Elijah - episode 2

The Lord is God!

After three years, the Lord sends Elijah to Ahab, to announce to him the end of the drought. From the Bible text we know that Queen Jezabel «cut off the prophets of the LORD», except those who were hidden by the pious steward Obadiah (see 1Kgs 18,3-4). Elijah takes the opportunity to challenge the prophets of Jezabel’s gods.
«It happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and you have followed the Baals. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you keep limping between two positions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. And I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it. You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the god who answers by fire, he is God.” All the people answered, “It is well said.” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first, for you are the majority, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, nor any who answered. And they limped about the altar they had made. And it came about, at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Maybe he is thinking about it, or he is busy, or he is on a trip, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with swords and spears, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the offering up of the offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and no response» (1Kgs 18,17-29). Elijah puts the people before their contradictions: they cannot continue «limping», trying to follow both the Lord and Baal. It is time for a clear choice. Baal’s prophets, in spite of their increasingly intense invocations (with their voices crying and their blood gushing out), obtain «no answer».
The tension grows; it is the time of the evening offering (see Num 28,3-4) and it is Elijah’s turn. «Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me”; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two seahs of seed. And he arranged the wood, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it the second time. And he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it the third time. And the water ran around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water» (1Kgs 18,30-35). The water soaks all that is necessary for the burnt offering; now it seems really impossible that it may burn.
«It happened at the time of the offering up of the offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, “LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.



And when all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there» (1Kgs 18,36-40). The Lord demonstrates with power that He is the only God. We don’t have to be scandalized by the extermination of the prophets of Baal: the message of the biblical text is that evil must be eliminated completely and without compromises. In the direct language of the Old Testament evil is often symbolized by concrete persons and peoples; however, this is only one step in the journey of the Revelation, which has its fulfillment in Jesus. He will give very different commands to His disciples: «“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust» (Matt 5,43-45). Even St. Paul will remain on this line: «For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places» (Eph 6,12).
After Elijah’s demonstration, the rain comes back. The prophet has to flee again to escape Queen Jezebel’s murderous fury: she wants to avenge the killing of her prophets. Follow in the next post.