Title: Fire of Yahweh
Yahweh's fire
The text we read together today takes place in the middle of the 9th century BC, when King Ahab ruled over northern Israel. At that time, Northern Israel boasted of great national power thanks to international trade. Ahab may have been politically superior, but religiously, he was a far worse king than Jeroboam. He rejected the prophets of Yahweh and went around the prophets of Baal and Asherah. This was made even worse by Jezebel, who was a princess of Sidon and became Ahab's wife. I don't know if it was because Ahab loved Jezebel so badly or because of political bargaining with his wife, but Ahab strongly promoted anti-Yahweh and pro-Baal policy. In the end, all the prophets serving Yahweh were driven out or died in the court of northern Israel, and all religious positions were taken over by the prophets of Baal.
Elijah was the one who opposed the pro-Baal policy of Ahab and Jezebel. The fight wasn't that easy. The situation that Elijah was in right now was really struggling and isolated. You're probably wondering right now. No matter how much Ahab and Jezebel rejected the prophets of Yahweh, the people would think they supported Elijah. It's not like that. People are simple. They supported the king if they were comfortable with them, and withdrew their support if they were uncomfortable, but they did not have much interest in Yahweh. Even if Ahab was to rule with an iron fist, the people had no choice but to follow him because he developed the economy. The same is true of today's people. I'm ready to accept anything as long as you fill me up. This can also be seen in how many people miss former President Park Chung-hee, a symbol of military dictatorship, today.
Unlike the people, Elijah was able to see through Ahab's politics and its dangers accurately. Although he may have lived well financially, he did not give up on the battle with Ahab, who forsook Yahweh and worshiped idols. In his early days, he shunned Ahab for a long time. On the day he was discovered by Ahab, he had no choice but to die like other Yahweh prophets. Elijah, who had been avoiding him for over three years, finally decided to have a face-to-face battle and proposes to Ahab to compete to see whether Yahweh is the true God or Baal is the true God. Ahab may be convinced that Baal is the true God, but he accepts Elijah's request. Similar to K1 Martial Arts, a match is held on Mount Carmel. That is today's text.
It is not necessary to give the details at this time. Let's just briefly summarize. The format of this match is simple. It is a contest to see whether the bull that has climbed the altar of Baal burns with fire, or the calf that has climbed the altar of Yahweh. The 450 prophets gathered at the altar of Baal offered their prayers, even to self-harm, but there was no sign from heaven. Elijah was the only prophet who prayed at the altar of Yahweh. When he prayed, the Bible reports that “the fire of Yahweh came down and burned up the wood, the stones, and the earth along with the sacrifice, and dried up without a drop of water remaining in the ditch.”(38 Verse) The match is clearly over. The people who had gathered there said, “Yahweh is God. Yahweh is God.” Elijah led the prophets of Baal to the brook of Kishon and killed them.
Yahweh's fire
You may be wondering whether this has ever happened, or is this a historical fact? There is no change in the altar of Baal, so I wonder if it really happened that the altar of Yahweh was completely burned with Yahweh's fire. If that's true, you might be tempted to try it out to see if this still happens. Conversely, some people may think that believing and accepting these stories unconditionally is faith. Which one are you?
These strange phenomena are often reported in the Old Testament. On his way to Haran, where his uncle Laban lives to escape his brother after having an accident at home, he sees ladders and angels reaching up to heaven at a place called Bethel. Moses meets a fire that does not burn among thorns on Mount Horeb. Israel in the wilderness accepted the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud as evidence that God was leading them. A little later in today's text, there is also the story of Elijah ascending into heaven in a chariot of fire. There is no end to this story. What is the fire of Yahweh that the text is pointing to?
Phenomenologically speaking, the fire of Yahweh is lightning. Lightning struck the altar that Elijah had prepared. It is commonly referred to as thunderbolt. Thunderbolt burned up the sacrificed calf, wood, stone, and soil, leaving no water behind. Just as the Israelites, who were crossing the wilderness, thought of the volcanic eruption as a pillar of cloud and fire that God was leading, they thought of lightning that way.
