King Ahab has been declared multiple times to be the worst king of Israel. He is NOT a good guy, and his wife, Jezebel, is even worse. But 1 Kings 21, the infamous story of Naboth’s vineyard, has a surprising ending…

In 1 Kings 20, we left Ahab in a funk after a prophet rebuked him for sparing Ben-Hadad. His bad mood continues into chapter 21:

And then, to top it off, came this: Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel that bordered the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. One day Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard so I can use it as a kitchen garden; it’s right next to my house—so convenient. In exchange I’ll give you a far better vineyard, or if you’d prefer I’ll pay you money for it.” But Naboth told Ahab, “Not on your life! So help me GOD, I’d never sell the family farm to you!” Ahab went home in a black mood, sulking over Naboth the Jezreelite’s words, “I’ll never turn over my family inheritance to you.” He went to bed, stuffed his face in his pillow, and refused to eat. (1 Kings 21.1 – 4, MSG)

No problem. Jezebel says, I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard.

She wrote letters over Ahab’s signature, stamped them with his official seal, and sent them to the elders in Naboth’s city and to the civic leaders. She wrote “Call for a fast day and put Naboth at the head table. Then seat a couple of stool pigeons across from him who, in front of everybody will say, ‘You! You blasphemed God and the king!’ Then they’ll throw him out and stone him to death.” And they did it… (1 Kings 21.8 – 11, MSG)

But, of course, actions have consequences:

The minute Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he set out for the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite and claimed it for his own. Then GOD stepped in and spoke to Elijah the Tishbite, “On your feet; go down and confront Ahab of Samaria, king of Israel. You’ll find him in the vineyard of Naboth; he’s gone there to claim it as his own. Say this to him: ‘GOD’s word: What’s going on here? First murder, then theft?’ Then tell him, ‘GOD’s verdict: The very spot where the dogs lapped up Naboth’s blood, they’ll lap up your blood—that’s right, your blood…I will most certainly bring doom upon you, make mincemeat of your descendants, kill off every sorry male wretch who’s even remotely connected with the name Ahab.‘” (1 Kings 21.16 – 19, 21, MSG)

We’ll see the prophecy about the dogs and Ahab’s blood fulfilled shortly, but chapter 21 has a surprise ending:

When Ahab heard what Elijah had to say, he ripped his clothes to shreds, dressed in penitential rough burlap, and fasted. He even slept in coarse burlap pajamas. He tiptoed around, quiet as a mouse. Then GOD spoke to Elijah the Tishbite: “Do you see how penitently submissive Ahab has become to me? Because of his repentance I’ll not bring the doom during his lifetime; Ahab’s son, though, will get it.” (1 Kings 21.27 – 29, MSG)

It’s never too late to submit to God. Something to apply personally and to pray for our leaders.

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. (1 Timothy 2.1, 2, MSG)

We concluded our look at Ahab’s rebuke from the prophet for not taking care of the enemy king, Ben-Hadad:

But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone.

It’s an important word, and I was reminded of it when I received a letter from Christian Endeavor, whom I’ve mentioned before. I love their paradigm for youth ministry: we want to produce honeybees, not hippos! Hippos consume; honeybees produce: what kind of disciples do we want to make?

Here’s part of the letter:

Christian Endeavor (CE) led a training workshop for youth leaders and volunteers from eight different churches. The participants examined the CE discipleship strategy, focusing on ways to emphasize active, rather than passive, discipleship with students in their ministries. Afterwards, one leader remarked that they’re excited to implement these ideas. For them, this was a “brand new paradigm for youth ministry.” This strategic approach was one they’d never been taught in seminary, and which offered practical ways to call students to commit to Christ daily, and actively engage their faith. – From a Christian Endeavor letter, dated May 2024

I love what Christian Endeavor is doing, but I hate that they have to do it. Teach a “strategic approach…they’d never been taught in seminary.” What were they taught in seminary? To be “busy doing one thing after another”?

