WPC Senior Pastor s Bible Study - Wednesday, November 4, Kings 18:20-39

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1 WPC Senior Pastor s Bible Study - Wednesday, November 4, Kings 18:20-39 (Here are study notes for this week s sermon text at Winnetka Presbyterian Church, including an opening and closing prayer if you choose to use this study as a devotional experience. You are warmly invited to join us for this study in person on Wednesdays at 10am! If you have any questions or wrestlings with the scripture or these notes, please feel free to contact David.) Opening Prayer for Illumination Gracious God, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from your mouth. Make us hungry for this heavenly food, that it may nourish us today in the ways of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, the bread of heaven. Amen. 1 Kings 18: So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets number four hundred fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God." All the people answered, "Well spoken!" 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it." 26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." 28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come closer to me"; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, "Israel shall be your name"; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." 34 Then he said, "Do it a second time"; and they did it a second time. Again he said, "Do it a third time"; and they did it a third time, 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. 36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant,

2 and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God." (40Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape. Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.) 1 & 2 Kings: The Story - As the David is old and bed-ridden, and his son Adonijah proclaims himself king with the help of David s commander Joab and the priest, Abiathar. Hearing this news, David instructs the prophet Nathan to anoint David s son, Solomon, as king. The people rally behind Solomon in a grand procession to the royal throne. Before dying, David charges Solomon to remain faithful to God and his laws. Solomon solidifies his claim to the throne by killing Joab, Adonijah, and the remaining dissenters from David s reign. He also makes an alliance with Egypt by marrying the pharaoh s daughter. - Because Solomon carefully obeys God s laws, God appears to him in a dream and offers to grant the new king one wish. Solomon asks for wisdom to govern with justice and to know the difference between right and wrong. God is so impressed with Solomon s humble request that he promises Solomon the additional gifts of wealth and long life. As a result, Solomon lives in great opulence and his empire stretches from Egypt to the Euphrates River. He earns international fame for his wise sayings and scientific knowledge. - With his vast resources, Solomon builds an elaborate temple to God as well as a palace for himself in Jerusalem. Construction begins exactly four hundred and eighty years after Israel s exodus from Egypt. Solomon conscripts thousands of laborers for the work and imports materials from neighboring countries. The Temple is lined with gold and features large, hand-sculpted angels and pillars. Solomon places the Ark of the Covenant inside, and all of Israel gathers for the dedication. After sacrificing herds of animals on the altar, Solomon prays for God s blessing on the Temple. God appears to Solomon and promises to dwell in the Temple so long as Solomon and the Israelites are obedient to his laws. If they are not, God will remove his presence from the Temple, destroying both the temple and the nation. - Solomon s success continues until he marries many foreign women. They influence him to worship and erect altars to foreign deities. God is infuriated and tells Solomon that he will dismember the kingdom. God will tear away all of the tribes from Solomon s kingdom except for one, Judah. God allows the tribe of Judah to remain since Solomon is David s son. Following God s declaration, a prophet meets one of Solomon s officials, Jeroboam, with a cloak torn into twelve pieces, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The prophet hands Jeroboam ten of the twelve pieces and explains that God has chosen him to rule these selected tribes as Israel s new king. - Solomon dies, and his son Rehoboam assumes the throne. Led by Jeroboam, the people gather before the young king to request that Rehoboam treat them more kindly than Solomon did during his reign. Rehoboam is headstrong and refuses, threatening to punish and enslave the people. The Israelites unite in rebellion, cursing the tribe of Judah and eluding Rehoboam s attempts to forcefully subdue them. They head north, where they crown Jeroboam king of Israel in the city of Shechem. Israel splits into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Israel in the north, and the kingdom of Judah in the south. - To distinguish the new, separate kingdom of Israel from the old kingdom in Jerusalem, Jeroboam erects altars and shrines to golden calves throughout the northern land. The Israelites worship the idols, and the Levite priests, formerly devoted to God, serve them as well. One day, Jeroboam s son is ill, and his wife approaches a prophet to seek guidance. The prophet warns that Jeroboam s household will be destroyed and that Israel will eventually lose control of the promised land because of

