Lent in the time of an Ahab

 Dear friends,

And so it is Lent, in the time of Ahab…..

In the Old Testament, it is Israel in the time of Elijah. Think Jezebel and Naboth’s Vineyard, 400 prophets of Ba’al seeking the life of Elijah; a time of famine and people are hurting; Elijah takes refuge in the cave of Mach-Pelah, tired and weary. Let me die, O Lord, it is enough. But he hears the still small voice of the Lord and finds new strength. A lesson for Lent.

In the New Testament, it is a man in a ditch, lying there, injured. The comfortable, the wealthy, the self-concerned, pass him by. But a Samaritan – an outsider, not one of the accepted am-ha-aretz, but a Samaritan, stops and gives him help. He survives because of such help. Another lesson for Lent.

So scripture teaches, from the mouth of the Lord, that the last shall be first, and the first last. And many shall come from the corners of the earth, each one different, but all welcome at the Lord’s table. The new Israel of the world. Yet another lesson for Lent.

We must pray, indeed, as Jeremiah said, for the well-being of the land that you live in, for in its well- being you will find your own. More for Lent. Will give us lots to think about every week.

In Ahab’s time, if the people were asked ‘what has your king done for you?’ the answer would be ‘nothing’. The people suffered. The King rejoiced in his kingliness. Not much has changed.

Back when I was a little one, there was a Presbyterian pastor-scholar-World War II Chaplain who turned out to be one of the best Old Testament scholars ever. His name was John Bright, and I would learn of his work in the years to come. But back in 1953 he said:

“We have created a nation greater than David’s, prosperity such as Solomon never dreamed of, and with it a complete metamorphosis of the national character. Wil our destiny as a nation which calls itself Christian be satisfied in terms of the economic prosperity and the national might which we have created?

Will we seek no higher salvation than the present order can provide? Will we assume that the present order is the God ordained order, which God may be called upon to defend?

The people   the question so, will see it as the sole function of religion to support and hallow in the name of God, its own material best interests. But it will never understand the meaning of the Kingdom of God.

Will we,like Israel, imagine that our destiny under God and God’s purpose in history, are to be realized in terms of the society we have built? “John Bright, The Kingdom of God, pg 50,1953.

 

Think again of Elijah in Ahab’s time and consider the parallels; a sitz im leben in which there is no justice, a little food, precious little water, and a leadership that cared nothing for the people.

Will we wait for an Elijah? But the time of the prophets is over. Anyone who calls himself a prophet is a liar. He will not be able to do a godly thing. He will merely try to impress with baseless claims. Who is called then? And the answer? All of us! Hence Jesus says and if you say to this mountain move to the sea, it will. Truly find the true Lord, move with mustard seed faith and belief into the power of the Risen Christ, be free to seek true justice and right living. It is why he taught us to pray  ‘Thy Kingdom come.’ For in its coming (I do not mean that preoccupation with end times, for they are far far away) this world may be transformed. May the God of peace in Jesus bless you with the presence of his peace, keep your mind clear, and your convictions growing. G.