Elijah and the Lord

As we wrap up the story of Elijah (click here for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3), I want to revisit the role of prophets in scripture. Prophets were called by God to speak on His behalf. They often showed up when the people of God departed from His intended way of life and decided to live in opposition to God. They were almost never people who were in power but came from the fringes of society and were further marginalized because of their message.

We must also remember that Israel, Judah, and other ancient nations were not democracies, but monarchies. The kings or rulers of these lands had the power to lead their people in whatever direction they wanted. Rulers had an immense responsibility, and when nations revolted against God, the kings bore the brunt of the blame. 

Prophets carried an office that was respected by almost everyone - even by the rulers who weren’t always happy with the message the prophets gave them. That’s why prophets would appear before the kings without hesitation or permission. Elijah gets air time with the king, not because he and Ahab were old friends, but because Elijah was recognized as a prophet of God. 

The goal of the prophet was to draw the hearts of the people back to God. They reminded the nation of the covenant between them and God, and what it meant to live in a right relationship with God, each other, and creation. In some ways, we could call prophets the conveners of the covenant. Some saw change in the people, but some never did.

When it came to Elijah, it seemed like his mission was successful. After the epic showdown between God and Baal, the people recognized God as the one true Lord. After seeing the fire that God sent on the altar, they turned from Baal and followed God again. They remembered that God gives life, and after they repented, God sent rain on the land again.

But Elijah’s troubles were just beginning. After the showdown, Elijah took the prophets of Baal and slaughtered them. It’s a really tough passage for us to read, but the purpose of this action was to purge any idolatry from the land so the people wouldn’t be tempted to worship other gods again. This sounds horrific for us reading it today, but the text itself doesn’t question the legitimacy of Elijah’s actions; it just describes what happened.

When Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, found out what Elijah had done, she threatened to kill him. She was actually the one who brought the worship of Baal into Israel, and she didn’t take kindly to Elijah destroying her whole religious cult. In 1 Kings 19, we read that Elijah was terrified and fled to Beersheba. From there he went into the wilderness to run away. 

Partway through, he came to a bush, fully exhausted. He told God that He’d had enough of this ministry. He wanted God to end his life because he’d come to the end of his rope.

After all Elijah did for God and after what just happened in Israel, this seemed to be completely unfair. Elijah should have been rejoicing, but instead he was being hunted. In that moment of despair, an angel of the Lord came to Elijah and told him to continue the journey to Horeb. Once he arrived, he hid in a cave. It was in this cave that Elijah encountered God.

The voice of the Lord came to Elijah asking him what he was doing there. Elijah went on to explain that everything had gone wrong and that it wasn’t right that his life was in danger. God then told him to go out of the cave because God Himself was going to pass by him. Elijah then had a strange, yet life-changing encounter with the God who called him to be a prophet.

At first, there came a powerful wind, but it was not God. Then came an earthquake, but again, God wasn’t there. Then came a fire, but God still wasn’t in the fire. Finally, after the fire came a gentle whisper. The voice came to him again and asked, “Why are you here?”

Elijah said, in 1 Kings 19:14: “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

I’ve never had the kinds of experiences that Elijah had, but I know what it’s like to question whether God is in control. It was a lonely road for Elijah, and because of what was going on in his world, it was as if Elijah was the only one fighting for God. It would have felt deflating to think that after doing everything you thought you were supposed to, someone was still trying to kill you. 

“Very simply, God reminded Elijah that He was in control.”

In that moment, God showed up in a gentle whisper to comfort Elijah. Very simply, God reminded Elijah that He was in control. In fact, God told Elijah that he wasn’t the only one fighting for God, even though it felt that way to him. In fact, God let Elijah in on something only God could know. There were 7,000 others who had never bowed to Baal, and even though Elijah didn’t know them, God did. Through the gentle whisper, Elijah was reminded that God can be trusted because He’s in control of the bigger picture that we don’t get to see. 

God met Elijah, comforted him, and then encouraged him by letting Elijah know that his role was not yet finished. God still had work for Elijah to do. Even when things seemed hopeless and Elijah was ready to quit, God welcomed Elijah to experience the presence and goodness of God. With that knowledge and strength, Elijah went off to to fulfill God’s call. 

The story of Elijah the prophet is quite amazing, but when it comes down to it, these aren’t stories about Elijah. These are stories about God and what Elijah and the people learned about God. God calls us into life and calls us back when we chose another way. He meets us where we’re at and we’re reminded that He’s in control of the big picture. God is a God worth following because He’s all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving.

My prayer for us is that we would come to know God deeper than even before, and that we would allow the Holy Spirit to challenge and guide us as we seek to walk the way of God that leads to life. May God bless you and keep you. Amen.