Please read Chapters 12-22 of I Kings, the sections on Elisha and Ahab. Which of the stories/characters in I Kings 12-22 interests you the most? Does this story lend itself to good tragedy? Or is does it seem more like history, biography, or prophecy rather than tragedy?
Elijah has always been one of my favorite prophets, both because of the stories of his interaction with the prophets of Baal and with the widow. I definitely don't think his account can be classified as tragedy, but it's also difficult to call it biography or prophecy. His story is probably closer to history, especially since he is regarded as one of the greatest prophets, even present during Jesus's transfiguration. The 1 Kings account showcases some of the great things Elijah did with the Lord's help, like raising a child from the dead, providing food for a woman of one of the most neglected statuses, and proving the power and sovereignty of God above any other deity.
ReplyDeleteInstead of being tragic, I think Elijah's story is reflective simply of a good character arc. He has great trust in the Lord and works miracles, but he's still human and susceptible to fear and despair, as evidenced by wanting to give up and die while running from Jezebel. Being the last prophet after Jezebel has killed all the others would have been an incredible weight on Elijah's shoulders, so I don't blame him for his lack of trust in God and his readiness to give up. The story of Elijah hiding makes him more relatable.
Elijah is one of the m ore recognizable names in the bible and especially in these chapters. Described as waring furs and being a very rugged man but being very dedicated to God. He is described as being very courageous even openly mocking the priest of Ba'al and then completely humiliating them in a challenge ware Gods power is shown. After so many people who became tragedies in the bible, I like to say that the story of Elijah is the story of a true hero who has his faults and challenges and fails sometimes but overcomes and does Gods works until the end when he is actually taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. If I had to choose what this is I would have to make it out as a prophecy because there are a couple instances when the prophets speak of things and does things that were predicted to happen. -Christian Zetterlund
ReplyDeleteAhab's story interested me the most. He was a bad guy, but he was quite fascinating and how he somehow generally had things go his way is also something I noted. The story lends itself much better as history than tragedy. There is not overwhelming tragedy in this reading. The reading lends itself as history in the way in chronicles events such as the various victories of Ahab or Ahab's response and usage of the knowledge of Elijah's sins.
ReplyDeleteThe man of God's story was quite interesting, mainly the part where the man of God prophesies against Jeroboam. He had a set of rules given by God to follow, and yet he was lied to from an old prophet saying that God told him otherwise. In the end the Man of God dies because the old prophet lied to him. Later we find that the old prophet wanted to buried by the man of God for what he said was true. Although this story was short it shows a deep importance in the whole chapter.
ReplyDeletekenneth dennis
Delete2 Kings is much like 1 Kings as it is a historical narrative that shows the tragedy of the people of Israel. It is mainly a historical text but it is also a tragedy as we see the people fall away from the Lord and are punished for it. In 2 Kings the character that interests me the most is King Josiah of Judah. He came to the thrown when he was only 8 and had a really successful reign. He brought Judah back to the Lord for a time and seemed to not loose any land. The reason i am so interested in him is the fact he was a child king as historically this never ended well. Usually this led to infighting or the nation becoming week as the king was not strong or the king would become a tyrant. However Josiah overcame this and served as a good king in the eyes of the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI have no argument against Elijah being the most interesting character of I Kings 12-22. Elijah had nobody to impress and most always heeded to the word of God. We often find ourselves stooping low to please others even if it hurts the impress of God on others, though Elijah was morally courageous and a voice for the Lord.
ReplyDeleteElijahs story is of prophecy, and dedication to Gods law, though he is surrounded by tragedy of other individuals in the stories. Elijah defied death and was swept up into heaven for a reason, he was righteous, thus making his story epic.
1st kings 12-22 recounts the split of the kingdom. The reign of several kings and the Ministry of Elijah and other profits. Includes stories of rebellion and Gods intervention. Following Solomon's death striked division in the kingdom. Judah remained under rule. Elijah a powerful profit confronted king Ahab. He helped demonstrate Gods power. Other stories of rising to power and Gods miracles. I would find this more interesting then a tragedy. The story of Elijah being my favorite.
ReplyDeleteDylan Schimke
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite story is in chapter 17 when Elijah tells the widow that she will have plenty to eat if she gives him her last amount of food. The widow does that, and her and her son have enough food to last until the rain comes back. Elijah also raises her son from death after the son passed away due to illness. I think Elijah is more of a prophetic story than anything because it shows a man that God is with and the many miracles he does while listening to the Lord. However, this prophetic life of Elijah fits into the whole tragedy of Israel and the repeated failures of the chosen people to stay united under God.
