Text: 1 Kings 19: 9-15

“Father, you’re a hard guy to get in touch with” he said, sitting in my office. It surprised me; I perceive myself as being accessible guy and it always surprises me when someone calls me father.  I’m a father but not a priestly father. “I tried emailing you but the address I had bounced. I can’t find your home phone number and I didn’t want to call the church.”  I’ll admit that I felt a little uncomfortable; then I became really nervous when he said. “So, yesterday I went to your house, knocked on your door and you didn’t answer. There was nothing but silence. I think you were standing behind it, looking through that little peephole.” When he said that, I was both relieved and concerned. I was relieved because he clearly didn’t know where we live. We don’t have a little peephole. Our front door has windows. If I was standing behind the door, he would have seen me. I was concerned because the man sitting in front of me had boundary issues. “So I had to come to your office” he says and then added, “Father, what do I have to do to hear your voice?”    

Given the fact that he was in my office, it was a fairly easy to answer. Make an appointment. The man was clearly troubled, not so much a stalker as someone in need of friends and a good mental health counselor. Later I found out he had an alcohol problem. But I still remember his question. “Father, what do I have to do to hear your voice?”

It’s Father’s Day and we are studying the prophet Elijah. The prophet asks the same question, “Father, what do I have to do to hear your voice?” The answer comes in the 19^th chapter of first Kings. Before we get to that answer, we need to review the two previous weeks and offer background to this week’s lesson from Elijah. Elijah serves as a role model of faithful behavior which is a challenge to all who are present and a very specific challenge to fathers.

The story of the prophet Elijah is intertwined with King Ahab and his Queen, Jezebel.  Ahab becomes king 150 years after the death of King Solomon. In between Solomon and Ahab there are seven kings and they were all evil. But Ahab is the baddest of the bad because he “did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him” (1 Kings 16:33).  To top it off, “he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.” (I Kings 16:31)  At this point, God says “enough is enough” and sends Elijah.

Elijah begins his prophecy by declaring a drought and then, runs for his life. He is the one, solitary voice in a nation that is following in the footsteps of Ahab and Jezebel.  Everyone is worshipping Baal.  The one sure way to show that Baal is a false god is take away what Baal supposedly does, control the rain. This is exactly what Elijah does. He goes up alone against a nation all by himself, declares a drought and for three years, there isn’t any rain. One person can make a difference.  That’s the starting point of our sermon series. Elijah was called to make a life that makes a difference.  You are too. You are called to live your life in such a way as to influence others.  Make a life that makes a difference. What kind of difference will you make? You can be helpful or you can be hurtful. Making a difference depends on the choices you make, your motives.

That was last week’s message. Every life is filled with motives; everybody is coming from some place. Where are you coming from? What are you motives? In the story of Elijah, we see that Ahab’s motive is greed, Jezebels’ motive is power and the Israel’s motive is to go along to get along. Elijah confronts Ahab and declares “I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, (1 Kings 19: 20). God finds out and always will. We are held accountable for our motives so you’d better examine yourself carefully.

This week’s lesson begins with God sending Elijah to confront Ahab and the people of Israel. They are giving lip service to worshipping God but they are also serving Baal.  “Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people did not answer him a word.” (1 Kings 18:21).

How long will you go limping with two different opinions? It’s a great image, isn’t it? How long are you going to sit on the fence? How long are you going to say you worship Yahweh but also worship Baal? How long are you going to be indecisive about where you really make your stand? 

I grew up with a cousin who was six months my junior. We were pretty close because in our elementary school years, he and his brothers would be at our house during the day. Now we see each other during those family occasions when we are saying goodbye to a loved one because we are separated by many miles. He’s a fine man, a good husband and good father; an active leader in his church.

A few years ago, I had dinner with him and was surprised when he said, “You know I’m a faithful Christian because of your father.”  He added, “Growing up, we had the lake house and the boat. We had fishing trips. We did lots of things that you guys never did. But when it came down to it, when I watched your family and saw how dedicated your father was to Christ. I realized my parents weren’t really committed, at least in the same way. They were conflicted about what they wanted out of life. Serving God was clearly important to your dad and he modeled it. I wanted to be like him.”

His father, my uncle, is a good man but I understood what he was saying. When we were growing up, my uncle clearly limped along with two different opinions. He tried to serve two gods and there are a lot of people today who try to do the same, who give lip service to being in a deep and abiding relationship with God but ultimately, serve other gods, serve the worldly gods during the week and maybe on Sunday, serve God. The question that Elijah poses is a good one for Father’s Day.  Fathers, what do you children see in you? What are you modeling? Are you limping along with two opinions or are you committed to God in Christ Jesus? Whether you are a father or not, it’s a good question. Do those around you see Christian commitment in you? Or would they think you are limping along?

It’s a hard question to answer and thus, when Elijah asks the question, the people of Israel don’t say a word. So Elijah sets out to convince them. He proposes a contest between him and the 450 prophets of Baal, a barbeque throw down, Bobby Flay style, although there won’t be a Weber Grill involved. By the way, a grill is one of the top three presents that dads are getting this year, the others being a cordless drill and yes, the old time favorite, a tie. The trick on this BBQ, though is you can’t use lighter fluid and a match. The ignition comes from God. That’s the contest and Elijah lets the prophets of Baal go first. “Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.  At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." So they shouted louder ….. until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response…” (1 Kings 18:26-39a).

