Narrative Commentary ~ Sunday, 3 November 2013 ~ Lectionary Scriptures

Narrative Commentary ~ Sunday, 3 November 2013 ~ Lectionary Scriptures

1 Kings 19:1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don’t make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time!”

3 When he saw that, he arose, and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. Then he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough. Now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”

5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat!”

6 He looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 the LORD’s angel came again the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

8 He arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, God’s Mountain. 9 He came to a cave there, and camped there; and behold, the LORD’s word came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

11 He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.”

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. After the wind there was an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire passed; but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

15 The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 Anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be king over Israel; and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah to be prophet in your place. 17 He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.”(Messianic WEB)

Gospel: John 12:27  “Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But for this cause I came to this time. 28  Father, glorify your name!”

Then there came a voice out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”(Messianic WEB)

~~~

Commentary on 1 Kings 19:1-18 by Stephen Reid

What is this story doing in the book of Kings?

When the contemporary person reads the title “Kings,” one might think that it is about kings. As the Tanak, the Hebrew Bible designates the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings as the former prophets (the Neviim). The story of the state, that is kings, is interpreted through the stories and visions of prophets.

Another aspect to consider is the relationship between the prophets in Hebrew narrative and those in the prophetic books. Elijah cast the largest shadow in the narrative of Kings. Likewise, he is ensconced in Judaism in the Passover Haggadah. The Elijah cycle begins its prophetic career in hiding (1 Kings 17:3).

Chapter 18 describes the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Ultimately, the God of Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:1-46). However, after the victory came consequences. Ahab reported to Jezebel. She made a cursing vow that obligated her to have Elijah killed in twenty-four hours. The belligerent Elijah of the contest on Mount Carmel gives way to the hunted and frightened Elijah of chapter 19. He fled to Beersheba. We estimate it to be about one hundred miles from Mount Carmel to Beersheba, over mountainous and then hostile desert terrain. There in Beersheba he left his servant.

As if to emphasize the remoteness of Elijah’s location, the writer tells us that he went another day’s journey into the wilderness. When Elijah arrives in the area around Beersheba, he sits under a solitary broom tree and falls asleep. The writer paints a picture of a bleak desert with a single tree. We do not know much about the broom tree. The visual imagery conveys a sense of starkness. It occurs in this chapter and in Micah 1:13. We can see the picture of the dejected Elijah under the solitary broom tree, and the caption reads, “Elijah requests that he might die.” Then he lies down to sleep, praying that he will die before he wakes.

We now have a new character, the messenger of God. Sometimes this is translated as angel. The angel touched Elijah and gave him simple instructions, “Get up and eat” (19:5b). Elijah found fresh baked bread and a jar of water by his head. Elijah followed the instructions -- he ate and drank -- but then he went to sleep again. We can but assume that the desire for death was still in play. This was not the first feeding story in the Elijah cycle. The early Elijah cycle also contained feeding stories. First Elijah is fed by the ravens (1 Kings 17:6), and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9-16) gave him the last of her food and drink.

The messenger of God returned. A second touch and a call to “rise and eat.” Often, contemporary readers get so focused on the message that we forget the role of touch in the story. On the second encounter the writer provides an explanation: without the sustenance, the journey will be too much for Elijah. Bread and journey have been metaphors appropriated by contemporary culture.

The angel’s advice worked. Elijah arose, ate and drank. Then in the power of that sustenance he was able to go forty days and forty nights. He went on to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. It is often connected with the burning bush story as well as the giving of the Ten Commandments. There Elijah came to a cave and spent the night.

The angel disappears, and in 1 Kings 19:9b we encounter the prophetic formula, “Then the Word of the Lord,” presses Elijah, “What are you doing here?” Elijah defends his record as “zealous for the Lord the God of Hosts,” but weak and vulnerable. The dialogue between the angel of the Lord and Elijah gives way to Elijah’s apology.

Elijah’s apology does not elicit reassurance but rather a new command. Nancy DeClaissé Walford observed the connection between Moses and Elijah in her commentary on 1 Kings 19. Both Moses and Elijah encounter God at Mount Horeb (see Exodus 3). Later, Moses requests a theophany so he could see the glory of God (Exodus 33:17-23). Elijah is mandated for his theophany. The writer described traditional theophanies, earthquake and breaking rocks, wind, and even fire. God was not found in the traditional theophany vehicles but in the rare sound of sheer silence.

This theophany sets up a repeat of the question, “What are you doing here Elijah?” Again Elijah makes the same defense. The writer signals no change of heart. It follows Elijah’s speech with a new mandate from God, “Go, return.” And Elijah obeys.

Often readers approach 1 Kings 19 from a typological or figural perspective; often folks will interpret it as a psychological piece on the importance of following the inner voice. However, the literary context makes clear that the implications of Elijah’s work changed the history of the region. He played a vital role in the Aramean conflicts of the ninth century.

The Arameans, a Semitic nation, played a significant role in the coalition of small vassals, including Israel in the battle of Qarqar in 853 B.C.E. that repelled the Assyrian threat Shalmaneser III. This alliance was short lived. Usually Aram and Israel both vied for superiority. The audience recognized the irony that Elijah is anointed Hazael, who, in 842, reignited hostilities between Aram/Damascus and Israel. Elisha is to oversee a changing of the guard with the figures Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. Hazael and Jehu will launch the region into violent chaos. Despite political chaos, the anti-syncretistic message remains the same. Those who have not shifted loyalty to Baal shall be spared the coming carnage.