3 Jeroboam s abhorrent practices. One generation later, Jeroboam s entire family is slaughtered when another Israelite takes the throne by force. - Meanwhile, King Rehoboam also erects altars and shrines to idols in Judah, even authorizing male and female prostitution in these shrines. The two kingdoms, northern and southern, continue to fight each other. After Rehoboam and Jeroboam die, the narrator recounts the story of all the succeeding kings in each kingdom, summarizing each king s reign by whether he does good or evil. Almost all of Israel s northern kings commit great evil, expanding on the practices of their fathers. Some of the southern kings in Jerusalem try to revive obedience to God, but none of them bans the worship of foreign gods in Judah. - With the help of his wife Jezebel, Ahab, northern Israel s most wicked king, spreads cult worship of the god Baal throughout the northern lands. In response, a prophet named Elijah emerges and informs Ahab that God will curse the land with a great drought. Elijah leads a secluded life on the outskirts of civilization. Ravens bring Elijah food and he performs miracles for the local people. After three years of drought, Queen Jezebel begins a campaign to murder all of God s prophets in the land. Elijah publicly confronts Ahab, demanding that the Israelite people profess allegiance to either God or Baal. The people do not respond. Elijah challenges the priests of Baal to a contest to see whose god can miraculously set an unlit animal sacrifice on fire. Despite animated prayer and self-mutilation, the priests of Baal are unable to ignite their altar. Elijah soaks his altar in water three times, and, when he prays, God engulfs the altar in flames. - Elijah flees from the belligerent Jezebel into the desert. He complains to God that, despite his earnest service, the Israelites continue to be disobedient. God promises to show himself to Elijah. Elijah is surrounded by wind, earthquakes, and fire, but none of these, we are told, is God. Instead, Elijah hears a soft whisper amidst the storm, and he recognizes that this is God. Encouraged, Elijah returns to civilization where he appoints a new man, Elisha, to be his apprentice and to eventually succeed him as prophet. - One day, Ahab and Jezebel steal a man s vineyard by slandering the man s name in public until the citizens stone the man. Elijah finds Ahab in the vineyard and declares that because of their murderous deeds, Ahab and Jezebel will die and dogs will lick up their blood. Soon after, King Ahab makes a rare pact with the king of Judah. The two lead their united forces against the Arameans who are occupying Israel s borders. Ahab is killed and bleeds to death in his chariot. When the chariot is cleaned after battle, dogs gather to lick his blood. - Not long after, Elijah is miraculously taken up into heaven by a flaming chariot, never to return, while Elisha looks on. Elisha assumes Elijah s role as prophet, acting as a cryptic doomsayer to Israel s kings while performing miracles for the common folk. Elisha helps a barren woman become pregnant, and when her young son suddenly dies, Elisha brings the boy back to life by lying on top of him. He guides the king of Israel in eluding the Aramean invaders from the north by plaguing the enemy troops with blindness. - Elisha initiates a coup to cut off Ahab and Jezebel s dynasty by secretly anointing a military commander, Jehu, to overthrow the throne. Jehu descends on the city where the current king, who is Ahab s son, and Judah s king are visiting each other. The men of the city rapidly defect to Jehu s side. Jehu overcomes the kings on horseback and shoots them with an arrow, decrying their witchcraft and idolatry in the process. Entering the city, Jezebel calls out seductively to Jehu from a window. The men of the city throw her out the window, and Jehu s horses trample her. The dogs eat her dead body, fulfilling Elijah s prophecy. After killing the rest of Ahab s family, Jehu invites all the priests of Baal to an assembly and murders them. He wipes out the Baal cult in Israel, but he does not forbid the worship of other gods. - The narrator continues the chronological account of Israel and Judah s kings. Each of Israel s kings is more evil than the previous, and Northern Israel gradually loses its territories to Assyrian pressure from the northeast. Assyria finally invades the northern kingdom of Israel entirely and captures the

4 Israelites, removing them to Assyria. God s presence leaves the people of Israel, and scattered Near- Eastern groups populate the promised land, worshipping their own gods. - A handful of Judah s kings make a brave attempt at reform in the southern kingdom. Two kings embark on repairing the decaying Temple in Jerusalem. When Hezekiah assumes the throne, he destroys all of the altars and idols in Judah the first such policy since Rehoboam introduced the idols into the land. With the help of the great prophet Isaiah, Judah thwarts heavy economic and military threats from Assyria. Finally, Judah s king Josiah directs a national program of spiritual renewal. He reads the Laws of Moses in front of all the people, and the people reaffirm their commitment to God s covenant, celebrating the Passover for the first time in centuries. Despite these attempts to turn the religious tide in Judah, however, evil rulers regain power after Josiah s death. The king of Babylon invades the southern kingdom of Israel, burning Jerusalem and destroying the Temple. Like their northern brothers, the people of Judah are exiled, settling in Babylon far away from their homeland. 