It seems so. Look at the next paragraph in the letter:

The youth ministry landscape is currently dominated…by churches that apply adult-led and adult decision-dominated attractional programs. Well intended adult youth workers do most of the heavy lifting involved in creating great weekly programs and annual special events, in hopes youth attendance will spur them on toward a deeper relationship with Christ. 

“Well intended adult youth workers do most of the heavy lifting…” Sounds like “busy” to me. Busy “creating great weekly programs and …special events,” hoping that attendance at events will spur the youth on.

We’ve written about special events before. Generally, they’re a way to do “busy,” without being effective making disciples. But making disciples is what Jesus asked us to do:

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15.8, NIV)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…. (Matthew 28.18 – 20, NIV)

1 Kings 20 opens with Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, threatening King Ahab and ends with one of the best teaching one-liners in the Bible. Here’s the opening:

At about this same time Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his troops. He recruited in addition thirty-two local sheiks, all outfitted with horses and chariots. He set out in force and surrounded Samaria, ready to make war. He sent an envoy into the city to set his terms before Ahab king of Israel: “Ben-Hadad lays claim to your silver and gold, and to the pick of your wives and sons.” (1 Kings 20.1 – 3, MSG)

It goes downhill from there, but…

Just then a lone prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “GOD’s word: Have you taken a good look at this mob? Well, look again—I’m turning it over to you this very day. And you’ll know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am GOD.” (1 Kings 20.13, MSG)

God has his people, many of them unnamed and unrecognized. Like the “man of God from Judah” in chapter 13. This one says, “You’ll win the battle and you’ll know that I am God.” The Israelites win the first battle. The same guy appears again in verse 22:

Sometime later the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “On the alert now—build up your army, assess your capabilities, and see what has to be done. Before the year is out, the king of Aram will be back in force.” (1 Kings 20.22, MSG)

One battle is not enough. The enemy always returns.

Another holy man appears after the Arameans have regrouped.

Just then a holy man approached the king of Israel saying, “This is GOD’s word: Because Aram said, ‘GOD is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,’ I’ll hand over this huge mob of an army to you. Then you’ll know that I am GOD.” (1 Kings 20.28, MSG)

Israel defeats that army. Then there’s an oops: Ahab spares his enemy. Ben-Hadad is hiding in a cave and sends his emissaries to Ahab:

They dressed in old gunnysacks and carried a white flag, and came to the king of Israel saying, “Your servant Ben-Hadad said, ‘Please let me live.’” Ahab said, “You mean to tell me that he’s still alive? If he’s alive, he’s my brother.” (1 Kings 20.32, MSG)

He’s my brother?! The guy who wanted to take all of Ahab’s silver, gold, wives, children? That guy? Then the famous rebuke by “one of the prophets” who asked someone to punch him (look it up! 1 Kings 20.35 – 37).

Then the prophet went and took a position along the road, with a bandage over his eyes, waiting for the king. It wasn’t long before the king happened by. The man cried out to the king, “Your servant was in the thick of the battle when a man showed up and turned over a prisoner to me, saying, ‘Guard this man with your life; if he turns up missing you’ll pay dearly.’ But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone.” (1 Kings 20.38 – 40, MSG)

But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone.

It was a rebuke to Ahab who “let a man go who was under sentence by God,” and Ahab went home “in a very bad mood,” but it’s also an important principle for us. I think I’ll give it another day.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1.28 – 29, NIV)

I received a special Father’s Day present this year: a hot-off-the-press kit for building a replica of the Cathedral of Notre Dame:

For some reason, the news story of its upcoming release pushed my button, and June said, “Shall we get this for Father’s Day?” “Why not?” So here it is: all 4,383 pieces nicely packaged into 34 bags and a L O N G instruction book. I look forward to building it; I’ll let you know when I’m finished.

In the meantime, I can see that there are lessons to be learned…of course!

Lessons for me:

• It will be an exercise in perseverance. The Lego expert who reviewed it said he built it in 10 hours. I expect it will take me 2-3 times that, so 30 hours, max, I think. We’ll see. I will have to persist over time.
• It will be an exercise in discipline. Some tasks require imagination and creativity. This one does not. It requires building the cathedral step-by-step, bag by bag, IN ORDER, from bags 1 to 34. “But I thought” doesn’t enter into it. I will have to discipline myself to simply follow the directions.

