Valiant as had been Elijah's stand for unwavering loyalty to the true God on the slopes of Mount Carmel, and his equally forthright destruction of the leaders of paganism following that event, he was challenged by a further test. The anger of Jezebel became even more bitter against him, and he was forced to flee the country.
In his flight from Israel, Elijah traveled southward through Judah to Beersheba, its southern extremity, leaving his servant there and proceeding still farther into the wilderness for "a day's journey" (I Kings 19:4), a space of uncertain length, generally varying in accord with the capacity of the traveler. There he rested in the shadow of a "juniper tree," often understood as being an isolated bush of desert broom, where, in utter discouragement, he prayed for death to end his troubles.
But his great career was by no means over. On previous occasions (cf. 17:6, 10-15) food and drink had been provided from unexpected sources. Now Elijah was twice awakened by an angel who showed him bread and water prepared for him and encouraged him to follow in the footsteps of Moses—"unto Horeb the mount of God" (19:8; cf. Ex. 3:1).
