"What are you doing here, Elijah?" is God’s question. Elijah has evidently forgotten the
people’s affirmative response on Mt. Carmel or the fact that his servant has rescued 100 of the
Lord’s prophets. "Lord God Almighty, I have always served you - I’ve been very zealous for
you. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you. They have killed your
prophets, and I am the only one left."
But God doesn’t argue.
"Go out and stand on the mountain for the Lord is about to pass by."
You know the rest of the story. There are all the signs that you expect with the coming of
the Lord: first a furious wind which split the rocks; then an earthquake that made the ground
tremble beneath Elijah’s feet; finally a fire. But no Lord after any of these.
And finally, after the fire, this "sound of sheer silence," this "still small voice" - and yet
Elijah can hear something, and it is in this stillness that he hears the Lord’s own voice, clearly a
personal voice that asks the same question: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" But Elijah still
has the same answer.
So God speaks a third time: "Go, return to your way," but this time the "way" is to the
wilderness to the north. Elijah is to anoint a couple of kings (in Syria and Israel) and Elisha as his
successor. That’s it. You see, God is going to work, but this time it will not be in the spectacular,
immediate way that it was on Mt. Carmel. This time the answer to Jezebel’s threat will come in a
quiet way, God’s way, the working out of God’s will in history through people like Elisha and
the 7,000 faithful God will leave in Israel.
As it turns out, the only anointing Elijah will do is of his successor, Elisha, who will
anoint the kings. As for Jezebel, eventually she will be killed. All of these took a while, they
happened quietly and occurred indirectly over a period of time in history.
But that, after all, is how the voice of the Lord is heard - even in the silence of a stable
where a child is born to an unwed mother amid scandalous circumstances, even in the death of an
innocent man on a cross on a hill.
Not a whole lot different then what I saw at Clinton Avenue where each year 8,000 meals
are served and a few faithful Presbyterians meet 52 times to study God’s word. Or here at
Central where we bring offerings of food every second Sunday. Or in the reception of new
members here at Central today.
God is faithful.
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