1 & 2 Kings Summary - The two volumes of Kings continue the story of Israel s tumultuous monarchy begun in Genesis and continued in the books of Samuel. The history spans almost four hundred years of events in ancient Israel. From the beginning of Solomon s reign in around 965 b.c. to the fall of the northern and southern kingdoms in 722 b.c. and 567 b.c., respectively, the nation of Israel dominates the international affairs of the Near East. As a result, many of the events described in the biblical account of Israel s divided kingdom can be authenticated historically. However, the authors of Kings do not simply list Israel and Judah s kings, but arrange their stories in a way that highlights the direct connection between Israel s religious infidelity and its radical political demise. - Solomon s temple is a monolithic symbol that changes to reflect the changing fortunes of the Israelites. The author interprets the temple s construction as a sign that Israel, the land originally promised to Moses, has arrived. By noting that Solomon builds it in the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt, the narrator suggests that all of Israel s struggles to enter and conquer the promised land have prepared this moment (6:1). The Temple s large, solid structure is a physical manifestation of Israel s secure position in the land. God proves a spiritual manifestation of Israel s security when he promises to reside in the temple, placing his name there forever (9:3). The fact that the Temple is a man-made object that can decay foreshadows the eventual spiritual decay of Israel. Furthermore, the importance of a physical object to Solomon and the people contrasts with the importance in earlier biblical books of incorporeal spiritual elements. The temple also reflects the downfall of Israel. After the author spends four chapters detailing its construction and dedication, the Temple disappears from the narrative just as Israel s religious commitment to God fades from the minds of its rulers. Its final destruction at the hands of the Babylonians mirrors Israel s total neglect of God s covenant. - Part of the purpose of the books of Kings is to provide a cultural history of Israel that the Israelites can read to understand the history of their people. The authors and compilers of the books use rhetorical devices to reflect this purpose. One such device is the simultaneous telling of the histories of Israel and Judah. Accounts of Israelite kings always accompany accounts of contemporary kings in Judah. The narrator then describes how God views each king. This rhetorical device labels each king s reign as good or evil, and provides a moral evaluation of Israel and Judah s history. Judah appears generally more good than Israel since it has more good kings, a trend that reflects God s promise to Solomon that he will bless Judah because it is the site of King David s legacy in Jerusalem. On the whole, however, both Judah and Israel have a majority of evil kings. In spite of Hezekiah and Josiah s laudable reforms in Judah, the attacks by Assyria and Babylon appear to be punishment for the religious deterioration of the Israelites. - As the books religious protagonists, Elijah and Elisha illustrate that the nature of prophets has changed throughout the Old Testament. Moses, Joshua, the judges, and David are all leaders of the Israelites,

5 and, as the people s representatives, they meet with God on mountains or in religious centers to intercede on behalf of the people for their wrongdoing. Elijah and Elisha, however, are located on the outskirts of communities, and they utter mystical warnings or oracles to Israel that are fatalistic at best. Rather than leading the people to greatness, Elijah s contest with the priests of Baal is merely an attempt to diminish the people s ongoing evil, and Elisha s healing of the peasant boy only helps to ease pain. The narrator mentions Elisha s death only in passing, and Elijah is not actually buried in Israel. He is, instead, taken straight into heaven by supernatural means, an event that suggests that the land is too evil for God s prophets. Whereas God formerly presents himself to Moses using thunder and lightning, God s small, gentle whisper to Elijah shows that the people s worship of other deities has effectively quelled God s voice in Israel. Notes on 1 Kings 18:20-39 from NISB - V27 wandered away is a Hebrew euphemism for Ball having gone to relieve himself! - V29 offering of the oblation was the time of evening temple sacrifice, around 3pm. - V30-35, the altar that Elijah repairs was destroyed by Baal worshippers, which was a way of claiming the land for their god. o Elijah s elaborate preparations heightened expectations - V36-40 Elijah prays for vindication and demonstration that the God of Israel is the only god. - V41-45 Following the death of Baal s prophets, the drought ends, confirming the Lord s control of events. Commentary by Vanessa Lovelace - This week s passage focuses on the loyal prophet who is sent to persuade the wayward monarch and people to return to the Lord (Hebrew YHWH, called the tetragrammaton), the God of Israel. - Ahab son of Omri ruled the northern kingdom of Israel for 22 years (ca BCE). The deuteronomistic historian (Dtr), a term applied collectively to the authors/editors of Israel s historical narratives from Joshua to 2 Kings, judges Ahab as having done