But what was God’s answer to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who did not bow the knee to Ba’al."
Truth to Learn
God wants us to keep our focus on Him, not on ourselves.
Behind the Words
“God’s response” is from chrēmatismos, meaning “the answer from a god.” It is often translated as “a warning.” This is not simply a response from God, but a stern warning to Elijah that he does not understand the real situation.
The Greek word translated “reserved” is kateleipō, which is a compound word made up of kata, which means “down” but is used here as an intensifier and leipo, which means “to leave.” Literally, it means “to leave behind,” which is the negative use of this word. It is also used in a positive sense meaning “to set apart or to reserve.”
Meaning Explained
Paul is talking about Elijah the prophet of God who defeated the prophets of Ba’al in a contest on Mount Carmel to prove who is really God, Jehovah or Ba’al. When Ba’al failed (he is merely a god, not the true God), and Jehovah succeeded (He is truly the one and only GOD ALMIGHTY), Elijah commanded the people to kill all the false prophets. But then, in fear of Jezebel’s threatened retaliation, he fled to the wilderness to a cave in Mt Horeb. Here Elijah lamented to God that all Israel had forsaken Him and that he alone remained of the faithful. Let’s see how God responds to Elijah.
Paul tells us that the divine answer that God gave to Elijah is this, “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who did not bow the knee to Ba’al.” In other words, even though Elijah thought he alone was still faithful, God warned him not to think so selfishly; there were seven thousand others who were also still faithful to God. Now, when compared to the hundreds of thousands, or even millions of Israelites in the land at that time, seven thousand doesn’t sound like very many. But compared to Elijah’s lament, “I am left alone,” seven thousand is a pretty big number. It’s simply a matter of perspective and God’s perspective is always the correct one.
The point is that God set apart a remnant of Israel who were still faithful to Him. You will notice that God did not say that there are seven thousand who have proven themselves to be faithful by their actions and deeds. He said that He had “reserved” to Himself these seven thousand men. Here is God’s message to Elijah, “My dear son, I have not left you alone, there are seven thousand others that I have set-apart to Myself. These have not bowed to Ba’al; they bow to Me.”
Do you see the impact of what God says? He, as the active agent in the process, set-apart seven thousand Israelites to be faithful. He chose them, they did not choose Him! In the following verse Paul will call it “election.”
Application
Isn’t this the way it feels sometimes, when we are under spiritual attack? It seems that all is falling down around us and we are all alone with no one to turn to. But even if it were true that everyone else had forsaken us, we can always turn to God. He will never forsake those whom He has chosen. Keep your focus on Him, not yourself. Remember, we are not the ones in control – He is.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved