Chariots of Fire!?

This week the text is 2 Kgs 2:1-14

Note the repeated instances where

1.      Elijah tells Elisha to ‘stay here’ and Elisha’s reply is that he will not; he chooses to follow Elijah; this happens at Bethel, then at Jericho and finally at the Jordan.

2.      A company of prophets turns up and asks Elisha if he knows what is happening -  that this day his master Elijah will be taken away.

3.      Each time Elisha tells the company of prophets that he knows and that they should be quiet and go away.

They get to the Jordan, where Elijah parts the waters and both walk over on dry land; the company of prophets watch from a distance.

Elijah asks, since Elisha is determined to stay the course, what might be done for him before he departs. Elisha asks for x 2 of the power of the spirit which Elijah has. Elijah’s answer is very revealing – if you see what happens to me, your wish will be granted. If you don’t, it won’t.

And the meaning of all this? Elisha’s commitment is tested. When we are not really committed to God’s will, we may attempt a great many godly things, and they will fall through. Might even look ‘impressive’, but won’t achieve anything. It depends on how mysterious a way God might choose for the time and task.

Further, a servant needs to be equipped for the task. Enable me to do it and get it done! Elijah is saying that such a request depends on whether you are up to taking on the challenge and charge. To work with the power of the spirit that God gives, one must be able to receive and be able to wield such! If we are not ready, either nothing will happen or we will hurt ourselves in the process. This is actually where the walk of faith comes in! Why?  Blinded by the light. Remember Paul’s opening encounter with Jesus in Acts 9.

Then a chariot of fire appears, and the fire gets between Elijah and Elisha, separating them. And Elijah is taken up by a ‘whirlwind’ and is gone. Peace and silence reign in the dusty desert once more. As if it never happened. And the company of prophets inquire of Elisha -  shall we go look for your master? Perhaps the Lord has ‘traveled’ him to a nearby place for some purpose? But Elisha says no need, he’s gone. They search, nevertheless, for 3 days, but to no avail, and Elisha says I told you, didn’t I? He’s gone. Departed this life. Remember Elijah’s word to Elisha – if you see…the prophets did not see.

Where does this leave us – this most unusual passing from this life? Certainly not a matter of death, as we know it. For starters, think on how the Christian faith has been shared to many. Some of us were born into ‘Christian’ families and grew up just going along with everything for the longest time. But for others, it was the imperative of ‘Won’t you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior? You will gain eternal life.’ Okay. But what exactly does ‘eternal life’ mean? Those who attempt to answer this mostly talk of what they think it is or believe it to be. Lots of words. Terms of discourse once again. So convenient. But no chariots, no fire. Just believe. Have faith. So easily said, no? And the other side of it? The scary side of threat language. Refuse to accept and you’re damned for eternity. Get spiritual insurance! If you do, you won’t go to hell. And what does THAT mean? Once again, no real answers. And so people come along and say it’s this, or it’s that, and many follow, as blind men in a ditch. Find out for yourself. Start with the basic sayings of Jesus which show that it ain’t talk, it ain’t faith, it’s all in how you treat others. And how you will ascend accordingly. Or descend. Once again, it is the choices that we make that determine how God works with us, one way or the other. And when we do grow, it is God who gives the growth, and we will know it.

Then consider how we see and approach death. There are several notions working. Most common is the worldly notion of the physical body and its limits, linked with that of this world being all there is. We start at birth, we end at death. That’s it, No more. All gone. Then there’s the ‘change of form’ notion. We die the physical death, but the body is recycled into new life forms, and so life goes on. We might be buried and a tree planted over us. Cool.  Green and nice. Then there is the Elijah – Jesus notion. Weird, magical, scientific, atoms assembling and disassembling. Elijah disappears, Jesus walks through walls. Or over the water. How to try this sort of movement in life? And yet, we begin to do this when we face every challenge that needs to be overcome and figure out what God is calling us to do! And how we should do it!! We need to figure this one out without asking anyone. The world and its structures give us neither time nor opportunity. But God will help. For all who truly seek, will learn how to find! We will struggle and fight our way, step by step. And it all starts with that little bit about ‘Be STILL and KNOW’….because in total stillness you will shut the world out and shut even your body awareness out. Comes down to Jesus, the eye of the spirit, and a being filled with light. All self-discovery stages.

