Hopefully this will be brief. First, you might want to refer to Blog 3. A Transition. And from there you might be led to the second half of my dissertation, starting with Post 29. Beginning Elijah/Eliyahu Discussion. And then we can talk about the point of the current entry. Well, if you don’t want to take the time to read half of my dissertation, at least look at 3. A Transition, and hear what I have to say here, as relates to Blog 179. Choose/Choice and some comments I have made here and there along the way. It has to do with one small piece of what we can understand about our God, the LORD יהוה. God is beyond our comprehension. But we do get glimpses here and there. The shepherd King David understood him as well as anyone could. The prophets understood at least some aspects about him. And of course Yeshua/Jesus… remember our discussion about בן אדם, son of man, and נחם change attitudes
⦁ John 3:13
13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
The following passage helps to explain. In my work on the second half of my dissertation, I carefully followed all of the “rules” that I had shared with you in the first half of the dissertation. But though I followed all of what I had learned and what I was sharing, I still came to the wrong conclusion, just as Elijah came to the wrong conclusion. Yes, the display of great power, as Elijah used in calling for the drought and in calling down fire at Carmel is in God’s capability and does change attitudes. But the voice that is most like God, the voice that is most distinct, the voice that most shares the nature of God, is the voice of calm, the still small voice. And, though Elijah was given a couple more tasks to complete, at that point he was given his retirement instructions and told to pass it along, or as one modern movie says “Pay It Forward.” (Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment).
⦁ 1 Kings 19:11-13
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, (but) the LORD (was) not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, (but) the LORD (was) not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, (but) the LORD (was) not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard (it), that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice (came) to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?
This voice King David shared after the death of the child. And this voice was the voice that Yeshua/Jesus most sought to share. And when he created a stir chasing the money changers with a whip of cords or did his most powerful work of raising his friend Lazarus, that brought out the retaliation of those in power. The voice of calm, the gentle touch of compassion, helps us best to know the nature of our God, יהוה, the LORD.
BUT•••
When we see the compassion of the LORD is not in the proverbial calm before the storm, as that is when we are anticipating troubles. No, it is in the calm after the storm that we can most see his compassion. We are aware of his compassion in the juxtaposition, the calm after the fire:
In the great tragedy of the flooding of the Guadalupe in Central Texas this summer, we were able to see God’s compassion expressed in his many messengers that came to bring healing.
And again, we return to cycles, the time of increase and the time of decrease. it is the bringing together and the separating, and as Forrest Gump says, “Maybe it’s both.” It has to be in the contrast that we can truly see his calmness, his compassion. “CHANGE attitudes.” Repentance is the changing of attitude••• It is in the change that we become aware of God’s presence.
Blessings,
PG
Ⓒ Copyright Philip E. Gates; LogAndSpeck.com October 2025