Divine Encounters - Zecharia Sitchin-pages

Page 335 of 384

Page 335 of 384
Divine Encounters - Zecharia Sitchin-pages

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331 in Jerusalem's temple; he called the new city Shomron (Sa- maria), meaning "Little Sumer," leaning toward gods whose images could be seen. Throughout those turbulent years, the word of Yahweh was brought to the competing kings by a succession of "Men of God"—sometimes called a Nabih (Prophet), other times called Hozeh (One who sees visions) or Ro'eh (Seer). Some of them relayed the direct Word of God, others were guided by an Angel of Yahweh; some had to prove that they were "true prophets" by performing miracles which the "false prophets"—those whose utterances were meant to always please the king—could not duplicate; all were involved in the struggle against paganism and in efforts to see that the throne was occupied by a king who did "that which was righteous in the eyes of Yahweh." One whose ministry and record stood out in his time and left an indelible messianic expectation for generations thereaf- ter was the Prophet Elijah (Eli-yahu in Hebrew, meaning "Yahweh is my God"). He was called to prophecy in the reign of Ahab (circa 870 B.C), the king of Israel who suc- cumbed completely to the religious influences of his Sidonite wife, the infamous Jezebel. He "proceeded to worship Ba'al and bow to him;" he built a temple to Ba'al in Samaria and set up an altar to Asherah. Of him the Bible (I Kings 16:31-33) states that "he angered Yahweh the God of Israel more than any other kings of Israel who had reigned before him." It was then that the Lord called upon Elijah to become a Spokesman, taking care to assure his authority and authentic- ity through a series of miracles. The first recorded miracle was when Elijah came to stay with a poor widow; when she told him she was running out of food, he assured her that the little flour and oil she had would last and last for days. And indeed, as they ate of it, the food miraculously never diminished. While staying with the woman, her son became grievously ill “until at last his breathing ceased." Asking Yahweh to spare the boy, Elijah took the child upstairs and laid his body on the bed, and stretched himself upon the boy three times, crying out to the Lord each time; "and the soul of the child Prophets of an Unseen God