Word for the Week: Standing Up to Tyrants
Now Elijah the Tishbite, said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.’ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, ‘Leave here...’
1 Kings 17:1-3
Elijah appears quite suddenly at the point in the story of Israel where the sorry tale of evil kings had reached Ahab. And Elijah, in his role as a prophet of the Lord, begins his ministry by confronting the king.
His brief message reminded Ahab that the God of Israel alone controls the weather. He stood before the king and told him that he alone, under God, could bring the drought to an end. Then Elijah fled, beyond Ahab’s jurisdiction, but one day we know he would return for an even greater confrontation.
Elijah was a powerful prophet and Malachi predicted that he would return as the Lord’s forerunner. No wonder many identified John the Baptist with Elijah. And, like Elijah, John stood up to a tyrant, but for him there was no escape, just imprisonment and death.
The last century produced some spectacular tyrants and any number of acts of courage took place, most unmarked and unsung, and many met a similar fate to John the Baptist. Many Christians in many parts of the world today face similar challenges. But how should we respond to the smaller challenges of those who abuse their authority or power to flout the laws of God? What of unjust employers, bad trade practices, petty brutality in schools, discrimination, and bureaucratic negligence? What are our responses to local and national political decisions that may need challenging? We are not called to demand our own rights but we are called to stand against injustice and oppression on behalf of others, particularly those who cannot fight for themselves.
We may have to speak up and then leave, as Elijah did, never knowing if we did any good, but trusting God for the outcome, or we may have to stay and face uncomfortable consequences.
Margaret Killingray
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