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Keeping the Truth Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today”. 1 Kings 18:15 Obadiah, Ahab’s steward, is terrified. Elijah has told him to go and tell his master, “Elijah is here”. Afraid that Elijah will suddenly disappear, Obadiah knows that his life will be forfeit if he delivers a message that turns out to be untrue. But Elijah reassures him, “I will surely present myself to Ahab today”. And he keeps his word. Truthfulness is one of the casualties of our post-Christian society. Young couples promise to be faithful to one another “till death us do part”. Yet it is estimated that in Australia about four out of ten marriages end in divorce. “Of course I won’t tell anyone”, promises the office gossip, even while thinking whom to entertain with this new juicy story. But broken promises are not the only kind of lies. From the deceptions of politicians and heads of corporations, through “creative accounting” and prevarication to conceal incompetence or negligence, to the “sickie” taken to go skiing, the environment in which most of us work is plagued by dishonesty. A young office worker answered the telephone. When his boss heard who the caller was, he said, “Tell him I’m out”. “Please tell him yourself, sir”, replied the young man, passing him the receiver. “If I were to lie to a client, you could not trust me not to lie to you”, he explained. Fury at the young man’s impertinence was replaced by admiration for his courage and integrity. Instead of sacking him, he promoted him. The young man’s name was Gordon Selfridge – the department store in Oxford Street which he later founded still bears his name. In the interests of truth, Gordon Selfridge risked his job. Elijah frequently risked his life. Why? Because he knew and reverenced God. He knew that the Lord is alive and present, that he hears every word and knows every motive, and that he “requires truth in the inner parts” (Psalm 51:6). May we know this too, and resolve to act on it, whatever the cost, as we enter a new year. Let's make 2004 our personal year of the truth.
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