Rising Darkness (23 page)

At that point Jezebel came in and took her seat next to her husband. She had clearly heard what the prophet had said. She was an attractive woman, dressed in the royal garb of Tyre, and decked out in much jewelry. Around her neck was an amulet with Baal markings engraved upon it.

“You would deprive me of my school of prophets?” asked Jezebel in a mock voice of desperation. “Whatever would I do?”

“Madam, you are inviting the judgment of God upon your head,” Elijah answered.

Gabriel liked this man. He had not heard a human speak with such authority since Moses confronted Rameses. This would be interesting. Jezebel looked at her husband, waiting for some response from him to silent this insolent holy man. But Ahab remained silent, much to her dismay.

“And so to prove to you that the Lord is God, and that He cannot be mocked by the Baals, or by earthly kings, there shall be neither rain nor dew for the next few years unless I decree otherwise.”

Ahab began to smirk. Jezebel laughed out loud, almost spilling her wine out of its golden cup. The others in the court began to laugh aloud as well.

“You shall stop the rain,” said Ahab as the laughter subsided. “Interesting.”

“When the animals are dying; when the crops have failed; when your people cry out for relief—you will send for me, Ahab. And then you will know that the Lord God Almighty is God.”

Elijah left the palace and headed into the streets of Samaria. A crowd gathered around him as he lifted his voice to the Lord:

“Here now, O Israel. You have forsaken the living God, the God of your fathers, and have run after other gods. Therefore this is the word of the Lord: There shall be no rain nor dew upon the land for the next few years!”

The crowd began to laugh at the man, who was obviously deranged. One man asked if he wanted some more wine. Elijah merely looked up to the sky and ended his declaration with the words, “So be it done!”

From a window in the palace, Jezebel watched the entire scene. It was bad enough that this man had intruded upon the king and queen. But now he was spewing his poison on the streets. She summoned her chief aide.

“Yes, my queen,” said Dobri.

“I want that man who calls himself a prophet followed. See where he goes and with whom he speaks. Send me regular reports. And if he discovers you…kill him.” She tossed him a small bag with several precious stones in it.

“As you command, my queen,” he said.

“Gabriel!”

“Gabriel, what is the matter?” asked Serus.

Gabriel ignored Serus, indicating for him to be quiet and follow him. The two angels walked with Elijah until he came to a place just outside the city where nobody else was around. Elijah was filling his skin with fresh water.

“The Lord will speak to him,” said Gabriel solemnly. The words were hardly out of Gabriel’s mouth when the silence was broken:

“Elijah!”

Elijah looked about.

“Elijah!”

Gabriel and Serus bowed their heads as the Lord spoke.

“Lord?” said Elijah.

“
Hear the word of the Lord, Elijah!
”

Elijah fell to his knees. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

“
You are to leave here and turn to the east. Go to the Kerith ravine east of Jordan and hide there, for your enemies are seeking you out. There you shall drink from the brook and you shall be fed by the ravens that I have ordered there!
”

Elijah stood up and hurriedly gathered his things to begin the journey east. As he got back on the road leaving town, Serus turned and saw several demons accompanying Dobri, who had just passed the gate, riding a chariot and accompanied by another man. They were obviously looking for Elijah.

“Look there,” said Serus, pointing to the man.

“It is Jezebel’s servant,” said Gabriel. “You remain with Elijah. I’ll see to these.”

“Elijah, you must hurry,” Serus said.

Elijah considered the idea in his heart and picked up the pace, heading eastward from Samaria onto the road that led to Kerith. Gabriel stood in front of the demons who were with Dobri.

“We would pass, Archangel,” they said. “We are on assignment with this man.”

Gabriel began to unsheathe his sword. Seeing this, the devils abandoned Dobri, preferring to meet up with Gabriel when they had a greater advantage of numbers.

“Go ahead, Archangel,” said one of them. “We shall yet have our vengeance upon both you and the man of God!”

He then vanished.

Dobri continued his hunt, asking people if they had seen Elijah. Gabriel determined to deal with the man. Assuming the form of a human, a merchant entering Samaria on a donkey, he rode near Dobri.

“Did I hear you inquire about a certain man?” the stranger asked.

“Yes,” said Dobri. He then began to tell the merchant, who was really Gabriel, about Elijah in great detail.

“Ah yes,” said the man. “ I ran into him a mile from here. He said he was headed west toward Carmel. I believe that he was picked up by a man on horseback!”

“Thank you,” said Dobri, tossing him a coin. Dobri and his companion took off on the road leading west. Gabriel looked at the coin, which bore Ahab’s inscription. Tossing it away, he vanished so that he could catch up with Serus and Elijah.

