Day 146: 1 Kings 17-19

Elijah was a brave man of faith. He calls a showdown with 450 prophets of Baal. Two altars are set up...one for Baal and one for Jehovah. A sacrifice is prepared and the altar is ready...but God (or god) is supposed to send the fire to burn up the sacrifice. The prophets of Baal chant and pray and carry on all day long with no result. Then Elijah gets his turn. He has a flair for the dramatic so he has the altar drenched in water just to make it a little more difficult. He prays a simple prayer and God sends down fire from heaven that completely consumes the sacrifice, the altar, the water and the ground around it. After this display of power the prophets of Baal are pursued and killed.

This whole episode, however, makes Jezebel (king Ahab's domineering wife) very angry. She puts out a hit on Elijah...

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”  Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. (19:1-3)

I can't figure out why Elijah had the courage to stand up in front of everyone and face down 450 false prophets but Jezebel frightens him into running for his life. I suppose Jezebel was force to be reckoned with. I also suppose it's true that we all have our ups and downs. Often, after a major event...a "mountain top experience"...we find ourselves hitting a major low. We come to a depressing realization that, even after our major victory, life goes on pretty much as it did before. And we wonder if anything has really changed. What was it worth?

The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” (19:15-18)

Elijah's work wasn't finished. God's plans are really long-term, spanning generations of history, not just Elijah's lifetime...or mine.