Just remember, that when the imago dei is talked about, it is mostly from a physical body perspective. Don’t accept that. Can’t be tied to a gender, nor a color, nor a set of physical features! We cannot be short, tall, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, and conflate all such differences and say ‘image of God’. It is much beyond the physical! It is about the image of the Spirit of God! That is the true reality for each human being. Spirits in a material world, a spirit in a physical body. Souls on this earth for a little while. We know the limits of the body. We exult in its sports and entertainment capabilities. Why not go beyond that and start learning the limits of the spirit and soul and then begin to find that in goodness there aren’t any limits?

This entire life is preparation for leaving it. And we need to learn new skills. But we have been molded by this world’s limitations and so are have been stuck in a rut, static in growth, for a long time. We have not grown. We have just made a comfortable exception of Elijah. Remember Jesus said, what I have done you will do, and more. If you need to, read last week’s post again. But there are specific tasks of each aspect of human living that we must isolate and work on.

The body is like an engine - take care of it and it will serve you well. From birth the human heart does not stop beating. It is the hardest working muscle in the body. And many folk do not give it much rest, and we are not talking about inactivity. Work that one out. Identify your physical weaknesses, with no euphemisms that deny reality, from diet to ailments, and work at improving them as best you can. Use what works, not what you believe in. And keep at it. It becomes more of a challenge as we age, because the body has its limits in this life, and the essentials gradually begin to wind down. But you can change that quite a bit. Some of us have to accept unwelcome limits for varying reasons. Nevertheless, we must still do the best we can.

The mind is an incredibly powerful organ, but it has been sadly misused and abused by dominating worldly ide ntity and purpose, whose accompanying requirements have been imprinted on it. This we need to break free from. For the longest time we have behaved as though knowledge is power but that is hardly an accurate statement. Our learning systems and the ‘knowledge’ that most impart are obviously determined by economic and political goals. Insufficient for our children. For us adults, we have a different ball game to work with. Knowledge must become an instrument for positive change, personal and social. But mostly, individual.

The soul, which manifests as spirit, is just about unknown. It is mostly treated as a reference point now and then as a religious notion. Very insufficient for me. I’ve baptized many, buried many. RIP doesn’t quite cut it. It’s not about faith or belief, but about experience. And that, is knowing.

Our basic notion is that we are powerless in the face of death. Not good enough for me. When Jesus said I have overcome the world did he not mean I have overcome all of the limits of the human condition? We get to commit, follow, and find out! We are not powerless. But that ‘power’ does not come by structure, corporate org, or mucho talko, no matter how “passionate” it might seem to be. It is the power to change that which seems unchangeable, beginning with ourselves!

Basic biblical premise is clear – there is life beyond this one, so Jesus says ‘I go to prepare a place for you’. ‘Place’ of course, is huge…….. and unknown; and an entire newness of experience. To begin to discover this, you gotta walk hand in hand with the Lord, vine and branch. Strange walk, one that enables as you go. Keeps you humble, quiet, but working. Gives weird clarity in what and whom you encounter, so you know how to keep to the path. It’s the 3^rd line of Psalm 23 that ends ‘he leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake…’ . Walk, and be set free, step by step. Then run, as I begin to do, and discover for yourself! And every blessing of the Lord Jesus be upon you! Always, G.

PS: We have just begun to talk about stuff like eternal life; we will look at what all Elisha does as of next week, and then from Thanksgiving to Christmas and maybe a little beyond we will look at Christian characteristics as Jesus taught – honesty, humility, integrity and more. And then come back to Isaiah et al.  

Prophetic Work Preparation?

 

Patterns in prophetic work and mission: a preparation for?

Next week we must deal with chariots of fire and whirlwinds (2 Kgs 2) and how Elijah left; and maybe think a little on our own leaving. So, for this week, a kind of prep look at a few things we’ve seen thus far, and a few more to think of.