The story of Elijah calling down the pillar of fire interests me the most. To me, it feels like biography. The story of Elijah calling down the pillar of fire has interested me since I was little. I always found it curious how after Elijah had the greatest moment of his life, he ends up running away. But as I get older, it become easier for me to understand. Whenever I have been in an extraneous situation in my life and performed well, I have always felt ecstatic. But after the adrenaline wears off, a low feeling can sometimes accompany it. I think just the sheer physical and emotional strain accompanying that type of ecstatic feeling, especially one with such high stakes can completely wipe a person out emotionally and physically. That's why this section strikes me as biographic. It's a very emotional and personal view of Elijah.
ReplyDeleteI like the story of when Elijah meets a woman at the city of Zarephath in chapter 17. Elijah asks for the woman to bring him a crust of bread but the lady says she has no food and that she was collecting sticks to make a little bit of bread for her and her son. The woman implies that her and her son are starving and that they will probably soon die. But Elijah just says, go and make your bread for your son but first make me a little cake. And of course, the woman does what Elijah says, and the Lord blesses her and her son afterwards. I've always found this story interesting though because it almost seems like Elijah doesn't really care about the womans troubles. She tells Elijah that she hardly has enough food to keep her son alive and that they soon may die, and Elijah seems to just respond with, yeah that's really too bad well okay anyways I'm hungry so go make me a cake. Now obviously the Lord was with Elijah and so he didn't really just not care about the womans worries. But still, its a little weird how its written to sound like that. In this case, I think this story would fit more with prophecy as Elijah was serving as a messenger for the Lord and through him the Lord blesses the woman for her kindness.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by the story of Asa. The biblical writer says that Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, like David, and although he did not remove the high places, his heart remained fully committed to the Lord all his life.
ReplyDeleteWriters described Rehoboam, Abijam, and Nadab as having done evil in the eyes of the Lord from the beginning. So I'm curious why Asa's early reign is portrayed more positively.
Although the latter part of Asa's reign resembles that of other kings, at least the beginning stands out as different. It seems to have a historical element as well, rather than being purely prophetic.
- Sophia Lee
I love the event in I Kings chapter 19 when Elijah flees to the wilderness. He is afraid that he is one of the only faithful followers of God left and is feeling very discouraged and upset. God deals with Elijah in layers. First, physically. He sends an angel to provide nourishment for him and encourages Elijah to eat and drink. After that, Elijah is still discouraged and overwhelmed. He travels to a cave and talks to God again. God tells Elijah to go stand outside the cave and watch. There, Elijah witnesses multiple strong forces--an earthquake, a fire, and strong winds. However, he does not find God in any of those. This is when the "still small voice" of God speaks to Elijah. I love this story, and I like to view it as a comfort amongst tragedy. I don't think this is a moment of tragedy, but it is a good "intermission of tragic events." This story is truly wonderful and comforting for anyone at any point in time.
ReplyDeleteLauren
I am super interested in Elijahs story as a whole. His boldness against the prophets of Baal and king Ahab was a fascinating story to read and study. Yet immediately after he flees into the wilderness in chapter 19 and is frightened and depressed. He thought it may get better for him yet it caused more and more trouble. Jezebel and others are on the chase to murder him. This shows so much about the reality of being a follower of Yahweh, and that it doesn't always give approval of others it actually does the opposite in most. This story gives evidence for 1 Kings to be a tragedy because you think the story may have a good ending but doesn't entirely.
ReplyDeleteAndrew
I could have sworn that I had answered this, but I suppose not.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, one of my favorite stories from this section is the story regarding Elijah, the widow, and her son.
Despite having little flour and oil, they are able to have enough to eat for days on end in spite of the famine/drought that was ongoing.
Is it possible that this happened? Absolutely, people grew to be creative when it came to a lack of supplies, especially food.
As for whether it contributes to a good tragedy, I would agree, as the widow's son does die (only to be revived). Despite her helping as much as she did, her son still died. While he was returned to her, there was still a period of time where she was certain that she had lost him forever, being punished in a way that she may have felt she didn't deserve.
The fun thing when it comes to stories is that they can often fit multiple themes at once - it just depends who is viewing it and how.