Fire From Above

1 Kings 18:24-29

There's a black and whiteness to this account that sounds hopelessly out of date to our contemporary mind set. This is not a battle between religion and non-religion. Elijah isn't battling the forces of atheism.

This is a showdown between two conflicting worship systems. Between God and Baal. And the reason it makes us a little uncomfortable is most of our society doesn't even see that as a battle that should be fought.

This passage clearly teaches that all religions are not to be embraced with equal passion.

Some ideas are true and some are not. One God is real, and others are not. And what's more, the God who is real takes a very dim view of people worshiping gods who are idols.

You see, for two hundred years the church has fought the battle against atheism and the notion that all religions are false. But many have missed the fact that a new enemy has snuck up on the hearts and minds of the church.

The battle isn't waged against the few who still think all religion is false. The real war is against the masses who are shouting all religions are true. And both those viewpoints destroy the Christian faith with equal effectiveness.

That's why this is such an important account in the Old Testament. Anyone can claim anything. Anyone can pray. And anyone can offer sacrifices to their God.

This passage strips the issues down to the core. Either your God is real or He isn't. Either He lives of He doesn't. Your sincerity isn't the issue. "What works for you," isn't the issue. What everyone else believes isn't the issue.

What's right? What's actually true? Those are the issues. And this account teaches they can't both be right. If we both hold to conflicting religions we may both be wrong, but we can't both be right.

So in the face of conflicting truth claims, Elijah stands out because he voices the unthinkable. He utters the words that make all the prophets gasp - "Let's find out! Let's call upon our respective God's. The one who answers is the living and true God and we will worship Him"!

This is what makes Elijah shine. Out of all God's people in Israel, only Elijah seems so confident. Nobody else voices the same words. Nobody else stands up against the false prophets of Baal. And I'll tell you why. Ahab and Jezebel had adopted the worship of Baal. And when the King and Queen adopt a religion it isn't healthy to oppose it.

The religious leaders have all hidden or turned traitor to Jehovah God. The people are backslidden and will worship whomever they're told to worship. There is a great deal of pressure to turn people from the Lord.

Elijah doesn't bow to that pressure.

1) THERE WAS AN HONEST FACING OF THE TRUE SOURCE OF ISRAEL'S TROUBLE

1 Kings 18:16-18 - "So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. {17} When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is this you, you troubler of Israel?" {18} He said, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals."

We know from the early part of this chapter that this was no easy meeting between Ahab and Elijah.

Obadiah didn't even want the job of reporting to Ahab that he had seen Elijah (7-14). When

"Is this you - you troubler of Israel?"(17)

"Elijah, you're the problem! You got us into this mess. You pronounced that there would be no rain for three and a half years. You're the reason our cattle are dying. You're the troubler of Israel!"

And it's right at this point that Elijah starts everything off on the right foot:

1 Kings 18:18 - "He said, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals."

"Ahab, the problem isn't what you think it is. The problem is your wicked leadership over these people. It goes right back to your father Omri. You didn't learn from his mistakes. King Ahab, your sins are the problem here!"

This is such an important point. Before you can fix anything you have to know what's broken. And if you spend all your time treating symptoms instead of the disease, you 're not going to get anywhere with God.

Just on the side, I think there is both encouragement and warning in these words.

a) First, for the encouragement. If you are in a situation where you truly are trying to serve God with honesty and holiness in a corrupt environment, you need to know that you will be constantly under fire for your stand for Christ.

Matthew 5:11-12 - "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. {12} "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

b) On the warning side, this passage reminds all of us of the fallen tendency to shift the blame when God wants to deal with issues of stubbornness or idolatry in our lives.

Nothing made less sense than for Ahab to blame Elijah for Israel's troubles. The people knew they had turned from the ways of God. Ahab and Jezebel certainly knew they had been slowly killing off all the prophets of Jehovah.

Elijah had told Ahab that there would be three and a half years of drought because of the idolatry of the people.

How could anybody blame Elijah for Israel's trouble?

When people are in poor shape spiritually they usually find something wrong with the church they attend. They find all sorts of areas where people have mistreated them. They spot all the hypocrites who are professing to follow Jesus. They find other people who aren't living any better than they.

1 Kings 18:18 - "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and you have followed the Baals."

2) ELIJAH CHALLENGED THE INDECISION OF THE PEOPLE

1 Kings 18:20-21 - "So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. {21} Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people did not answer him a word."

Notice how Elijah talks about "hesitating between two opinions." That's an interesting phrase. Some translations say "halting between two opinions" - some say "faultering between two opinions."

The idea is basically the same. The problem wasn't a lack of opportunity or knowledge. And their problem wasn't that they were making a flat out refusal to follow the Lord.

You don't have to choose anything to dishonor God. You have to choose everything to honor Him. Drifting from God is never conscious. Serving God is always intentional. Serving God is always the result of a choice. Carelessness serves the enemy by default.

I don't suppose there's one of us who, deep in his or her heart, doesn't know the truth of what I'm talking about. You want to pray more - but you don't. You want to spend more time with your family - but you don't. You want to get involved in the church - but you don't. You want to give - but you don't.

That little verb "hesitating" in verse 18 is important. "How long will you hesitate between two opinions?" Hesitation has to do with time. It's a problem caused by delay not refusal. Just delay. It's not outwardly denying God or His word.

Look at these people as Elijah points out their sin - "...and the people answered him not a word"(21). How could they. I mean, there they were up on Mount Carmel with 450 false prophets. How could they deny their divided hearts? There was nothing to do but hide in silence.

And so God speaks to me and God speaks to you. He does it through His holy Word.

And whenever that happens it's the hesitating that seals your fate.

"I should pray and lay this all out before the Lord."

"I should get some Christian friends, open up my soul and have them pray for me."

"I should make things right with that brother in Christ." "I should, I should, I should..."

Whenever God speaks, the next few moments are crucial. Because the decision to obey is part of the victory itself!

Psalm 37:5 - "Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it."

There's hesitating and there's committing. One leads to ruin, the other to spiritual life.

All of this leads to the third point:

3) FAILURE TO COMMIT TO GOD'S RULE AT ANY POINT IN MY LIFE LEADS TO IDOLATRY

1 Kings 18:24-29 - "Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people said, "That is a good idea." {25} So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it." {26} Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made. {27} It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened." {28} So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. {29} When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention."

I think we all understand that when I fail to choose to obey God at any point where he speaks into my life, I leave a hole where He wanted to build His will in my heart.

I've lived the Christian life long enough and know enough of God's Word to understand that something will remain undone in my heart if I don't follow the Lord in every choice I make.

But what isn't always equally clear is this - the hole in my life won't stay a hole. What I don't choose of God's will goes automatically to another god by default.

Now, get a picture of these savage looking creatures. See them dancing around this bloody altar. Listen to them as they work themselves into a lather. Hear their cries and shrieks fill the sky as it gets dark. Look at them as they start to cut their wrists and arms to make the blood flow.

Why do we need all of those gruesome details recorded in the Scriptures? I believe the reason is this. God wants all of us to see visibly what will usually be invisible when I let my life get careless about choosing His will over my own.