God of Revelation, God of Grace
a homily based on 1 Kings 18:20-39
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
 

Today's account from 1 Kings takes place during the reign of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. Jezebel was a priestess of the fertility god Baal who seemed to have been on a mission to convert the people to the Baal fertility cult. She was able to convince her husband, the King, to build a Baal Temple in Samaria—the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. As a result of her influence, the worship of the God of Israel subsided and prophets of the Lord found themselves persecuted.

Baal worship seemed to have had some attraction to the people of Israel. It was a fertility cult that was in tune with the seasons and cycles of the land. At that time Israel was a farming community and, therefore, the fertility cult of Baal must have appealed to them.

Elijah was one of very few prophets of Yahweh in Israel at that time, doing his best to get people to turn back to the Lord their God. To validate his message, he announced a drought over the land, which was to disprove the fertility rituals, since rain is one of the major components of such cults.

But Elijah took it one step further; he challenged the Ball priests to have a contest. A rather intriguing contest—a “proof of God” contest. Two altars were built, one unto Yahweh, one unto Baal. The God who would answer with fire from the sky was the one true God!

Elijah made sure he couldn't be accused of trickery; he gave every possible advantage to the prophets of Baal. He even doused his altar with water.

But as Elijah rebuilt the broken altar of Yahweh, he also reminded the people of the wonderful Covenant God had made with them. Some of the symbols he used recalled God's grace and faithfulness and reminded them that God gave birth to the nation of Israel.

Elijah used twelve jars of water to douse the altar, one for each of the tribes of Israel. The twelve stones symbolized the account of the Exodus, when God heard the cries of his oppressed people and freed them from the bond of the Egyptians. Joshua had piled twelve stones on the banks of the Jordan after they entered the promised land. Elijah reminded the people of who they were and where they came from; he reminded them of the faithful God of their fathers who saved them again and again and led them to the promised land.

After the priests of Baal had called upon their god all day long in vain, it took Elijah only a brief but faith-filled prayer. God answered with fire from the sky which resulted in the people of Israel breaking out into a spontaneous confession of faith: "Yahweh, He is God!"

The story of Elijah's challenge makes many points, what stands out to me is that God never gives up on his children; he fights for his people even when it seems like they have turned away from him.

This story shows that God is a God who reveals Godself to human beings. God initiates contact to his creatures. God offers us grace and forgiveness and expects us to choose in response. God may reveal Godself through fire from heaven, or God may use a small, still voice in our hearts. If we open ourselves up to God, we will receive a revelation.

Even in the Old Testament, God shows grace and unconditional love to God's children, God doesn't punish them, but invites them back with open arms of loving embrace. And sometimes, God goes to extraordinary lengths to get the people's attention.

What will our response be to this story; will we pick it apart? Will we be distracted by whether this really could have happened or not? Or are we allowing it to speak to our heart? Are we allowing it to touch and inspire us with it's central message of God's great love for us?

Back then, the choice was up to the people of Israel; today, the choice is ours. Will we choose the God of love and grace?