Lessons from the Legos people:

• There was A LOT of imagination and creativity from Legos to produce this product. To take an actual cathedral and figure out how to reproduce it with Legos.
• Having designed it, Legos needed to organize the construction. Can you imagine looking for one part among more than 4,000? Nope. Neither can I. The parts are organized into bags….
• Meaning, the manufacturing and packaging process is incredible: I don’t know how many different kinds of parts there are, but each has to be manufactured in quantity, then sorted.
• In short, Legos did the hard work so that I can engage and succeed.

Applications to disciple-making: we used to teach a 5-part process for churches to create a disciple-making culture. By and large, this Lego project makes a nice metaphor:

• Purpose: my purpose is to build the cathedral, not purposelessly play with Legos. The church’s purpose should be to make disciples, not just provide a variety of purposeless church activities to engage the members.
• Profile (or Picture): Legos is clear about what we’re building. Similarly, the church should have a clear picture in mind of what a disciple might look like. For example, disciples are people of the Word (John 8.31), they love and serve others (John 13.34, 35), and they bear fruit (John 15.8, 16). This Picture of a Disciple blog explains.
• Process (or Pathway): without a process, the cathedral wouldn’t have a chance. If someone came in and opened even a few of my 34 bags and mixed up the parts, the set would be useless. “Real” college courses have an order. Calculus before Differential Equations. Basic Economics before Microeconomics. Meanwhile, churches usually offer a smorgasbord of courses and say, “Take your pick!” There’s no clear connection between any particular course and the disciple we’re trying to make. As I write often, a mix of knowledge and skills is required. The In God’s Family Series (https://nav27series.org/) could be an important part of any church’s’ process.
• Participants: the Legos company doesn’t build cathedrals. People like me build them. To make disciples, a church needs to offer appropriate courses, and they must have teachers! An obviosity, as one of my math teachers used to say. If we think small groups should be a key element of our church’s disciple-making process, do we have enough leaders? If not, what’s our plan for producing them?
• Progress: is our plan working? In building the cathedral, the progress will be obvious. In the church, we try something and see if it’s working with our people. If not, maybe we need to adjust.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2.19 – 22, NIV)

For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. (1 Corinthians 3.9, 10, NIV)

We left Elijah toward the end of 1 Kings 19 with a list of people to see: Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha. He finds Elisha first:

Elijah went straight out and found Elisha son of Shaphat in a field where there were twelve pairs of yoked oxen at work plowing; Elisha was in charge of the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha deserted the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please! Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye—then I’ll follow you.” “Go ahead,” said Elijah, “but, mind you, don’t forget what I’ve just done to you.” (1 Kings 19.19, 20, MSG)

It’s an interesting exchange. “Elijah…threw his cloak over him” must have been a “follow me” call, and Elisha responds with “Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye…” Someone tried that with Jesus:

Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The interpretation I’ve heard all my life of Jesus’ response is that “the plow” is the work of the kingdom, and you shouldn’t start the work while looking back at what you’ve left behind. After all, when you plow, you must look forward. That works as an interpretation and application, but what if “the plow” is just the plow? Look at Elisha’s response:

So Elisha left; he took his yoke of oxen and butchered them. He made a fire with the plow and tackle and then boiled the meat—a true farewell meal for the family. Then he left and followed Elijah, becoming his right-hand man. (1 Kings 19.21, MSG)

In other words, don’t keep your hand on the plow while you “look back” at the work of the Kingdom you’ve been called to. Butcher the oxen! Burn the plow! Throw a farewell party and go!

Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4.20, ESV)

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him [leaving the tax booth behind]. (Matthew 9.9, ESV)

After the excitement of 1 Kings 18: fire from God, massacre of 450 prophets of Baal, RAIN!, Elijah is so energized he outruns Ahab to Jezreel:

Things happened fast. The sky grew black with wind-driven clouds, and then a huge cloudburst of rain, with Ahab hightailing it in his chariot for Jezreel. And GOD strengthened Elijah mightily. Pulling up his robe and tying it around his waist, Elijah ran in front of Ahab’s chariot until they reached Jezreel. (1 Kings 18.45, 46, MSG)

Mt Carmel to Jezreel is about 16 miles according to Google Maps. But no rest…

Ahab reported to Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, including the massacre of the prophets. Jezebel immediately sent a messenger to Elijah with her threat: “The gods will get you for this and I’ll get even with you! By this time tomorrow you’ll be as dead as any one of those prophets.” When Elijah saw how things were, he ran for dear life to Beersheba, far in the south of Judah [another 110 miles!]. He left his young servant there  and then went on into the desert another day’s journey. He came to a lone broom bush and collapsed in its shade, wanting in the worst way to be done with it all—to just die: “Enough of this, GOD! Take my life—I’m ready to join my ancestors in the grave!” (1 Kings 19.1 – 4, MSG)

The guy who stood up the king twice and then to 450 prophets of Baal runs for his life when threatened by Jezebel and just wants to die.

First treatment? Rest and food:

Exhausted, he fell asleep under the lone broom bush. Suddenly an angel shook him awake and said, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and, to his surprise, right by his head were a loaf of bread baked on some coals and a jug of water. He ate the meal and went back to sleep. The angel of GOD came back, shook him awake again, and said, “Get up and eat some more—you’ve got a long journey ahead of you.” He got up, ate and drank his fill, and set out. Nourished by that meal, he walked forty days and nights, all the way to the mountain of God, to Horeb. When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep. (1 Kings 19.5 – 9, MSG)

Then twice we have this exchange:

Then the word of GOD came to him: “So Elijah, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve been working my heart out for the GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies,” said Elijah. “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.” (1 Kings 19.9 – 10, 13 – 14, MSG)

In between those two exchanges is the well-known “how does God appear?” section:

Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before GOD. GOD will pass by.” A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before GOD, but GOD wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but GOD wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but GOD wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. (1 Kings 19.11 – 12, MSG)

God was not in the wind or the earthquake or the fire. Don’t miss God’s quiet voice while distracted by the spectacular! “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46.10)

Back to Elijah: Afraid. Depressed. Poor me. The cure?

GOD said, “Go…

• anoint Hazael; make him king over Aram. Then
• anoint Jehu son of Nimshi; make him king over Israel. Finally,
• anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet…

Meanwhile, I’m preserving for myself seven thousand souls: the knees that haven’t bowed to the god Baal, the mouths that haven’t kissed his image.” (1 Kings 19.15 – 18, MSG, bulleted for clarity)

Often the cure for fear or depression is action. “Go…anoint Hazael… Jehu… Elisha….” And, by the way, you’re not the only one. In fact, as Skip Gray used to say, you’re number 7001!

There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: “Ananias.” “Yes, Master?” he answered. “Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.”

Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us.”

But the Master said, “Don’t argue. Go!” (Acts 9.10 – 15, MSG)

1 Kings 17 opens with Elijah’s sudden appearance, announcing to corrupt King Ahab there would be no rain until he said so.

And then this happened: Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab: “As surely as GOD lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought—not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise.” (1 Kings 17.1, MSG)

It’s now three years later, and chapter 18 opens:

A long time passed. Then GOD’s word came to Elijah. The drought was now in its third year. The message: “Go and present yourself to Ahab; I’m about to make it rain on the country.”  (1 Kings 18.1, MSG)

Even in a corrupt regime like Ahab and Jezebel, God has his people:

Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah feared GOD—he was very devout. Earlier, when Jezebel had tried to kill off all the prophets of GOD, Obadiah had hidden away a hundred of them in two caves, fifty in a cave, and then supplied them with food and water. (1 Kings 18.3, 4, MSG)

Elijah reveals himself to Obadiah who says three times “Ahab will kill me” if I report to him that Elijah is here, and you’re not. He has looked in all kingdoms! (See 1 Kings 18.7 – 14) But Elijah was living with a widow in no doubt humble circumstances in an out-of-the-way village. He was right there in Sidon – Jezebel’s home country!

