Have
you ever been in a spiritual battle where you thought that you were on the losing
side? Well, you’re not alone. The Bible is full of stories of God’s people and
their struggle with spiritual battles. Often they thought that God had
abandoned them, when in reality he was always with them. One example is the
story of Elijah. He often thought that he was alone, especially when he was
running away from the evil Queen Jezebel, who wanted to kill him.
Before
this, there was the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal,
which we heard in the reading from 1 Kings 18:20-39 earlier in this morning’s
service. It shows what can happen when one’s calling from God conflicts with
strong-willed people or influential people who are used to having their own
way. This story has frequently drawn the comment, “One person with God is always
a majority.” This story is a story about God and his promise to never leave us
alone.
If
anyone could answer by fire, it should have been Baal, the storm god. His
worshippers believed that he controlled lightning, but when they prayed to
Baal, he didn’t answer. According to
their customs of Baal worship, the dancing, shouting, and self-mutilation were
meant to arouse Baal from death, from sleep, or call him back from a journey. The
phrase, “He is busy” was a euphemism for either going hunting or going to the
restroom.
The
fire from heaven dramatically revealed the power of God-the true God of the
storm-who responded to a humble servant praying for Him to be known. The people
fell on their faces, prostrate, in acknowledgement that Elijah’s God was real.
Those who see God as He truly is will fall before Him in humility and
reverence. God is real and is only known in a direct encounter with him. He is
greater than all of our idols who can’t deliver as God does.
The
followers of Baal could not evoke a miracle, and our modern, worldly “gods”
such as money, power or sex can’t help us when times are tough. During these
times God is not busy or off travelling or taking a nap. His love is changeless
and constant. There will be times when he leads us through difficult situations
when his joys aren’t evident, but we are always close to him, and he is always
close to us.
Elijah
soaked the altar, the offering and the wood with water in order to remove any
chance of spontaneous combustion or any claim that he cheated once the offering
was consumed with fire. God didn’t need the water. He could answer Elijah’s
prayer without it. The prayer of Elijah does not centre on the activities of
the followers of Baal. The prophet highlights the character of God and his
relationship with God. When God answers
a prayer, he answers completely so there could never be any doubt. The prayer
was able to put Elijah and the people in a place to look to God and not
themselves.
God
wants us to study, pray and witness by our lives and our actions, but we can’t
make people believe or change. Only God can do that. He doesn’t need our
manipulation to get us to move toward the truth or do the jobs he sends us to
do.
Some
scholars argued that Israel’s enemies like the Canaanites or the prophets of
Baal were evil and deserved their fate. When Baal was defeated, it marked an
end to the judgment of Israel. God doesn’t punish us for sin. He chastens us in
the hope that we will repent and turn to him.
In
ancient times, each tribe or clan had a god, and each region had a god. The God
of Abraham, Isaac and Israel (or Jacob) was unique in that He was identified
with multiple persons, not a shrine, locale or particular clan. The people
realized that the fire was a special work of God since it consumed everything,
even the stones.
The
core message of this passage is that the war against Baal and his prophets
represents a rejection of anything that separates people from God. It is a
message for us to choose wisely, especially in light of the available facts.
The absolute God deserves our unconditional obedience. Elijah wanted Israel to
choose who was God-the Lord or Baal-and then serve God wholeheartedly. Rather
than decide by his message, Elijah sought a visible sign from heaven.
We
have a similar choice today. God wants us to serve him instead of serving man. Jesus
even said in Luke 16: 13, “No servant can
serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else
he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
mammon.” We can’t be indecisive or neutral. Indecisiveness and neutrality in
matters of faith are sins. God turns our hearts back to him. He reaches out to
us and invites us to come home. Elijah’s call to choose sides rings into our
hearts today. There is no place in the Word of God for the middle of the road
position.
God
wants us to look at our own spiritual lives and determine who or what the
object of our worship is. We make that determination by measuring our lives
against the principles and tests of God’s Word. There are two tests for us to
consider:
1.
