Tag: prophet elijah

Who Are You Listening To? (2 Kings 1:1-12)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment

After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.”

But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.

When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you come back?”

“A man came to meet us,” they replied. “And he said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”

The king asked them, “What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”

They replied, “He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.”

The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”

Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.

At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”

“If I am a man of God,” Elijah replied, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. (New International Version)

King Ahaziah lies on his deathbed as Elijah prophesies, by Henry Pierce Bone (1779-1855)

Whomever you go to when looking for help says a lot about the person.

The king of Israel, Ahaziah, injured himself in a fall and feared that he might die. His response to the predicament was to seek help from the Canaanite god Baal, rather than Israel’s God, Yahweh.

This, by no means, went unnoticed by the Lord. Ahaziah’s brazen religious apostasy is an affront to Yahweh, especially from the ruler of the Israelite people. Therefore, God sent the prophet Elijah to communicate a message to the king.

Elijah’s prophetic message to Ahaziah minced no words: The king won’t get up from his bed; he will die in it.

Ahaziah’s couriers did not even make it to Philistia to ask for Baal’s help, the place where you would go to find the best pagan prophets. Elijah had them intercepted; the message from Yahweh was given to the Ahaziah’s messengers to relay to the king.

Since Ahaziah had far removed himself from the worship of God, we can sense that he will not respond well to Elijah’s interloping. And he didn’t. As is typical with bad leaders who don’t like what they hear, the king ordered an army captain with fifty soldiers to go and take out the messenger, instead of dealing with the message.

The prophet Elijah was not easily intimidated. Once the soldiers found him, he had no intention of going along with them, knowing full well what they were up to.

Even though a fiery judgment of God enveloped the men, Ahaziah refused to back down, but instead sent even more soldiers, in a desperate attempt to wipe out Elijah. It’s a sad state of affairs whenever a king of Israel seeks to do away with a prophet sent from Israel’s God.

This scenario happened multiple times; Ahaziah would not get the clue that he could not have his way. Sadly, he never quite seemed to connect that he was fighting against Yahweh and not Elijah.

Continued bad leadership is evidenced in Ahaziah’s policy of just sending in more troops to deal with something he didn’t like. Puny attempts at power and arm-twisting, in order to get our way, are at the least, just pathetic, and at most, gets a lot of people killed.

Posturing and intimidation are very poor tools in dealing with problems. Such approaches belie listening to the wrong sort of people (and the wrong sort of gods!).

God is still God, no matter what we do or don’t do, say or don’t say. Any efforts to silence what is right and just, or to simply avoid unwanted messages altogether, get us nowhere – except maybe to get God’s attention in ways we may not want.

Don’t be like this people,
    always afraid somebody is plotting against them.
Don’t fear what they fear.
    Don’t take on their worries.
If you’re going to worry,
    worry about The Holy. Fear God-of-the-Angel-Armies. (Isaiah 8:12-13, MSG)

Any national leader who believes they can act with impunity, as if they are in control of everything, will eventually come up against the real Ruler of all. If such a leader listens only to themselves, and merely gathers sycophants around them who say things the leader wants to hear, then the only thing the “leader” can expect is a hard fall from the One who is truly in charge.

King Ahaziah sought the counsel of Baal prophets, not unlike his ancestor King Saul who consulted with the land’s mediums and spiritists instead of God. Both kings came to an ignominious and inglorious end.

Who do you listen to, my friend? Whom we seek for counsel, and who we choose to listen to, makes a big difference in our lives.

Listening to talk show hosts who claim to have all the answers, political pundits who only like to talk, marginal preachers seeking self-glory, and ignorant neighbors serving as armchair quarterbacks, is foolish and stupid. No one has the corner on truth, except the One who sees and knows all things.

God awaits us, wants to listen to us, and eagerly desires to answer good prayers for us offered in faith, hope, and love. I am, personally, okay disappointing others; I only want to remain faithful and true to the source of life, truth, and justice.

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; so that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Leadership Matters (2 Kings 9:30-37)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Jehu Commanding Jezebel’s Death, by Philip Galle, c.1561

Jehu then went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard of it, she put on her eye shadow and arranged her hair. She looked down out of the window. When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri, you master murderer?”

Jehu looked up to the window and said, “Who’s on my side? Anyone?” Two or three high officials looked down at him. Then he said, “Throw her out!” So they threw her out of the window. Some of her blood splattered against the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her. 

Jehu then went in to eat and drink. He said, “Deal with this cursed woman and bury her. She was, after all, a king’s daughter.” They went to bury her, but they couldn’t find her body. Only her skull was left, along with her hands and feet. They went back and reported this to Jehu.

