What Are You Doing Up Here?

I Kings 19:1-15

 

        “I lift up my eyes unto the hills.”

        Living in Rockfish Valley this has become our go to phrase. Each morning I wake up to the idyllic rhapsody of Lake Monacan being caressed by the loving arms of Crawford Mountain. When the world leaves me grasping for answers I ride my bicycle on the Skyline Drive to clear my mind. When death dares to cross our threshold, you will often find me walking the trail up to Humpback.  Even on a warm summer’s day Humpback offers a crispness in the air which revives my soul and refreshes my memories.

        “I lift up my eyes to the hills.” Standing with a family in our cemetery these are the words that most often come to my lips. The bereaved look up and imagine their beloved walking toward eternity. Earth has released its hold and life is revived in our sacred hills.

        But are the mountains where we find God? Not according to the Psalmist. Psalm 121 reads, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. But where will I find my help?” I love the mountains as much as anyone here. They offer peace and tranquility. But while the mountains are God’s creation, they are not God’s permanent residence. It wouldn’t surprise me if God kept a condo up there for an occasional visit. But God is much too busy to consider an extended vacation. If you don’t believe me, ask the prophet Elijah.

        The Holy Trinity of the Old Testament is Abraham, Moses, and Elijah. David gets a lot of press but the Bathsheba incident kept him off Mount Rushmore. Abraham was the father of the Hebrew people. Moses delivered the law to slaves on the road to freedom. Elijah became Israel’s moral compass. Unfortunately during the days of Elijah, Israel’s compass seldom pointed north.

        Elijah’s main nemesis was Queen Jezebel. Let’s have a quick show of hands. How many of you have a daughter? In your arduous search for the perfect name, did any of you consider Jezebel? Of course not! You might not even know the story of Jezebel yet that name never came up. No one in the Old Testament was as vile and devious as Jezebel. She ordered all the prophets of Yahweh to be killed.  She executed Naboth so her husband could grow tomatoes. She demanded everyone worship Baal, the fertility god. Everything Jezebel touched was stained by deceit and evil. So Yahweh sent Elijah to confront her.

        The original confrontation was to take place at Mt. Carmel, but the Queen did not even bother showing up. Instead she sent her husband Ahab and 450 priest of Baal to do her dirty work. The last words those  priest heard before meeting their demise was, “You don’t mess with Yahweh.”

        Exuberant from his victory at Mt. Carmel, Elijah screamed at King Ahab. “You go tell your wife what happened here. You tell her I am coming to Jezreel and bringing  with me all of the fury of Yahweh. You tell Jezebel Baal is dead to her people and she will soon be joining her god.” Ahab jumped in his chariot and headed home. Flush with victory Elijah ran in front of the king.    (stop)

The distance from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel is 17 miles. I doubt many of us have actually run 17 miles, at least not recently. 17 miles is not a short distance. Even on a bicycle 17 miles gets my attention. But when I ride that far, I do some of my best thinking. At mile one I begin to work on a sermon.  By the fourth mile I see a clear path. But by the time I reach mile 10 I am confronted with all the flaws in my logic. Clarity only begins to arrive about mile 13 and by mile 17 I can’t wait to put all my thoughts down on paper.

Elijah started running toward Jezebel. By mile post 4 he couldn’t  wait to confront the Queen and have her begging for mercy. Elijah knows her only recourse is to abdicate the throne and declare Yahweh God. At mile post 10 Elijah begins to question his clarity. By mile post 13 Elijah begins to slow down. Each step toward Jezreel becomes heavier. For the first time all day fear replaced faith. At the 17^th mile Elijah is not surprised to see a representative of Jezebel waiting for him. The message from the Queen was quite clear.  “I will kill you before the sun rises.” The man who delivered the word of the Lord to 450 prophets of Baal turned…. lifted his eyes toward the hills…. and ran away!

A frightened, compromised Elijah spent the next 40 days and 40 nights in the mountains. Why that long? Do you really think Elijah wanted to encounter God? Jezebel was still Queen! Forget Mt. Carmel. Elijah had failed.

40 days alone; 40 nights fearing Jezebel might find him; 40 mornings hoping God would appear; 40 evenings giving thanks that God remained silent…... And on the 41^st day the silence was broken. “Elijah, what are you doing here?”

Ever been guilty as sin and still squirmed for your life.  Listen to the great Elijah. “God, I have been faithful, but  all your followers are dead. Everyone else has deserted you. Jezebel is out there looking for me. I am the only one left. What do you want of me?”

God said, “Go stand out on the ledge.”

Elijah obeyed. The wind came up. It howled so viciously Elijah feared he would be swept over the edge. But God was not in the wind. There was an earthquake that nearly split the rock where Elijah was standing. Elijah got down on his knees praying the earth would stop shaking. But God was not in the earthquake. Fire erupted. The air was so hot Elijah could hardly breathe. He covered his head unable to imagine what might happen next. Still God did not appear. Then there was a silence so deafening Elijah could hear the pounding of his frightened heart. A second time  God said, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”   (stop)

Greek mythologies claim Poseidon to be the god of the oceans.  Roman mythologies listed Jupiter as the god of the sky. Baal was worshipped as the god of the mountains. The Psalmist comes along claiming Yahweh not only formed the sea, the sky, and the mountains but had dominion them. So If Baal was tenant of the hills, where would Elijah find God?

EXACTLY WHERE ELIJAH WAS SUPPOSE TO BE!

And where are we supposed to find God?

THE ANSWER HAS NEVER CHANGED. God is in the trenches confronting not only Jezebel, but sickness, hopelessness, weariness, and despair.

Some like to think of God in the mountains sitting around the camp fire as we sing Kum Ba Yah.

God doesn’t need pep rallies.

Some claim God to be our champion in battle or even the field of athletic endeavors.

God doesn’t play favorites.

Some insist God is alive and well on cable TV and the world wide web.

God doesn’t do face-book.

Some call for God’s blessing as a tag line to their political agenda.

God is neither blue, red or purple.

BUT GOD IS CONFRONTATIONAL.  

God confronts death, and so should we. You want to find God? Visit the hospitals and nursing homes.

God confronts loneliness. You want to find God? Pick up the phone and say hello to someone living alone.

God confronts despair. You want to find God? Become involved in the life of a teenager.

God confronts injustice. You want to find God? Go walk beside someone who has been marginalized.

I could go on and on but the bottom line is this,

You want to find God?

LISTEN FOR THAT SMALL… STILL… VOICE,

Then go find Jezebel.

        God will be there waiting for you.

  

        To God be the glory.  Amen.