Then Ahab accuses Elijah of being the trouble-maker:

The moment Ahab saw Elijah he said, “So it’s you, old troublemaker!” “It’s not I who has caused trouble in Israel,” said Elijah, “but you and your government—you’ve dumped GOD’s ways and commands and run off after the local gods, the Baals. (1 Kings 18.17 – 18, MSG)

Now, let’s have a meeting!

Here’s what I want you to do: Assemble everyone in Israel at Mount Carmel. And make sure that the special pets of Jezebel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of the local gods, the Baals, and the four hundred prophets of the whore goddess Asherah, are there.” (1 Kings 18.19, MSG)

Then the famous challenge:

Elijah challenged the people: “How long are you going to sit on the fence? If GOD is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!” Nobody said a word; nobody made a move. (1 Kings 18.21, MSG)

It’s hard to remember, this is the kingdom of “Israel.” These are the people of God. They had not one good king in their whole existence from after Solomon until the Assyrian scattering. But they would have said, “God and…” Elijah challenges: “If the Lord be God, follow him!” What does that look like? Jesus said, “Love God; love your neighbor.”

• “Love your neighbor.” I have a neighbor whose yard is a perennial mess. Instead of complaining, can I be part of the solution?
• “Take care of the poor.” I give to my church and many Christian missionary efforts. I donate only $25/month to the Rescue Mission. Unlike my friend Heidi Gleghorn, I’m never in contact with the poor.
• Which of my neighbors need Jesus? How many have I told?
• “If the Lord be God, follow him!” It’s not enough not to be a bad guy. How can I be a good guy – a true Jesus follower?

Then the demonstration. (See 1 Kings 18.20 – 39.) It’s not the intensity of the prayers nor the number of people praying, it’s whom they are praying to! 450 enthusiastic prophets of Baal. One prophet of God, and here is his simple prayer:

When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, “O GOD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I’m doing what I’m doing under your orders. Answer me, GOD; O answer me and reveal to this people that you are GOD, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance.” (1 Kings 18.36, 37, MSG)

Simple prayer. In this case, an immediate result:

Immediately the fire of GOD fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench. (1 Kings 18.38, MSG)

Then they killed the 450 prophets of Baal, and Elijah prayed for rain.

Elijah said to Ahab, “Up on your feet! Eat and drink—celebrate! Rain is on the way; I hear it coming.” Ahab did it: got up and ate and drank. Meanwhile, Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bowed deeply in prayer, his face between his knees. Then he said to his young servant, “On your feet now! Look toward the sea.” He went, looked, and reported back, “I don’t see a thing.” “Keep looking,” said Elijah, “seven times if necessary.” And sure enough, the seventh time he said, “Oh yes, a cloud! But very small, no bigger than someone’s hand, rising out of the sea.” “Quickly then, on your way. Tell Ahab, ‘Saddle up and get down from the mountain before the rain stops you.’ ” Things happened fast. The sky grew black with wind-driven clouds, and then a huge cloudburst of rain, with Ahab hightailing it in his chariot for Jezreel. And GOD strengthened Elijah mightily. Pulling up his robe and tying it around his waist, Elijah ran in front of Ahab’s chariot until they reached Jezreel. (1 Kings 18.41 – 46, MSG)

Always a very exciting story. A huge success. I can hardly wait to see what Elijah does next! Stay tuned.

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (James 5.17 – 18, NIV)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1.22, NIV)

We celebrated Juneteenth this morning. This afternoon, a special edition of The Ewellogy. My baseball hero, Willie Mays, passed away yesterday at the age of 93.

If you walk into my downstairs office, you’ll see a framed baseball jersey signed by Willie Mays, and on the mantle next to it, a baseball signed by Willie Mays, both courtesy of my sons. Here he is making “The Catch” in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. I was only 7 years old at the time, and we didn’t have a television, so I didn’t see it live. Only hundreds of times after.

