Elijah – putting the holy God in a box
Series: Holy – Holy – Holy | Bible text: 1 Kings 19:8–18
Elijah is in deep crisis. Nevertheless – or precisely because of this – he takes the long way through the desert to the mountain of God under his feet. He wants to see God and experience who He is. When he reaches his destination, he experiences the grace of the holy God in an indescribably impressive and gentle way. Although he is corrected in a loving way by God’s Word, he experiences full acceptance at the same time and gets a new perspective on the future.
Just recently someone wrote me the following lines: «I would be so happy if I could experience God in all this as the loving Father He is supposed to be. I feel very abandoned by him right now.«This is a profoundly human experience. In difficult moments, when we would be grateful for divine impulses, we feel so little of Him. Elijah probably felt the same way after his mighty triumph on Mount Carmel.
The path to God’s glory
In his great disappointment, Elijah decided to go to the mountain of God. It is the same place where Moses had been granted to see the glory of God a few hundred years before. Elijah wanted to see who God really is. For this, he accepted a journey of 40 days and nights through the desert. He was ready to go into solitude and endure the silence.
Sometimes we think that the people in the Bible were constantly experiencing God and hearing His voice. But when was the last time you sought God’s face so intensely? This summer I had the privilege of seeking God during similar periods. It is not easy to endure so much silence and solitude while facing your own nakedness, vulnerability and shame. Desert times in which we have to reflect prepare the ground before God’s encounters. Where we leave our emotional comfort zones lies a special potential for God’s action. The desert is the place of purification and change, the place of great struggles and encounters with God – the place of our redemption.
Early on in the journey, Elijah experiences divine intervention. Through the angel he was touched by God and given bread. Presumably, however, he did not register this as divine action because it was an everyday profane event. Could it be that we are often caught up in our thought models and do not realise that God has been at work for a long time?
Do you also have a deep desire to see more of God, to understand Him better? The price for this is the stay in the desert. And admittedly, it’s not that easy, but it’s rewarding, transforming and blissful! It is quite simple, but it costs us everything.
The revelation of God’s glory
When Elijah arrived at Mount Sinai, he spent a night in a cleft. It is assumed that Moses had already stayed there. The next morning the Lord said to him: « «Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD will pass by». At first a violent storm came before the LORD, dividing the mountains and breaking the rocks. But the LORD was not in the storm. After the storm the earth shook, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a low whispering sound»(1 Kings 19:11f NLB).
The message here is not that the Lord is never in the storm, the earthquake or the fire. God met Moses (Exodus 3:2) and Abraham (Genesis 15:17) in fire, the apostles at Pentecost in a storm (Acts 2:2) and Moses at Sinai in an earthquake (Exodus 19:18). But here the Lord reveals Himself in a gentle whisper. God is very careful and gentle with Elijah. I am fascinated by how the holy God reveals himself in a surprisingly different way than Elijah probably expected. The holy God is the very Other and sometimes Stranger.
The message involved is: Elia, you put me in a box! When asked twice by God what Elijah is doing here, he answers twice: «I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts»(V.10+13 ELB). Elijah convicts himself with his own words. With these words he means: «I executed the right plan perfectly. What is wrong with you?»
The reason for Elijah’s depression is that he has put God in a box. He knew exactly how God would have to act. His idea was: I organise the competition on Mount Carmel and then God has to convict Ahab and Jezebel spiritually or physically. It was not God who dropped Elijah, but his own plan dropped him. He identified God with his plan. When we think that God will show himself in fire, he does it in a whisper. The holy God says: «I am not a tamed god. You shouldn’t put me in a box.«God is so gentle and patient, but he makes it clear that Elijah himself is responsible for his disappointment.
Besides the despondency, this had another consequence. Elijah lost touch with reality. On the one hand, he was too optimistic and rushed straight to the capital as a person with a bounty on his head. On the other hand, he was too pessimistic and declared twice that he was the only one who had not bowed his knees to Baal. In all love, he is now corrected by God: «But 7000 people in Israel I will spare: all who have never prostrated themselves before Baal and kissed him» (1Kings 19:18 NLB).