1.Life for the children, the widows, single moms…

Elijah brings a widow’s son back to life. (1 Kgs 17) And this is what? Resurrection? Not the Jesus type though. Because the child will age and then die. Same happens with an Elisha incident. No offspring? (2 Kgs 4:14ff) God can fix that, God did so with Abraham and Sarah, remember? Called him Isaac, (Yitzhak, laughter) because they laughed and said such a thing could not be! (Gen 17:17ff).  But God is timeless. Age restrictions do not apply. If God calls you to a thing, you will be able to take it on. God will have already made it so. Thus, the child is born but falls ill and dies. (2 Kgs 4:32ff). Elisha does not accept it, does he? Will God interfere in cause and effect? Once again, it appears so. God brings the child back. Finally, Jesus is called when Jairus’ daughter leaves. (Mk 5:35ff ) The mourners are mourning, the professional ‘cryers’ are crying, but this leaving is too soon. It happens for a purpose? Jesus brings the child back. Not so much to show that there always are exceptional exceptions, but that such is the life power of God. Life is neither linear nor circular for God. The limits do not apply. Allow the little children to come to me, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt 19:14ff) In their innocence they slight no one, until they learn by example from the wickedness of the people around them. If, as Bono once implied, we feed the children of the world, enmity may become a thing of the past. Maybe even bring peace to the world one day. God gives life.

2. Bread for the people, for those who don’t have enough to eat…

In Elijah’s time, a little flour and a little olive oil(1 Kgs 17:12ff )  goes a long way; and keeps going! It is the spirit of God who provides. And keeps on providing. Not riches. What does God have to do with the riches and the wealth of this world? Prosperity is always to have enough, and if we seek first the Kingdom, we will always have that. Like God needs cash? But we need it to do God’s work. Really? Go help someone, give what you have, and find that it needs no cash, just time, energy, a meal, and a smile, something to help them on their way. The greatest intangible I have found is that of encouragement. Can’t put a price on it. We are so dependent on organized funding. But in a neighborhood, neighborliness can bring food and warmth! In Elisha’s time, the same provision is seen for the Shunamite. More so, there is a large group of people, 100 strong, who are fed ( 2 Kgs 4:42ff) when they have but little amongst them. Again, Jesus feeds the thousands who come to listen  - with a few fish and a few loaves of bread! ( Matt 14:13ff) God gives food.

3. Physical end is no end. Do we fear death? Are we body dependent? Is that all there is, for many? In these stories there is a constant shifting between body, mind and soul consciousness….

In my Father’s house are many rooms;(John 14:2ff) I go that I can prepare a place for you. What is a ‘room’? A place? A level or plane? A dimension? Any one of those or a combo that shifts from one to another as you grow? The notions of ‘hell’ and ‘heaven’ were good for their time. In our time, they exist as oversimplified notions. There is no one size fits all. But just as we have seen levels of goodness and of wickedness in our lives or have perpetrated the bad or done the good, they will be there for us when we leave, the consequences of our own making, for as ye sow, so shall ye reap. (Gal 6:7ff) The stuff that God has allowed us to create with our own free will.

But realize already in Elijah there is a ‘beam me up, Scotty’ experience happening. You see him here, you see him there.  Gehazi says it very clearly. By the time I get to Ahab, you’ll be somewhere else. (1 Kgs 18:11) Faster than a chariot and covering great distances. And finally disappearing altogether. Just a man who followed God and experienced much as a result of doing so. He was tired at the end. I’d like to leave now. (1 Kgs 19:4ff) God heard. And took him home. He was already used to different moves that surpassed normal action and being. A ‘whirlwind?” So be it, No problem, It’s how the Almighty works. What is it to God?

4. The real call

Is not to faith or belief, which are good beginnings, but to embrace the love of God given by the loving and caring creating parent to us. Embrace this, fill up, and gain the power given to spirit and soul. How? Start with what the Psalm says –  ‘Be Still. And know that I am God.’  ( Ps 46:10) Practice that. And balance it like a starting equation with one other – ‘God is Light’. (1 John 1:5ff ) We will come to God is spirit and God is love soon enough. So much to do on the  characteristics that we need to focus on! But think of the equation. Be still. Withdraw from the world, just as when you fall asleep. Look for the light as the old hymn said – Lead, kindly light. (an 1833 Newman-Dykes hymn). And you will see the light, and the light of God will fill you with peace, love, and joy, that the world cannot give. Go from there. Be careful of the limits of traditional ‘prayer’ or talking to God’. God already knows. We’re telling God in order to assuage our own fears, release our own frustrations etc. God says we don’t need the anxiety. Therefore, be not anxious ( Matt 6:25ff; Phil 4:6ff). Counselors help us divest ourselves of weighty burdens that drag down the soul, the  mind, the body. We do not have to live like that. Jesus says, Let your eye be clear. For if it is clear then yr whole body will be filled with light. (Matt 6:32ff) An important connection! From the Spirit to the mind and on to the body. The one empowering the other, step by step. Go for it! You have nothing to lose!