~~~

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Powerful God,
Although you can make your presence known in a mighty wind, or an earthquake, or a fire, you often speak to us in the sound of sheer silence. Help us to hear. Amen.

~~~

HYMNS:

“For all the saints” (William W. How)

1. For all the saints, who from their labors rest, 

who thee by faith before the world confessed, 

thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

2. Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might; 

thou Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight; 

thou in the darkness drear, their one true light.

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

3. O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold, 

fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, 

and win with them the victor's crown of gold. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

4. O blest communion, fellowship divine! 

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; 

yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

5. And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, 

steals on the ear the distant triumph song, 

and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong. 

Alleluia, Alleluia! 

6. From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, 

through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, 

singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: 

Alleluia, Alleluia!

~~~
“I sing a song of the saints of God” (Lesbia Scott)

1. I sing a song of the saints of God, 

patient and brave and true, 

who toiled and fought and lived and died 

for the Lord they loved and knew. 

And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, 

and one was a shepherdess on the green; 

they were all of them saints of God, and I mean, 

God helping, to be one too. 

2. They loved their Lord so dear, so dear, 

and his love made them strong; 

and they followed the right for Jesus' sake 

the whole of their good lives long. 

And one was a soldier, and one was a priest, 

and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;

and there's not any reason, no, not the least, 

why I shouldn't be one too. 

3. They lived not only in ages past; 

there are hundreds of thousands still. 

The world is bright with the joyous saints 

who love to do Jesus' will. 

You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store, 

in church, by the sea, in the house next door; 

they are saints of God, whether rich or poor, 

and I mean to be one too.

~~~
“Now the silence” (Jaroslav J. Vajda)

Now the silence, now the peace,
Now the empty hands uplifted;
Now the kneeling, now the plea,
Now the Father’s arms in welcome;
Now the hearing, now the power,
Now the vessel brimmed for pouring;
Now the body, now the blood,
Now the joyful celebration;
Now the wedding, now the songs,
Now the heart forgiven, leaping;
Now the Spirit’s visitation,
Now the Son’s epiphany;
Now the Father’s blessing,
Now, now, now.

~~~

CHORAL:

“Holy is the true light” (William Harris)

 Holy is the True Light, and passing wonderful,

lending radiance to them that endured in the heat

of the conflict, from Christ they inherit a home of

unfading splendour, wherein they rejoice with

gladness evermore. Alleluia!

~~~
“Give us the wings of faith” (Ernest Bullock)(Isaac Watts)

!. Give us the wings of faith to rise within the veil, 

and see the saints above, 

how great their joys,

how bright their glories be.

2. We ask them whence their victory came; 

they, with united breath, 

ascribe their conquest to the Lamb, 

their triumph to his death.

3. They marked the footsteps that he trod, 

his zeal inspired their quest,

and following their incarnate God, 

they reaches the promised rest.

4. Our glorious Leader claims our praise 

for his own pattern given;

while the long cloud of witnesses 

show the same path to heaven.

~~~

John Wesley’s Notes~Commentary for:

1 Kings 19:1~18

XIX Elijah flees from Jezebel, ver. 1-3. Is fed by an angel, ver. 4- 8. God manifests himself and directs him, ver. 9-18. He calls Elisha, ver. 19-21.

Verse 1. All the prophets - Of Baal.

Verse 2. Jezebel sent - She gives him notice of it before hand: partly, out of the height of her spirit, as scorning to kill him secretly: partly, out of her impatience, till she had breathed out her rage: and principally, from God's all-disposing providence, that so he might have an opportunity of escaping. Do to me, &c. - So far was she from being changed by that evident miracle, that she persists in her former idolatry, and adds to it a monstrous confidence, that in spight of God she would destroy his prophet.

Verse 3. Left his servant - Because he would not expose him to those perils and hardships which he expected: and because he desired solitude, that he might more freely converse with God.

