Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday after Pentecost

He entered there into the cave and lodged there. Behold, the word of the Lord came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?” Elijah said, “Being zealous, I am zealous for the Lord Almighty because the children of Israel have rejected you; they have broken down your altars; they have killed your prophets with a sword; and I alone remain. And they seek my life to take it.” He said, “Go out tomorrow and stand before the Lord on the mountain. Look, the Lord will pass by.” A very mighty wind broke up the mountains and crushed rocks before the Lord with the wind of the Lord. After the wind was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire was a sound of a small breeze. It happened when Elijah heard, he covered his face with his own goatskin, and he went out and stood at the cave. Behold, a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah said, “Being zealous, I am zealous for the Lord Almighty because the children of Israel have rejected you; your covenant and your altar they have broken down, and they have killed your prophets with a sword. I alone remain, and they seek my life to take it.” The Lord said to him, “Go! Return on your way. You will come on the way of the desert of Damascus, and you shall be present, and you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram. You shall anoint the son, Eiou son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah a prophet in place of you. It will be that the one who is saved from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and the one who is saved from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. You will leave in Israel seven thousand men, all the knees who have not bent a knee to Baal and every mouth that has not worshiped him.” He departed from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat He was plowing with bulls, twelve yokes before him. He was with the twelve. He came upon him and cast his goatskin on him. Elisha left the bulls and went down after Elijah. He said, “Let me kiss my father, and I will follow after you.” Elijah said, “Return, for what have I done to you?” He turned behind him and took the yokes of the bulls and he slaughtered them. He boiled them with the equipment of the bulls and gave them to the people. They ate, and he arose and went after Elijah and served him. (1 Kings 19:9–21 LXX)

“Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.” Now, after the wind, the earthquake came, and after the earthquake the fire, [Elijah] noticed that the Lord was not in the earthquake or in the fire. This was the purpose of such a revelation: the Lord wanted to instruct the prophet through various figures in order to correct his excessive zeal and to lead him to imitate, according to righteousness, the providence of the most High who regulates the judgments of his justice through the abundant mercy of his grace. From the allegorical point of view this is the meaning of the frightening signs that precede the coming of the Lord: the earthquake and the fire kindled by the strong winds prefigure the type of the dreadful signs that will precede the final day of judgment.

Ephrem the Syrian, On the First book of Kings 19.11

“When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant.’” He stayed at the entrance of the cave because he did not dare approach the Lord who was coming to him. He wrapped his face, saying, “The creature is not worthy of seeing his Creator.” But he did not move from his first thought, even though he saw the image of the benevolence of his Lord in the symbol that was presented to him, and in addition he experienced his admirable mercy and ineffable love for human beings. Who would not have been astonished by the word of the divine majesty who asked him with love, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” But Elijah did not change his mind or shut his mouth. Instead he rose against the sinners once again and complained about the sons of his people before the Lord who asked him the reason for his flight.

Ephrem the Syrian, On the First book of Kings 19.13

After receiving the garment from the prophetical hand, at the same time you have received the privilege, when you were transformed from worker into a prophet through the radiance of the Spirit that was glorified. Since you foreknew, O Christ, the inclination to goodness Of the heart of Elisha, he has understood with no doubt The glorious call that you had established and followed it.

John the Monk [John of Damascus], Canon 6, On Elisha the Prophet Ode 1