Dancing Lessons

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 1 Kings 18:21
In the Ancient, Honored, Feared (but Unwritten) Laws of the Baptists, Dancing ranked right up there with the Big Ten, things like Murder, Coveting, Adultery and such. I honestly don’t recall any sermons from the pulpit specifically condemning it, but it was well known that Dancing would lead you straight to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks faster than robbing banks or cussing. Of course, it was only one of many such Unwritten Laws, the modern Mishnah (oral Jewish traditions condemned often by Jesus) we had, but the long term effect is that I am...awkward when the music is playing. I watched Dancing With The Stars in part for confirmation that I’m not the ONLY pig-on-stilts out there. I got rhythm – from the waist up. Below the belly button, not so much.
Then I discovered from Elijah that I’ve had lots of Dancing Lessons, and I've been practicing all my life.
I can practically see the question marks on your faces from here, so let me explain. That word “limping” up there, also translated as “halting” or “wavering” is a Hebrew word – the Old Testament of the Bible was originally written (mostly) in Hebrew – that has a number of possible English meanings. Among our choices, it meant to hop, skip, or limp, and because dancing is basically a planned series of hops and skips (my definition, not Webster’s, but fitting, don’t you think?), then by extension it was added to the nuances.
This brings to mind the little dance kids do when their bladder sends them an urgent message, oh, and the “Hokey-Pokey”, but also the teasing move people do when they can stand on a state line: “Now I’m in Alabama, now I’m in Georgia.” Or, “Now I’m in South Korea, now I’m in Prison”. A real laugh riot!
And Now, To The Point.
The people of Elijah’s day were dancing around the clear commandment of God. While they would pay lip service to being the People of Jehovah, they were also playing around with Baal worship. It’s interesting to note that when Elijah challenged them, they kept quiet, almost as if they were a bit ashamed, but more like, “Maybe if we pretend not to notice, he’ll go away.” Plus, they were there to see the show. Which God would show up? They had heard lots of stories. Now they were going to get the chance to see for themselves. And the shocking result? They did!
Today, opinions are like belly buttons: Everybody has one, and all of them can seem reasonable. We are happy to dance from one to the other as if there were no consequences, but one Truth remains: What you believe matters. If you live your life by the Unwritten Laws of popular opinion in contrast to the clear and unchanging Will of God, there will be consequences that you can’t hop, skip, OR jump around. The band is winding down, the dance is almost over. Which side will you end up on?
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.