Self Pity

SELF-PITY

1. Elijah yielded to self-pity for a time and fled to Horeb.

"He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep" (1 Kings 19:4-5).

2. God confronted Elijah.

"The word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:9).

3. Listen to Elijah's self-pity.

"He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too" (1 Kings 19:10).

4. God dealt with Elijah's problem.

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:11-18).

5. Asaph, the psalmist, also fell into the sin of self-pity for a time (Psalm 73).

6. Listen to Asaph's self-pity.

"Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning" (Psalm 73:13-14).

7. Asaph recovered from his self-pity (Ps. 73:15-28).

8. Turn from self-pity.

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit" (Proverbs 15:13).

9. Jonah became angry and was filled with self-pity, for which God rebuked him.

"Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?" (Jonah 4:3-4).