Verse 4. Into the wilderness - The vast wilderness of Arabia. He durst not stay in Judah, tho' good Jehosaphat reigned there, because he was allied to Ahab, and was a man of an easy temper, whom Ahab might circumvent, and either by force or art seize upon Elijah. It is enough - I have lived long enough for thy service, and am not like to do thee any more service; neither my words nor works are like to do any good upon these unstable and incorrigible people. I am not better - That I should continue in life, when other prophets who have gone before me, have lost their lives.

Verse 7. Angel of the Lord, &c. - He needed not to complain of the unkindness of men, when it was thus made up by the ministration of angels. Wherever God's children are, they are still under their father's eye.

Verse 8. And went - He wandered hither and thither for forty days, 'till at last he came to Horeb, which in the direct road was not above three or four days journey. Thither the spirit of the Lord led him, probably beyond his own intention, that he might have communion with God, in the same place that Moses had.

Verse 9. Unto a cave - Perhaps the same wherein Moses was hid when the Lord passed before him, and proclaimed his name.

Verse 10. I have been, &c. - I have executed my office with zeal for God's honour, and with the hazard of my own life, and am fled hither, not being able to endure to see the dishonour done to thy name by their obstinate idolatry and wickedness. I only - Of all thy prophets, who boldly and publickly plead thy cause: for the rest of thy prophets who are not slain, hide themselves, and dare not appear to do thee any service. They seek my life - I despair of doing them any good: for instead of receiving my testimony, they hunt for my life. It does by no means appear, that he was at all to blame, for fleeing from Jezebel. If they persecute you in one city flee into another. Besides, the angels feeding and preparing him for his journey, and the peculiar blessing of God upon that food, indicated the divine approbation.

Verse 11. And behold - This is a general description of the thing, after which the manner of it is particularly explained. Strong wind - Whereby he both prepares Elijah to receive this discovery of God with greatest humility, reverence, and godly fear; and signifies his irresistible power, to break the hardest hearts of the Israelites, and to bear down all opposition that was or should be made against him in the discharge of his office. The Lord was not - The Lord did not vouchsafe his special and gracious presence to Elijah in that wind, which possibly was to teach him not to wonder if God did not accompany his terrible administration at mount Carmel with the presence of his grace, to turn the hearts of the Israelites to himself.

Verse 12. A still voice - To intimate, that God would do his work in and for Israel in his own time, not by might or power, but by his own spirit, Zech iv, 6, which moves with a powerful, but yet with a sweet and gentle gale.

Verse 13. He wrapped, &c. - Through dread of God's presence, being sensibly that he was neither worthy nor able to endure the sight of God with open face. And stood, &c. - Which God commanded him to do; and as he was going towards the mouth of the cave, he was affrighted and stopped in his course, by the dreadful wind, and earthquake, and fire; when these were past, he prosecutes his journey, and goeth on to the mouth of the cave.

Verse 16. The son, &c. - That is, his grand-son, for he was the son of Jehosaphat, 2 Kings ix, 2. This was intended as a prediction that by these God would punish the degenerate Israelites, plead his own cause among them, and avenge the quarrel of his covenant.

Verse 17. Shall Elisha slay - One or other of these should infallibly execute God's judgments upon the apostate Israelites. Elisha is said to slay them, either, because he slew those forty two children, 2 Kings ii, 24, besides others whom upon like occasions he might destroy; or, because he by God's appointment inflicted the famine, 2 Kings viii, 1, or rather, by the sword which came out of his mouth: the prophets being said to pull down and to destroy what they declare and foretel shall be pulled down. Hazael began to slay them before Jehu was king, though his cruelty was much increased afterward. Jehu destroyed those whom Hazael did not, as king Joram himself, and Ahaziah, and all the near relations of Ahab.

Verse 18. I have left - Or, I have reserved to myself; I have kept from the common contagion: therefore thou art mistaken to think that thou art left alone. Seven thousand - Either, definitely so many: or rather, indefinitely, for many thousands; the number of seven being often used for a great number. Kissed him - That is, all those who have not worshipped Baal, nor professed reverence or subjection to him: which idolaters did to their idols, by bowing the knee, and by kissing them.

John 12:27~28

Verse 27. Now is my soul troubled - He had various foretastes of his passion. And what shall I say? - Not what shall I choose? For his heart was fixed in choosing the will of his Father: but he laboured for utterance. The two following clauses, Save me from this hour - For this cause I came - Into the world; for the sake of this hour (of suffering) seem to have glanced through his mind in one moment. But human language could not so express it.

Verse 28. Father, glorify thy name - Whatever I suffer. Now the trouble was over. I have glorified it - By thy entrance into this hour. And I will glorify it - By thy passing through it.

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