 

5. The limits of academic theology

Must understand that all of this started from enlightenment times; good beginnings, good intentions, limited minds, limited scope in experience and ability in doing the essential thing. Mental acuity is not enough. Just a part of it. Same goes for emotional intelligence! Spiritual power is not there.  Is it not enough that we have the example of Jesus and the disciples? There is no ‘well, I’ll come back when we have a college, and you can all study divinity.’ God empowers. Everyone. Comes back to Zechariah’s Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit. (Zech 4:6) We will get to that after we overview key stuff of what Isaiah and Jeremiah said and why.  

 

There is work to be done in our personal lives. Rest for the mind and body, sure. But more importantly, encouragement for the soul, which empowers all. Seek to make the Vine and branches link that Jesus offers.( John 15: 5ff) it is far more than faith and belief. It brings the ability of positive experience. The link enables power that flows to us. Everyday. No overwork. Just the sharp distinction between how much should be done in a day and no more. So that there is always care for the body and for the mind. Then the soul or spirit as we are used to say, has the freedom to move that we each need  - to grow, to experience God, and to bring that experience into the daily doings of mind and body. Bad habits can be replaced by good habits. Godly spiritual growth is a big picture that covers all aspects of what it is to be human. We fail to grow when we allow the world to dominate our lives with its nonsense. We need to hear God speak. And follow accordingly. Let Jesus lead. Not what others say about Jesus. Find out for yourself. And prove this to yourself in your life. Otherwise, it will stay as religious talk, which is common everywhere. Or religious feeling, which is popular everywhere.

These days there is much confusion, spiritually immaturity, miseducation and misleading; one recent example from a New York Times Oct 16^th 2025 column by David French, which mentions that “Christians have believed and applauded dark prophecies that relate to that of King Jehu in the Old Testament, a murderous King who commanded the slaughter of the previous Queen, Jezebel etc”. Ah, but the statement is wrong on both counts. After Naboth last week, you have some sense of Jezebel and her Ba’al worship. (clue – Ba’al is the etymological precursor of the NT’s Beelzebub, later Satan) Jehu is not the murderous one here, it is Jezebel. Go read what Elijah said when the Naboth story begins. Elijah made no dark prophecy. It was the judgement of God. It is why ritual child slaughter and temple prostitution and other wonderful things of the time brought God’s judgement on them, and why the social controls on the Israelites were strong, because if you do no resist them, they will change you! Whoever wrote this knows little about the Bible, and sadly, neither does Mr. French, or I assume he would have balked at it and pointed out the misinterpretation that some folk are using.  We have a lot of ignorant so-called ‘Christians’ who have no grace in their lives at all! Be wary. They are being used and don’t know it.

Why are the prophets important, and why should we bother with climbing Jacob’s Ladder? As I pointed out when we started (go back to early posts as needed), salvation is deliverance, and deliverance is to be saved from evil for good, to defeat the evil that threatens us in our lives in this world. We are so used to everyday stuff that we speak of a ‘new normal’. But it is not normal, to begin with. And we often do not see it for what it is.

But we are engaged in an ongoing fight against evil, have always been, and will always be until the end of the order.

Jesus said, Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. It is in that confidence that we can go forward and deal with whatever we must. Many people wonder over the 2^nd coming, the end of bad things, and a new and perfect order. But the 2^nd coming may be a long time coming and there is and there will be struggle, with sad things happening to children everywhere, perpetrated by those who care for no one except themselves. We must guard against them and protect the children in mind, body and spirit as we need to. And when we get it right, we won’t need money or weapons. God will lead us and will fight for us, will identify the evil, and will tell us how to go about dealing with it. But we must do our part and be able to. We have protected our sons as they grew. Now they must protect their children. Sigh. I close with a blessing for all  -

 May the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Love in Jesus, G.

Grapes, Property, False accusations & Murder: Naboth's Vineyard

 

Sunday Oct 12^th 2025

What God Asks of Leadership; 1 Kings 21

Remember the context! Ahab, 7^th King of Israel, marries a Phoenician princess, who brings the worship of Ba’al and its related evils, temple prostitution and child sacrifice and others, into Israel. The leadership of the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel has failed for the most part, and that trend continues.

