But I Thought....

Many theologians speculate about the funk Elijah sunk into after the victory on Mt. Carmel.  Certainly, the defeat of the priests of Baal was better than any action and revenge movie we see on the big screen. 

The drama there ticked every box:  bad guys versus good guys and the good guys win--dramatically, resoundingly, against all odds!  (I Kings 18)  The stakes were high: Elijah was risking his life, his reputation, God's reputation, the entire consequence of his life's work to that point.  Then there's our hero, Elijah's confidence and swagger as he taunts God's enemies while they appealed to their false god to prevail--poor things; they even tried to elicit Baal's sympathetic response by cutting themselves and bleeding all over the place.  Who wants to worship a god who only takes note of your plight if you mutilate yourself?  Anyway, as expected, the priests of Baal fail, thus proving Baal's impotence, but the best is yet to come.

Elijah takes his time overseeing the construction of an altar.  He makes sure to create an impossible challenge for Jehovah.  Of course, nothing is impossible for God, so the stones, the water- filled moat around it, the drenched wood, the soggy sacrifice--how ya gonna set that on fire?  I have trouble at the barbeque with lighter fluid and matches!  But Elijah didn't even rub sticks together!  He just prayed.

Boom!  Fire from heaven!  The sacrifice goes up in flames along with the wood, the water, the stones and the soil.  Then Elijah marches all Baal's prophets down the mountain and slaughters them.  (This would make such a great movie!  I'd love to be in charge of casting.  Russell Crowe comes to mind.  Oh, but I digress...).  Really--this would make "Fast and Furious" look like a rom-com.

It is the aftermath that usually draws out the life lessons for us.  Elijah's amazing conquest with God is followed by him running fearfully for his life.  Few of us are going to publically humiliate false teachers, but we all know what it's like to sink after reaching heights.  Was this clinical depression, dehydration, simple exhaustion, a collapse of faith, post-Adrenalin lag?

I Kings 19:1, 2
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.  So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."

My theory is that Eligah expected something different.  Maybe he it was one of those horrible disorienting and disappointing moments when you say: "But I thought...."  Maybe Elijah sunk into discouraged confusion with this going through his head:  "But I thought Mt. Carmel would be the end of it!  I thought after this everyone, including Ahab and Jezebel would turn to God.  I thought there would be a great harvest of idol worshippers turning to the living God!  I got nothing left!  If that didn't do it, where do we go from here?"

I think all of us get derailed when things do't turn out the way we thought they would.  We put way too much stock in what we think should be outcomes of our faithful actions.  Maybe that wasn't what was going on with Elijah in this situaltion, but I've seen it played out again and again.  It is easy to mistake fantasy and wishful thinking for faith.

God wasn't confused or discouraged when that spectaular display of his power on didn't convert Ahab and Jezebel.  God has an ultimate victory in view far greater than Mt. Carmel.  I'd still like to cast the movie!