The Way
The Still Small Voice at Horeb
After the wind and the fire had passed
Story
Elijah spent the night in a cave on Mount Horeb, and the word of the Lord came to him. The Lord asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah answered, “The people of Israel have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to take my life too.”
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before me.” A great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire. The Lord was not in them either. After the fire there came a low, still, small voice. Elijah covered his face with his cloak and stood at the mouth of the cave.
The Lord asked again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah gave the same answer: “I am the only one left.” The Lord said, “Go back, and anoint Hazael king over Aram, Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha as the prophet who will succeed you. I have kept seven thousand in Israel who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
Walk this scene on the map →Words of God and the Prophets
What are you doing here, Elijah?
I have kept seven thousand in Israel, all who have not bowed the knee to Baal and have not kissed him.
The people of Israel have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life too.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 1 Kgs 19:9–18
Background
Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, where Moses stood before the burning bush and received the law. It lies hundreds of kilometers south of Beersheba, and there are several views about its exact location.
Pause and Reflect
Do I treat only what I want to hear as God's will?