Reading for September 11th

 Read 1 Kings 19.1-21. In 19.1-21: Elijah on Mount Horeb. In verses1-3: Elijah flees south some 130 miles to Beer-sheba out of fear of Jezebel. In verse 8: Like Moses, Elijah fasts forty days and forty nights. Elijah goes to Horeb the mount of God which is called Sinai at other places in the Bible. It is the place where Moses received the law. In verse 9: The Hebrew text reads "the" cave, apparently the same cave where Moses hid when the Lord passed by (Ex 33.17-23). In verses 11-12: The Lord does not appear in any of these violent forms, which might be associated with the storm god, Baal. Rather, the Lord appears quietly. In verse 13: Elijah wrapped his face in his mantle, apparently because he was afraid. In verse 14: Again, Elijah is overstating matters when he says I alone am left. In verses 15-18: The Lord evidently accepts Elijah's "resignation." Elijah is assured that he is not alone (v. 18), but he is told to anoint or designate Elisha ('my God saves') as his replacement. The other two commissions in these verses are actually carried out by Elisha (2 Kings 8-9). In verse 19: Introduction of Elisha is abrupt. We know nothing of his background except what is narrated here. The twelve yoke of oxen (v. 19) suggests that he is from a wealthy family. The mantle was a token of the prophetic office. When he threw his mantle over him, Elijah was designating Elisha as his replacement. In verse 20: Elijah's response to Elisha's request In v. 20 is obscure. By asking What have I done to you? he maybe asking Elisha to keep in mind that the has received an important call. In verse 21: Elisha's feats is a way of bidding goodbye to his family. Comments or Questions..