Tag: Baal

Defeated

Elijah

1 Kings 19 14

1 Kings 18:20-24 and 36-40, 1 Kings 19:9-18

When I hear the name “Elijah” my mind fills with highlight moments from his life such as the chariot of fire whisking him away, him egging on the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, or him bringing a dead boy back to life. This highlight reel that plays in my mind however doesn’t give the full spectrum of Elijah.

In 1 Kings 18 we see one of these highlight moments. Elijah spent the day with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel as they tried to prove that Baal was god. Long story short is that the prophets of Baal failed but the one true God showed up. The prophets of Baal ran away but were chased and killed by Elijah and the people of Israel.

What I find fascinating is despite this moment of faith and triumph it says in 1 Kings 19:3 that Elijah was, “afraid and arose and ran for his life” after Jezebel (the wife of the wicked King Ahab) decided that she would have him hunted down and killed since he killed all her prophets of Baal.

Elijah finds himself in the wilderness and reaches a point to where he feels he can’t go on. God sends an angel to him to give him food to help sustain him and he then traveled for forty days and nights to the Mountain of God at Horeb.

In Kings 19:8-18 Elijah reaches Horeb and God tells him that He is about to pass by. A rock shattering wind blows through but God was not in it. An earthquake shakes the mountain but God was not in it. A fire tore through the mountain but God was not in it. After these powerful forces comes a gentle whisper and Elijah knows that it is God. God listens to Elijah’s fears and feelings of defeat and then explains to him that He has a plan for Elijah and comforts him.

Elijah is a bit different from the other Bible characters we have discussed so far because I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Elijah feeling defeat is a flaw. However, I think we often will see defeat in ourselves and because of it label ourselves as flawed. The beauty is that God had a plan for Elijah just as He does for you and I. He knows that we will have times that we feel completely drained and defeated but He is willing and able to replenish us.

-Lacey Dunn

The End of a Wicked Woman & The Life of a Flawed Man who Does God’s Work (2 Kings 9-11)

Tuesday, November 8

the-death-of-jezebel

Jezebel’s end is probably not one of the stories you learned in your preschool Sunday School class; though it’s gruesomeness makes it a winner for middle school boys for sure.  But what is most important about this gory story of a wicked woman being thrown from a window, trampled by horses and eaten by dogs is that it completely followed the prophecy given to Elijah (I Kings 21:23).  Also back in I Kings 21:25 we read that “There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife”.  Not only did she inspire her husband’s evil – she also killed the Lord’s prophets and provided for the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah and promoted witchcraft (1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 18:19, 2 Kings 9:22).  She was one unGodly woman.  How sad that when I googled her name -I learned that Jezebel is now the name of an online magazine championing “celebrities, sex, feminism, and issues related to woman’s empowerment” (any guesses who they are rooting for in today’s election?)  And what a role model Jezebel provides for evil.  We definitely live in an age that “Calls evil good and good evil”  (Isaiah 5:20), but then so did Isaiah, and Elijah, and so many others from the time of Eve’s first sin.   We can gain hope in knowing that even while the evil Jezebel was reigning and seemingly “in control” God was still at work in so many ways (such as the Baal vs God showdown on Mt Carmel) and through so many lives (Elijah and Elisha to name a few) .  AND – all the time he was orchestrating and planning what would become the fall of Jezebel – and the feeding of the dogs.  Evil will not last forever.

The other very interesting character in today’s reading is Jehu – chosen by God and anointed by his servant – and so far from perfect – and not just his mad driving was in question.  Jehu though becomes the one to fulfill God’s plan to kill the rest of Ahab’s large family.  And he does this job well.  He also deceptively gathers the prophets of Baal – in order to kill them all.  He tore down the temple of Baal and it became used as a latrine.  He does MUCH to stem the tide of evil idolatry: “You (Jehu) have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do” (2 Kings 10:30) – HOWEVER, he himself “was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart.” (2 Kings 10:31).

Any parallels to today?  I think there are many.  Don’t give up on God when you see evil prevailing.  There will be a day when evil is stomped out.  Until then – fight against it.  Watch carefully to see who and what you are following and how it lines up with God’s laws and expectations rather than with whatever appears to be socially acceptable, or from the ruling government at the time.  And, remember, even those who do not keep the law of the Lord can be agents to do his work.

May we be wise as we seek to follow Him today,

Marcia Railton