by Jamie Roussie

Within chapters 18-19 of 1st Kings, I'm struck by a concept which seems to pop up twice. In chapter 18, Elijah meets Obadiah and is told that Obadiah has preserved 100 of God's true prophets in the face of their persecution. In chapter 19, Elijah is told that God hasn't left him alone, but God himself has reserved 7,000 individuals who haven't bowed to the false god Baal. In these two instances, it seems that God is telling Elijah that he will not abandon Elijah and that Elijah should be reassured that God is continuing to keep for himself those who worship and serve truly. God reassures Elijah by pointing to his own initiative and faithful keeping of his promises to Israel as his chosen people.

I'm reminded of similar reassurance the apostle Paul was given when faced with persecution while preaching in Corinth (see Acts 18:9-11). Similar to Elijah, God tells Paul that he has many of his own people in the city. Paul must face the persecution, continue to preach the Gospel, with the confidence that God is faithfully moving in and on behalf of his own people. I confess that I'm not always persuaded of this confidence. In reality, it should make me bolder to share my faith with others.

A fellow traveler,
Jamie