Elijah: Shaping the Faith of Biblical Religion
June 10, 2024 - Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 17:1-9
Today we begin listening to the stories concerning one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, Elijah. His prophetic activity is placed within a period when the Northern Kingdom was ruled by the Omrides dynasty (from around 885 until 721 BC). The founder of that dynasty, Omri, constructed Samaria as its capital, but most of Elijah's stories are placed during the reign of Omri's son, Ahab, who, according to the biblical author, was worse than "all the kings of Israel who preceded him" (1 Kings 16:33). What were his sins?
The biblical author tells us that Ahab married "Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him" (1 Kings 16:31). Here we have an echo of the Genesis story when Eve persuaded Adam to eat from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (see Gen 2:16-17; 3:1-7). The Jewish Study Bible, in its explanation of her name, links it with "zebul," a title of Baal, "god of rain and sweet water." Within this context, it is easy to understand the opening verse of our passage. Elijah speaks in the name of the Lord to Ahab, who served and worshiped Baal: "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word (1 Kings 17:1).
One among the many blessings for obeying the Lord is the blessing of rain. In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses said that the Lord would give his people "the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil" (Deut. 11:14). But if they turn to other gods, then the Lord would "shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit" (Deut. 11:17). With his prediction of the drought that, according to James, lasted three and a half years (see James 5:17), Elijah challenged Ahab's belief in Baal as a provider of rain and water.
The One who speaks to Elijah is called by His mysterious name, the famous tetragrammaton, composed of four Hebrew letters: yod, heh, vav, heh, often transliterated as YHVH. How it should be pronounced nobody knows, and most contemporary translations render it as LORD, with all the letters capitalized. The Jewish Study Bible interprets the meaning of this name as "My nature will become evident from My actions" (see page 111, comment on Exodus 3:14). Bringing the drought upon the land of Israel in the name of the LORD indicates who is the Lord of creation. The Lord's nature would become evident from that action.
Many scholars see Elijah as the precursor of a movement that gave shape to the religion of the Bible with its zeal for the Lord and intolerance of other gods. In his struggle against Baalism introduced to Israel by a foreign queen, Jezebel, Elijah became a model for others to emulate. His commitment to the LORD alone inspired reforms in ancient Israel that led to the revival of faith. Moreover, within the ancient Jewish tradition of faith, Elijah was seen as the only qualified person who could prepare God's people for the coming of the Lord (see Mal. 3:23).
The Gospel begins with John the Baptist calling us to repentance and pointing to Jesus, the Lamb of God. He came in the spirit of Elijah, and we do well to listen to his call. Jesus is the Lord of the universe and history. In Him, we see the true nature of God. Our hearts should be totally devoted to Him.