IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE LESSON July 12, 2010 Issue

THROUGH THE EYES OF ELIJAH

BETH CAREY

ALMOST EVERY SECTION of this week's Bible Lesson, titled "Life," tells us something new about the 9th-century BC prophet Elijah. What a treat to get acquainted, or reacquainted, with this dynamic individual.

The name Elijah means "The Lord is my God." One Bible scholar says about this Old Testament character, "Elijah the Tishbite ... suddenly appears on the scene like a meteor" (Bernard Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament, p. 213).

We see the meteor-like personality in Section IV, where Elijah confronts the Baal prophets. Ahab, the king of northern Israel, has married Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon. In Israel she has built a temple to her god, Baal, and has brought her Baal prophets to her new country. Baalism was a "materialistic nature cult" (Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, p. 329). The omnipotence of the Israelites' one God seems precarious in the presence of this new influence.

About the author

Christian Science practitioner Beth Carey has a PhD in New Testament studies and has taught and given public lectures on the subject. She splits her time between Elsah, Illinois, and Interlochen, Michigan.

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