As soon as the election results become clear, we inevitably hear from believers that everything happens just as it was meant to, because everything happens according to the will of God. This reassures people that God has everything under control, even if their candidate is not elected. We may not understand many things, but one thing is certain: God was not taken by surprise.

That leaves others to wonder to wonder whether or not we truly have free will. We find this issue already in the passages of the Bible. During the election campaign, I kept hearing those around me say that “everything is in the hands of heaven.” That is true and the prophet Elijah also says this in his prayer.

“Adonai, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let all know that you are God in Israel and I am Your servant and that I have done everything according to Your command. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you, Adonai, are God and You Yourself have turned their hearts back!”

Elijah prayed these words shortly before the trial of strength on Mount Carmel. A prayer of reverence and faith! Again God must prove Himself to His people. For this, the prophet organized a competition between the God of Israel and the pagan gods. Thus, 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah gathered in the northern kingdom of Israel. Elijah suggested that everyone should call on the name of their god and that the one who was able to light the altar with fire from heaven must be recognized as supreme.

Mount Carmel, where Elijah faced off against the pagan prophets to demonstrate the supremacy of the God of Israel. Photo: Flash90

Back to Elijah’s prayer. The last phrase is not easy for most scholars to understand and therefore there are numerous interpretations of it. “…and you yourself turned back their hearts.” The Hebrew Bible uses the word Sovev (סובב) for turn, and in this context God turned everything back.

The free will that God gave us throughout the creation story is the foundation of belief in the Bible. We are free to choose between good and evil, just as Adam and Eve were. The entire relationship between God and man is based on our free will. And here we see the prophet standing before the people of Israel and saying, “God turned over their hearts, and not them.” Man is wrong when he thinks that his decisions depend only on free will. Our hearts are no more than a rudder that God directs and turns according to His will. So if God rules people’s hearts, then His do’s and don’ts in the Bible don’t make sense. Of what use is the commandment to turn away from evil and do only good if it is not man who is responsible for his turning away and actions, but the Almighty?

Elijah is not the only one who dares to challenge free will in the Bible. There was another who did this before him. Who? God, Himself. In the Exodus story of the children of Israel from Egypt, God Himself says: “And I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and increase My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.” Aren’t these words of God proof that free will is not always truly free? But what is the difference between God’s statement and Elijah’s prayer? Elijah’s testimony is far more dramatic than God’s. God says that He only controlled the heart of Pharaoh, whereas Elijah emphasizes something else, namely that God controls the hearts of all people in the nation of Israel.

“Everything is in the hands of heaven except the fear of God.” This is an old and wise saying in Hebrew. All of human life, and especially the reward and punishment for our choices, is in the hands of heaven. But the choice itself is in the hands of man. Everything is predictable in the eyes of God, but man has the right to do according to his will. The biblical idea of ​​free will is often not easy to understand when reading both statements mentioned. Jewish Torah scholars also disagree on this.

Ultimately, however, the prophet Elijah defended his people. The accuser Elijah has become a public defender. After God delivered a knockout on Mount Carmel, it says, “Then the fire of God came down and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the earth, and the water.” When the people saw this, they cried out, “Adonai, He is God – יְהוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים”. Moses was the first to should those words, “Adonai, He is God.” After him it was King Solomon during the dedication of the Temple, and before Elijah the people proclaimed this creed twice in quick succession. This creed is proclaimed aloud several times each year on the Day of Atonement and Fasting, Yom Kippur. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel has let it be known that HE has the world under control and turns it to His will.