Prayer in Times of National Apostasy: The Theology of Prayer in the Books of the Kings (Part Two)
This is part two in an ongoing article about prayer in First and Second Kings. Be sure to check out part one as well!
The Primacy of Prayer in the Books of the Kings
The kingdoms of Israel were rocked by events of history-shaping significance. From the incursions of terroristic Assyria to the rise of evil despots intent on cracking the spine of Israel’s spiritual heritage, the Books of the Kings recount the most epic anecdotes of Hebrew history. We would naturally assume that these books would record the inspirational speeches, the back-room politics, and the convulsive conflicts of Israelite civilization. But we also find prayers recorded, and this shows how significant the prayers were to the history of the country. Indeed, we even find that prayers are considered more important than battles; some relatively obscure prayers are included, such as when an unnamed prophet prays for a diseased Jeroboam (1 Kings 13:6). Other events, that we imagine would be much more important to the historical record – such as the bloody Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC – are not even mentioned. This is because of the primacy of prayer in the Books of the Kings. The author firmly believed that prayer – as much as or more than politics – was directly responsible for shaping the history of his people.
Evidently, thirteen prayers were so significant in Israelite history as to warrant remembrance in the Books of the Kings.
- At the beginning of Solomon’s reign, the fledging king is visited by God in a dream and requests wisdom when offered anything, 1 Kings 3.
- After building the temple, Solomon dedicates it as a house of prayer to the glory of Yahweh, 1 Kings 8.
- An unnamed prophet intercedes for the heretic-king Jeroboam at the very moment when heaven prevents him from being arrested, 1 Kings 13.
- The prophet Elijah prays for the dead son of a Sidonian widow, raising him to life, 1 Kings 17.
- Elijah then confronts the pagan priests of Baal, praying for God to light a sacred fire on his rebuilt altar in the presence of a national assembly, 1 Kings 18.
- After three years of drought, Elijah prays seven times for rain, ending a devastating famine, 1 Kings 18.
- Facing discouragement when the northern kingdom persists in apostasy, Elijah meets God on the sacred mountain of Sinai, initiating a covenantal lawsuit against the covenant-breaking nation, 1 Kings 19.
- Faced with a sentence of condemnation, pagan Ahab comes to his senses enough to seek mercy and a temporary delay in his imminent destruction, 1 Kings 21.
- Elijah’s successor Elisha raises the dead son of a Shunamite woman through intense prayer, 2 Kings 4.
- Elisha uses prayer to open the eyes of his servant to spiritual realities surrounding him and later to close the eyes of invading armies to the dangers that surround them, 2 Kings 6.
- Facing the imminent destruction of Jerusalem by Assyrian hordes, Hezekiah prays for deliverance, 2 Kings 19.
- At the point of death, Hezekiah begs for his life to be extended, 2 Kings 20.
- After Hezekiah asks for a sign indicating his healing, Isaiah the prophet prays for the shadow of a sundial to move backward, 2 Kings 20.
Every one of these prayers was successful in receiving what was asked for. The only other recorded prayer in these books is the indistinguishable howling and frenzy of the Baal-prophets, as they plead unsuccessfully for their god to reveal himself in a contest with Yahweh, 1 Kings 18.
These ancient prayers were not mere requests for iron-age luxuries like gold-plated chariots, nor were they haphazard, theologically ignorant requests. They can be divided into five categories, based on the type of petition.
1) Against a backdrop of national apostasy, ancient believers asked God to vindicate himself and reveal his character. When Ahab gathered the nation for a ‘contest of gods’ between Baal and Yahweh, Elijah prayed that God would reveal his character to the stubborn onlookers. a divine torrent of fire consumed his soggy sacrifice, and the nation was left inexcusable. Hezekiah’s prayer for the deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian threat was likewise based on a desire for God to vindicate his own name from Mesopotamian blasphemies. God was prodded into action in order to prove that he was more powerful than the gods of fallen near-eastern city-states.
2) In seeking for God’s honor, the prophets of old did not only ask for blessing; sometimes they requested curses. Such prayers are effective because they know the character of God; they know that he is jealous for his own glory, and they can anticipate his desire for sacred justice. This is most famously exemplified in 1 Kings 20, where Elijah flees to the sacred mountain of Sinai. While his prayer is often read as a prayer of exhausted discouragement, modern scholarship has convincingly revealed that this is not the case (see Davis, 260). Instead, Elijah has arrived to prosecute a spiritual lawsuit against a covenant-breaking people. As Leithart observes, “Israel’s prophets are essentially members of Yahweh’s council, ‘officers of the court’ of the judge of heaven and earth…Prophets stand in the court of Yahweh to listen to the sentences passed and to offer briefs on behalf of the people. Elijah is convinced that things are beyond repair, and he presents evidence for the prosecution” (Leithart, 142). Elijah’s lawsuit is ultimately successful: he is commissioned by God to appoint the overthrowers of Ahab’s corrupt regime.
