I am thoroughly enjoying our series through 1 Kings and have learned and grown personally from it. I had not studied the book much before preparation for LIFEGroups and preaching. There are surprising narratives that I didn’t remember seeing (like this one), as well as some familiar stories. Yet, sometimes the familiar passages are the places where you are struck most severely with a new perspective. That was certainly the case for me when I preached 1 Kings 19 at our church.
In 1 Kings 19, the LORD desires to reveal himself to Elijah:
So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks 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. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”–19:11-14
Now, the general observation I’ve always heard for this passage revolves around the whisper. Look at all the loud, bold activities that were happening around Elijah! Yet, it was in the whisper that God chose to speak!
This brings a corresponding application: You need to sit still and listen carefully for God’s voice. God may be whispering to you right now and you are too busy and noisy to notice. In fact, what if you missed what God was whispering to you previously???
Their silence may be good for your soul, but bad for your limbs!
Now, we certainly live in a world where solace and silence are hard to find. It is necessary to develop these disciplines so that we can truly focus on the Word of God and dwell on His Word. Personally even, I recognize that I could do far more to cultivate these disciplines in my life.
However, I always found myself uneasy when this was presented as the point of this Text. “The whisper” just doesn’t really seem to be a central part of the passage. Elijah already heard the question from God once before, and this time, even though it is a whisper, he answers the same way. It also seems hard for us to apply. (How is a busy mother trying to prepare lunch for her talkative toddler supposed to find solace at that moment, just in case God is whispering at her?) And given that the demands of life–even the demands of living a godly life–require moments where we can’t hear a whisper, what would this make of God’s character if He was trying to reveal Himself in such a hidden way? (Would God seek to whisper to me at the very moment I’m trying to share my faith with a coworker?)
But my objections are not simply limited to the implications of the passage. Before we go proclaiming at others (and feeling guilty ourselves) that they need to listen carefully for the whisper they may miss, consider some elements of the passage:
- God’s hand placed Elijah at Jezreel. (18:46)
- Through the ministry of an angel, God gives Elijah provision that allows Elijah to go to Mount Horeb. (19:6-8)
- God spoke (not as a whisper) and asked him what he was doing on Horeb. (19:9)
- God then speaks (not whispers) and tells him to stand on the mountain before the Lord. (19:11)
- A strong wind goes by. (19:11)
- An earthquake rumbles. (19:11)
- A fire burns. (19:12)
- Then (after all that) a whisper comes. (19:12)
- After the whisper, Elijah then hears a voice which asks him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (19:13)
God went to great lengths to get Elijah’s attention. There was no chance that Elijah could miss the “thin voice” because God placed him on the mountain and virtually shut his mouth with the events that preceded the whisper. The text also seems to suggest that God’s actual word to Elijah was not even in the whisper, but after it.
This is not a case of Elijah potentially missing the voice of the Lord while he is consumed with the events of the day, or even caught up in his own agenda. This isn’t a case of fortunate providence that Elijah just happens to be quiet when God whispers to him. God had not typically whispered to Elijah, and even when He did, He made sure Elijah was listening.
So relax. God’s not whispering at you and you’ve missed it.
And while we get so nervous that we may have missed the whisper of God, we actually end up missing the point of the passage. (next post)
