Day 103. 1 Kings 19-20

The slaughter of the priests of Baal we read about yesterday infuriates Queen Jezebel, and she swears an oath to kill the prophet Elijah. Elijah confronts King Ahab again and again without fear, but the fury of his wicked queen seems to be enough even to unnerve the prophet. He flees for his life, first to Beer-sheba, the southernmost outpost of the southern kingdom of Judah (19:1-2), and then on into the wilderness. There he sits down under a solitary broom tree and begs to die (19:4). He does not in fact die, instead his discouragement and exhaustion overcome him and he sleeps. Twice he is awakened by an angel to a miraculously prepared breakfast. Then, his physical needs for sleep and food provided, he is commanded by the LORD to venture on a journey, which takes forty days and nights, back to Mount Horeb, the other name for Sinai, where God had given the Law to Moses centuries before(19:8). His journey represents in reverse the forty year journey of the children of Israel from Sinai to the Promised Land. Elijah is in fact tracing his way back to the very foundations of the covenant in a direct experience with the LORD. At Horeb, he encounters the strong wind, earthquake and fire that surrounded the appearance of God—the theophany described in the Book of Exodus. But we are told God is in none of these phenomena. When all have passed, however, there was "a sound of sheer silence" (19:12), and in this the prophet recognizes the presence of the LORD and covers his head (19:13). His situation has not essentially changed, as he himself points out (19:14). He is still in danger and alone as before. But now he is given a mission and a program (19:15-18)—both personal and political. He is assured of a successor, Elisha, who will continue his work and he is promised that a faithful remnant of Israel—seven thousand--will endure. So strengthened by this assurance he returns to Israel to finding Elisha plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. Elijah casts his mantle over Elisha to symbolize that has been chosen to succeed him (19:19). The younger man begs to go home to say farewell to his parents, but Elijah sees this as a lack of commitment and rebukes him.  (There is a teaching of Jesus regarding absolute obedience to the call of discipleship found in Luke 9:57-62.) The call of God comes before all human loyalties (19:20-21). So to demonstrate his commitment is in fact absolute, Elisha slaughters his oxen, and using his plowing equipment for fuel boils them and gives the meat the people to eat (19:21). Having altogether separated himself from his former life and "burned his bridges" so he cannot go back, he follows Elijah and becomes his disciple. Meanwhile in the political world, King Ahab is besieged in Samaria by King Ben-hadad of Aram, who demands his treasure and the best of his wives and children. Ahab is forced to submit to the humiliating demand, but when Ben-hadad also demands to search the city for everything of value, Ahab refuses. The Aramean king, who has been drinking heavily with his buddies, gives his troops orders to take their positions against the city and the battle is about to be joined (20:12). But "a certain prophet" comes to King Ahab to tell him that if he will take preemptory action, the LORD will give him the victory (20:9). Usually Elijah and the prophets oppose Ahab, but this time the LORD backs him against the haughty Ben-hadad.  The army of Israel triumphs, and there is a great slaughter. But the prophet tells the king to "consider well" and prepare for the next campaigning season when Ben-hadad will surely return (20:22). Meanwhile the servants of the king of Aram tell him the reason they were defeated is that the gods of Israel "are gods of the hills," so they are stronger there (20:23). (In fact, hilly ground probably put the chariots of Aram at a disadvantage.)  The next time they should fight on the plain where their own gods will have the advantage. But this infuriates the LORD, who determines to vindicate his honor by proving once and for all that he is God both of hills and plains (20:28). So for a second time the armies of Ahab and Ben-hadad are joined, and again God gives Israel the advantage. There is another great slaughter. But Ahab spares the life of Ben-hadad in exchange for a generous commercial deal (20:34); they make a treaty and Ahab lets him go. But this act of disobedience stirs the anger of the LORD, who has devoted the proud Ben-hadad for destruction. "One of the company of prophets" delivers God's verdict to Ahab—"Because you have let the man go I had devoted for destruction, therefore your life be for his life, and your people for his people" (20:42). The last image we are given is of Ahab, sulky and despondent, returning to Samaria stung by this latest rebuke.