Man Cave The God OF Fire
Man Cave
18:23–24. nature of the contest. There are three significant concepts involved in centering the contest around the ability of the deity to send fire. (1) Fire is an indication of the presence of God. In biblical texts, from the burning bush and the pillar of fire to the throne vision of Ezekiel (1:4), fire is seen as accompanying theophanies (appearances of God). In this way the contest asked the respective deities to show themselves. (2) Fire is connected to the lightning of the storm god. As the storm god, Baal is depicted with lightning bolts in his hand and is spoken of in the texts as flashing forth with fire or lightning. In one text fire is even used by Baal as a means of constructing his house. Baal was therefore considered by his worshipers as the lord of fire. In the continuing agenda of the narrative that Yahweh show his superiority in every area of Baal’s domain, the ability to bring fire is strategic. (3) Fire represents the acceptance of the sacrifice. Burnt offerings of this sort typically accompanied petition. In this case the petition on everyone’s mind was for the drought to end. If both parties had been praying for the drought to end, the resulting rain could be attributed by either group to its own god. As a result the contest is set up to demonstrate which deity is responding to the petition of his followers. If fire is sent, the petition has been granted, and the rain that follows can be attributed to the correct deity. It is therefore important to recognize the close connection between the sending of the fire and the sending of the rain.
18:26–29. prophets’ appeal to Baal. The NIV speaks of the prophets “dancing around the altar” (v. 26) and “slashing themselves with swords and spears” (v. 28). In the first description the verb is controversial. It is the same verb as that translated “passover” in Exodus 12 (see the comment on Ex 12:11) and may be better understood as protectively standing vigil. Certainly there is plenty of evidence of ritual dances in the ancient world; however, none of them come from the literature connected with the Canaanites. The self-laceration of this verse is part of a mourning ritual. In Ugaritic literature the gods are portrayed as practicing this when they hear of the death of Baal. Additionally an Akkadian wisdom text from Ugarit compares the bloodletting of mourning rites to that practiced by ecstatic prophets.
18:27. Elijah’s taunts. The biblical text offers four activities that Elijah suggests for Baal: thinking, busy, traveling and sleeping. These can be compared to some of the activities in which Baal is engaged in the Ugaritic texts. When the goddess Anat comes to look for Baal, she is told he has gone hunting. Ugaritic literature that portrays the death of Baal features the repeated strain that he needs to be awakened. The classical source used by Josephus, Menander of Ephesus, reports that the Tyrian king, Hiram, contemporary of David, instituted the ritual for the awakening of Herakles (=Melqart, see comment on 16:31). The mythology of the ancient world understood the gods to be involved in a variety of activities similar to those that engage human beings. Though Elijah’s words are meant to be taunts, they are not unrealistic depictions of Canaanite beliefs. The prophets of Baal would not have viewed his suggestions as ridiculous or unworthy of deity.
18:30. Elijah’s repair of the altar. The terms used suggest a previous altar for the worship of Yahweh that was in disrepair due to an act of destruction. It can probably be inferred that the altar had been torn down as a result of Jezebel’s promotion of Baal worship. Destruction of competing or unacceptable high places was often a part of religious reform. It was often believed that the precise location and orientation of a sanctuary or altar had been determined by deity and was significant. Therefore, even though Elijah “builds” the altar in verse 32 with twelve stones that probably make up the entire altar, it can be viewed as “repair” in the sense that it enjoys continuity with the altar previously operating on the site.
18:32. size and purpose of the trench. The trench size is described in terms of something that holds about half a bushel of grain. A trench that held half a bushel would not be very large. Perhaps the text is making reference to a standard container that holds (Hebrew text: “houses”) this amount of grain (the way we would speak of a two-liter bottle) and is suggesting that is how deep the trench was dug all around the altar. The purpose of the trench is to collect the runoff, which otherwise would have simply been absorbed into the dry earth.
18:33–34. soaking of the sacrifice. Some have thought that the pouring of water on the altar would have seemed a great waste to those who were languishing through a third year of drought. It must be remembered, however, that there is no suggestion that this was fresh water. The nearby Mediterranean was full of water—it was just undrinkable.
18:38. fire of the Lord. The storm gods of the ancient Near East are typically equipped with lightning bolts that are their means of sending fire. Assyrian kings throughout this period speak of the gods as a burning flame and of sending fire before them. Esarhaddon (seventh-century Assyria) speaks of his march and attack in terms of an unquenchable fire. All of this is the way that the deity was believed to enter into battle. Fire brought about by his thunderbolts was one of his principal weapons. While the events on Carmel do not show Yahweh using fire to destroy his enemies, he is using it as a means to defeat his opponent, Baal. Another occurrence of fire from the Lord consuming a sacrifice is in the ordination of Aaron and his sons (Lev 9:24).