This ESPN article has a 6:30 video tribute, both the article and the video are worth the time. Here’s the Wall Street Journal tribute. I was a center fielder with pretty good range, but I was not a good hitter like Willie was. He was what they call a 5-tool player: hit for power, hit for average, run, throw, field, except he was at or near the top in all five categories.

Most of the kids I grew up with were Yankee fans and cheered for the great Mickey Mantle. But my dad had been a minor league pitcher in the Giants system so we were always National League fans and Giants fans, and, therefore, Willie Mays fans. I modeled my game after his, right down to the basket catch. In my grandmother’s small town in West Virginia, everyone called me Willie.

Here are some snippets from the Wall Street Journal tribute by Jared Diamond and Lindsey Adler:

Willie Mays, whose powerful bat and dazzling defense made him arguably the greatest all-around player in baseball history, has died at age 93…

Many believe his broad array of talents was unmatched.

Leo Durocher, Mays’s former manager and a fellow member of the Hall of Fame, wrote in his autobiography, “Nice Guys Finish Last,” that even “if somebody came up and hit .450, stole 100 bases and performed a miracle in the field every day I’d still look you right in the eye and tell you that Willie was better.”

…He played 21 of his 22 MLB seasons with the New York and San Francisco Giants. He finished his career with 660 home runs, the third-most ever at the time of his retirement in 1973 and a total surpassed by just two others since. He won 12 Gold Glove awards for fielding, tied for the most ever for an outfielder, even though the prize didn’t exist until six years after his debut. He shares a record by appearing in 24 All-Star Games, a feat that once prompted the Hall-of-Fame outfielder Ted Williams to say, “They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays.” Mays accomplished all of this despite missing most of 1952 and all of 1953 to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War...

In 1979, Mays was quoted by Newsweek summing up what so many who saw him play believed:

I think I was the best baseball player I ever saw.

My favorite sportswriter, Jason Gay, concludes his tribute with this vignette from his 2009 interview with Willie:

When I told Mays that many people thought of him as the greatest ever, he said: “You don’t see that on TV. You don’t hear somebody saying ‘He’s the best.’ You hear it every now and then. They’ll go to basketball and say Michael is the best in basketball. And they’ve got Ali in boxing. Tiger is the best in golf. But what happened to baseball? You understand what I’m saying?”

“If I’m the best, go and tell them,” Willie Mays said. 

Consider it done. – Jason Gay, Willie Mays Will Be Forever, Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2024

I applaud excellence wherever I see it, but this one is personal.

Finally…whatever is true, whatever is noble, …whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4.8, NIV)

It’s Juneteenth, and I don’t think I can do better than reprise what I wrote last year:

On June 19, 1865—nearly nine decades after our Nation’s founding, and more than 2 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation—enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally received word that they were free from bondage. As those who were formerly enslaved were recognized for the first time as citizens, Black Americans came to commemorate Juneteenth with celebrations across the country, building new lives and a new tradition that we honor today. In its celebration of freedom, Juneteenth is a day that should be recognized by all Americans. And that is why I am proud to have consecrated Juneteenth as our newest national holiday. – The Official Proclamation

I confess: I almost forgot Juneteenth, and I completely forgot that June 19 is now a national holiday. As I wrote last year, some of us often forget that the God we claim to worship is on the side of the poor and oppressed. Look what Jesus said:

He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written, God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.” Luke 4.16 – 21, MSG, emphasis mine)

John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?” Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on: The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.” (Matthew 11.2 – 5, MSG, emphasis mine)

P.S. If you care about race relations, you can make a difference. My long-time friend Clarence Shuler has written a book with his lifelong mentor Gary Chapman: Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships: How You Can Help Heal Racial Divides, One Relationship at a Time. I’ve just started reading it, and it’s going to be good. You can read more about the book here. Here’s an early snippet, which might be setting the tone. Gary Chapman writes:

Sadly, such mistrust between Whites and Blacks still exists in many places, which unfortunately includes people of faith. It is only as we get to know each other that walls are torn down. We say we believe that all men are created equal, but until we get to know each other, we are not likely to treat each other as equals.

