That is, more or less, what happened to Elijah in today's reading from the Old Testament. Before the episode described in today's reading, he had challenged the prophets of Ba'al to a contest: he would prepare a sacrifice, and they would prepare a sacrifice, and each would call on their respective deities to set the offering on fire. The Ba'alites prayed all day, but nothing happened. At Elijah's invocation, God set his sacrifice on fire. Elijah slaughtered all the Ba'alites, and everyone worshipped God.
And then . . .
Elijah then went to see Jezebel, the woman for whom all the Ba'alite prophets really worked. Predictably upset, Jezebel threatened to kill him. And Elijah ran away.
The passage is so rich in meaning. For one thing, it shows us that the person who stood up to the prophets of Ba'al was hardly a superman. He was completely capable of cowardice. It wasn't Elijah's strength of character that made him stand up to Ba'al: it was God, acting through Elijah.
For another, God didn't punish Elijah for being a frightened human being. When Elijah finally stopped running, he fell asleep. God awakened him, fed him, and led him way to Mt. Horeb, where Elijah had an encounter with God that was completely different from the dramatic contest with the prophets of Ba'al, but that came to define his life.
Over and over again, the Bible recounts situations in which God or his prophets urged everyone not to be afraid: and, as often as not, they were afraid all the same. The story of Elijah assures us that God takes us as we are, fear and all. And, for that, we can be grateful.
No comments:
Post a Comment