He said, “This is the Lord’s word spoken through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: Dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh in the area of Jezreel. Jezebel’s corpse will be like dung spread out in a field in that plot of land in Jezreel, so no one will be able to say, This was Jezebel.” (Common English Bible)

“Jezebel” is not a common name for a reason. Few parents would ever give their child such a moniker. Jezebel is portrayed in Old Testament Scripture as a pagan priestess who cared nothing for Israel’s one true God; and would do anything to get her way – even if it meant fabricating false witnesses and committing murder (1 Kings 21). Here name is used synonymously in the New Testament with spiritual prostitution and opposition to God (Revelation 2:20).

Jezebel was from the city of Tyre, and married King Ahab. She introduced her husband and his nation to the chief Canaanite god Baal. Jezebel promoted the worship practices of Baal. She brought to Israel 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah. What’s more, Jezebel’s commitment to Baal led her to persecute and kill the prophets of God (1 Kings 18:4, 13).

Jehu was a military man, called by God through the prophet Elisha:

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’”  (2 Kings 9:6-10, NIV)

Eventually, Jehu made his way to Jezebel – and she knew full well that he intended on killing her. So, Jezebel readied by presenting herself as beautiful as possible. It seems that she intended on seducing or currying favor with Jehu so that she might continue in the royal court. But Jehu wasn’t having it.

The new king of Israel, Jehu, in seeing Jezebel, didn’t even bother to go up to her when she showed herself out of the upper level latticed window. He simply asked where the loyalty is, from those attending her. The eunuchs responded by throwing Jezebel out the window to her death. Thus, the details of Elijah’s earlier prophecy came to pass in a gruesome way.

In my reading of the story this time around, I wondered how many people are in jobs who are working for someone they see continually doing selfish and unfair things. My mind gravitated toward the eunuchs – Jezebel’s servants – who daily dealt with her. I wondered:

  • Were the eunuchs ever disturbed by Jezebel’s actions?
  • Did they ever get angry over all the injustice they saw? Or, were the eunuchs just like their mistress, having no regard for the many lives she destroyed?
  • What was the nature of their loyalty? Was it forced, or was it just shrewd?
  • Did the eunuchs dispose of their mistress because they finally saw a way out, or did they toss her out the window as a mere watching out for themselves and wanting to be on the winner’s side?

The text never tells us about the life or motives of the eunuchs. Yet, I imagine they most likely saw the situation for what it was at the time. And I suspect they had a sense that Jezebel’s reign of injustice needed to be finished.

In saying this, I’m in no way advocating for dislodging an unjust and unfair leader by violent means. But what I am saying is that, if one has a strong sense of goodness within them, its distressing to see a bad leader act in sinister and malevolent ways day after day. Consider the following statistics from the Niagara Institute:

57% of all workers have left a job in their lifetime because of bad leadership. 32% say they have considered leaving a job due to poor management, and/or due to unbearable working conditions.

69% of workers would pay better attention to their work if they were treated with more respect by their employers. 79% of employees have quit a job in their lifetime due to a lack of appreciation.

96% of employees said that management showing empathy would make them want to stay with the company. Moreover, management thinks they’re doing a good job, with 92% of managers saying that their company is empathetic; whereas only 50% of employees agree.

35% of employees say their direct manager is their biggest source of stress at work.

Over 120,000 deaths every year may be attributed to how U.S. organizations manage their employees. This doesn’t even account for the physical and mental toll an ineffective leader can take over a period of time.

Maybe Jezebel’s eunuchs knew their own deaths were just a matter of time.

I’ve been on both ends of being an employee/worker and a leader/manager. I can say that I have suffered abuse in both roles. Yet, in my judgment, the onus on making a workplace a good and positive environment is on management.

Whatever role we occupy in this life, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that there is no injustice; and that integrity and fairness are ubiquitous. Leaders are especially called to exhibit what is good, right, and just in everything they do.

Let’s all be willing to hold one another accountable for how we work and live together in this world. If not, we’ll keep having stories like Jehu and Jezebel.

“A Blessing for Leaders,” by John O’Donohue

May you have the grace and wisdom

To act kindly, learning

To distinguish between what is

Personal and what is not.

May you be hospitable to criticism.

May you never put yourself at the center of things.

May you act not from arrogance but out of service.

May you work on yourself,

Building up and refining the ways of your mind.

May those who work for you know

You see and respect them.

May you learn to cultivate the art of presence

In order to engage with those who meet you.