What God expects of the godly leader is very clear – to be fair and just, to care for the poor and needy, and to be kind to strangers, because, Israel, you yourselves were once aliens in a foreign land ie in Egypt…

But leaders are unable to get past money, power, and sex. True then, true now.  Might be one, or 2 or all 3. Not much progress on our part. Technological progress? Indeed. Anything that makes Corporate $. But in its good use for everyone? Kinda detached from morality. New York City just sued Meta, Tik Tok et al, as entities that harm our children. Or look at how the Amazon basin has been ‘developed’ and exploited. Or look at undeveloped places in the Asia Pacific basin where rare earths are being mined and the folk there are being cheated out of both land and a fair-profit share. Corporations are almost always making money, and always at someone’s expense. Here, pharmaceutical products are overpriced, poorly regulated.  Always profitable, but at the patient’s expense. Some of us did this, some of us have allowed this, some of us are not very aware of this, some of us are still trying to make a difference. We need to see it for what it is and start trying to fix it! It will not be easy. Dealing with sinfuness rarely is.

In this section, Ahab wants a Vineyard. We are not told why. It may have been a neat piece of property. Or it might have had an exceptional Vineyard on it ie really good wine! Either way, Ahab makes overtures but is rebuffed. He sulks. His wife has a different take on it. Why sulk? Aren’t you King? I’ll get it for you.

She takes his seal. We don’t know if he knows this or not. But letters go out to Nobles and Ministers and the like. So, in effect the King says, organize a Fast, a civil event, and put Naboth in charge of it (set him on high!). then get 2 ‘base fellows’ one transl. calls them ‘scoundrels’ but you get the idea; go find a couple of low life’s who will do your dirty work for you for a price; let them bring a false charge against Naboth alleging that ‘Naboth cursed God and the King!’ Ha! He has mocked God and intends harm against the King! Therefore he intends harm against the nation! Take him out and stone him!

It goes according to plan, and Naboth is set up, falsely accused and murdered. The King has been part of the lie. He just pretended not to know about it. And Jezebel says to the King, go, take your Vineyard, Naboth is dead.

But then comes Elijah. God has sent him. Prophets do not act on their own initiative. They are not independent agents acting on their own accord. They are messengers. Theirs is the true calling. I am not sure about this notion that ‘pastors’ tend to use as a ‘calling.’ I have always seen that John Wesley was right in that a pastoral calling = a house to house ministry. To me, if you don’t visit from house to house, you’re just a preacher. A talker. Most anyone can do that if they read up. The house to house ministry tells you what the real issues are, as opposed to your view on what’s current in society.

But prophets warn, call for justice, for repentance, and more often then not, challenge abusive authority.  A very high-risk undertaking. So, when have ‘pastors’ been called to be prophets? And I do not mean taking political sides. Somehow, independent pastors are always called to low- risk money making enterprises. Interesting, no? As for corporate pastors, they follow the denominational line, which is always low risk. But there have been good exceptions in the history of the church.

But the true prophetic call requires a response that may be both spoken and acted out to the agent doing the wrong action ie to cease and desist, you are now called to accountability. This is the case with Ahab. You have killed and taken possession! Remember now the earlier warning that the dogs would lick the blood of Ahab and of Jezebel? More so, Elijah says ‘you have sold yourself…’  ie Ahab is now driven by impulses that are evil, and they have only one source, of which Ba’al is nothing more than a minion. Now Elijah says, God says ‘I will do 1. 2. 3. 4  thus and such to you and your house….for you have caused Israel to sin..

Note the editorial comment in vs 25 on Ahab! However, Ahab is struck by what Elijah says, and he repents. Is it enough? No, it is not; Evil has been done; murder has been committed. As I said earlier, forgiveness does not remove accountability. Answerability to God is always there. It must be satisfied. Forgiveness and grace are not freebies, license to do stuff and then repent. You have to go back and make amends. We play these games when criminals dress up in suits and ties to appear in court. To what end? They have never dressed in such manner at all in their lives! Sad reflection of what we perceive to be how accountability and forgiveness can be manipulated in the court of public opinion. Ie image cultivation! But he looked so innocent! Right, you should have seen him in action…..