When it was evening, perhaps to make the special effects more befitting a Steven Spielberg movie rather than a cooking show, Elijah says “my turn.”  He builds an altar of 12 stones, representing the tribes of Israel. He piles on it the wood and the pieces of the bull to be sacrificed. Then, just to make the experience have a bit more “wow” factor, he asked for four volunteers from the audience to fill four large jars of water and pour them over the altar. He asked them to do it a second time and make eight jars of water on the altar. He asked them to do it a third time and while it seems like overkill, the symbolism is there. A large jar of water poured on the altar for each of the 12 tribes.  It’s soaked with water and Baal’s 450 prophets who hadn’t even got so much as a whisper of a flame stand by, giggling I’m sure. Then Elijah prayed, ‘“O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!’” (1 Kings 18: 38-39).

Elijah instructs the people to seize the 450 prophets of Baal and to kill them. They do and it infuriates Jezebel. “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.’ Elijah was afraid and ran for his life” (1 Kings 19: 2-3a). Why? He’d just come off a great achievement? He’s just demonstrated incredible faithfulness?  Why run?

He’s burned out. God accomplished something great through Elijah and when it is over, Elijah is spent. Great spiritual accomplishment drains you. When you do battle against false gods, when you take a stand, afterwards you have to find a place to recharge your batteries. 

I am not and never was a rock climber. Rock climbing’s popularity came along well after my physical fitness would allow me to pull myself up a mountain. But I am fascinated about rock climbers and what they say motivates them to get to the top. The anticipation of accomplishment, of climbing to the peak gives them incredible determination and heightens their motivation. Climbers will say that they work through the grueling, exhausting experience because of the reward at the top of the mountain.  But then comes a subsequent problem that most climbers experience, getting down from the rock. Climbing down is hard, sometimes almost impossible because they are spent and there is no reward at the end. Getting to the bottom isn’t exciting at all. Most experienced rock climbers will offer that the greatest vulnerability comes after the accomplishment.

We are most vulnerable after we take a spiritual stand, after we speak up or live out our Christian convictions. Elijah is only human and he reminds us that it is impossible to constantly do battle.  You need time for rest and renewal, time to recharge your batteries.  Are you taking time for renewal? Are you finding a place to recharge your spiritual batteries? Dads, are you modeling that behavior?

So Elijah runs for his life and falls down beneath a broom tree. He is so worn-out that he has a personal pity party, declaring “‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors’” (1 Kings 19: 4). Then God sends an angel to him, to speak to him in a dream. The angel gives him enough nourishment to find the strength to travel on to Mount Herob, the mountain of God, the very mountain that Moses climbed to receive the Ten Commandments. He finds a cave, holes up, spends a day and night there and then, “the word of the LORD came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’  He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’” (1 Kings 19:9b-10). 

Do you see what is going on? Elijah’s in a cave alright, a cave of exhaustion and self-pity. He’s discouraged and depressed. He needs to be renewed but more than anything, he needs God to speak to him. On that mountain, Elijah asks God, “Father, what do I have to do to hear your voice?” He wants an explanation and he wants God to speak.  God says, “‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.” (1 Kings 19:11-12)

Maybe that’s now how you learned it. The traditional interpretation in King James and the old Revised Standard is “still small voice.”  Another version says, “a gentle and quiet whisper.”  Still another, the sound of a gentle blowing.” Which best describes God’s voice? 

This truth jumps off the page and speaks to those of us who want to hear God’s voice. It would be nice if God sent an overt sign, an earthquake or a fire. It would be nice for the heavens to open and for God’s voice to speak, but the reality is God speaks to us in a gentle and quiet whisper, a still and small voice which gently blows. To hear God’s word, we have to listen to the sheer silence.

The world’s attention is on the FIFA World Cup going in South Africa. The story behind the World Cup in South Africa is found in silence, in listening for God’s still small voice in sheer silence.  In 1962 Nelson Mandela was arrested and convicted of charges for anti-apartheid activities. He was sentenced to life in prison.  Mandela emerged from 26 years of imprisonment with a message of forgiveness and reconciliation, not revenge. When asked how he could forgive those who had committed the atrocities, Mandela said “I had a lot of time to listen in the silence of prison to God’s voice.”  The result is that instead of scenes of massacre and civil war, we see the sight of black South Africans blowing vuvuzelas along their white brothers and sisters.  All of that noise in a way came from silence.

On that mountain, God asks Elijah, “Father, what do I have to do to hear your voice?”  We ask the question, “Father, what do I have to do to hear your voice?”

Fathers, do you know how to answer it? What will you say to your children? How will you model the behavior? You children want to know that you hear them. But even more so, they want to know that you hear God.

Elijah does that for us. He models how we listen for God. Elijah listens for the “still small voice”, he waits in the sheer silence to hear God speak.  It’s the truth that comes from his life 2700 years ago and a truth for us today.