I was reading in 1 Kings chapter 17-19 today (what janson was reading the come follow me readings!?!?) and I loved it. These are some of my favorite chapters. 17 had the widow that Elijah asks the cake of although she barely had enough for her and her son’s last meal and as a result, she had a flour jar and oil jug that never empty. Chapter 18 has the coolest showdown in all of scripture with Elijah vs the Priest of Baal (Fight Night!), it rings of familiarity from the Exodus story as God goes toe to toe with another false god His people have begun to worship and systematically shames and defeats that god in the eyes of His people. And then chapter 19 is also fantastic and find Elijah on the side of a mountain lamenting and then there is a windstorm, earthquake, and fire though the Lord was not in any of those because he was in the still small voice.
It’s the conversation with the still small voice that I thought really cool this morning. The conversation starts with the Lord asking: “Why are you here, Elijah?” and Elijah responds “I have been absolutely loyal to the Lord, the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn down your altars, killed the prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life” and the Lord responds “Go back the way you came and then head for the wilderness of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria. You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet. Jehu will kill anyone who escapes Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes Jehu’s sword.” And then the Lord end with my favorite verse in this section “I still have left in Israel 7,000 followers who have not bowed their knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.”
We often read scriptures where the Lord says something along the line of you are not and will not be forgotten, the earth will pass away, and the nursing mother will forget her child before the lord forgets you. But this is a time we see it. Elijah has had a rough bit of it, no one can blame him for wanting to just be done with it all. The world around him seems so very wicked and as the all the people have turned against God. But the Lord is not unaware of his 7,000.
Now we know from the previous stories (specifically when Jezebel went around and killed all of the prophets, and how Obadiah lived life) that these 7,000 were not in a large group. We can assume by the way Elijah doesn’t even know about them that they are far and few between. How many of those 7,000 do you suppose know many of the others? How many of them felt like Elijah? Alone, hunted, and despised by most of the people around them?
What comfort it would have given each one of those 7,000 to know that that there were 6,999 others like them out there. How nice it would have been to know they are not along, but how much better to know that God knows them. These 7,000 were not lost to the Lord.
We live in a world very similar to the one Ahab and Jezebel created in the northern kingdom of Israel. It is unlikely that we will be killed for being loyal to God but in the growing environment of anti-Christian, anti-LDS, and pro-sin world we can find ourselves living under a sword of Damocles where the slightest of missteps drops the blade of cancelation, social pariah, job loss, and a whole slue of other things that although may not physically deprive you of life they may end it nonetheless.
This can leave you feeling alone and under threat but know that you are not alone. I don’t know the exact number of people who have not bent the knee to the preverbal Baal nor kissed the modern-day images of him, but rest assured this number is known to God. You are known to God; you are counted among His most beloved possessions.
We sing the words of Job often; I know my Redeemer lives but there is such additional comfort in the sweet statement that He also knows you live.
In Jesus name, Amen.