God’s
grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Kings, Prophets
and Christians and my focus is 1st Kings (19:1-8). Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are
within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit
enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we
pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
When we think of kings today, perhaps
the image of royalty comes to mind. There are few absolute monarchs in the
world today. Most countries that have a king, such as Spain, Sweden, Denmark
and Belgium, are constitutional governments. The role of king is inherited and
ends with death or abdication. Edward VIII of the United Kingdom abdicated the
throne in 1936 when he married Wallis Simpson. As Americans, we never took
seriously establishing a monarchy. First of all, we despised King George III. On
the other hand, as Christians, we sing of Good King Wenceslaus. The English
word king comes to us German word König. It is likely that it was originally
from the word kin meaning a “leader of the people.”
The books of Kings are the fourth
part of what tradition calls the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel
and 1-2 Kings).[1]
These are history books, but not political or social history. Rather, they are
theological history books. Most likely, written by one author, Kings recounts
Israel’s life in its own land from the occupation under Joshua to the
Babylonian Exile.
The author’s interest is not an
accurate chronicle of events, but an explanation of the tragic fate of God’s
people. The purpose of Kings is to explain how God’s people came to be in
exile. The explanation is that Israel and Judah led by their kings were guilty
of cultic infidelities so numerous and so terrible that destruction was the
only fit punishment.[2]
David is the paragon for the rulers
of Judah. He was faithful and obedient to God, who in turn promised him an
unending dynasty. We read in 2nd Samuel the words of God spoken to
David through the Prophet Nathan, “Your house and your kingdom shall be
made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”[3] But beginning with
Solomon, most southern kings (Judah) failed to follow David’s ways. Even those
who are faithful were praised with some reservation. Only Hezekiah and Josiah
received unqualified approval. The northern kings (Israel) were condemned
without exception.
After reading and studying Kings, a
question comes to my mind that the author may have thought: How did we get
here? I will ask that question again when we get to my third point, but for
now, my second point, prophets.
The role of prophets in the unfolding
history of Israel is a central concern, particularly in the sections of Kings
that deal with Elijah and Elisha. Through the prophets God continually
confronted the errant people and would call them back to His ways. The
prophetic word could be an assurance of victory or a promise of peace, a threat
or a condemnation.[4]
In every case it is God announcing in advance the plan of history – a plan that
reaches fulfillment inevitably. In short, God is in charge and reveals his
counsels to his servants the prophets.
So, who is this guy named Elijah?[5] He is the loftiest and
most wonderful prophet of the Old Testament. What we know of his public life is
sketched in a few popular narratives in 1st Kings, which bear the
stamp of an almost contemporary age. Most likely, these stories took place in
Northern Israel, and are full of the most graphic and interesting details.
Given what I said about the kings of
Israel and Judah, the people of God needed such a prophet. Under the baneful
influence of his wife, Jezebel, King Ahab, though perhaps not intending to
forsake altogether God's worship, had nevertheless erected in Samaria a temple
to Baal and introduced a multitude of foreign priests. Undoubtedly, he offered
sacrifices to the pagan deity, and, most of all, hallowed a bloody persecution
of the prophets of God.
We know nothing about Elijahs's
origin. His whole manner of life resembled the Nazarites and is a loud protest
against his corrupt age. He wore a leather and skin garments, slept in cliffs
or caves, and was a fast runner.
He appeared abruptly on the scene to
announce to Ahab that God had determined to avenge the apostasy of Israel and
her king by bringing a long drought on the land. He delivered his message and
then vanished as suddenly as he appeared. Guided by the spirit of God, he went
to a brook the east of the Jordan River, where ravens brought him bread and
flesh in the morning and evening.
God chose Elijah to defeat the
prophets of Baal, but before that happened, he provided an endless supply of
flour for a widow and raised her young son from the dead. Elijah was able to
accomplish this not because he possessed any extraordinary power, but because
he prayed passionately to God. He relied on God, not himself to accomplish
deeds. When he challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, he said this
prayer: “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known
this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I
have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer
me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have
turned their hearts back.” Scripture tells us that “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.”[6]
After God consumed the holocaust, the
issue was fought and won. The people knew that Yahweh was God, not Baal. At Elijah's
command they slit the throats of the pagan prophets. And then something
happened that we often overlook. That same evening the drought that plagued
Israel for a very long time suddenly ended with a heavy downpour of rain. In
the midst of this monsoon Elijah ran to the entrance of Jezreel before Ahab in
his horse driven chariot.
Yet, in a matter of days, Elijah went
from complete jubilation to complete depression. You see, Elijah suffered from
depression. He went from fearless confidence in God to fearing for his life. He
went from feeling like a special messenger of God to feeling like a fruitless
and worthless vine. It was so bad that Elijah even asked God to take his life.