My friend, co-author Clarence Shuler

I wrote about Elijah and Ahab exactly three years ago, and when we came to 1 Kings 17, I emphasized “God Provides.” This time, let’s look at the guidance part. If Elijah doesn’t follow God’s weird instructions, there’d be no provision.

We left Elijah yesterday, delivering the announcement to King Ahab:

And then this happened: Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab: “As surely as GOD lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought—not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise.” (1 Kings 17.1, MSG)

You’ve just delivered that kind of message to an evil king. What do you do next? RUN!

GOD then told Elijah, “Get out of here, and fast. Head east and hide out at the Kerith Ravine on the other side of the Jordan River. You can drink fresh water from the brook; I’ve ordered the ravens to feed you.” Elijah obeyed GOD’s orders. (1 Kings 17.2 – 5, MSG)

“The other side of the Jordan.” Out of Israel. Remember, they crossed the Jordan to enter into the Promised Land. It might have looked like this:

It would be an act of faith to go to a place like this and depend on…ravens? But it worked:

And sure enough, ravens brought him his meals, both breakfast and supper, and he drank from the brook. (1 Kings 17.6, MSG)

It worked until it didn’t:

Eventually the brook dried up because of the drought. Then GOD spoke to him: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I’ve instructed a woman who lives there, a widow, to feed you.” (1 Kings 17.7 – 9, MSG)

I’ve always just raced through this. “Zarephath in Sidon” – what’s significant about that? Again, it’s out of the country, into another country. Whose country? Let’s go back to the introduction to Ahab in chapter 16:

Ahab son of Omri did even more open evil before GOD than anyone yet—a new champion in evil! It wasn’t enough for him to copy the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat; no, he went all out, first by marrying Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then by serving and worshiping the god Baal. (1 Kings 16.30 – 31, MSG, emphasis mine)

Jezebel’s country! We will learn in 1 Kings 18 that Ahab searches everywhere for Elijah. Ahab’s chief of staff Obadiah tells Elijah:

As surely as your GOD lives, there isn’t a country or kingdom where my master hasn’t sent out search parties looking for you. And if they said, “We can’t find him; we’ve looked high and low,” he would make that country or kingdom swear that you were not to be found. (1 Kings 18.10, MSG)

And where is Elijah hiding? With a widow in an out-of-the way village in Sidon. Go figure. You can read about the widow and how God miraculously provides for both her and Elijah in 1 Kings 17.8 – 16.

And while there, God chooses to reveal his power to this non-Israelite in another way:

Later on the woman’s son became sick. The sickness took a turn for the worse—and then he stopped breathing. The woman said to Elijah, “Why did you ever show up here in the first place—a holy man barging in, exposing my sins, and killing my son?” Elijah said, “Hand me your son.” He then took him from her bosom, carried him up to the loft where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he prayed, “O GOD, my God, why have you brought this terrible thing on this widow who has opened her home to me? Why have you killed her son?” Three times he stretched himself out full-length on the boy, praying with all his might, “GOD, my God, put breath back into this boy’s body!” GOD listened to Elijah’s prayer and put breath back into his body—he was alive! Elijah picked the boy up, carried him downstairs from the loft, and gave him to his mother. “Here’s your son,” said Elijah, “alive!” The woman said to Elijah, “I see it all now—you are a holy man. When you speak, GOD speaks—a true word!” (1 Kings 17 – 24, MSG)

Again, we see Elijah as a man of prayer, and God revealing himself beyond the borders of Israel. Jesus recalls the story in Nazareth:

He answered, “I suppose you’re going to quote the proverb, ‘Doctor, go heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.’ Well, let me tell you something: No prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown. Isn’t it a fact that there were many widows in Israel at the time of Elijah during that three and a half years of drought when famine devastated the land, but the only widow to whom Elijah was sent was in Sarepta in Sidon?” (Luke 4.23 – 26, MSG)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3.5, 6, NKJV)