Make Your Choice Now (1 Kings 18:20-40)

This sermon was preached on 25/11/2012

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.’

The prophet Elijah is known for many events in his life. He was a devoted servant of the Lord. Even his name is a combination of two divine titles and it means Yahweh is my God. This incident when he confronted the prophets of Baal is one of the best-known incidents in which he was involved.

The times in which he lived

The background to the incident reveals certain features of the times. First, we can see that it was a time of divine judgement, and the judgement was seen in the famine and lack of rain that the country was enduring. This form of deprivation shows the immense power of God and his hatred of evil. He never willingly afflicts his creatures, but sometimes their sins so offend him that he responds with severe judgement.

Second, the account indicates that the followers of God were few. Elijah himself was under the impression that he alone was the only faithful person left, which was a mistaken assumption. Nevertheless his assumption does point to the likelihood that he met very few real believers as he moved about the country.

Third, even in such difficult times, the Lord had arranged to have important people in strategic places. One such individual was Obadiah who worked high up in King Ahab’s government and was able to use this position to protect some of the Lord’s prophets from the dangerous designs of Jezebel. While it was an act of bravery on Obadiah’s part, it was an act of mercy on the Lord’s part to protect his servants in order that they would be available for future teaching ministry when the opportunity arose.

Fourth, the people as a whole were dabbling in the religion of Baal. It was a worldview that assumed that Baal was head of a group of gods that governed the annual way of life. Those who taught it stressed the necessity of acknowledging of Baal’s input by engaging in religious activities that can be summarised as gross immorality. This was regarded as suitable behaviour within their worldview, but from Elijah’s point of view it was radical departure from the ways of God.

It is not difficult for us to see that there are parallels between Elijah’s day and ours. We too are living in times of divine judgement. Only an ostrich with its head in the sand would not see that fact. Sometimes we react to changes in society and say that they will bring about divine judgement. No doubt they will, but we often forget that the changes themselves may be expressions of divine judgement. We only have to read Romans 1 and observe what it says about immorality and idolatry.

And we are fully aware that the followers of God in our day are few. None of us should deduce what Elijah imagined about his times because we are aware of other churches throughout our country in which God’s people are found. Nevertheless, in comparison to what once was the case, the number of Christians today is fewer than in the past, at least as far as considering them as a percentage of society is concerned.

At the same time we are thankful that God has his servants located in strategic places. We should be praying for people like Obadiah who have positions of leadership in our society. Like Obadiah, they may have to engage in defending the cause in a protective rather than in an aggressive way. But they need to be there in order to preserve something for the future.

As it was with the society of Elijah’s day, so we are in a society no longer holding to a worldview in which the true God is central. Instead we live in a multi-faith, anything goes, materialistic society obsessed with celebrities of one kind or another. The type of devotion that previous generations had for the things of God is now given to various other idols. It is far larger than the pantheon connected to Baal and far more sophisticated. We have the idols of materialism, ambition, sport, and whole range of other things, often in themselves harmless, but which take the place in life that only God should have.

The testimony he bore

Elijah’s aim is to get the people to believe in the God of Israel, which raises the question regarding what is so important about him. What is the difference between the God of Israel and Baal?

First, he is the God who promises blessing to the unworthy. We see this in the first verse of the chapter; Elijah is told to inform Ahab that soon the Lord will send rain and so end the drought. Ahab was the man who represented all that was bad in Israel, nevertheless he was given this remarkable promise of divine provision. This was an example of God’s amazing grace.

Second, he is the God who performs amazing miracles. In the chapter we are told how Elijah went out of his way to ensure that his sacrifice was sodden (perhaps with sea water from the Mediterranean since Carmel was beside the sea). He did this despite telling the people that he wanted the Lord to consume the sacrifice with fire. It would have been impossible for a human to arrange for the sacrifice to be aflame. Yet the sacrifice was burnt because the Lord sent fire down from heaven and performed a mighty miracle.

