1 Kings
Chapter 19
Elijah on Mount Horeb
Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
Jezebel then sent word to Elijah: “May I be cursed if by this time tomorrow, I have not dealt with you as you dealt with them.”
Elijah was scared and fled for his life. He reached Beer-sheba of Judah and left his servant there.
He disappeared into the desert, going on a day’s journey. Then he sat down under a broom tree and prayed to die: “That is enough, Lord, take away my life, for I am dying.”
He lay down and went to sleep under the broom tree. Then an angel touched him and said: “Get up and eat.”
Elijah looked and at his head saw a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and went back to sleep.
The angel of the Lord came a second time to him, saying: “Get up and eat, for the journey is too long for you.”
He got up, ate, and drank, and on the strength of that food, he traveled for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
On reaching the place, he came to the cave and stayed in it. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He answered: “I am burning with jealous love for the Lord, the God of Hosts, because the Israelites have forsaken your Covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword. No one is left but myself, and they are still trying to kill me as well.”
Then the Lord said: “Go up and stand on the mount, waiting for the Lord.” And the Lord passed by.There was initially a wild windstorm that rent the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the storm, an earthquake occurred, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, the whisper of a gentle breeze.
When Elijah perceived it, he covered his face with his cloak, went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then he heard a voice addressing him again: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He answered: “I am burning with jealous love for the Lord, the God of Hosts, because the Israelites have forsaken your Covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword. No one is left but myself, yet they still seek my life to take it away.”
The Lord told him: “Take the road back through the desert and go to Damascus, for you must anoint Hazael as king of Syria.
You shall also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king over Israel. And Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abel Meholah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
Whoever escapes Hazael’s sword will be killed by Jehu, and Elisha will execute anyone who escapes Jehu’s sword.
Yet I will spare seven thousand in Israel who have not knelt before Baal and whose lips have not kissed him.”
Elijah left. He found Elisha, son of Shaphat, plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak over him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said: “Let me say goodbye to my father and mother; then I will follow you.” Elijah said to him: “Return if you want; don’t worry about what I did.”
However, Elisha turned back, took the yoke of oxen, and slew them. He roasted their meat on the pieces of the yoke and gave it to his people, who ate it. After this, he followed Elijah and began ministering to him.
Commentaries
Elijah on Mount Horeb.
Pursued to the brink of death, Elijah begins a journey that resembles a pilgrimage, retracing his past. With him, a part of Israel reconnects with its true origins as a nation. It starts as a flight driven by Jezebel’s fury. His flight evolves into a pilgrimage: it’s not the queen’s power that terrifies him, but God’s power that draws him closer. At the boundary between culture and chaos (in the desert), a messenger of God helps him understand the significance of his journey. Before reaching the desert, his flight seemed destined for death; from the desert onward, a miraculous meal lifts him back to the experience of the original Israel. The stages of his journey include: the city, the desert, the mountain, the angel, and the presence. God’s question (9) prompts him to reflect on his actions and to unburden himself with confidence. In response to God’s inquiry, Elijah confesses. The Lord’s revelation (11-13), merely passing by, marks a crucial moment. Elijah, the fiery and impulsive prophet, encounters the Lord in a gentle breeze, in a barely audible whisper. The earlier dialogue is revisited (10), but it resonates differently (14).
The prophets came from a variety of backgrounds and social levels. Some were born in the city, like Isaiah, while others came from rural areas, such as Amos and Micah. Some were from priestly families, like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Elisha was called to the prophetic work while plowing in the field. Almost all prophetic calls are marked by an external gesture, acting as a kind of sacramental sign. Elijah drapes his cloak over Elisha, symbolizing his commitment to the prophetic calling. Elisha leaves behind his fields, his oxen, and his family to follow Elijah. This act of leaving everything behind and breaking with his past is symbolized by the sacrifice of his oxen, which his people celebrate as a farewell gesture.