Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Elijah had just told God twice that he alone was left. God's reply names a number he never suspected, and raises two questions: how could a faithful servant be so wrong about God's people, and what does God count as faithfulness?
What Elijah Missed
One writer explains how a faithful man could be so mistaken about the people around him.
W. W. FeredayElijah had seen the terrible evils covering the land. But somehow he had overlooked the good that was there. Had he known that the LORD still had thousands of true hearts in Ahab's land, he would hardly have said, "I, even I only, am left!" Being taken up with self is spiritually ruinous, whatever form it takes. It is especially wrong when it leads a servant of God to imagine he is the last true man on earth! The testimony of God has never yet hung on the slender thread of a human life, and it never will. God Himself will take care of the testimony. In His infinite wisdom He always knows where to find those through whom He can speak to the consciences and hearts of the people.
God's Reserve, Not Their Own Doing
Older translations read, "I have left Me seven thousand in Israel." One writer presses that pronoun.
C Stanley"But what does the answer of God say to him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." God does not say that they reserved or preserved themselves. No — He says, "I have reserved."
The same working of God did not stop with Ahab's day.
F. B. HoleIn the days of Ahab Israel had all but abandoned God. Even then He reserved to Himself no less than seven thousand who were true to Him at heart, though Elijah was the only one who stood out in public testimony. This was the fruit of His grace, and the same grace still works. The result is "a remnant, chosen by grace" (Romans 11:5).
The Knee and the Mouth
God describes them by two refusals: the knee and the mouth. One writer reads the second as a matter of the heart.
F. A. HughesTo the prophet the position appeared beyond repair — no one left but himself. Again God has His reserves: seven thousand in Israel. Not only did they refuse to acknowledge the authority of Baal, they did not allow their affections to move towards him.
What is not said about them is as striking as what is.
An Outline of Sound WordsThe seven thousand faithful were not all prophets of the LORD, though some of them may have been. They are not commended for standing beside Elijah in his faithful witness, nor for any outstanding deeds of courage in defence of the true worship of God. But God takes account of their refusal to bow before the false god of the king, or to give it the kiss of allegiance.
Real, but Silent
Commentators differ on how to weigh their silence. One writer feels the loss in it.
Frank WallaceIt was a great encouragement to learn that there were seven thousand who had never bowed the knee. But it was very sad that not one of them ever came out in public witness to support Elijah. Here we have a picture of 2 Timothy where it says "the Lord knows those who are his" (2:19). It is a very sad thing when only the Lord knows them.
Room in the Heart for Those You Cannot See
The verse leaves a duty behind it. If God counts people we have never met, our thinking about His people has to stretch to fit His.
William KellyIf Elijah had not thought so much about himself, he would have seen some of these seven thousand before. And so it is with us… We must not forget that there are people we do not see, do not meet, and are not used to dealing with. We must leave room for them in our hearts, in our faith. We must bear them on our soul before God.
Summary
- Reserved. God's answer begins with Himself: He did not say they kept themselves, He said He kept them.
- Refused. He counts them by two refusals: the knee that never bowed to Baal, and the mouth that never kissed him. They withheld both submission and affection.
- Unrecorded. God credits them with no sermons, no exploits, no public stand. He takes account of the refusal alone.
- Unseen. Elijah was so taken up with himself that he had met none of the seven thousand. God's testimony never hung on one man's life.
- Repeated. The same grace that reserved seven thousand under Ahab still keeps a remnant today. So leave room in your heart for those you have never seen.