When someone fails or disappoints you,

May the graciousness with which you engage

Be their stairway to renewal and refinement.

May you treasure the gifts of the mind

Through reading and creative thinking

So that you continue as a servant of the frontier

Where the new will draw its enrichment from the old,

And you never become a functionary.

May you know the wisdom of deep listening,

The healing of wholesome words,

The encouragement of the appreciative gaze,

The decorum of held dignity,

The springtime edge of the bleak question.

May you have a mind that loves frontiers

So that you can evoke the bright fields

That lie beyond the view of the regular eye.

May you have good friends

To mirror your blind spots.

May leadership be for you

A true adventure of growth.

Morality Matters (2 Kings 9:14-26)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment

Then Jehu, Jehoshaphat’s son and Nimshi’s grandson, plotted against Joram. Now Joram along with all of Israel had been guarding Ramoth-Gilead against Aram’s King Hazael, but King Joram had gone back to Jezreel to recover from wounds that the Arameans had given him when he fought Hazael.

So Jehu said, “If this is the way you feel, then don’t let anyone escape from the city to talk about it in Jezreel.” Then Jehu got on a chariot and drove to Jezreel because Joram was resting there. Judah’s King Ahaziah had also come to visit Joram.

The guard standing on the tower at Jezreel saw a crowd of people coming with Jehu. He said, “I see a crowd of people.”

Joram said, “Take a chariot driver. Send him out to meet them to ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’”

So the driver went to meet him and said, “The king asks, ‘Do you come in peace?’”

Jehu replied, “What do you care about peace? Come around and follow me.”

Meanwhile, the tower guard reported, “The messenger met them, but he isn’t returning.”

The king sent a second driver. He came to them and said, “The king asks, ‘Do you come in peace?’”

Jehu said, “What do you care about peace? Come around and follow me.”

The tower guard reported, “The messenger met them, but he isn’t returning. And the style of chariot driving is like Jehu, Nimshi’s son. Jehu drives like a madman.”

Joram said, “Hitch up the chariot!” So they hitched up his chariot. Then Israel’s King Joram and Judah’s King Ahaziah—each in his own chariot—went out to meet Jehu. They happened to meet him at the plot of ground that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite.

When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?”

He said, “How can there be peace as long as the immoralities of your mother Jezebel and her many acts of sorcery continue?”

Then Joram turned his chariot around and fled. He shouted to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, Ahaziah!”

Jehu took his bow and shot Joram in the back. The arrow went through his heart, and he fell down in his chariot. Jehu said to Bidkar his chariot officer, “Pick him up, and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were driving chariot teams behind his father Ahab when the Lord spoke this prophecy about him: Yesterday I saw Naboth’s blood and his sons’ blood, declares the Lord. I swear that I will pay you back on this very plot of ground, declares the Lord. Now pick him up, and throw him on that plot of ground, in agreement with the Lord’s word.” (Common English Bible)

Jehu shoots an arrow that strikes Joram in the back, by Jan Luyken, 1712

Ancient storytelling often had a moral to it. Historical writing was typically less concerned for objective details and much more interested to point out, in narrative form, how people morally lived and what happened to them. Rather than commenting on what the moral(s) are, the storyteller lets the story speak for itself.

Today’s Old Testament lesson brings several kings into the story (Jehu, Joram, Ahaziah, and Ahab). We are meant to contrast Jehu’s zeal for justice and living into God’s call with the others kings’ injustice and living for power and wealth. The final end of the kings is designed for us to see the ultimate consequence of injustice.

Elisha the prophet had given a non-descript Israelite military man, Jehu, instructions from the Lord about carrying out divine judgment against the unjust royal house of Omri – and more specifically, against King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.

After Jehu’s prophetic call and anointing, the soldiers under his command immediately acclaimed him as king. Jehu wasted no time in going after the people responsible for years of abusive power.

Rather than simply giving orders to his soldiers and remaining in back of his army, Jehu led his men into the thick of battle. We get the picture of a person with single-minded determination, aggressively going after unjust leaders; and seeking to upend a royal system of power which strayed far from their original mandate of upholding God’s system of law and covenant.

Jehu’s zeal is exemplified in his chariot driving: He was going to speedily get to where he needed to go, and do what he needed to do.

The story emphasizes the increasing drama of messengers sent to enquire of Jehu’s intentions: Are they peaceful? Clearly, no. There was betrayal afoot, as Jehu boldly drove against his own king of Israel, as well as the king of Judah.

The unjust kings had created a situation in their nations of peace for themselves, but not necessarily others. So, Jehu would take that peace from them.

