The readings
Kings 18:17-39 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lordcame, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time, 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.
36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lordfell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.”
Mark 9:2-4
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
The message
We continue our long Advent, a time of looking at the Old Testament and history of God’s communication with the world. The biblical books of 1st and 2nd kings (originally probably one book) tell about the years of the monarchies in Israel and life in the divided kingdom. These books tell a story. That means there are main characters. They include God, kings, prophets and some significant outsiders. The books are historical, telling about the reigns of different leaders, connecting with news from kingdoms outside Israel and tracking the lack of faithfulness that leads to the division of Israel into north and south. The books of Kings are not written to simply report what happened in the long ago past, they were written to teach communities about God. (primarily that God alone is God and God is active in the world/ controls history). The 2 main prophets in the book of kings are Elijah and Elisha. They each do signs of great power, faith and speak truth to power, confronting faithless kings who have turned from God and worshipped the gods of neighboring empires. Each one, all the prophets, want God’s message heard, want God’s kingdom come, want people to live in the peace and joy that God promises. Jesus disciples want the same. We do not always get what we want, or understand what we get.
Today’s reading reports one of the confrontations that happen between king and prophet. This time, it is the prophet Elijah against King Ahab. Samaria has endured 3 years of drought, punishment for the falling away from the Lord. Ahab blames Elijah and Elijah blames Ahab and his worship of the foreign god Baal. Ahab, along with the 900 prophets of baal and Asherah (which the queen has been caring for with the resources of the people) have been powerless to bring rain and end the drought but Elijah hasn’t done anything either. This matter, figuring out whose actions, behaviors and decisions are causing the drought (and therefore how to end it), will be settled in public.
At this point in the story, Elijah takes charge. He is the one who determines what will happen, when, where and how this debate will be settled. The plan is easy enough, each group, Elijah and the prophets of Baal will each choose a bull as a sacrifice. In front of the whole community, each one will call upon their god and see what happens, whether Baal or the God of Israel will send fire to consume the sacrifice. The 450 prophets of Baal fail. Elijah taunts them, going as far as to imply Baal couldn’t answer because he was sleeping or in the bathroom (wandered away) and urges them to try harder, to cry out (a ritual that involves cutting and self-mutilation). Their efforts fail, there is no fire. Baal is either a false god, does not care or the petitions of the prophets are worthless. No one witnessing this day can say, Oh, Baal’s prophets didn’t really try, there were not enough of them (remember this is 450 against 1) or these were the weakest, least faithful of Baal’s prophets. Elijah wants the crowds to see that all the prophets of Baal are powerless, that Baal, despite all the worship, temples and sacrifices of an empire, despite getting the worship of the king of Israel, is powerless
Now, it is Elijah’s turn. The victory of God will be total. Elijah offers a prayer, calling out “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”. After Elijah’s prayer, then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering. The people realize, the Lord indeed is God but this is not the end of the story This request is not about Elijah proving himself or showing his magic power, This was done as evangelism, as a call back to faith, so that the people will know God who created the world, who sent and saved from the flood, called Abraham, gave a child to Abraham and Sarah, who made the Exodus, who set the people free from slavery in Egypt, wrestled with Jacob, gave the 10 commandments and brought them to the promised land, that God is God. The truth of this proclamation will not be doubted. In the verses after our reading, we learn Elijah orders all the prophets of baal to be seized and killed. Then, there is the promises of rain, then there are signs of rain, then there is rain. The drought is ended. God’s power and influence in the world is complete.
You would think this should settle it, the prophets of baal where shown to be powerless, unable to call down fire, end the drought or even save their own lives. The Lord God sent the fire, and then sent rain. In a reminder that false gods and powerful people do not go gently, the conflict will go on, Queen Jezebel, who led Ahab to worship baal in the first place, is angered, enraged by what had happened. Her power, rage and promise to kill Elijah scares him, worries him, makes him ask seriously, How much more do these people need to see, what else do I need to do, come on, after all that, baal worship is still a thing. Elijah would like to keep zapping people with heavenly fire. Instead, the Lord talks and walks with Elijah, hides, sustains and protects him, In 2 Kings 9, Jezebel is killed by Ahab’s successor King Jehu (well she gets thrown out a window by her own people to save them from war, then eaten by animals). Jehu, remaining faithful to the Lord, sets out to rid baal and any worshippers from Israel.
This story of the conflict between Elijah and the prophets of baal is set next to the story of the transfiguration. We see these 2 of the many different ways God is revealed to us. Elijah’s victory over the prophets of baal and the transfiguration are the exceptions, the stories that are not like the others. In most of the Old Testament, God works in the world through called people, messengers and leaders set apart and empowered to do something. The transfiguration happens apart from the people, is only seen by 3 disciples and they are made to keep it quiet. Apart from these few moments on the mountain, in the rest of the New Testament, Jesus looks just unremarkably like everyone else God will be revealed through walking with the outsider, welcoming all, eating with the despised and ill, praying, teaching, healing and through death and resurrection.
In the moments after the Transfiguration, Peter, John and James are wondering what Elijah did all those centuries before, what more do we need to do, we have healed, taught, cured, stopped storms, they were eager to tell the others about the transfiguration, offering to build temples or booths at the site, to use this moment to win over the hold outs, to convert those who don’t believe Jesus is the messiah, the long expected savior, the son of God, to go tell the religious authorities in the temple to pack their stuff and get out, maybe Jesus could bring this show on the road, transfigure in the morning in the temple. Forget that, an account of what happened will not even be shared till after Jesus resurrection.
We worship and serve the God who defeats baal, who was transfigured on the mountain top but also
who was born on Christmas, who died on the cross, who rose from the dead. Our God will intervene in the world, in powerful and necessary ways, but also calls, sends, entrusts us to do the same. We are called to trust, hope and share our joy, our care for others, our faith, our confidence in these things.
No comments:
Post a Comment