Behold, Elijah

Two thoughts that ruminate in my mind.

First, how long can we be governed by cowards? This is not a rhetorical question. I genuinely want to know. It can’t be a stable situation. And the depths of cowardice are shockingly deep. People will say anything to not be unpopular.

Second, there is an incident in the life of Elijah that rests on my mind.
He has been hunted and was in hiding after cursing the land with a drought, but that is over now. It is time to confront the king and his enforcement of the worship of Baal. Elijah meets the king’s steward, Obadiah, who is a righteous man and had saved a hundred prophets. And he tells the steward to tell the king a message. What he says for Obadiah to tell the king is literally is ‘Behold Elijah’. This is usually translated ‘Elijah is here’. And that is true. But there is a second meaning.

Elijah’s name means

El (God) –

i (personal possessive – my) –

jah (Jehovah)

or simply, he was to tell the king, Behold! My God is Jehovah! 

Elijah was telling the righteous steward to not only tell King Ahab where he was. He was telling him to boldly declare his testimony, with the full knowledge of just how King Ahab would react. (spoiler warning, Ahab is friendlier to white whales, than true believers) Elijah told the Steward to say “My God is Jehovah!”

Now I wonder, are there places I need to declare my discipleship more boldly?