Elijah’s question is actually literally translated as: “How long hop ye about upon two boughs?”
Picture birds, hopping from bough to bough on a tree, unsure of which one they will land on.
Spending a little time here, and then a little time there, then back and forth again over and over.
When will the birds just pick a branch and stay there, confident in their choice?
Outward spiritual confidence has been quite a journey for me.
My belief, my faith, and my knowledge of the gospel have all been pretty personal journeys.
I’ve developed them step by step on my own.
But I’m often surprised at how difficult it is sometimes to hold that spiritual confidence when interacting with people who don’t have my same belief system.
That fear of other people judging me, making assumptions about my intentions, thinking I’m naive, and a plethora of other not-so-fun experiences.
These Israelites knew who the real God was. They likely had testimonies of the great God of Israel.
But… they also had a king and a queen who worshipped different gods.
They felt societal pressure to do as their leaders requested.
Adam Clarke, a popular theologian, mused about this issue the Israelites faced in that moment:
“And at this juncture their minds seemed in equipoise, and they were waiting for a favourable opportunity to make their decision.
“Such an opportunity now, through the mercy of God, presented itself.”
I love that idea.
It was a huge MERCY that Elijah asked the Israelites to finally stop trying to hop on each branch.
And to stand still on one.
Choose.
And then find peace and stand still.
It’s God extending His merciful hand when He asks us to choose a side.
He’s not demanding. He’s not selfish.
He wants us to have the peace to stop hopping back and forth depending on who we are with, which commandment we are dealing with, or which day of the week it is.
“How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21)
“Halting between two opinions brings no direction. Convenience rarely leads to things that matter.” – David P. Homer
Pick and have peace.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
