The Still Small Voice

I’ve always been intrigued by the chain of events in today’s reading. 1 Kings 18 describes Elijah vs. the priests of Baal and Elijah’s overwhelming victory, and yet Chapter 19 immediately has him fleeing for his life. After forty days, Elijah eventually reached Mt. Horeb, where God asks him why he was there. Elijah’s answer is one I’m sure we’ve all felt:

I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.

Elijah, in the space of forty days, has gone from total and complete defeat of Baal’s priests to utter despair. God encouraged Elijah by promising to pass by, and what passed were:

1. A powerful wind

2. An earthquake

3. A fire

And as we all know, God was in none of them. 1 Kings 19:12 states:

And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Gentle whisper? 

GENTLE WHISPER?

GENTLE WHISPER??? 

No, my friends, a thousand times, NO. Get out a pen and write in EVERY BIBLE YOU OWN these words instead:

STILL SMALL VOICE

I’m no huge proponent of the King James Bible, but there are instances where it possesses a simple majesty that modern language lacks. This is my primary example, and I encourage you to tell EVERYONE YOU KNOW that when God came to Elijah, he was present in the STILL SMALL VOICE. Consider the vivid imagery of this phrase—God didn't make his presence known in a mighty, ostentatious or showy manner. Just one chapter earlier, God consumed Elijah’s altar with a grand gesture, but here chose a STILL SMALL VOICE to make his presence known.

God can make himself known any way he wishes. As we make our way in the world, we Christians should choose the humble path as opposed to the showier one.  Our witness will be much stronger and clearer, and as the old song goes, they will know we are Christians by our love. Talk and great acts are cheap and ephemeral, the ultimate in chasing after the wind—love and humility are the cornerstones of a Christian life. 

Scott

P.S.--I was curious if other Bible versions had a more insipid word choice than "gentle whisper," and I was not disappointed. Consider these gems:

Common English Bible--"there was a sound. Thin. Quiet." (???)

Contemporary English--"gentle breeze"

Darby--"soft gentle voice"

Douay-Rheims--"a whistling of a gentle air" (???)

ESV--"the sound of a low whisper"

God's Word--"quiet, whispering voice" (no, God's Word is a STILL SMALL VOICE!!!)

Good News--"soft whisper of a voice"

Holman Christian--"a voice, a soft whisper"

The Message--"a gentle and quiet whisper"

New American Standard--"a gentle blowing"

New Century--"a quiet, gentle sound"

Young's Literal Translation--"a voice still small" (that is literally the dumbest one, and there's some pretty stiff competition)

STILL SMALL VOICE. Read it. Learn it. Live it.