June 19, Ordinary 12C (1 Kings 19:1-15a)

The famous Simon and Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence” explores the difficulty of communicating truth in a way that will be heard. While it may be easier to believe that truth is told in the booming shouts of the powerful, in fact it is often uttered in the whispers of the vulnerable: “The words of the prophets / Are written on the subway walls / And tenement halls / And whispered in the sound of silence.” They were not the first to make this claim.

Elijah’s prophetic role was to call out the idol worship rampant in the kingdom of Israel and perpetuated by those in power, namely Ahab and Jezebel. The prophet we encounter in 1 Kings 19 stands in stark contrast to the prophet spoken of in the previous chapter, whose zeal and swagger on behalf of God clinches victory over the prophets of Baal, even amid seemingly asymmetrical warfare tipping in Baal’s favor. When Elijah hears of the death warrant Jezebel has placed on his head, his demeanor flips from empowered and confident to helpless and disconsolate. As readers, we are left to guess why.

Perhaps Elijah thought God’s victory would get through to Ahab and his administration, and when he learns of Jezebel’s crusade to kill him, he realizes his truth telling has reverberated in ears that refuse to hear. Elijah flees to the wilderness—not necessarily for his life, as he asks God to let him die. He is hoping for escape from his calling, feeling overwhelmed by the task ahead, mistakenly believing that he alone must eradicate idolatry.