Bethlehem, 4 B.C.

Eli stirred the embers, bringing life to the fire. It responded to his coaxing with a lively pop. The Bethlehem night seemed colder than usual. Most of the shepherds were now settled around the fire in half-sitting, half-reclining positions. The boys, however, still involved in the evening’s story, remained vigilant in their attention.

“Wouldn’t you boys like to rest for a while?” asked Eli.

“Now?” asked Jarod. “Just when Elijah has the bad king after him?”

“Bad queen,” corrected Eli. “Jezebel hated Elijah with all that was in her.”

“But why?” Jarod asked. “I thought prophets were good to have around.”

Eli chuckled at the boy’s response.

“They are, lad,” said Eli. “Most of the time. But Elijah’s message was a hard one. It was a message that people did not want to hear because they had turned their backs on the Lord. Jezebel hated Elijah because he was a threat to her hold over the Baal worship in the land. That worship made her lots of money and gave her a great measure of control.

“The rain had stopped for several years—just as Elijah had decreed. So Ahab and Jezebel hated the man—but they also needed him if the rain was ever going to return.”

“So what did he do during that time?” asked Jarod. “Where did he live?”

“Oh, the Lord took care of him—as He does all His prophets. For a time Elijah lived near a brook in Kerith where the ravens fed him. Then he went to Zarephath, where a widow woman took care of him. While he was with her, Elijah raised her son from the dead! In the meantime Jezebel was on a bloody rampage, killing the Lord’s prophets wherever she could find them. Of course, Elijah was the one she really wanted.

“Finally, the Lord told Elijah to present himself once again to Ahab. The Most High God was going to finally send rain. He wanted Ahab to know that it was the Lord, and nobody else, who had commanded the rain. So Elijah met with Ahab at Samaria.”

“Did he bring the rain with him?” asked Joshua.

“No, Joshua,” said Eli. “He didn’t bring the rain. He brought a challenge….”

Samaria, 876 B.C.

Elijah approached Ahab in the same assembly hall as before, although this time it was empty except for several guards. Most of the administrators and officials were out in the country dealing with the famine and drought that had become the focus of Ahab’s reign. Kara and Shawa stood behind Ahab as before, though this time they seemed in a very different humor.

“How long will the cruelty of the Most High continue?” asked Shawa. “His people are suffering throughout the land!”

Gabriel, who had come in with Elijah, was incredulous.

“You are concerned with the suffering of the people?” he said mockingly. “Shawa, all that concerns you is the fact that the Baals are losing face. And with that your power is diminished.”

“Nevertheless people are dying,” interjected Kara. “It is a cruel God who plays games with the lives of people. He shall never win them back!”

“This is no game, Kara,” said Gabriel. “And the Lord need not win anyone back. The people will one day return to Him on their own!”

“If there are any left alive,” Kara sneered.

Elijah stopped in front of the king’s chair.

“Is that you, troubler of Israel?” Ahab asked.

“I have not made trouble for Israel, majesty,” said Elijah. “It is your following of the Baals that has brought on this disaster. And your murder of the Lord’s prophets.”

“I see that you are in good health,” said Jezebel, who had rushed to the hall when she was informed that her hated enemy had dared present himself.

“Yes, madam,” said Elijah. “I am in the best of health. But in your zeal for Baal many of the Lord’s prophets have been murdered.”

“Can I help it if the people seek out heretics?” asked Jezebel. “I am not responsible for the actions of others who are incited by religious fanatics.”

“The power of Baal is not real, madam,” said Elijah. “It is dark and devilish and forbidden by the Lord.”

“Did you come here to provoke me?” she asked, visibly angry.

Ahab gave her a look that told her to calm down and be quiet.

“I have come that you might see that the Lord God of Heaven is Lord over all gods,” Elijah said. “I have come to bring you a challenge.”

Jezebel looked at her husband. She was immediately on guard for a trick from this crafty old prophet who had been so much trouble to her. Ahab, however, was interested in Elijah’s mention of a challenge.

“What sort of challenge?” Ahab asked.

Elijah spoke as if he were repeating words being spoken by somebody else; a sort of faraway look was in his eyes: “Summon witnesses from throughout Israel. And gather together the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah. Have all these meet me at Mount Carmel, one of the holiest places for the Baals. Then we shall see whose god is greater.”

Ahab looked at Jezebel. She liked the idea. This would be her chance to demonstrate the power of Baal once and for all—and to be rid of Elijah at the same time. She shook her head enthusiastically.