The two kings of Israel and Judah personally went out to Jehu, not realizing what was about to happen. Ironically, it took place on land which Naboth had previously owned, and of which Ahab and Jezebel diabolically stole. It is a powerful depiction of what goes around comes around.

Jehu quickly got to the nub of the issue: There cannot be peace as long as Jezebel’s idolatry and witchcraft abound in the land. Her wicked ways had become thoroughly imbued throughout both Israel and Judah, and was supported by both of the kings.

From the perspective of Jehu, there was no peace that could exist between a follower of Yahweh and a practitioner of the Baal and Asherah cults. Jehu’s intent was to fulfill the prophecy that was announced by Elijah twelve years earlier. And he went about it with violent zeal.

Whenever the Lord begins to exact judgment and ensconce justice, there’s no way anyone is going to stop it. Joram went out to face an enemy that he could not stop. There was no escaping the inexorable force of God.

Divine providence brought the kings together on the very piece of land that was once Naboth’s vineyard – the place where Ahab took sinister control of it. (1 Kings 21). Murderous theft was the inevitable result of spiritual fornication; Ahab and Jezebel had prostituted themselves with the gods Baal and Asherah.

Spiritual adultery never ends well. Because God is a jealous Lover. Peace is not achieved by letting everyone do whatever they want. Instead, it is established through integrity, justice, truth, and ethical morality.

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom the sword of righteousness is drawn: Spread abroad your mighty Spirit, so that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Be Prepared, For the Lord Is Coming (Luke 1:5-17)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
The Angel Appearing to Zechariah, by William Blake, 1800

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 

Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. 

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (New Revised Standard Version)

We have the story of John the Baptist in the New Testament Gospels. In today’s Gospel lesson, we have the events surrounding his conception.

John’s birth story and life’s narrative are deeply rooted in Old Testament promises of deliverance and divine connection.

John’s ministry was one of preparing people for the Lord. John was, in many ways, the prophet Elijah who was to come, as Jesus said about him:

As they were coming down the mountain [of Transfiguration], Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” And the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:9-13, NRSV)

Just as John’s story only has meaning because of Israel’s history, so the story of Jesus is deeply connected to the Old Testament, as well. Jesus is very much related to Israel’s God.

Furthermore, the coming salvation that the Gospel writer Luke wrote about is not only for the glory of Israel; it will also be a revelation of light available to Gentiles.

So it ought to be no surprise to the reader that the angelic birth announcement of John is reminiscent of similar messages in the Old Testament about the coming of a special child. (Genesis 16:7-13; 17:1-22; Judges 13:3-20)

John’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, appear in the narrative as solid citizens of Israel, reminiscent of ancient heroes like Abraham and Sarah. And much like their faithful ancestors, Zechariah and Elizabeth are told they will have a child in their old age.

Elizabeth having been barren all her life is no problem or issue for God. The Lord had done it before; and would do it again.

And the child to come, John, will resemble Old Testament heroes, especially the prophet Elijah. (Malachi 4:5-6)

The visitation to the old couple was a message designed to be lifted up for the entire world: The Lord is coming! Be prepared!

All of us find ourselves getting on in years. Certainly, I do, as a father and grandfather. Yet, at any age, even younger persons feel this. We grow as people. We move on from being a baby to a toddler to an adolescent, a teenager, a young adult, middle-aged, older, geriatric.

We continually age. Hopefully, with the aging process comes a bit of wisdom.

I’d like to think that old Zechariah and Elizabeth had learned enough wisdom over their life’s journey to embrace both the meaning and mystery of that life.

I believe they had a sense of what is, and had an acceptance of it. Yet, at the same time, they had a sense of hope and of what could be. And that’s because they knew something of God’s promises.

Not everything will remain as it presently is. All will change. Acceptance entails knowing this, that all things will be different. And this helps open us to all the possibilities of prayers rooted in ancient promises.

The angel told Zechariah that his prayer had been heard. We aren’t told exactly what Zechariah had prayed. But it seems it was a rather “pregnant” prayer, full of asking for a child of his own, as well as a Messiah to come, and an Elijah to come.

In that sense, Zechariah’s very full prayer was answered magnanimously.

Now, in the spirit of old Zechariah and Elizabeth, we have our own opportunity to offer an advent prayer. We have the privilege of hearing the message.

The Lord is coming. Be prepared.

“Surely I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21, NRSV)

Gracious God, guard our hearts and minds by the power of Christ Jesus. Speak to our anxieties with the peace that passes understanding and let our gentleness and joy be a sign of Christ’s gracious presence.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen.