Living in the Spirit

August 9, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Kings 19:9-18

At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘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, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’

He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ 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; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 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, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.’

I do think there are better ways to deal with people than killing them. Apparently, we still have people who think that still works.  However, God makes a good point that working together toward a goal can and will make it happen. It is not just strength in numbers, it is that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. The challenge is that both sides benefit from knowing that. So, how do we ascertain what is right and just, and how do we make it a reality for all people? The Hebrew Bible is full of stories of justice addressed in ancient worldviews from which we can glean ideas, for there remains much we can learn from them. Jesus modeled living justice, described it in parables, and shared it in his teachings. Matthew 25 describes how Jesus intends to judge us. Some might be surprised by his list, which included how we fed the hungry, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, provided clean water for the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, and restored the prisoner.

Prayer: Lord, teach us your way, your truth, and your life, and help us to live like you. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.