faith understands it and acts on it.
Run for Joy
A tired, hungry, probably elderly man ran because his heart was full.
W. W. FeredayElijah was so overjoyed that he did a remarkable thing... He must have been both tired and hungry, and he was probably well on in years. Yet he made himself the king's footman in the joy of his heart. Things seemed to be getting right again among the people of God. That was everything to the man who loved the LORD and His people.
Where the Run Ends
The verse stops at the entrance of Jezreel — and that is where the story turns.
C. H. MackintoshHe had come from the top of Mount Carmel. In the energy of the Spirit he outran Ahab's chariot to the entrance of Jezreel. But there he was to meet a sudden setback, and it came from someone who had so far kept herself in the background. This was the wicked Jezebel.
Summary
- Knees first. The run began on the hilltop. The man who stayed on his knees until the cloud came was the man who could outpace a chariot.
- Hand, not muscle. The verse names the LORD's hand as his strength — power given to him, not worked up by him.
- Girded. Loose clothing must be belted before a man can run. Truth applied to the heart, in God's presence, braces the whole inner man.
- Downward, on purpose. The same guidance that sent him to rebuke the king now sends him to honour the king. Each has its season.
- Then the gate. The run ended at the entrance of Jezreel, where a setback was waiting — from Jezebel, who had so far stayed in the background.