Mount Carmel was where the altar of Baal was installed. According to scholars, it is likely that Jezebel brought it as a dowry when she married Ahab. Jezebel brought many Baal prophets from Sidon, her hometown, and built an altar to Baal where she served in her hometown. Elijah and his followers, fighting against the Baal faith, smashed the Baal altar on Mount Carmel and offered burnt offerings to the Lord God in front of the people. At that moment, lightning came down from the sky and consumed the sacrifice. They thought that it was an event that proved that Yahweh, not Baal, was the true God.
Yahweh God
Our interest in reading this story today is what the central message of the biblical writer is to convey in a fairy tale-like way. You may have already found the answer. As shown in Elijah's prayer and in the cry of the people, the answer is that Yahweh is God. Do you think the answer is too obvious? Do you think that Elijah went into a life-or-death battle to find the obvious answer? no. The proposition that Yahweh is God is not such a simple answer. This is hard to accept as saying that Jesus is the Christ. This applies to all of us, not just those who do not come to church. In order to understand more deeply why this is the case, we have to think about what the essence of the faith in Baal is and the essence of the faith in Yahweh.
Baal was the god of fertility worshiped by the Canaanites. That god is the god of agriculture. They believed that Baal controlled the natural environment necessary for farming. Only if we serve Baal well can we be promised a bountiful harvest and prosperous descendants. That's it. They maintained their religious life with the goal of only becoming materially prosperous. This belief is not so strange, it is also pursued by all religions. In this respect, Baalism can be said to be a very general religion.
On the other hand, the faith in Yahweh, which Elijah was trying to protect even with the guarantee of his life, was not aimed at such material abundance, but at the word of Yahweh. Words are promises. Of course, this promise includes material content. The promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were land and descendants. However, these material things were given by keeping God's promises, and could not be the goal of faith.
You might think that these two beliefs are not very different, but they are not. decidedly different. If the Baal faith aims for material abundance, the Yahweh faith constantly relativizes it. Baal faith believes in God in order to eat well and live well, but Yahweh faith completely relies on the promises indicated by the Word of Yahweh regardless of it.
In the history of Israel, the prophets were a group that tried to hold onto this very fact. In contrast, the kings, who were politicians, compromised moderately. As Old Testament scholar Burjman points out, the Old Testament can be viewed as a confrontation between two groups. It is a confrontation between the prophets who cry out to rely entirely on the invisible promise of Yahweh, and the king who seeks to establish the kingship by gaining the support of the people on a material basis. False prophets also appeared among them, and false priests appeared.
Human history has been dominated by the collusion of kings and false prophets. That power is still there. Look at our lives today. We are now totally exposed to Baal faith. Jaetech is capturing everyone's soul today. There is no need for me to explain further the fact that capitalism, which operates at the center, is today's Baal. Compared to 30 years ago, today we all live like rich people. There is no home without a car. There are very few people who buy rice with dtbak. Of course, there are still homeless and undernourished people, and there are those who do not have money to receive medical treatment on time. However, it is clear that we are now more prosperous than ever before, if we work diligently. Yet we are not at all satisfied. If we look at the Korea-US FTA alone, yes. Supporters and opponents alike presuppose material abundance. We are living with that goal indefinitely. This is the conclusive proof that Baal faith is still on the rise.
It is not easy for Christians living in this age to overcome this kind of Baal belief. Perhaps you are not aware of that fact. Even the church is immersed in growth supremacy, so what more can you say? Just as the people of northern Israel in the 9th century B.C. were all drunk with Baal faith, we may all live that way today.
So, does that mean it's hopeless? It's not like that. Look at the fire of Yahweh that burned down Elijah's altar. It is said that when all the people saw the sight, they fell to the ground and cried. “Yahweh is God.” Anyone who saw the fire of Yahweh that burned Elijah's sacrifice has no choice but to base their lives on Yahweh God. What is Yahweh's fire for us today, and where is it? Could it be the cross of Jesus? Could it be the resurrection of Jesus? Isn't Yahweh's fire the fire of the Holy Spirit that came on the day of Pentecost? May the fire of Yahweh come upon you to light our spiritual eyes.