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I did not understand the second passage. Could someone help?
… and then Elijah tells God what he had already told God, and God tells him where to go and what to do. And Elijah does it.
Thanks, Clavius.
God is not in the noise, God is the small voice you must listen for carefully.
And the Protestants say, “Who?” 😁
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I love especially the Elijah quote, Clavius. We all have access to that still, small voice, if we will only be quiet enough and listen. Thanks.
Yes, I have always liked that particular passage very much. Such a good and important message about the need to find the quiet to listen, and to look past the thunder and lightning of life.
Generally, I agree with Clavius that God is more often heard in silence. That is when we are truly attentive and not distracted. But of course God also speaks in miracles and awesome terrors, like the great flood of Egypt and the writing on the wall in Babylon.
Like any person of love, God tends to speak softly but shouts when He needs to.
My main take away from that second passage is that most people look for dazzling signs but are fooled by spectacle. They rely on animal senses and logic alone, neglecting the spirit. We must seek the Lord’s help in hearing Him. With His guiding Spirit, we may discern His will in both the thunder and the gentle breeze.
Very well put.
God is not to be found in the loud violent threatening noise of the “great” and “grand” (the powerful who seek Elijah’s life and silence his call to return to faithfulness), but rather God is found in His grace, mercy, forgiveness, and kindness as He saves the 7,000 who have not bowed their knees to Baal. Elijah had given up, but God comes to Him in kindness and sends him on his way to carry out God’s work. In my theological tradition we see here an anaology to the Law of God which issues demands resulting in death and the Gospel wherein God comes to us the lowly and humble in His Word to save us.
Amen
I’ve heard as well that the mountain that Elijah was hiding on was actually Mount Sinai, where the Lord showed Himself to Moses, with things like winds, earthquakes and fire.
Don’t tell me, I know this one. Paul’s epistle to the church at Sriracha, right?
My recollection is that it was Mount Horeb and it took him 40 days to get there, matching the time Jesus spent in the desert and Lent.
40 is considered a “square” number. When you see it in the Bible, it represents completion. 40 years in the wilderness? 40 days in the desert? 40 days and 40 nights? It’s not about an actual time, but about completion and symmetry.
Thank you for that detail.
Words to live by, especially right now. Sorry I’m late. I’ve been gone.
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