{"id":625,"date":"2016-05-29T13:55:33","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T17:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bendroth.org\/?p=625"},"modified":"2016-06-14T13:55:55","modified_gmt":"2016-06-14T17:55:55","slug":"the-still-small-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/?p=625","title":{"rendered":"The Still Small Voice"},"content":{"rendered":"

I Kings 19: 9-18<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost \/ June 20, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Jezebel\"<\/a>Once upon a time in a land far away called Israel, there was an evil king by the name of Omri. Omri had been a commander of the Israeli army and became the first king of Israel after the nation divided into two kingdoms. He established a new capital named Samaria and worshipped false gods. He made his son Ahab king. He also arranged for his son to marry a wicked woman by the name of Jezebel from the land of Sidon, which was along the coast. She wore lots of heavy makeup with blue eye shadow that she smeared on her eyelids. Lots of bangle bracelets and other cheap jewelry. This marriage of convenience gave Israel access to the ocean for trade and travel. \u00a0Jezebel worshipped the false god Baal and Ahab soon followed. He set up altars and sacred poles to worship Baal, which really ticked Yahweh off. This was the name faithful Jews gave God. Ahab was so evil that he even sacrificed two sons to Baal.<\/p>\n

During Ahab\u2019s rule, Yahweh raised up a prophet called Elijah the Tishbite and sent him to give the word to Ahab. \u201cHey Ahab,\u201d Elijah said. \u201cYou talkin\u2019 to me?\u201d said Ahab. \u201cYah, I\u2019m talkin\u2019 to you. Knock off this vile stuff you\u2019re doin\u2019!\u201d \u201cYah, and if I don\u2019t, what are you gonna do about it?\u201d \u201cWhat am I gonna do about it? How about shuttin\u2019 up the sky for three years so there\u2019s not a drop of rain? God says, \u2018Knock it off or that\u2019s exactly what will happen.\u201d \u201cI dare ya. In fact, I double-dare ya.\u201d So, it stopped raining for three years.<\/p>\n

Now this meant something in those days besides the crops not growing. You see, Baal was the storm god. He was the one who sent rain and gave life. When there was a drought it was presumed that Baal was dead. When there was rain, it was assumed that Baal was alive and that death had been defeated. So when Elijah made the rains stop, it was a sign that his god was stronger than Baal.<\/p>\n

So, during the drought, Yahweh had Elijah go off into the wilderness and hide out for three years. Over time, there was a severe drought in Israel and eventually Yahweh told Elijah to go back to Ahab to see if he was ready to listen. When Ahab saw Elijah he said, \u201cYo, Elijah. Whaddya you doin\u2019 here, troubler of Israel. And Elijah says, \u201cYo yourself. I\u2019m not the one troubling Israel, you are. Here\u2019s the skinny; let\u2019s settle this once and for all to see whose god is the real deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet your 450 Baal prophets and your 450 prophets of Asherah and meet me at Mt. Carmel.\u201d So, Ahab gets the 900 prophets and a bunch of curious onlookers and they march up to Mt. Carmel.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, here\u2019s what\u2019s up,\u201d says Elijah. \u201cGive us two bulls and build an altar anyway you like it. Make it with granite, marble, stones\u2026anything you like. Then stock it with wood, kill the bull and cut him up, put the steaks on the barbie, but don\u2019t light it. Then, we\u2019ll each call upon our god and whoever\u2019s is real will answer with fire and start the cookout.\u201d<\/p>\n

They all said, \u201cSure that sounds fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Baal2\"<\/a>So the Baal prophets set up the grill and start dancing around it. \u201cAnswer us, O Baal.\u201d Well this goes on all morning. By noontime they\u2019re getting\u2019 a little worried. Elijah starts bustin\u2019 their chops. \u201cSo what gives boys? Where\u2019s your god? Is he out for a walk, sittin\u2019 on the can, sleepin\u2019 in this morning?\u201d By now they\u2019re getting desperate. They dance like crazy people. They whip out their jack knives and start cutting themselves thinking, \u201cThis\u2019ll get his attention.\u201d But still, by mid-afternoon, nothing happens.<\/p>\n

