So successful, in fact, that he is called, “the greatest of all the people of the east” (Job 1:3). Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.12. c. Often a feeling of isolation, separation, detachment from companionship, fellowship, intimacy, or community. *portions of this post were inspired by a recent sermon from the Reverend Eileen Gebbie, whose blog can be found Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Patheos’s Partners Jim Coppoc is a seminarian at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, and the award-winning author of three books and two chapbooks of poetry; four good plays; a forgettable textbook; and a host of articles, essays, short prose, etc. The Baalist prophets went first. I can say without a doubt that it is. If a verse or topic does not belong, please Search the King James Version (KJV) for more references about Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom.Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Elijah lay down to sleep again, the angel came again and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you” (v. 8). Job becomes ill. Genesis 2:18 The LORD God said, “ It is not good for the man to be alone. Proverbs 18:1 One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires; he rejects all sound judgment. In the end, God sets them straight as well, calling their judgement “folly.” Because Job never lost faith, even in his anger and grief, God restores all that he has lost and then some.Although some aspects of these three stories still trouble me theologically, I feel like there are real lessons to be drawn from how Elijah, Jesus and Job each handle isolation, temptation and despair.In the current era of social distancing and self-isolation, we are all hungry. Are you confident in your salvation?Signup today and receive encouragement, updates, help, and more straight in your inbox.Christians should never isolate themselves from other believers. Elijah expressed his isolation and solitude, saying he was the only prophet left. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise [shall] continually [be] in my mouth. 13. "If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body" (1 Cor. What we need to talk about instead is how we cope with isolation.Scripture after scripture tells us about isolation. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors” (v. 19:4).At this point, Elijah was alone and despairing in the wilderness. Do you know the answer? God reminds Job of his power and scope and mystery, and of Job’s relative insignificance in the great scheme of things. Near the beginning of the story, Satan got God to agree to take away all of Job’s success, to see if he remained faithful when times were hard. He left even his own servant behind, journeyed into the wilderness, and prayed that God would take his life instead.“I have had enough, Lord,” he said. This does not mean that all isolation is healthy, or there isn’t trauma attached. Some have indicated that 75-90% of adult Americans suffer from chronic loneliness. C. Contemporary social situation 1. His children were killed when a house collapsed in a great wind. Psalms 34:17-20 - [The righteous] cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their … The Bible teaches isolation and quarantine as a method for containing the spread of disease and sickness. Elijah believed himself to be the only prophet of God left, so he faced off alone against 450 prophets of Baal. He was among the founding faculty of the low-residency MFA program at Chatham University, and he taught writing, literature and American Indian Studies for many years at Iowa State University. We are all angry. God did not make us to be alone.