Third, he is the God who delights to answer prayer. Elijah drew near to him once the altar and sacrifice was ready. He prayed: ‘ “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench’ (vv. 36-39). Elijah’s prayer was answered speedily and specifically.

We can apply these three features to ourselves. First, has not the Lord given to us many promises of pardon and help? Such promises are found in many places in the Bible. Indeed the whole Bible testifies to this marvellous fact that God in heaven makes promises that he is determined to keep. Indeed when we find such a promise we should use it as an argument in prayer and say to him, ‘Lord, you have promised to do forgive those who ask for mercy.’

Second, how can we know that the Lord can keep his promises? We know it from the miracles he has performed. Greater than the literal fire that consumed the sacrifice is the spiritual fire that fell on Jesus when he suffered on the cross. That was a mighty miracle, an amazing miracle, and a unique miracle. On the cross, God the Father and God the Son participated in a divine transaction. The Son agreed to bear the full penalty that the sins of his people deserved. That penalty was to endure the wrath of God against them. If he did not endure it, they would not receive divine benefits. But he did endure it.

The crowd that was gathered there at Carmel saw a great sight, one that they would never forget. They observed God in action, showing his power. Those who take time to look at the cross, to look beyond the visible and gaze at what was happening to the Saviour, will observe the power of God at work. They will hear the awful effects of that divine action as they listen to the agonised words of Jesus, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ And if they have any understanding, they will know the answer. Such will say, ‘Instead of us!’

This leads us to think about a second miracle that proves to us that the Lord can keep his promises. In contrast to the fact that the first miracle only happened once when Jesus was on the cross, the second miracle has happened countless times even although it is connected to what happened on the cross. This second miracle is the innumerable number of sinners who have discovered that the Lord was gracious to them and forgave their sins. All of them would testify, and testify gladly, that the Lord pardoned all their sins fully and freely.

Third, how do we experience this divine forgiveness? Through experiencing the third detail about God we considered earlier, which was that the Lord answers prayer. Elijah prayed to God and asked him to devour the sodden sacrifice with fire, and his prayer was answered speedily and specifically. However quick that prayer was answered, it is not as rapid as the divine answer will be to a genuine prayer asking him for forgiveness and mercy. God does not save any because they pray, but he does not save any who do not ask him for mercy. Each of us has to draw near to him, which we can do anywhere and at anytime, as ask him for pardon. And as Jesus tells us in his parable of the prodigal son, God will rush with divine swiftness to pardon the penitent sinner.

The question he asked

Elijah turned to the audience and asked them, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ Perhaps the first detail in his question that we can notice is his reference to time. We see this in his words ‘how long’. Some of his hearers would have to confess that they had been undecided for all their lives. And when we apply that test to ourselves, are there not many of us who have to confess that we have been undecided since the cradle? We have heard about Calvary countless times, we can recite its details, and yet have not embraced the Saviour. The question that comes to you is, how much longer will you put off the decision?’

But there are others here who have not rejected the message for that period of time. You may have spent many years before you even heard about Jesus. Nevertheless you have already had sufficient time to make your response. We have to ask the same question of you, how much longer are you going to take to decide what you are going to do with Jesus?

Elijah wanted an immediate decision from his audience. Once they had seen the miracle they had to decide. It is the same with us. The time to make our response is when we have heard about the cross, which means that whatever we may have done in the past the time for decision is now.

Elijah wanted a resolute decision from his audience. We can see that from his description of them a limping between two options. The picture is of a person taking a long time to make up his mind and dithering about what to do. Instead they were called by him to take definite steps and join the Lord’s side. So it is with us. We should cease vacillating and turn towards Jesus and say to him that we intend to follow him through life as his disciple.

The people responded with a suitable action that indicated they had made the right decision. They fell on their faces and worshipped the Lord. We too, if we have made the correct decision, should show by our lives that we now belong to the Lord. After all, given what he did for us at the cross, it is the least that we can do.