Finally, Elijah says, \u201cStep aside boys and let a man show you how to do it.\u201d So he rebuilds the altar and sets twelve stones around it, one for each of the tribes of Israel. Then he stacks up the wood, butchers the bull, and throws the meat on. But he\u2019s not through yet. He says, \u201cGet four gallons of water and dump it on the altar.\u201d And they did it. And he said, \u201cDo it again.\u201d And they did it. And he said, \u201cDo it again.\u201d And they did it. So, they dumped 12 gallons of water on top of the altar. He even had a trench built around the altar and had that filled too! So now he\u2019s good and ready for a fire.<\/p>\n

Then Elijah stops and says a prayer. He says, \u201cLord God, shows these bozos that you are the one true God and that there is none other beside you. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"fire-from-heaven\"<\/a>And before two shakes of a lamb\u2019s tale, the sky opens up, fire comes roaring down and it licks up the bull, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even licks up the water in the trench. Just like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa,\u201d say all the Baal prophets as they look at each other blinking at what just happened. They all go face down in the dirt saying, \u201cOh my gosh. It is true. Yahweh is indeed God of the universe.\u201d Elijah will have none of it and has the people round them up and slaughter them.<\/p>\n

Well, then Ahab got back home and told Jezebel what happened. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t believe what Elijah\u2019s god did.\u201d She was fit to be tied. All of her henchmen had been offed. So she sent word to Elijah, \u201cMay I look like one of my butchered prophets if I don\u2019t do to you what you did to them by tomorrow night.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this challenge, Elijah reels back, digs down deep and runs. No kidding. Right after this massive display of Yahweh\u2019s power, he runs at the threat of this queen who worships Baal. He runs all the way to Mt. Horeb and hides there. While he\u2019s hiding there God comes to him again and asks, \u201cWhat gives? Why so glum? Why you hidin\u2019 in the bushes?\u201d\u00a0 Then he lets it all out. \u201cWhaddya mean what am I doing here? I\u2019ve been very zealous for you. I\u2019ve gone out of my way for you. I\u2019ve gone the extra mile without complaining. I\u2019ve gone beyond the call of duty and look what it\u2019s got me. A death warrant. Nobody\u2019s been faithful but me. I\u2019m gonna go eat worms. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"still<\/a>So God says, \u201cHmmm. I see your point. Let\u2019s go for a walk. Stand out on the edge of mountain there and I\u2019ll pass by. See if that will cheer you up.\u201d <\/em>Elijah did as he was told and stood at the doorway of the cave. First a huge tornado goes by pulling up trees and throwing rocks around like they were pebbles. But Yahweh wasn\u2019t in the wind. Then a monster earthquake comes and shakes the ground like a flour sifter, but Yahweh wasn\u2019t in the earthquake. Next a gargantuan fire comes blazing by consuming everything in its path, but Yahweh wasn\u2019t in the fire. Finally, there was \u201ca sound of sheer silence,\u201d (how\u2019s that for an oxymoron?) and that\u2019s where Elijah found Yahweh.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know about you, but this seems nuts. When I want to hear the voice of God, I go sit in the middle of Times Square. All the traffic noise, the horns, the police whistles, the construction, the throngs of humanity\u2014that\u2019s where you can really hear God. I\u2019m only kidding. Although there are times when you have to get in the thick of it with real people to find God and see God at work, most often God is in the quiet.<\/p>\n

This never fails to surprise me. I suppose it\u2019s part of my American conditioning. Bigger is better. If it\u2019s bold and brash and over the top, it\u2019s got to be good. Think of Christmas Eve\u2014we\u2019re singing \u201cO Come, All Ye Faithful\u201d at the top of our lungs; the organ has all the stops out, the timpani are pounding, the trumpets are thunderous\u2014it\u2019s a wonderful, inspirational moment. That\u2019s where we find God. Or maybe in a mega-church like Lakewood Church in Houston. Pastor Joel Osteen and his congregation are housed in the former Cellular One arena in Houston that holds 13,000 people\u2014and they fill it up. They have programs 24\/7\u2014Bible studies, men\u2019s groups, women\u2019s groups, Praisercize, dieting in the Spirit, auto repair for Jesus, a food court that sells heavenly baked goods, you name it. That\u2019s where God is.<\/p>\n

