Digging Deeper: Marah on the Mountain

Elijah was a prophet of the true God Yahweh during the reign of the wicked King Ahab and his pagan wife Jezebel over the northern Kingdom of Israel. The name “Elijah” means “Yahweh is God.”

Now after three years of drought, God told Elijah to go to King Ahab and tell him that it would rain again.

But on the way to Ahab’s palace in Samaria, he bumped into Ahab’s servant Obadiah. Obadiah was a secret believer in Yahweh, and he had hidden 100 prophets in two different caves from Jezebel when she was going around killing all of God’s prophets.

Elijah said, “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”

And Obadiah made Elijah promise not to pull another disappearing trick.

Obadiah delivered the message to King Ahab.

When Elijah arrived, Ahab said, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

Elijah told Ahab to have the prophets of Baal and all the people of Israel meet him on Mount Carmel. Mount Carmel is a high ridge next to the Mediterranean Sea, where the effects of drought would have been least apparent.

Elijah said to the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

Both the LORD and Baal were said to ride the thunderstorm as their divine chariots (see Psalm 104:3); thunder was God’s voice (see Psalm 29:3-9) and lightning his weapon (see Psalm 18:14), and the same was purported of Baal.

Elijah proposed a test to see which God was the true God.

The prophets of Baal killed a bull, put it on their altar, and called on Baal to send fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice.

The prophets of Baal called on Baal all day long to no avail.

They wailed, beat themselves up, and cut themselves with swords to try and get Baal to respond.

Elijah started making fun of them, saying...

Maybe Baal’s in deep thought…
Maybe Baal’s on a long journey…
Maybe Baal’s asleep…
Maybe Baal’s in the bathroom…

Self-mutilation is an indicator of spiritual decadence. In the Ugaritic Baal myth the deities Ilu and Anatu mourn the death of the divine Baal by scraping their skin with sharp stones, cutting their faces with razors and thoroughly mutilating their bodies. Like the gods they worshiped, the Canaanites also marred their bodies in mourning rituals and other religious ceremonies in an attempt to invoke their deities. In the myth, Baal later revived and received kingly authority; the Canaanites were reenacting the mourning that had preceded Baal’s rise to prominence.

Then the people went over to watch Elijah.

Elijah built an altar of 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, he then killed a bull and put it on the altar, and then he then completely drenched the altar and the sacrifice with water ...three times!

Elijah prayed:

“LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

The people proclaimed, “Yahweh is God!”

Elijah commanded the people to kill all the prophets of Baal.

Elijah and his servant then climbed to the top of the mountain to watch for rain. After looking out to sea seven times they spotted a tiny cloud. They descended and warned Ahab to get in his chariot and go back to Jezreel before the rains came.

Elijah watched as Ahab tried to drive through the storm. Elijah ran down the mountain, caught up to Ahab’s chariot, and ran ahead of him, guiding him through the storm all the way back to Jezreel.

When Ahab arrived, he told Jezebel the news. But Jezebel tried to kill Elijah. Elijah escaped and ran away to the desert, leaving his servant in Beersheba. Elijah sat under a broom bush and prayed that God would kill him, saying, “I’ve had enough!”

Elijah fell asleep, but an angel suddenly appeared, woke him up, and gave him baked bread and water. Elijah ate, drank, and went back to sleep. The angel returned, woke him up again, and urged him to eat, saying, “The journey is too much for you.”

Elijah was strengthened by the food, and he traveled through the wilderness for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. Horeb is likely another name for Mount Sinai.

Elijah spent the night in a cave on Mount Horeb.

God spoke to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah says, “I’m the only prophet left, and they’re trying to kill me!”

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.”

“After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.”

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.”

“And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (or “a still small voice”)

Elijah covered his face with his cloak and stood before God.

Again God says, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah again says, “I’m the only prophet left, and they’re trying to kill me!”

Then the LORD told Elijah to go back the way he came and go to the desert of Damascus, saying:

“...anoint Hazael king over Aram
“…anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel…”
“…anoint Elisha son of Shaphat... to succeed you as prophet.”

And then God says, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Elijah then returns from the mountain and finds Elisha. He is plowing in a field behind 12 pairs of oxen. Elisha is anointed by Elijah, and receives Elijah’s cloak. He asks Elijah to wait for him so he can kiss his parents good-bye. He then kills his oxen, chops up his plow, uses the wood to cook the meat and feeds the other farmers. And Elisha feeds Elijah, and then follows Elijah.

The transfer of Elijah’s cloak to Elisha signified a transmission both of Elijah’s mission and of his ability, with God’s help, to accomplish it. Elisha’s sacrifice of his oxen was a thank offering for his calling – a celebration in which his neighbors were invited to join. His burning of the farm equipment signified a complete break with his past. From that time on, Elisha became Elijah’s protégé.