"The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel." 1 Kings 18:46
Miracle or poor roads? I like to think of it as a miracle. The text suggests he was able to do it because "the power of the Lord came upon Elijah."
Here's Ahab riding in a chariot and Elijah going by foot. I'm told it's 17 miles from Mt. Carmel to Ahab and Jezebel's summer residence in Jezreel. And Elijah outruns the chariot. Pretty good piece of running. Of course, this takes place after God's amazing miracle on top of Mt. Carmel with Elijah battling and defeating in front of King Ahab the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Ashrerah. So outrunning a chariot the 17 miles from the mountain top to Jezreel is something of a lesser miracle compared to fire from heaven consuming a sacrifice awash in buckets of water. But I like it. Elijah the cross country runner. Some suggest that this run is Elijah's way of honoring Ahab as King, running like a servant of the King ahead of his chariot as was an Ancient custom. He was honoring Ahab so he would more deeply consider God's superiority to the gods of Baal and Asherah that he had seen defeated.
Maybe. But I think of it as more of a race. Here's Ahab trying to outrun the coming rain in his chariot, perhaps fleeing from the scene of a horrific event where the gods he had entrusted his fate and faith to are overcome and their prophets murdered. As he rides along in frustration and perhaps anger, stinging from Elijah's taunts of his gods and their defeat, what does Ahab see out of the corner of his eye? The prophet Elijah running just ahead of him. He speeds up. But he cannot get away from Elijah. He cannot distance himself from what he has seen and the picture of it burned in his head. He speeds up again. And again.
But the God of Elijah cannot be outrun.
Miracle or custom? Lord knows. But I'm thinking miracle and like the picture of a man alone with his God able to out run the King and his machine.
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