Day 12: The Fire of Elijah

We started our day by visiting the supposed (though unlikely) site of Jesus almost being stoned near Nazareth (Luke 4). The cliffside has a beautiful outlook of the whole Nazareth area, and it would have been a view Jesus grew up with. One of the major takeaways of this trip for me has been the humanness of Jesus. Consider that Jesus stood in this same spot overlooking the city and felt for these lost.

We then drove to the foot Mt. Carmel in preparation for our daily hike. RVL used this moment as a teaching point about fig trees. Fig trees are people’s favorite trees in Israel because they are so sweet. Apparently fig trees take a lot of work to care for. Jews call their rabbi a fig tree, which yields sweet fruit but needs to be cared for.

“Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored.” – Proverbs 27:18

This makes the interaction between Jesus and Nathaniel come alive. Nathaniel was probably studying Psalm 32:2 with his rabbi, which states: “Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” And Jesus had a vision of Nathaniel studying with his rabbi.

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to him, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ – John 1:47-49

It made me think about the importance of tending my own fruit tree(s), meaning caring in practical ways for those who invest in my spiritual growth. In America, we tend to think that all people need is money. Not true. The Jews have this one right. Pastors and rabbis need to be cared for in all kinds of practical ways to succeed.

The main point of today was considering the life of Elijah. Elijah was a fiery prophet of God during the reign of an evil ruling couple, Ahab and Jezebel. He threatened Ahab and Jezebel that their idolatry would lead to a nationwide drought based on Deuteronomy 11, and the drought did pick up in full force. Elijah had a confrontational relationship with God.

He went back and forth between preaching God’s word and allowing his own temper get the best of him. Elijah called down fire from heaven three times and killed hundreds of people – prophets of Ba’al and Ahab’s soldiers. Elijah was so frustrated that he asked God to kill him. Through it all, God taught Elijah that violence is not the best answer, as God visits Elijah with a kol d'mama de kah (“whisper”).

Elijah’s passion for God was legendary. In one day, Elijah climbed up and down Mt. Carmel twice and then ran 18+ miles to Jezreel. To get a small taste of the difficulty, we hiked Mt. Carmel. Even one hike up was quite difficult, with a 2400 ft. incline. Upon Elijah’s leaving the world, his disciple Elisha asked for twice the fire of Elisha, which he granted. I want to have twice the fire of Elijah.

On our hike, RVL pointed to a bushy thorn called “seerim”, which is the same word as prophet (interestingly). Hosea 2:6 says that God will put seerim to block your path when you fall away from Him. RVL asked us to walk in the seerim and feel how difficult it was to keep walking. These weren’t as bad as the thistles from yesterday, but it definitely hurt. May God put seerim in my path to help steer me.

We walked by an area with a bunch of rocks. RVL asked us all to pick up smaller rocks and start hammering the larger rocks. He said, this is what happens to the rocks in our ears when we immerse ourselves in God’s word. The sound of 60 rocks being hammered was an object lesson that was loud and clear. Often I blame God for not allowing me to hear, when it is I who have put God’s word on the backburner.

“God awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.” – Isaiah 50:4

“In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have chiseled my ears.” – Psalm 40:6

Near the top of Mt. Carmel, there is a grove of olive trees, so we learned more about the strange growth patterns of olive trees. Apparently, olive trees do not have a life expectancy and are very resilient. There are some olive trees in Israel that are 2000+ years old. But every 400 years or so, they become dormant and stop producing fruit. At this point, the farmer cut off the trunk of the olive tree.

You think the tree is dead, but new shoots start growing on the tree. Olive trees have two types of shoots: NZR and HTR. NZR are shoots that grow higher on the tree which bear fruit, but will not grow a new tree if planted. HTR are shoots that grow from roots that can grow new trees if planted in soil, but will not bear fruit.

Jesus was a NZR from the stump of Jesse. He asks us to bear fruit by being alive in Him. The Gentiles are grafted wild olive branches – which an olive farmer would never do because that would weaken the tree – but Gentiles are able to bear fruit because they are in Jesus’s shoot. The imagery was so rich when we were looking at these olive trees. We really can’t bear fruit outside of Jesus or our Jewish roots.

After hiking Mt. Carmel, we went to Caesarea. Paul was held captive there in prison and would make his appeal to Caesar before King Herod Agrippa II at Caesarea. Caesarea also happens to be the most naturally beautiful site in Israel, as it is a Roman city built on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Herod the Great built this city to gain a port for his spices, but basically just to say how great he was.

RVL made the point that God was at work throughout the generations of the Herod family. Herod the Great met the wise men and tried to kill Jesus as a baby. His son, Herod Antipas, met and killed John the Baptist. Herod Agrippa I imprisoned Peter and killed James, son of Zebedee. Herod Agrippa II met Paul and kept him imprisoned for two years. Hopefully someone in that family ended up believing.

Our last stop was Jerusalem, where we will be for the next two days. Like many pilgrims, our first stop was the Western (“Wailing”) Wall of the Temple Mount. In the original Temple of Jerusalem, God’s glory lived in the Holy of Holies, which would have been on the West side. It became a tradition for people to pray on the West side of the Temple Mount. Praying to God at this ancient site was quite moving. If you are reading this, I hope to have prayed for you today.