I was listening to part of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings this week and was struck again by the many ways God is portrayed throughout chapters 18 and 19.
In 1 Kings 18, we see a definitive display of Yahweh’s power. Elijah’s patience with the people of Israel has reached its end, and he commands them to choose, once and for all, between the god of their fathers, Yahweh, and Baal.
“How long will you go limping between two different options? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
1 Kings 18:21
So, to help the people make a decision, Elijah sets up a competition of sorts. An altar is set up and a bull prepared to be sacrificed. Then, the 450 prophets of Baal are instructed to call upon the name of their god in hopes that he will set fire to the altar for them.
You know the story. The prophets call upon their god from morning until evening, even piercing their own skin in an effort to draw his attention, but to no avail. “No one answered; no one paid attention.” (1 Kings 18:29)
Elijah, the lone prophet of Yahweh, takes his cue. He rebuilds the altar, digs a trench around it, and has the entire setup doused with water not once, not twice, but three times. He then calls upon his God just one time, offering a simple prayer. The Lord responds decisively:
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”
1 Kings 18:38-39
Elijah orders the prophets of Baal to be killed—but the victory of his God doesn’t bring immunity from the consequences. When Ahab and Jezebel, the king and queen of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, hear what Elijah has done, they’re less bothered by the failure of their chosen god, Baal, than Elijah’s execution of justice on Yahweh’s behalf. They threaten him, and he flees in fear.
This is where we get that great encounter between Elijah, who is so afraid (and, perhaps, ashamed of his fear) that he asks God to just end it all now, and the angel of the LORD, who simply gives him something to eat to prepare him for his journey to Mount Horeb.
Finally, as Elijah is holed up in a cave, we get to the heart of why I love this sequence of events so dearly:
There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:9-13
On the heels of what seems like a great success, we find Elijah at the end of his rope. It’s not difficult to understand why; the life of a prophet, especially in the days of the divided kingdom, when the people of God are routinely setting him aside for lesser gods, is not easy. Elijah, who may as well be the only Yahweh worshipper left in Israel and Judah, has a target on his back. He was the instrument that God used to defeat and embarrass the prophets of Baal, yet he’s in more danger than ever before.
Elijah is familiar with the fire; aside from what he’s just experienced at Mount Carmel, he knows the stories of the Exodus, when God’s presence was marked by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of cloud by night, and of God’s residence on Mount Sinai, which was marked by thunder and lightning and great clouds. He knows and loves God; he’s familiar with these manifestations and with what they mean.
But God also knows and loves Elijah. He’s tuned into what his prophet is experiencing, to the unique danger that he’s facing, the immense fear that he’s experiencing. So, God sends a wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but this time Elijah doesn’t find him there. Instead, he comes to Elijah in a whisper.
Why did God bother with sending the natural wonders if he wasn’t present in them this time around?
I won’t presume to get inside the mind of God, so to speak, but I do have a few thoughts.
First: As mentioned above God knows his child, Elijah. He knows what he’s experienced and the toll that life as a prophet has taken on him. God approaches Elijah not as an angry boss, but as a loving Father, asking him twice, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
I don’t think God asks the question because he doesn’t know the answer; I think he’s giving Elijah a chance to be honest, to come to terms with what he’s experienced, and to decide what he’ll do next.
And in fact, Elijah’s relief is on its way. God directs him to leave the cave where he’s hiding and anoint a new king of Syria, a new king of Israel, and a new prophet who will serve in his place. Elijah obeys.
Second: Power is not the only dimension we should consider when we think about who God is.
The attributes of God are not in competition with one another. God does not have to hold back on his holiness to be gentle. His power in no way threatens his love.
This nuance is illustrated beautifully through these episodes in Elijah’s life; even as God displays his might and sovereignty over the created order, he yields to the needs of his servant when the situation calls for it. I’m often taken by the image of Christ as the roaring lion and the slain lamb; in the same way, 1 Kings gives us the image of God as the devouring fire and the gentle whisper.
These seemingly contradictory attributes are part of the mystery and perfection of God, the only one capable of holding all things in harmony. Ask him to help you understand him better this week; he will deliver all you desire and then some.
From the archives:
One that was on my mind this week.
On being religious
During my high school years, there was a big movement among prominent Christians to reject the label of “religious.”