One of the most significant prayers of this time period is actually not recorded in these books, but instead by the New Testament writer James. He recounts that the gruesome three-year famine of Ahab was brought about by the intense prayers of Elijah (James 5:17). But why would a prophet pray for judgment? Again, Leithart says, “For Elijah, the status quo is intolerable. He cannot overlook the fact that Israel, the people of Yahweh, turns to Baal and other false gods, and he does not want Yahweh to overlook that fact either…Prayers for judgment do not come out of delight in destruction and death, nor does such prayer arise from a harsh and vindictive spirit. When God judges, he enters a disordered world, a world where nothing is as it should be, to reorder it and set things right. When we pray for judgment, we are simply praying that God will set things right, that he not be satisfied with things as they are, that he keep his promise to establish peace and right in the creation” (Leithart, 129-30).
3) If God is just and eager to vindicate his honor, he is even more merciful. He delights more to show mercy than to execute judgment. Indeed, a careful reader of these histories is shocked by the indulgent rule of God over a rebellious nation. God is almost too eager to forgive, too ready to overlook crimes in order to hear prayer. That is why prayers for mercy are so frequent. Whether moved by the distress of a Shunamite woman or a Sidonian widow, God is willing to reverse even death itself to show kindness. Even a heretic-king Jeroboam or a tyrant Ahab are not too depraved to receive mercy, and God seems almost to ignore the faults, vices, or backgrounds of those petitioning him. He wants to give good gifts, and we almost pick up that Yahweh is falling over himself in his haste to be generous to those who pray. All that he is waiting for is to be asked.
4) Because God keeps covenant (berith), he is intimately concerned with what happens to his covenant nation. Ancient pray-ers know this, and they argue it repeatedly in their prayers. Solomon receives wisdom because he isn’t asking for himself; he knows that he bears a special responsibility, and he craves wisdom in order to be a wise ruler over a unique people. Hezekiah’s desire for salvation from Assyria is more than a request to save his own neck; he wants God to remember the covenant nation in their moment of deepest need.
5) A final class of prayers is focused on the need for spiritual strength and constancy. The ancients were no different from us; they too were tempted to walk by sight rather than faith. Consequently, when surrounded by enemy armies, Elisha prays for his servant’s eyes of faith to be opened, so that he can see the spiritual deliverance that God has provided – in the form of angelic legions. After pious Hezekiah has been granted healing from sickness, Isaiah the prophet intercedes for him, so that he would receive a sign from God to confirm the answer to prayer. God knows our spiritual weakness, and he is ready to bolster our faith.
The primacy of prayer is also seen in the unique position that Elijah occupies in this narrative. Elijah is a larger-than-life figure who single-handedly affects the course of the northern kingdom. It is not due to the force of his personality, however, that Elijah changes history. His prayers are possibly the most remarkable thing about him. Of the thirteen prayers, four of them are prayed by Elijah. The man himself is dramatic and comes from the fringes of the nation (Tishbe in the Transjordan, the ‘wild west’ of ancient Israel), but his power comes from his unique relationship with Yahweh. As an outsider from the cultural centers of power, Elijah can raise no army, effect no revolution, purchase no platform, and is powerless to persuade through rhetoric. Rather, as Van’t Veer notes,
“Prayer is the conduit for the power of the Spirit to go from Yahweh to Elijah and then to radiate life to widows, children, and ultimately Israel. Through prayer, Elijah receives life and food in order to give life and food…Even before he appears in Kings, Elijah is praying, asking Yahweh to withhold the rain and dew… Elijah knows the covenant and understands God’s curses; he observes the idolatries of Omri and Ahab, and he prays that God will keep covenant by cursing a disobedient and rebellious people and driving them to repentance. Elijah anticipates Yahweh’s plans because he knows Yahweh’s character from Scripture.”
(Van’t Veer 1980, 53, quoted in Leithart 129)
More than a historical record, then, the thirteen prayers recorded in the Books of the Kings show the primacy of prayer in Hebrew history. By petitioning God in five primary categories (his character to be displayed, his justice to be aroused, his mercy to be lavished, his people to be protected, and his believers to be strengthened), faithful believers found answers to prayer. This is most clearly observed in the life of Elijah, who is powerless to effect change in himself, but who becomes the vessel of Yahweh’s power through his fervent prayer-life.
