NL 209: Elijah and the Priests of Baal
image: The Triumph of Elijah Over the Prophets of Baal by Domenico Fetti (circa 1622)
Rebroadcast.
Original aired November 3, 2019
1 Kings 18:20-39
Initial Thoughts
An modern reading of Jezebel - the ‘baddest girl in the Bible’
Prophet: “The great prophets, beginning with Elijah, were not regarded as soothsayers. They were looked upon as recipients of divine visions, often against their will, and certainly not in their own best interest. They had no choice but to rail against the injustices of their age, and to demand the strictest moral standards from the people that claimed to be a people of God. The Hebrew word for ‘prophet’ (navi) does not suggest the powers of a soothsayer but rather the courage of a leader who speaks out on God’s behalf. Prophets predict, not inevitable, but the most likely consequences of the wicked misuse of power…. Tradition ascribes greatness to Elijah not because of his gifts as a seer, but because he had the temerity to defy the most powerful and vindictive ruler in Hebrew history” (What is a Jew?, by Rabbi Morris Kertzer, revised by Rabbi Lawrene A. Hoffman, p. 122).
Bible Study
Historical Context
Elijah the prophet during King Ahab, who ruled Israel from 869-850 (about a hundred years after Kingdom divided, 150 years before Israel’s exile).
1 Kings 16:31-21:29
All the problems go back to 16:31, when Ahab marries Jezebel and starts to worship Baal.
Elijah declares that there will be a drought
He goes to live with a widow (stay tuned next week…)
In ch 18 arranges the showdown with Ahab.
450 to 1. As Han Solo said, “Never tell me the odds.”
Challenge: Get two bulls. 450 Baal priests get one. Elijah gets the other.
No one will light the fire.
Both will ask their God to consume the bull.
“Two bulls enter. One bulls burns.”
Baal prophets prepare their bull
“But there was no voice”
“They limped about the altar they had made.”
Elijah taunts them: “Perhaps he’s asleep.”
“There was no voice, no answer, and no response.”
Elijah’s work
Repaired the altar.
Took 12 stones and built a new altar.
Dug a trench.
Arranged the wood.
Butchered a bull.
Asked people to fill four jars with water (in the middle of a prolonged drought) poured it on the offering and on the wood.
Repeated three times so that the altar was soaked, and water had filled the trench.
The altar is totally consumed by fire.
YHWH wins. The end?
V. 40 Elijah rounds up the prophets of Baal and kills them all.
Elijah commands this
Elijah quickly falls from the moral high ground into fear and despair - it will take him a while to hear God’s voice in the silence
Thoughts and Questions
“How long will you go limping with two different opinions?”
Hard to not hear this as a United Methodist in the midst of schism talk at General Conference. By the time this is aired, GC2016 will be over, but right now the future of the church is very much up in the air. “How long will we go on limping with two different opinions?” seems to be a very apt question.
Is unity for the sake of unity a good thing? Shall we sacrifice justice at the altar of unity? It is easy to see “our side” as the good guys. We must be on the side of YHWH, and ‘they’ must be worshipping Baal.
While this dichotomy might feel good, is it accurate?
For the followers of Baal, who were making a great noise and causing a ruckus, “There was no voice, no answer, and no response.”
For Elijah, God comes in the voice in the silence (1 Kings 19).
The noisy ones might be the ones who people pay attention to. They might get the most attention, and be quite popular, but God came to Elijah after diligently following God’s instruction
Opening music: Misirlou, One Man 90 Instruments by Joe Penna/MysteryGuitarMan at MIM
Closing Song by Bryan Odeen