No, usually I find God at the kitchen table, at the bedside, or the fireside\u2014those places where I intentionally settle down to have quiet conversation or to sit and read and think and pray. There are two traditions of prayer in the Christian faith, defined by two Greek words: one is called kataphatic<\/em> and the other apophatic<\/em>. Kataphatic<\/em> prayers are those where we talk to God, growing out of an ancient Roman school of prayer. Those are the ones we are most familiar with. The other prayers, apophatic<\/em> prayers, come out of the Alexandrian school in Greece in which we don\u2019t talk but we listen for the voice of God.<\/p>\n

This latter kind of prayer is the hardest because it takes planning and it takes time. It is also difficult because it is the place where we are most vulnerable. If the Spirit is alive and active and roaming around at the core of our being, which is the birthright of a Christian, and if the Spirit is shaping and redeeming and empowering and purifying us from within, and if we are usually so noisy and busy that we rarely make room for the Spirit, then if we are quiet, the Spirit just might show up and show us some uncomfortable things about ourselves.<\/p>\n

One of the signs that the truth of the Spirit\u2019s presence is beginning to make itself known is that we feel as if, in Paul Claudel\u2019s colorful words, \u201can undesired lodger has moved in, one who does not hesitate to rearrange the chairs according to his taste, to drive nails into the walls, and, if necessary, even to saw up the furniture when he is cold and needs a fire.\u201d
\nIn the quiet we might find that we are more shallow and self-centered than we ever suspected. In the quiet we might see our temper, negativity, and critical spirit for what they are. In the quiet we might see our shame, weakness, and powerlessness to change anything in ourselves apart from God\u2019s grace. In the quiet we might feel the pain of the suffering world as Jesus feels it and it might be unbearable. And we also find the smile of God who says, \u201cYou are my beloved child. Thank you for all you do for me.\u201d We are, as the French philosopher Blaise Pascal said, we are like a shallow pond; one little pebble can upset us and send ripples all over us.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happened to Elijah. Immediately after this wonderful display of God\u2019s amazing power, what did he do? He headed for the hills. He was afraid. And when people become afraid, they begin to operate on their spinal cord\u2014literally. It\u2019s called the \u201creptilian brain,\u201d the most primitive part of\u00a0the brain that ties us to all living creatures. It\u2019s our survival mechanism. When we feel threatened the old fight or flight syndrome kicks in. In this case, Elijah ran. In other cases they fight. It was great when we had to face down saber-toothed tigers, but today when we are frightened or uncertain or worried we lash out at each other.<\/p>\n

But we are not on the level of the animals. The Psalmist said we were made \u201ca little lower than the angels,\u201d or as some translations put it, \u201ca little lower than God.\u201d We have this gray matter in our frontal lobes that separates us from the animals and allows us to rise above our animal instincts. It\u2019s also the place where we meet God and hear that \u201cstill, small voice.\u201d Do you know what one of the frequent commands in the scriptures is? \u201cFear not.\u201d \u201cFear not.\u201d Whenever God shows up or is doing a new thing, the first response from us is fear; the first response from God is \u201cFear not.\u201d When God called Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Mary or Paul the first word was always, \u201cFear not.\u201d You can look it up.<\/p>\n

So yes, fear\"fear-not2\"<\/a> not. Just as God did not abandon Elijah to himself or berate him for being so faithless, so God is with us. We are not surrendering to an enemy who wishes to punish us, but we are laying down resistance to the One who loves us more infinitely than we can guess, the One<\/p>\n

who is more on our side that we are ourselves, the One who loves us too much to leave us where we are today.<\/p>\n

And just as God restored and recommissioned Elijah to go anoint the next king Hazael and his successor Elisha, so God recommissions us to do God\u2019s work in the world. So, I guess what we learn from this passage today is that when you face resistance, challenge, or suffering there are two things you can do: run and hide in a cave and suck your thumb, or stop and listen for that \u201cstill, small voice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I Kings 19: 9-18 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost \/ June 20, 2010 Once upon a time in a land far away called Israel, there was an evil king by the name of Omri. Omri had been a commander of the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=625"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":634,"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions\/634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bendroth.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}