But God says, since Ahab has humbled himself, I will not bring judgement upon him in his days, but it will fall upon his house. Down the road, Ahab goes into battle because his court prophets tell him what he wants to hear. But he dies in the battle.  His son Jehoram gets to be King (he’s not a good king!) but gets killed by an arrow in the back, and his body is thrown into what was once Naboth’s Vineyard.

You see, just as the power of grace and mercy and love is God’s freely given gift to us, much is asked of those to whom much is given. And God’s expectations of grace and mercy shown to us and therefore shown by us to others must be upheld. When it is not, there is a judgement that comes. Sometimes in this life, sometimes it seems not to, but that is because it has fallen upon the family itself. There is no getting around this. I guess it means that the apple never falls far from the tree and that can be either for good or bad. We must make it good, for we all will reap what we sow. Same thing. Not meant to be vindictive. Kind of a warning.

Remember God’s self -description to Moses in Exodus 34:ff when Moses asked to see God and God said you cannot see my face and live. In the description that follows God says ‘The Lord, The Lord God, ….does not forget to punish the guilty (ie who has done harm and avoided justice!) and this runs down the line – from children to children’s children’s children, to 3^rd and 4^th generations. Reminds me of what folk have very often referred to as karma! But the Bible is strange in many ways, not seemingly in synch with much of what we have been taught about it, from a singular dominant perspective. (think Jim Wallis’ False White Gospel, pub. 2024!)

But this is one of the reasons why Christians have to be careful to distinguish themselves from Jews. The Old Testament is Judaism, the Old Covenant. The New Testament is Christianity, the New Covenant. There is continuity, but there is also progression, and in that sense, there is a difference. It begins with a shared heritage, but then it moves on. It’s how the 10 Commandments ended up as 2, when Jesus spoke about this. Israel struggled to discover its God given identity. It still struggles now. But the ‘people of God’ identity has changed. It began in Judaism, but no longer stays there. Hence the struggle for the reader of the Bible to equate the God of The Old Testament with the Father of Jesus.

There is always forgiveness. But there is also accountability, always. Hence Jesus says, many may say Lord, Lord, but my answer will be I never knew you. And again, many are called, but few are chosen. Not that different after all. Just said differently. And it speaks of a lifestyle that has simple but consistently unworldly ways. 

Think of the notion of reincarnation. why did people look at John the Baptist and see in him Elijah come again,  and why did even Jesus refer to such a possibility? More than meets the eye on many things, as we go forward. Keep them in mind. We will deal with all of these things when we get to Jesus.

The saddest example is seen in Israel itself, which has lost its way and continues on without the leadership of God, relying on its own leadership. The consequences have brought no blessing to anyone in the region. And with all of our support for Israel, we have not taken sufficient care of our own house, which now stands in utter disorder, like so much of our world.

We must heed the prophetic call to be otherwise. Go in peace, take care, and be safe. And may the God of peace who raised Christ Jesus walk with you, each step pf the way. Warmly, G.

Battles & Outcomes....

Sun Oct 5^th 2025

Read 1 Kings 18 and 19 if you will.

Moving on from last week in the story of Elijah -  the drought has run for some 3 years, and the big question has become which God controls nature? The King’s wife Jezebel is a Ba’al worshiper and has persecuted the prophets of the Lord. And Ba’al has been credited with being able to bring rain when needed. Except that it has not happened, and what Elijah said about there being no rain has continued. King Ahab has looked for Elijah, but the prophet moves around quickly, and has thus far stayed out of the Kiong’s reach.  

The history of academic biblical interpretation has treated the Elijah stories as unique, awesome, once-off events of their time. Irrational, unexplainable, and not necessarily worth trying to understand or come to terms with. Expository preaching has looked at Elijah as a mighty and inspirational prophet, one who indeed did wondrous things, but only because God was so much on his side. In other words, both views see Elijah and the miracles God worked through him as amazing and inspirational, and there it ends. We can read, marvel, be amazed at how God works and so forth. But that is not why the tradition kept these stories. They were the stories of the community based on firsthand experience -  remembered and passed down from generation to generation, first by word of mouth and then in written form. And ultimately into the biblical canon. They represent the continuing present reality of the God who walks amongst us. They are not meant to be treated as myth and legend. Think of the path that moves from Psalm 23 to Psalm 8 that David was attempting to walk. That one carries with it unlimited potential for growth. We have begun to talk about that a little. But after David, the Kings of Israel fall into a downward spiral. Most of them go off the path that God had laid out, and take the people with them!  Riches, wealth, power was always the order of the day. Some had it, most did not.

