How God reorients our perspective

In my last post, I mentioned the fellow worker at the hostel whom I had a difficult relationship with. When God finally spoke to me at the retreat centre, I was reading through 1 Peter and was struck by Jesus’ example who when reviled, did not revile in return but kept entrusting Himself to God who judges rightly (1 Pet 2:23). The apostle then goes on to encourage believers to endure unjust suffering ‘and do not fear their intimidation and do not be troubled’ (1 Pet 3:14). When this volunteer berated me before, I felt terrified that I was this horrible person that she depicted. Reading 1 Peter comforted me that I was accountable to God and He knew my heart. At the next conflict, I was able to stand up for myself, which had a surprising effect on this volunteer. She broke down in tears telling me some of the awful experiences she had gone through. I comforted her, and this became a turning point for us leading on to friendship.

Elijah’s struggle

Elijah likewise needs to hear from God to have his perspective readjusted. Like Moses (Exod 33:17-23),[1] he encounters God at Horeb (another name for Mt Sinai) and an initial conversation establishes the issues. Not hearing the tone, it is difficult to know if God’s enquiry is angry, accusatory or mildly questioning (1 Kings 19:9). Some of us need the confrontational approach to listen, others a gentle tone. The Lord would have known what His prophet needed. Elijah’s response reflects the enormous passion that motivated him (‘very zealous’) and the pain he must have felt over the waywardness of his people (who ‘have forsaken your covenant’, 1 Kings 19:10). He lived through the turmoil of fellow prophets being killed, he himself in hiding, and now he feels isolated and alone (v.10). Moreover, all his efforts were for nothing because he is back where he started with his life on the line (v.10). Commentators tend to give Elijah a hard time, but it is easy to say from our comfortable chairs, ‘Buck up, Elijah, get over yourself!’. How does God address Elijah’s perspective?

How God speaks to Elijah’s concerns

First, the prophet is given a terrifying experience of stormy winds, earthquake and fire, signals accompanying God’s appearing (even if He is not in them, 1 Kings 19:11-12; compare Exod 19:18-19). Elijah is reminded of God’s immense power, certainly a match for any human opposition. Yet the real encounter is in the conversation that follows after silence sets in.[2] Second, God again gives Elijah the opportunity to voice his reasons for coming to Sinai, also reminding him perhaps that he has a ministry elsewhere (1 Kings 19:13). The prophet responds as before (1 Kings 19:14), reminiscent of many of us who struggle with difficulties, going round and round the issues in our head like a dog chewing on a bone. Third, God re-commissions the prophet by sending him out with several tasks (1 Kings 19:15-16).[3] He is still God’s servant, needed and used in His plans. Fourth, Elijah is given a helper, Elisha, who will eventually replace him (v.16, 1 Kings 19:21). Fifth, God will address Ahab’s bloodthirsty reign and bring justice through a new king of Aram (Syria) and a new king of Israel as well as through Elijah’s successor (1 Kings 19:17). Finally, the prophet is encouraged that he does not stand alone, there are 7,000 other faithfuls God has preserved (1 Kings 19:18).

How God reorients our perspective

Not many would have the kind of challenges Elijah faced, but all of us may experience discouragement in God’s service as simple followers of Christ who want to live for him in our workplace, church, and relationships. Elijah’s story encourages us that God knows what we need to hear. Like the prophet, our difficulties may circle around feeling alone and not understood, overwhelmed by tasks and situations we face, frustrated that we are getting nowhere and that our efforts bear no fruit. The Lord in His grace reminds us that He still has use for us, that He knows exactly what is happening and will not be idle in dealing with it. Neither does He leave us alone to struggle but has given us a community in the local church and support through the gift of friendships. May we remember both His power and care for us.

---

[1] The context for Moses is the golden calf incident when Israel turned away from God to worship an idol (Exod 32:1-6). Like Elijah who kills the Baal priests, Moses confronts the people and those who persist in their sin are killed (Exod 33:25-28). Like Elijah, Moses also asks God to kill him, though in his case it is because of such solidarity with the people that he does not want to live if God refuses to forgive them (Exod 33:31-32). What follows is an extended conversation between God and Moses where God refuses to go personally with the people (in case His holiness destroys His sinful people) and Moses insists that without Him there is no point in their going anywhere (Exod 33:2-3, 12-17). Facing an impasse (they need God’s presence but they might be destroyed by it), Moses asks for a revelation from God (Exod 33:18) and the Lord hides the prophet in the cleft of the rock while He passes by declaring His gracious though just character (Exod 33:19-23; 34:5-7).

[2] The King James’ suggestive phrase of ‘the still small voice’ in 1 Kings 19:12 has captured the imagination of many a Bible reader. God’s quiet prompting, an inner voice that guides us, is often contrasted with the loud and busy outside world. While this resonates with our experience, it is not the focus or point of this incident. The Hebrew qol can mean voice or sound and NRSV’s rendering of the phrase as ‘the sound of sheer silence’ seems closer to the mark.  However, the real reorientation for Elijah comes not from the silence itself or from a quiet voice in the midst of noise, but from the dialogue that follows. In other words, the point is that God’s appearance (a theophany) and all its accompanying signals can be overpowering. Elijah himself cannot bear to come out of the cave until things quieten down (1 Kings 19:13). Yet, his unchanged answer to God’s question (1 Kings 19:14) suggests that the crucial transformation did not come through the magnificent experience of God’s presence alone. Elijah needed to hear from God through words He spoke after the silence.

[3] It is difficult to know what to make of the fact that it will be Elisha who anoints Hazael as new king of Syria (Aram, 2 Kings 8:8-15) and Elisha’s disciple will do the same to Jehu (2 Kings 9:1-10). The book nowhere refers to the discrepancy or critiques Elijah for it, so we should not make too much of this. Elijah will continue to minister as a prophet for years (see e.g. 1 Kings 21:17-24; 2 Kings 1:3; 2:1).

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with others.