Are we really
saved? Have we put our trust in Christ by faith? We can’t experience real life
and the power of Christ if we are not children of God by faith.
2.
De we experience
God’s power in our lives in transformed living? In particular:
b.
Are there marks
of Christ-like change taking place in our lives?
c.
Are we learning
to control our tempers and tongues?
d.
Are we
ministering to others?
What
keeps us from being wholehearted followers of God? Regardless of the reason
Christians will eventually reach a point where they have to push back against
society. To paraphrase Elijah’s words, “If Jesus Christ be God, follow him. If
anyone else or anything else be God, follow him!” Christians have to make up
their minds.
For
many people, God doesn’t exist. They are more concerned about the daily
concerns of life. They think that only they can solve their daily problems.
They have made gods of themselves. Because they have not chosen for God, they have chosen against God. Their powerless Gods are
laughable. Worshipping an idol does not mean that God is not real.
The
people wanted a sign that Yahweh was the true God. Similarly, the Pharisees
wanted a sign that Jesus was the Messiah. People still want signs today, but
Jesus doesn’t work that way. Jesus argued that reason follows to support and
confirm.
Elijah
was a man of great faith. He saw increased challenges as opportunities for God
to do his work, and he believed God for the supernatural. We can also believe
that God can do miracles. He might not do every miraculous thing we ask him to
do, but he does extraordinary work in and through everyone who believes in him
in faith. Prayer is not to convince God.
It is to confess before God our
faith in him.
The
title of servant reveals Elijah’s function as a prophet and his status before a
holy and righteous God. Elijah’s request was twofold:
1.
That people know
Yahweh is God, the Creator and Redeemer. When God’s people pray for God’s glory
and honour, they are praying for the same thing-that the world will recognize
God as God.
2.
That the people
would turn back to the Lord. Their hearts needed to be as aflame with the power
of God as Elijah’s altar.
Religion
that tells people that they have to do something to earn salvation is false. We
can’t do anything to earn salvation. It is a free gift if we believe in Christ,
who paid the price for our sins on the cross. Elijah is an amazing example of
what happens when believers pray with authority, when they come to God and ask
him to do something that glorifies him. God wants us to come boldly into his
presence, and we can do so because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We
can be confident that God will do what he wants to do and what he says he will
do.
1.
Jeremiah,
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood,
TN: Worthy Publishing; 2103, pp. 468-479)
2.
ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3.
Dilday, R.
& Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 9: 1,2, Kings (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.;
1987; pp. 193-198)
4.
MacArthur,
J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New
American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5.
Stanley,
C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life
Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles;
2005)
8.
Pritchard, Ray: Fire
and Rain: The Wild-Hearted Faith of Elijah (Nashville, TN: B&H
Publishing Group; 2007, pp. 105-118)
9.
Roger Nam, “Commentary on 1 Kings 18:20-21 (22-29),
30-39.” Retrieved from http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1712
10. “The Ineffectual Prayers of the Baal Priests (1 Kings
18:23-29).” Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/12-inneffectual-prayers-baal-priests-1-kings1823-29
11.
Dennis Bratcher, “A God You Can Trust:
Reflections on 1 Kings 18:20-39.” Retrieved from http://www.crivoice.org/1king18.html
12.
Daniel Clendenin, Ph.D., “’If The Lord is God, Follow
Him’: Elijah and the Prophets of Baal.” Retrieved from http://journeywithjesus.net/Essays/20130527JJ.shtml
13.
“Lectionary Scripture Notes, Proper 4, OT 9, Pentecost
2.” Retrieved from http://www.lectionaryscripturenotes.com/proper-4-ordinary-time-9-pentecost-2-cycle-c-2016
14.
Butch Odom, “Proper 4/Ordinary 9 2016-1 Kings
18:20-21.” Retrieved from comment-reply@wordpress.com
15.
David Coffin, “Response to the Call.” Retrieved from http://www.sermonsuite.com/printer.php?i=788040702
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