Not in the Drama
1 Kings 19:1-15a[1]
One of the effects of our preoccupation with
what we see on various screens is that we tend to be fascinated with
celebrities. Whether they are actors or politicians or athletes, anyone who has
any kind of presence on a screen seems to have a larger-than-life persona. For
some reason, the “lifestyles of the rich and famous” seem to grab our
attention. Of course, it would seem that many celebrities go out of the way to
attract headlines and exposure. Whether they actively seek publicity or not,
the fact of the matter is that none of them are truly “larger than life.” They
are human beings, flawed and fallible, just like the rest of us. Sometimes the
drama in their lives that gets reported so often simply serves to demonstrate
their humanity.
I think we may have a similar attitude towards
the leading characters of the Bible. Prophets like Moses and Elijah stand out
for the extraordinary feats they accomplished. I think we like to see them as
uncompromising people who rise above the level of ordinary human beings. Their
dramatic personalities only seem to confirm for us that these are no ordinary
servants of God. But if you read the Bible carefully, you find evidence of
their humanity written into the stories about them. Our lesson for today provides
us with an example.
The prophet Elijah comes fresh from what would
appear to be a great victory. He has challenged the prophets of Baal to a
contest to determine whom the people would serve as God. Each of them were to
prepare an altar with a sacrifice and call on their gods to consume the
offering by fire. While the prophets of Baal cried out fervently most of the
day, nothing happened. Late in the afternoon, Elijah prayed a simple prayer,
and not only the sacrifice, but the altar and everything around it were
consumed by fire. It was meant to convince Israel to be faithful to God alone.
More than that, Elijah was responsible for the
fact that there had been a drought in Israel for three years. Needless to say,
he wasn’t the most popular prophet around in those days. After defeating—and
slaughtering—the prophets of Baal, Elijah notified the King of Israel, a
godless man named Ahab, that the drought was over. And after three years, the
rains came back. It would seem that Elijah had demonstrated the power of God in
two dramatic events. You would think that he would be celebrating his success
as God’s prophet.
But in our lesson for today, we find an episode
that “blatantly” demonstrates Elijah’s humanity.[2] In
the face of a threat on his life by the Queen, Elijah flees into the
wilderness. He makes it a day’s journey before he collapses. And when he does,
he prays a prayer that seems strange for so powerful a prophet of God. He prays
to die, saying “I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4). I have to
wonder what inspired that prayer. It would seem that Elijah was disappointed
with God because none of his dramatic displays made the difference in the
people of Israel he had expected. Perhaps Elijah thought that the people would
return to the Lord as soon as they saw the dramatic signs he had performed. But
that’s not what happened.
Despite Elijah’s pessimism, the “angel of the
LORD” gave him rest and food for a long journey into the wilderness to the
“mount of God.” There, Elijah was permitted to present his complaint to God “in
person,” so to speak. And when the LORD asks Elijah, “what are you doing here?”
Elijah’s response is a classic expression of self-pity: “I have been very
zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your
covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I
alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10).
It doesn’t sound much like what you’d expect to hear from a bold prophet of the
LORD fresh from two apparent “victories”!
In response, the LORD teaches Elijah two
important lessons. First came a powerful wind, then an earthquake, and then a
fire. But each time, the Scripture says, “the Lord was not in it.” Finally,
there came “a sound of sheer silence” (1 Kings 19:12). Elijah came out and
found that was where the Lord was. He repeated his complaint, word for word.
God’s answer to him was, “Go, return on your way.” I think one lesson was that
God is not to be found in the drama of altars consumed by fire, but rather in
the patience of faithfully serving him. Later, God assured Elijah he wasn’t the
only one left: he said that there were 7,000 in Israel who remained faithful to
him. I think the second lesson for Elijah is that it wasn’t all up to him!
When we see how the “movers and the shakers”
in our world throw their weight around, we can feel pretty small and weak in
comparison. We may think, as Elijah did, that we’re just not up to the task of
working for God’s kingdom of peace, justice and freedom. But I think we can
draw on the lessons Elijah learned that day in the wilderness. In our day as in
his, the success of God’s kingdom is not up to us. That’s God’s business. Our
job is to seek to faithfully serve him to the best of our ability. I think the other
lesson Elijah learned can help us as well. In a day when celebrities constantly
grab the headlines, and everything bigger is seemingly better, even in the
church, I think it’s important for us to be reminded that God is not in all the
drama. Rather, God is in the quiet, steadfast, faithful efforts of those who
continue to serve him.
[1]
©2018 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 8/12/2018 at
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
[2]
Cf. Choon-Leong Seow, “The First and Second Books of Kings,” New Interpreter’s Bible III:145.
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