Why? Because Queen Jezebel ordered his death. Now, this could only occur if
Ahab permitted it. So, not only did Elijah fear the hit on his life, but also
realized that the king remained faithful to his queen and Baal.
Elijah’s haste to flee and his later
complaint against Israel suggested that the people’s conversion to God on Mount
Carmel was shaky. They could turn away from God on a whim. For this reason, he
fled to the southern desert to save his life. Once there, he prayed to die, and
Elijah’s ambivalence set the tone for today’s passage. His flight was a journey
out of this ordinary world, symbolized by leaving behind companionship and
food, and a pilgrimage to a sacred place.
Many people think that the prophets
were morally or spiritually superior to us, and it’s easy to think of Elijah in
this way. The truth is, he wasn’t. Like us, Elijah needed correction,
encouragement and the knowledge that other believers were standing against Baal
too. Elijah was not exceptionally spiritual or superior. He was completely
human. Yet, what made Elijah extraordinary was his complete commitment to the
Will of God. Elijah gave all his energy and heart so that the world would know
the one true God. To sum it up, God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary.[7]
So, what do Kings and Prophets have
to do with my third point, Christians? Why are the accounts of Ahab and Elijah
relevant to us and me? In other words, as I concluded my first point, you and I
now ask, “How did we get here?”
We can ask that question on many
levels. As an individual, how did I get to this point in my life? No matter if
we are talking about a successful career or being unable to make ends meet on
social security and savings, pondering the happiness of grandchildren or
wondering where my marriage failed, marveling at my athletic achievements or
musing about the last days of my life, we ask, “How did I get here?”
As a congregation that’s bursting at
its seams or turning out the lights, how did we get here? As denominations grow
or shrink exponentially, dazzled at the work of the Holy Spirit or bewildered
at the sinful acts of their leaders, members must be asking how did we get
here? And like citizens in many other countries, we too wonder how we got here.
Without laying blame or pointing
fingers, perhaps it is time to ask another question, “Now what?” We know that
Kings was about the infidelities of the people through their leaders. We know
that God spoke to the people through His prophets, as strange as many of them
were. We also know that the answer to “Now what?” is, “Turn to God.”
Elijah is an important figure not
only in the history of Israel, but also in the salvation history of
Christianity. Not only did he dedicate his life to getting people to turn from
idols and return to the one true God, but he is also mentioned throughout the
Gospels, particularly on Transfiguration Sunday. Meeting a man like Elijah may
make us feel uncomfortable. However, his message to us would be no different
than his original message – trust God completely.
Now, The Small Catechism reminds us
to submit ourselves to governing authorities, which may not sit well with some
of us. Yet, we read, “It is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only
because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why
you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time
to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if
revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”[8]
That said, what do we do when we
suspect that our authorities are not acting as God’s servants? What do we do
when judges authorize whatever is necessary to prevent pastors and
congregations from gathering to worship? Do we acquiesce or oppose? Do we
submit or resist? How would we advise Pastors Artur Pawlowski, Rob McCoy and
Tim Stephens who kept their churches open when local and state governments
ordered lockdowns in 2020 and 2021? What do we say to fellow Christians whose
churches have been burned or vandalized while elected officials say they
understand the feelings of the perpetrators?
At times, Elijah stood tall and at
other times he fled. When he was so distraught that he wanted his life to be
over, God strengthened him for the journey and His mission. Like Elijah, Moses
and Jesus, we should seek first the Kingdom of God. We should submit totally to
the Will of God. Friends, the purpose of Elijah’s life was not to trust in
himself, but to trust God totally. Why? Because the Church needs prophets. God’s
world needs Christian prophets – people dedicated to our Triune God and to prayer.
Our world needs people dedicated to listening to God’s Word in the depths of
their hearts.
Friends, I ask you to consider how
God’s Spirit poured into your hearts, nurtured through Sacrament and Word, prayer
and action, will make all the difference in the world – even if that world is
small. And when you do, may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1]
Walsh, Jerome T and Begg, Christopher T. “1-2 Kings,” The New Jerome Biblical
Commentary. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ (1990), p. 160.
[2]
Ibid., p. 161.
[3] 2
Samuel 8:16.
[4]
Walsh and Begg, p. 161. See 1 Kgs 20:13, 2 Kgs 7:1, 1 Kgs 22:17, 2 Kgs 1:3-4.
[5]
See Elijah at https://www.newadvent.org
[6] 1
Kings 18:36-38.
[7]
Lesli White, “Who is Elijah in the Bible and Why is He Important?”
www.beliefnet.com
[8] The
Small Catechism, Of Citizens.
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