"That's a Good Question"

The key to getting the right answer is asking the right question.  Though a truism for life, it is particularly true when one comes to understanding a passage of scripture.  Any wrestling with scripture needs to include asking some serious questions of the text.  Some of these may be matters that can be answered with a little research.  Some are matters of intent and motive that cannot be answered with certainty.  With these the  answer to the question is itself an interpretation.

This week at my church I'll be tackling the fifth in a series of eight sermons on the ministries of Elijah and Elisha.  On the docket for the week is the first part of 1 Kings 19, which describes Elijah's flight from Israel down to Beersheba and thence into the desert and eventually to Mt. Horeb where he encountered the Almighty who speaks to him in "a still small voice."  As a small teaser for this week- I'd like to toss out a few questions that seem to scream for an answer.

First, some background for the action in this chapter- in chapter 18 Elijah had his dramatic showdown with the prophets of Ba'al and Asherah on Mount Carmel where he called down fire from heaven.  After that dramatic defeat of the false prophets he had them all slaughtered and then outran King Ahab's chariot back to the palace at Jezreel.  There Queen Jezebel sent him a messenger to tell him that within a day she'd have his head on a platter.  In response to this threat the great prophet journeyed to Beersheba and then eventually to Horeb where he met God.

In no particular order I'd encourage you the reader to ponder on these questions:

• Why did Elijah flee in the first place?  How can the man who called down fire from Heaven skedaddle as he did?
• Why did Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah?  If she wanted him dead wouldn't she have just hired an assassin to do the job quickly and quietly.  She was more than capable and willing to do so.
• Why did he go all the way to Beersheba at the southern end of Judah?  Judah at the time was ruled by the comparatively righteous King Jehoshaphat and he would likely have been safe from Jezebel's emissaries once in Judah.
• At what point did he decide to go to Mount Horeb?  Was this in mind the moment he left Jezreel, or did he decide to do it en route, or once he had gotten to Beersheba?
• Was he following a known pilgrimage route to the Mountain of God, and what route did he take from Beersheba to get there? (this of course leaves alone the great archaeological mystery about which mountain today was known then as Horeb/Sinai.)

If you'll be with me in worship this week at the Church of the Covenant, or even if you're only following in Spirit, take a couple of minutes to read this chapter and ponder these questions before Sunday.  Sometimes the questions are indeed as important as the answers!