Monday, January 21, 2008

Faith and the cave of Elijah


"And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:9

Terraces in the Baha'i Gardens on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel

I have been pondering the puzzle of how one might actively work to increase one's faith in God. Fortunately, I have access to a number of powerful and discerning individuals who are striving to walk the spiritual path through life and so I have resolved to ask these people for their advice and insight into this question. The first dear friend that I consulted referred me to the story of Elijah in the Bible in 1 Kings 19:1-18. Not only is the story rich and abstract enough to keep me engaged in trying to understand it and the meanings about faith latent within it but it is also engaging me in learning a bit about Elijah who I have wanted to learn more about.


Seat of the Universal House of Justice on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel

Elijah spent an important period of his life in a cave at the foot of Mount Carmel in Haifa Israel which is a place on this planet that is of monumental significance for all humankind and is also important for me in very intimate personal ways as my parents met on the slopes of Mt Carmel and they gave me Carmel as a middle name. Mt Carmel is the heart of the Baha'i World Center and every Baha'i feels so strongly connected to the holiness of the many spots on that mountain and the regions surrounding it.
I have wanted to know more about Elijah and the cave of Elijah since my pilgrimage to the sacred Baha'i sites in Israel. So I am delighted I have been directed the story of Elijah and the cave where he meditated about faith and steadfastness through his own sufferings.


Regarding the Cave of Elijah sacred-destinations.com has this to say:

"Many important events in the life of the Prophet Elijah (9th century BC) are said to have happened in this revered cave: he lived and meditated here before defeating the pagan prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel; he hid here when fleeing the wrath of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel; and Elijah established his school here upon his return from exile. The cave is sacred to Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze, all of whom venerate the prophet Elijah. There was a mosque here until 1948. Tradition also has it that the Holy Family (Mary, Joseph and Jesus) found shelter in this cave for a night on their return from Egypt."

So what of the connection between Elijah and having faith in 1 Kings 19...I still await some commentary from my friend the Bible scholar but in this story it seems that Elijah fought battles against the pagans and as a result had to suffer at the hands of King Ahab resulting in his exile far away where he went through many tests and trials that included a period of feeling remoteness and separation from God.


"11And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire"

After all of these tests and trials the voice of God was heard as a "still small voice" but Elijah was listening and so was able to perceive it and the voice of God became louder and stronger instructing Elijah that he was being called to carry out tasks and missions of great importance as a result of his faith and steadfastness.

"15And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room."


That is my attempt at understanding the story of Elijah as told in 1 Kings and now I must continue to meditate on the implications for my own struggle to grow in Faith.


These days mark the three year annivesary of my 9-day pilgrimage to the Baha'i Holy Places in and around Mt Carmel. Speaking of active ways to strengthen one's faith, going on pilgrimage strikes me as one extremely important way to do this and so remembering those days also seems like a powerful tool for the activation of faith.
Baha'i Archives building on the slopes of Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel
It seems January is pilgrim season. Leila reminisces about the one year anniversay or HER pilgrimage in recent posts. She excerpts such a moving quotation from her own journaling during that time and I found it so inspiring that I wanted to dig out my own pilgrim's journal and choose an excerpt. I like being reminded of the powerful Zambezi River so I choose this one...

"In vibrant radiance there is no room for guilt. For gilded service there is no room for fear. Steadfastness so immovable it is as a mountain of rock... One must become so dynamic, so driven as to crash through life with the force of the mighty Zambezi river that crashes with joyous noise through the forest never deviating from its course." January 24, 2005


Leif is also just back from his pilgrimage this year. He has posted his wonderful photos in his facebook albums.






Shrine of the Bab, Mt. Carmel, Haifa Israel

1 Comments:

Blogger Pedagogical Criticality said...

Fabulous post. Some good sermon notes for me too. Fascinating how personally rich the story is for you. You are on the right path. I am not going to interrupt the journey just yet with my own commentary. One of the most awesome things about scripture is that it speaks to each of us differently and never fails to meet us at our point of need. "Chew the cud," as Dean Virginia Wiles would say. Step away from all of the rich history and let the text speak to you. A good hermeneutic technique is to live with the text for a week or so. RRR - Read, Recite, Review.

3:33 PM, January 22, 2008  

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