Elijah

Not since Genesis has there been more material packed into one day's reading! Elijah is fed by the widow with a never-ending supply of flour and oil, revives her dead son, calls down fire from Heaven to defeat (and later kill) the prophets of Baal, prays to end the drought, outruns Ahab's chariot, escapes death at the hand of Jezebel, and has an encounter with God while hiding in the cave. It is hard to decide what to elaborate on. Elijah is my husband's favorite character in the Bible and he loves the story of his contest with the prophets of Baal. I read that Mt. Carmel, which was the site of that famous display of God's power, is situated on the border between Israel (Jezreel to be exact) and Phoenicia. This illustrates both a geographical and cultural split, with the Jews worshipping God on one side of the mountain and the pagan Phoenicians worshipping Baal and other gods on the other side. This proximity, along with the leadership of Ahab and Jezebel, had the Israelites playing both sides of the fence. The historical setting for the battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal is substantiated by the extra-Biblical historian Flavius Josephus, who documented the extended drought and famine described in 1 Kings. Excavations of the Mt. Carmel area have produced artifacts regarding Baal that depict him as the god of storms, rain, great meteorological phenomenon and fertility of the earth. This knowledge makes the contest make sense. Not only should Baal have been able to end the drought as God of rain and storms, but he should also have been able to bring fire from heaven.

After Elijah's resounding victory at Mt. Carmel, he experienced super-natural assistance as he outran Ahab's chariot on foot. Instead of being on a spiritual high, Elijah felt alone and defeated. This was the scene of one of my favorite Bible stories...when God speaks to Elijah in the cave. What I love about this encounter, is that God did mot speak to Elijah in the earthquake or great wind, but in a gentle whisper. I am one who wants God to show up in unmistakable, miraculous ways. I want to see a burning bush! But He does not typically reveal Himself in such ways! Instead, He wants us to tune into His quiet voice. Elijah needed encouragement because he had assumed that he was the only one following God, but the Lord revealed to him that there were 7000 others who had not bowed down to Baal. We're never the only one. This is also true when my 12 year old tells me that he is the only one without a cell-phone. He may feel alone, but there are others out there like him. That usually doesn't make my son feel any better, but Elijah had greater spiritual maturity and took comfort in the fellowship of believers.

Tomorrow's reading: 1Kings 20:23-43, 21:1-29, 22:1-9, 2 Chron. 18:1-8