But Elijah is the next step after David! Faith, belief, encounter, relationship, godly will received and executed, in a working together experience with God, of this will. All doable, and a matter of choice, the biggest challenge before us being that of real spiritual growth. Perhaps we should think of this as soul growth instead, because ‘spiritual growth’ has been treated for the longest time as just one aspect of human growth. There is the spiritual side of things, it would seem. But what if that is what life is really about, and is all that we start and end with? Not an aspect, but the foundation given by God to all? Swayed by earthly and physical preoccupations, we need to learn to go beyond them to find real meaning and real God given ability.

Then we find this interesting conversation between Elijah and Obadiah. Obadiah is sort of the household manager for King Ahab. He is a true believer and has tried to keep the prophets of the Lord safe from Jezebel. Elijah tells him to say to King Ahab that he no longer needs to seek the prophet, for the prophet shall indeed meet with the King. Obadiah is incredulous. ‘You want me to tell the King that you will meet him? By the time I tell him you will have disappeared God only knows where! Elijah’s fast and far-reaching speed of travel speaks of something akin to Star Trek’s transporters! Now you’re here, now you’re there. Elijah’s ability is God given for God’s purposes. Lots of folk talk about the Christian ‘faith’ but not many seek to live it. So much talk about Jesus, so little power of Jesus evidenced. And at the end of the experiment we all age, then we fall ill at some point, and then die. Is there any other way to leave this life? Good to start thinking about that one!

But on the need for rain, and the belief of who will send the rain, Elijah speaks to the King and issues a challenge to the prophets of Ba’al. 1 prophet of the Lord vs 450 Ba’al prophets. Altars are built and the challenge begins. The prophets of Ba’al hop around all morning, but nothing happens. Elijah mocks them – where is this God of yours? Gone off to use the ‘bathroom?’  At 3pm Elijah calls upon the Lord and fire falls on the altar he has built. The prophets of Ba’al are defeated and put to death. Jezebel had half the country worshiping the idea of Ba’al. And such ideas still exist in our time, just in different forms. Beware of that which threatens well-being. It is not always seen for what it is.

But after this, Elijah says to Ahab, the rain is coming, go back to Jezreel. I will meet you there. The King rides a chariot but Elijah gets there before him! And the clue – the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah. The rain comes, and Ahab shares all of this with Jezebel. Her response is to seek Elijah’s life, and Elijah flees to Beersheba, a distance of some 130 miles away. There he ends up at Horeb, the mountain of God, where Moses and the 10 Commandments happened, and takes refuge in the cave of Mach Pelah. You might remember that for the longest time Horeb was called the mountain of God.

And Elijah is tired. As he says to God, the people have forgotten your Covenant, brought down your altars, and have even killed your prophets. I’m the only one left. And I’ve tried hard. Elijah is ready to give it all up and die at this point. God has asked much of him, and he has given his all. What happens next? God says to go stand at the mouth of the cave. A strong wind comes, but God is not in it. Then an earthquake happens, and everything shakes; but God is not in it. Then Elijah hears a still small voice, and in this voice there is a great comfort and assurance; it is the voice of God.  God has heard him and will take him home. He just needs to do some transition work – Hazael to Syria, Jehu to Israel, and Elisha -  to take his place.  

Elijah has had one purpose given by God, and only one. To speak against the powers of this world and show that they do not call the shots. Why? Because they mislead the people. And draw them away from God.

And where does this leave us? For starters, find the one thing God wants from you and go for it. It will be enough. It will involve being a witness in some way, shape or form, and by word or deed. It will carry its own inherent risks. It will not have much to do with money or age. God does not need money to make a difference, and God is timeless. Abraham, Moses, Elijah et al…..were not exactly of a young age. And remember Gideon, the little guy back in Judges who said ‘who, me?’ Why is this angel addressing me as a mighty man of valor? We have limits, but God is unlimited, and God’s will, knit with ours, moves beyond the limits of this life. Our need is to walk with Jesus in vine & branch relationship, so that energy and power flows from one to the other, and to not be fooled by what the world says the Kingdom of God is. Be at peace and use the days well. Always, G.

All posts are at dreliatjacobsladder.blogspot.com; this is just a straightforward bible sharing post. No agenda, no mission, no donations. Just a fellowship of the Spirit.