Sometimes we think that God has no plan because it is different from ours. But there is also a divine plan in this story: «Then the LORD said to him: «Go back the way you came, through the desert to Damascus. When you are there, anoint Hazael king of Aram. Then anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-Mehola prophet in your place. Whoever escapes Hazael will kill Jehu, and whoever escapes Jehu will kill Elisha!» (1Kings 19:15–17 NLB).
Elijah is to anoint Hazael as king. Hazael was a pagan king. There is no indication that he was or became a believer. Yet he is part of God’s plan leading to the goal. God is bigger than our imagination. Sometimes we may think – like Elijah – that we are so few people in Switzerland who follow the holy God. Yes, Elijah played a role in God’s plan, but he is far from the only one.
God’s words from His glory
There is no other chapter in the Bible where the holy God reveals himself in so many ways. An important message for Elijah is that the spectacular way of Carmel is not what can change hearts. What can penetrate our heart? It is the quiet and unobtrusive voice of God! Some want to experience God in nature, others in miracles and healings or mystical experiences. The only way to ensure that our experience is not imaginary is through His Word. If we want to know God and be changed, we need to read the Word of God, the Bible, as the voice of God. No earthquake, no fire, but the word of God, the word of grace.
Elsewhere, the «good» king Ahab wanted to go to war with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. The answer of Jehoshaphat is: «Ask first for the word of the Lord!» (2 Chronicles 18:4 LUT). In other words, align your own plans with God’s plans and not the other way around..
The Lord challenges Elijah: «Then the LORD said to him, «Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD will pass by […]» ».» (1Kings 19:11 NLB). Elijah did not and let storm, earthquake and fire pass. «When Elijah heard it (the soft whispering), he pulled his cloak in front of his face, went outside and stood in the entrance of the cave» (1 Kings 19:13 NLB). Earthquake and fire were also signs of judgement. Elijah hid behind the rock, which was smashed by the storm. The rock is an image of Jesus. On the Mount of Transfiguration, both Moses and Elijah will meet the Rock in person (Luke 9:30).
In Proverbs 11:29 there is an interesting expression that shows that «inheriting the wind» is an expression of cursing. Jesus inherited the wind, He took the curse upon Himself so that we can have the gentle purr of God’s breath. When Jesus Christ died, there was an earthquake as a sign of judgement. Jesus took judgement upon himself so that we can experience forgiveness, grace and restoration. Elijah, despite his failure and obvious sin, was not struck by judgment, thanks to God’s grace. Sin is not a word that assesses man as relatively «good» or «bad». It denotes man in relation to God and sees him separated from God. Sin means that there is something wrong between man and God. In this state, people can be evil, unhappy and fearful. Or they can be virtuous, happy and prosperous. Jesus Christ inherited the wind and passed judgement for Elijah, you and me.
Through the gentle whispering he heard God’s voice and realised what is true for all of us: In myself I am more sinful than I could ever have believed, but in Christ I am more loved than I could ever have hoped. This is also true for you, even if you feel very abandoned by God right now. Maybe God shows Himself to you as an angel who cooks for you and touches you. Maybe He shows Himself in the wind, earthquake or fire. Maybe you hear a soft whisper and receive gentle and sensitive direction. In any case, in Christ you are more loved than you could ever have hoped!
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: 1 Kings 19:8–18
- Elijah walks the long way through the desert. What does «desert» mean in our everyday life? What happens in a desert?
- Elijah put God in a box and confused his own plan with God. Have you also had the experience of knowing exactly how God should act, but it turned out differently?
- What is the message of God being in the quiet whisper? Why not in the storm, the earthquake or the fire?
- What is the place of God’s Word in your life? Where does it get space?
- What impulses from the story of Elijah do you want to transfer into your life?
