The Importance of a Helpmate: The Life of Elijah

So the title of this topic give it all away. But I believe that everyone whether you are in the ministry or not should have some sort of helpmate. Now let me clarify, though most of the time the term is used for a spouse/significant other, I am using this as a term for anyone who helps you in your life. This person could be a close friend, or family member, or a spouse.

We see in Genesis from the very beginning that God states that man should not be alone. Once again, usually this passage is for a spouse, but I believe there was a reason why God said that man (as in humanity) should not be alone. I believe that God knew that people would need someone in their life to help them share in the ministries of others, to help them through the hard times, and be there for them in their time of need. This could not be more clear in the life of Elijah.

Early in Elijah's life we see that he was a lone man. Eventually he did find a partner and had Elisha, but during the beginning in what seems like the most pressing times, Elijah was alone. In the beginning of Elijah, when he had to go to the woman for shelter, times were hard. Luckily he had the woman to help him out, but he had no one to confide in or to uplift him. Matter of fact, when ever the times go rough, usually people were going to him to complain or ask for help (like the woman's son dying). Also I think the most important time in Elijah's time was his confrontation of the worshippers of Baal. Though this was a great moment in his life, it is after that I want to focus on. After Elijah slays the prophets of Baal, Jezebel begins to hunt Elijah. Keep in mind he just slayed a bunch of false prophets, but because of this one woman he becomes scared and runs a flees. He hides out, with no one to help him, to encourage him, or to be there to help him. This I believe was his greatest weakness.

Though we don't have any proof of this, I believe that once he got Elisha to help him, things became a lot smoother. Like I said there is no proof of this, but couldn't the lack of proof be the proof? Because we see that even though times were tough Elijah never once backed down after Elisha that he was better?

Was David Really a Good Man?

I know this seems like an odd question, after all the Bible does say that David was a man after God's heart, and he remained faithful (1 Samuel 13:14). A man after God's heart must be a good man right?

While I don't question God at all in this, or David's faithfulness, I do question what sort of character David was. I like David. I hope that God looks down on me and calls me a "man after his heart", and that even through my own screw ups God will still bless me like he did David. But once again I ask the question was David really a good man.

We see that one thing David is from the beginning is a schemer. He manipulates he way around everything, including the David and Goliath story, where he schemes and persuades to go fight Goliath. Although this is a good time, there are other times when his scheming leads to some pitfalls. Like the story of Abigail and Nabal (1 Samuel 25). In this story we see how David attempted to get some supplies because of his assistance with the sheep before. We also see another downfall of David in this story, his rashness. Had it not been for Abigail in this story, David was fully intended to "ride into town, guns blazing."

I am sure that some are saying these are weak examples, that is ok, I know they are. But what about David's scheming when it came to Bathsheba? He knew what he wanted and it was her, and he was not going to let up until he had her. Once he had her he had to "justify" it. So he schemes first to "frame" Uriah, and then eventual to kill him. Nathan appears before him and presents a parable. David being rash, condemns the man in the parable to death, only for Nathan to point out that the man was David. I will give David props here because once he found out the man was him, he immediately repented and confess to God.

Another concrete example is right before he is about to die, he goes to Solomon to appoint him king. While talking with Solomon, David mentions people like Joab and Shimei. These were two people who in some way rebelled against him. David makes them a promise and says he will not harm them, but then he tells Solomon to handle them as he wishes. However, the wording of this seems like David is implying the he should kill them for what they did, since he cannot. David was scheming to make his son clean up after him!

So, conspiracies, assassinations, thieving, all of this from the "great" man called David. So again I ask what David really a good man?