Prophets Part 2- Elijah on the mountain

Intro

Confronting the King

Obadiah and Ahab go in search of water

3 years without rain, trying to save what they can

Elijah comes and after a conversation about who is trying to kill whom, Obadiah agrees to bring him to the king

Elijah is the greatest enemy of the state, what he did only served to turn more people away from God in Israel

Elijah was hiding for so long and part of it may have been motivated by self preservation

he is no hero to these people like the leaders before him

Challenge on the Mountain

lets put an end to this, a fair challenge

gather all of Israel and all your prophets

and so they do, mount carmel, the perfect place for such a spectacle

1000s of people, a thousand prophets telling them what they should think

two altars to ask each god for an answer

the prophets of baal are laughable

they receive no answer

Calling God God

when the time is right for an offering of sacrifice that all of these people have not honored for a long time, Elijah speaks to God

they cover the altar in the most precious and fleeting resource that they have, more than just a challenge

the water is symbolic

in his prayer he reminds the people who they are and who the God they are about to witness is

they chant what we have translated but is likely just Elijah’s name

that’s what it means, the LORD is God

Application

this may be the third time in less than three years that I’ve taught this story with you all

its a good and a deep one especially for where we are today

no one believes in YHWH anymore except for Elijah

these people all know the stories, they all even know how to be practicing Jews

the other prophets were slaughtered or are hiding in fear, the people do what the king and queen have made popular to the point of exclusivity

god is a word that has lost meaning to them, been displaced by something else

God was working and present in his world and among his children the whole time, they just refused to see it or be a part of it

they wanted anything else other than what was being just to be god so they made something else for their selves

the truth is baal will never be God, he will never show up in any form, never answer, never move or work or walk. just a hopeful idea of escape

even when you and I don’t want to have faith in him, even when I think my time would be much better spent chasing anything else, YHWH is still God