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Sitting on the Fence

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December 15, 2011

“Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’ But the people said nothing.” — 1Kings 18:21

Mount Carmel truly is one of the most beautiful sites in Israel. Atop its peak you can see the Samaritan hills to the southwest, the broad expanse of the Jezreel Valley to the northeast, and to the west, the glistening waters of the Mediterranean. Because of abundant rainfall, the slopes and peak are green year-round. It’s no wonder that in Hebrew the name “Carmel” means “vineyard of God.”

But for Jews and Christians, Mount Carmel has an even greater significance beyond its breathtaking beauty. It was on this mountaintop that Elijah confronted the 850 pagan prophets of King Ahab and challenged the Israelites to stop sitting on the fence. Elijah went before the people and asked them, “How long are you going to waver between two opinions? Either God is God, and follow him, or Baal is God.” And the people said nothing.

They were content to stay where they were atop the fence. Silent. Not taking a stand. Refusing to make a choice.

Now some may argue that sitting on the fence is not necessarily a bad thing — that it’s good to look at both sides of an argument, and that choosing sides can lead to division, confrontation, and general messiness. But sitting on the fence has never been an option for the people of God.

Our God demands that we make a choice. In Moses’ closing words to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land, he challenged the people: “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction” (Deuteronomy 30:15). Choose! And Joshua in his farewell address to the leaders of Israel issued a similar exhortation, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

Every day we have opportunities to make a choice to represent God where we live, where we work, and where we go to school. It could be standing up for someone who is being mistreated or refusing to participate in a business practice you consider unethical. It may mean taking an unpopular stand or speaking out against injustice in your community.

But for the people of God, silence — remaining atop the fence — is not a choice. As the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Consider your own situation. Where might you take a stand today? What do you need to speak out against?

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President

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