What a bummer. The longest lunar eclipse in the century is happening tonight, and we cannot see it. It is still daylight here, and we are on the wrong side of the planet to see it. Quick fly to South Africa or the middle of the Indian Ocean. Done. Not a completed objective, but my chances of seeing it. Well, it will be on the internet. We can watch by proxy, if you will. Or else on the “instant replay.” (Only not so instant.)
Well, let’s not let a good opportunity to learn go by, so let’s apply the eclipse to Elijah. Huh? Yep, makes perfect sense. Old Elijah was a fascinating character. Something that I just realized this week, thanks to David Jeremiah, was that nearly every action of Elijah’s life was driven by the same phrase.
Let’s take a peak at the first one. 1 Kings 17:1, 2
Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying,
Elijah “stood before the Lord” and heard a message, which he delivered. Then comes the crucial statement in v. 2. “The word of the Lord came to him...” “Him” is Elijah. We have looked at this story before and will explore it again, but just hold that in abeyance for a minute.
Elijah went to a brook in the wilderness and lived. In short, the brook dried up. V. 8 “Then the word of the Lord came to him,” and he was sent to a widow up in Zarapath, in Sidon. After surviving the drought with this woman and her son, and incidentally, raising him from the dead, the story continues. ”Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah...” (1 Kings 18) this led to the epic confrontation on Mt. Horeb between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
1 Kings 21:17 “Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah...” Elijah is to confront King Ahab and pronounce God’s judgment for Ahab’s murder of Naboth. Verse 28, “Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah...” And God announces that He accepted Ahab’s repentance.
2 Kings 1:3 “But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah...” Elijah is sent to intercept the messengers of King Ahaziah, Ahab’s son. V. 15 “The angel of the Lord said to Elijah...” Elijah is given permission to accompany the King’s “escort” to meet with him.
Then, in 2 Kings 2 Elijah is going to get his whirlwind ride to heaven. (No amusement park ride named “Whirlwind” can match this. But I digress.) V. 2 “Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me....” He is introducing his protégé to the “guidance system” that had directed his life. V. 4 “Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me....” More of the same. Verse 6 “ Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me....” One final chance to “miss the boat.” Elisha declined, and went along.
All of these episodes began with “The word of the Lord came to Elijah...” Sadly, this brilliant testimony is somewhat eclipsed by Chapter 19. Jezebel just threatened to kill Elijah and he took off like a scalded cat. He ran all the way from Samaria, up in the northern part clear down to the “desert, to Mt. Sinai. God is speaking, “and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”
God was not asking where Elijah was, or even his motivation. He already knew that. His question was essentially, “I did not send you here, why are you in this place?”
The moon comes up and shines brightly almost every night. Exceptions of new moon and obscuring clouds noted. But we pay most attention to the times when the moon is eclipsed by the shadow of the earth. Elijah’s ministry is “shadowed” by this one incident. He could have stood up to old Jezzie, and challenged her threats. “You and whose army, Lady?”
But as noted before, he ran. (Ed: SPCA disclaimer. The idiom, “scalded cat,” is just a figure of speech, and not reflective of any actual events.) Maybe a fainting goat crossed with a scalded cat would be an apt description. Anyway, his career was tainted. (No reference to a blood moon.)
Elijah finished well. His “training trip” was used by the Lord to reinvigorate his ministry, and as we already saw, he boldly confronted Ahab after that. He also commissioned his successor, Elisha, who, according to his request, had a “double portion of Elijah’s spirit.” That was the Holy Spirit and Elisha’s request was very appropriate. As far as we can tell, Elisha did not stumble.
So, as you watch the eclipse “in absentia,” just recall that our lives are often marked by one, or a few stumbles. But God is interested in the final result. Elijah can testify to that. I am thankful for that also.
Have a blessed day–and night.
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