18:40. Kishon Valley. The Kishon River flows northwest from the northern end of the Jezreel Valley to the Mediterranean just east of Haifa. It is fed from the mountains in the Carmel range and from the hills of Galilee around Nazareth.
18:44. cloud. The text has given no indication of the time of year this event takes place. Summers are usually devoid of rain in Palestine, though there can occasionally be clouds in the sky. The winter is the rainy season. Rain usually comes from the west (the sea), as indicated here. When the rainy season begins in the autumn, showers often come on quite quickly from the west. Comparing the size to a man’s hand is indicative of how far away the cloud is—when he holds up his outstretched hand, he can obscure it from his sight.
18:45. Jezreel. Jezreel was between fifteen and twenty miles from the Carmel area. This fifteen-acre site was situated at the southeastern entrance to the Jezreel Valley between the Hill of Moreh and Mount Gilboa. It was here that Ahab had built a winter capital. Excavations have unearthed a large royal enclosure from this time period occupying a large portion of the mound (see comment on 21:1).
18:46. tucking cloak into belt. The “girding of one’s loins” typically involves belting tight a loose garment or folding up a long one in preparation for some strenuous activity. This particular passage is difficult because the verb that is used is unique to this verse and its meaning is uncertain. So, for instance, if Elijah had “girded his loins” for the slaughter of the prophets, he could just as well be ungirding them here. Despite the NIV translation, no garment is mentioned here.
18:46. Elijah running ahead of Ahab. This verse does not speak of outrunning but of running before the chariot of Ahab until he came to Jezreel. Those running before the chariot of a king or prince constitute his entourage (see comment on the same phrase in 2 Sam 15:1). Elijah, under the power of Yahweh, was playing the role of prophetic herald, apparently proclaiming the changed attitude of Ahab and his loyalty to Yahweh. The power of Yahweh brings blessing, success and victory. In Hittite texts it is the gods who run before the chariot of the king—here Elijah does so as the representative of God. The eighth-century Aramean king, Bir-Rakib, portrays himself as a loyal vassal to the Assyrian king Tiglath- Pileser III by “running at his wheel.”
19:1-18
Elijah’s Flight
19:3. Beersheba. Beersheba is the southernmost extremity of the land. It is located in the northern Negev at Tell es-Seba’ (three miles east of the modern city). Its name derives from its association with the wells dug to provide water for the people and flocks in this area (see Gen 26:23–33). Archaeological evidence has been found of occupation during the monarchy through the Persian periods.
19:4. day’s journey into the desert. Elijah is apparently heading southwest toward the Sinai Peninsula. One day’s journey would have taken him about a third of the way to Kadesh-barnea.
19:4. broom tree. The white broom tree (retama raetam) is common in this region and grows anywhere from five to ten feet in height. It is the only shrub to offer shade in this dry, desolate region.
19:5–7. angel’s provisions. There is nothing striking about the description of the food provided by the angel. It is the same as what Elijah had asked the widow to make for him (see 17:13). Perhaps most significant is that the Israelites in the wilderness were reported to have made such cakes out of manna (Num 11:8).
19:8. trip to Horeb. Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai. If Sinai is to be found down in the southern region of the peninsula, as the text seems to necessitate (see comment on Ex 19:1–2), he must travel another two hundred miles and could therefore easily take forty days. It is true that a caravan could often make seventeen to twenty miles a day, but Elijah is not accustomed to this type of travel and is traveling on his own. Five miles per day under such conditions in this climate would not be unusual.
19:11–13. fire, wind and earthquake with theophany. A theophany is an appearance of the divine presence. In the ancient Near East theophany was often connected with battle, and the warrior god was believed to fight on behalf of his people using thunder bolts (lightning, fire), the stormwind and the trembling earth to terrify the enemy. From the Sumerian Exaltation of Inanna, to the Hittite myths about the storm god, to the Akkadian and Ugaritic mythologies, the gods are viewed as thundering in judgment against their enemies. Baal is depicted as grasping a handful of thunderbolts. Thundering terminology is picked up in royal rhetoric as Hittite or Assyrian kings portray themselves as the instruments of the gods, thundering against those who have violated treaties or stood in the way of empire expansion. Israel’s Yahweh is also viewed as a warrior God, but here Elijah is shown that there is much more (see next comment).