Alone?

“Elijah in the Wilderness”, by Washington Allston

My county is making the Old Testament stories pale in comparison to what our government is requiring of its citizens. While there are men of God – maybe not quite as vocal as Elijah, but they use the same words and refer to the same God – speaking out long held biblical verses, they are being as ignored as Elijah was and expect to be as persecuted.

Elijah’s name means “My God is Yahweh.” Was it given to him as a child, as a direction to grow? Or was it given by the people who heard him as a description of his life? Either way, his very name speaks of faith and defines where that faith was grounded. Several chapters in the Bible tell of his life. Most instances find him alone, Including this one:

And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. (1 Kings 19:9-10 KJV)

The king, his wife, his court and the people of the land denied God’s existence and worshipped elsewhere. Why not? The god they chose was powerful, effective and appears to have offered them all they desired. Why not silence this man who defines his God differently?

If Elijah had his way, the people would serve Yahweh, of whom Jews used to say:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 KJV)

Which didn’t change when Jesus, the Christ, came to offer salvation to all mankind:

And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. (Mark 12:29-30 KJV)

God remains the same, first in the hearts of those who love Him. But – Elijah thought he was the only one left who did love God. As far as he could see, everyone else worshipped things on this earth. Instead of worshipping the Creator of all things, they worshipped what had been created. Paul was aware of this:

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
(Romans 1:25 KJV)

Today we may think there are very few who love Him; that we few are virtually alone in a world. We are not – neither was Elijah:

Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. (1 Kings 19:18 KJV)

Learn more about Elijah and why he felt so alone by reading 1 Kings. And, find out who changed changed the truth of God into a lie by reading Romans’ first chapter. Then, come back and we’ll discuss.