evil in the sight of the Lord more than any other Israelite king before him for promoting the spread of Baal worship in Israel (1 Kings 16:30, 33). A major theme in this corpus of literature is the tension between the prophet and king. The king was charged with seeing that the people were faithful to the covenantal law and the prophet was responsible for keeping the king accountable to the law. - The Dtr characterizes Ahab s marriage to the Phoenician princess Jezebel as the impetus for Ahab having chosen to serve and worship Baal, one of the gods worshiped by Jezebel and as a result, leading the people astray. Promptly after his marriage to Jezebel, Ahab built a temple for Baal in Samaria and erected an altar to Baal in the temple. Additionally, he made the Asherah, a sacred pole that is representative of the goddess Asherah (1 Kings 16:32-33). In response God sends the prophet Elijah to Ahab to pronounce judgment on Ahab. - Elijah announces that Ahab s worship of the Baals has provoked God to cause a drought in the land (1 Kings 17:1). Ironically, when the drought occurs Ahab blames it on Elijah (1 Kings 18:17). The drought is a direct challenge by God to Baal s influence as the storm god of rain, dew, and fertility in Canaan and Phoenicia. The move by God is meant to demonstrate God s supremacy over Baal and the other deities in the Canaanite pantheon. Yet, for some readers, knowing that God intentionally caused the drought given the famine and suffering that ensued might seem an extreme means to make a point. - Elijah orders Ahab to summon the prophets of Baal and Asherah, who number 850 (1 Kings 17:19), to Mount Carmel for a showdown between Baal and God before an assembly of all Israel (1 Kings 18:20). Carmel was the highest peak in a mountain range known for its lush, fertile forests and as a sacred site of Baal worship. Elijah wanted the Israelites present to force them to choose whom they would serve: Baal or the Lord. He accuses them of limping, from the Hebrew root pasach for to pass over,

6 leap, or limp, with two different opinions (v. 21). The implication is that their worship is halfhearted because they are not fully committed to either deity. - Some of us may question why the Israelites could not obey the command to worship only the God of Israel. Part of that answer may lie in the pluralistic milieu of the ancient world where many diverse religions peaceably coexisted. Many scholars agree that prior to the eighth century B.C.E., the ancient Israelites practiced a form of worship referred to in academic terms as henotheism, meaning that they pledged their allegiance to a single god while acknowledging the existence of other gods. - With each religion having attractive features it may have been difficult to choose to worship and serve one god only. Therefore, the people were silent when Elijah asked them to choose between the Lord, the God of Israel, and Baal. Perhaps they were waiting on the outcome of the contest between the two deities. Elijah proposed that he and the prophets of Baal be given two bulls between them to place atop a stack of wood. Elijah wagered that the first deity called upon to set the wood on fire was indeed God (1 Kings 18:24). The people agreed to these terms. The prophets of Baal outnumbered Elijah 450 to one. This was intended to demonstrate that the odds were on Baal s side. Interestingly, Dtr represented this competition as between male opponents. Although Jezebel is depicted as the source of the trouble, she is not involved in the competition. Neither are the 400 prophets of Asherah. - The prophets of Baal went first. They called upon Baal morning to noon, but there was no response. They took to limping (Hebrew root pasach) or dancing ritually around the altar they had made (v. 26). Silence. Elijah began to ridicule the prophets, taunting them that perhaps Baal was meditating, on a journey or asleep (v. 27). The prophets cried louder and resorted to cutting themselves until they bled, but Baal was still silent (v. 28). - When Elijah s turn came he implored the people to draw near. He built a trench around the altar and saturated the wood and bull atop it with water (vv ). Elijah offered a prayer unto God, petitioning God to answer him so that the people might know that the Lord was the God of Israel and repent. God responded by sending fire that consumed the bull, the wood, the altar, and all the water (v. 38). The people fell down in obeisance and declared, The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God (v. 39). In some regard this was yet another indictment on the people s wavering faith -- they needed evidence of God s power before they believed. Nevertheless, the God of Israel indeed proved to the detractors which deity was god. Questions Arising From the Text - Elijah prays for a demonstration of the power of the God of Israel. What does that mean, to pray for a demonstration of power, and do we and should we do the same? - Here the real God is characterized as the god who actually receives the offering that has been prepared. What is the nature of God suggested in this characterization? Do we understand that nature to be true? - Elijah kills the false prophets. Is that the way to deal with them? How should we, in faith? Closing Prayer God of Elijah, with great fire you made your presence known to the worshipers of Baal. Help us to resist the temptation to place our trust and faith in anything other than you. Receive our worship and strengthen our faith. Amen.