That still small voiceChoicesWe are about two hundred years after Solomon. Ahab is king of the northern half with his domineering wife Jezebel, a keen Baal supporter The people had again forgotten God in favour of the visible Baal, who is their popular local god of rain and thunder. Elijah, who is the current prophet/preacher, decides to do something about it. He will arrange a test. James, Jesus’ brother, tells us that Elijah was a bloke just like us and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain for a bit so he could demonstrate God’s power. Who could control the weather and make it rain?. Now, Elijah’s prayer is answered, and it did not rain for three and a half years and the drought was causing famine. People were concerned. Elijah tells Ahab to gather all the people and the Baal officials together to see if the rain god could do anything to help. A huge crowd gathers on the sea coast together with the 450 Baal officials and Elijah addresses them. He asks the people to judge who is the real god and poses a test. The test is a simple one. They are to prepare a sacrifice on a pile of dry sticks on an altar and then see which deity can answer with fire. No one is allowed to light the fire and the Baal officials are given the first chance to prove that Baal is real.Enthusiasm. The preparations are made. The Baal officials start praying to their god in the morning and get quite agitated when nothing happens. By lunchtime their inspiration and enthusiasm is waning a bit, so Elijah goes in to help. He jokes and suggests that Baal may have overslept or is busy somewhere else. He makes fun of them. The one thing enthusiasts can’t stand is ridicule. So the Baal lot really go into overdrive and their dancing becomes even more frenzied. So much so that they cut themselves with knives until the blood flowed. That is true passion. But still nothing happens.
His turn. About tea time Elijah calls a halt and says that it is his turn. First, to make sure there was no possibility of cheating, he gets some people to pour water over his bonfire and sacrifice. They did this three times. Some modern people have assumed this account is a fairy story as how could they get so much water during a drought. These critics seem never to have read the detail that the action was taking place near the sea. So it was sea water that soaked the wood. Then Elijah prays that God would answer him so these people will “know that you are God and that you are turning their hearts back again”. Immediately a lightening strike burned up the sacrifice, the wet wood, the stones they had built the altar with and evaporated the puddles of water around.
First result. The watching people are so amazed they fall on their faces. Then they turn on those 450 Baal officials who had been misleading and cheating them for so long and kill them all. Elijah is still on a high and he tells king Ahab and the people to go and have a feast, eat and drink, because it is about to rain. And it will be heavy rain. After a high there is often a low. Elijah goes up the hill behind and prays sending his servant on as a look out. There is nothing to see. God’s time is not always our time. Seven times Elijah tells the servant to look again and on the seventh he reports a small cloud out over the sea.
Second result. Elijah orders the relieved Ahab to get back in his chariot and drive to the city fast before the storm. Elijah himself is so excited he pulls up his cloak and runs beside the chariot all the way to Samaria. That’s when things begin to go wrong. Jezebel heard what had happened to the Baal officials that she swears revenge on Elijah and seems to ignore the fact that it was raining and food supplies for the people were now optimistic. She promises that Elijah will be as dead as all the Baal officials by breakfast time tomorrow.
Outcome. Elijah ran for his life. He even left his servant near some houses and walked out alone into the desert, sat down depressed under a tree and prayed that he could die peacefully. Then he went to sleep. He was woken up to find some food and water ready for him. There was enough for a month and he walked on across the desert and hid in a cave. Here conscience and the question of what he was doing hiding, hit him and God gives him a lesson. He sees a storm, but God is not in it. He sees an earthquake, but God is not in it. Then a fire. The same. Finally that still small voice of conscience that asks “what are you doing here Elijah?”
Conclusion. Elijah tries to justify himself. He tells God that he has been very active and loyal, but now he is the only one left who has not bowed down to a Baal. God replies that He has more work for Elijah to do and there are still seven thousand others who have not given in to the Baal temptations. There are several other incidents about Elijah recorded for us culminating in his appearance with Moses to the disciples and Jesus. What are we to learn from this one? Was it right to put God to the test? What place does humour have in Christianity? Do we pray “earnestly”? Would we have looked seven times for an answer to our prayer? Why does James quote Elijah as an ordinary bloke? Do we have ups and downs in our lives? Is that wrong? Were the people wicked to have killed all the Baal prophets? Did Elijah realise that God had lots more big works for him? Was he really a bloke just like us to get such an answer to prayer? Do we listen to that still small voice?
His turn. About tea time Elijah calls a halt and says that it is his turn. First, to make sure there was no possibility of cheating, he gets some people to pour water over his bonfire and sacrifice. They did this three times. Some modern people have assumed this account is a fairy story as how could they get so much water during a drought. These critics seem never to have read the detail that the action was taking place near the sea. So it was sea water that soaked the wood. Then Elijah prays that God would answer him so these people will “know that you are God and that you are turning their hearts back again”. Immediately a lightening strike burned up the sacrifice, the wet wood, the stones they had built the altar with and evaporated the puddles of water around.
First result. The watching people are so amazed they fall on their faces. Then they turn on those 450 Baal officials who had been misleading and cheating them for so long and kill them all. Elijah is still on a high and he tells king Ahab and the people to go and have a feast, eat and drink, because it is about to rain. And it will be heavy rain. After a high there is often a low. Elijah goes up the hill behind and prays sending his servant on as a look out. There is nothing to see. God’s time is not always our time. Seven times Elijah tells the servant to look again and on the seventh he reports a small cloud out over the sea.
Second result. Elijah orders the relieved Ahab to get back in his chariot and drive to the city fast before the storm. Elijah himself is so excited he pulls up his cloak and runs beside the chariot all the way to Samaria. That’s when things begin to go wrong. Jezebel heard what had happened to the Baal officials that she swears revenge on Elijah and seems to ignore the fact that it was raining and food supplies for the people were now optimistic. She promises that Elijah will be as dead as all the Baal officials by breakfast time tomorrow.
Outcome. Elijah ran for his life. He even left his servant near some houses and walked out alone into the desert, sat down depressed under a tree and prayed that he could die peacefully. Then he went to sleep. He was woken up to find some food and water ready for him. There was enough for a month and he walked on across the desert and hid in a cave. Here conscience and the question of what he was doing hiding, hit him and God gives him a lesson. He sees a storm, but God is not in it. He sees an earthquake, but God is not in it. Then a fire. The same. Finally that still small voice of conscience that asks “what are you doing here Elijah?”
Conclusion. Elijah tries to justify himself. He tells God that he has been very active and loyal, but now he is the only one left who has not bowed down to a Baal. God replies that He has more work for Elijah to do and there are still seven thousand others who have not given in to the Baal temptations. There are several other incidents about Elijah recorded for us culminating in his appearance with Moses to the disciples and Jesus. What are we to learn from this one? Was it right to put God to the test? What place does humour have in Christianity? Do we pray “earnestly”? Would we have looked seven times for an answer to our prayer? Why does James quote Elijah as an ordinary bloke? Do we have ups and downs in our lives? Is that wrong? Were the people wicked to have killed all the Baal prophets? Did Elijah realise that God had lots more big works for him? Was he really a bloke just like us to get such an answer to prayer? Do we listen to that still small voice?
Bob