Showdown
1 Kings 18
21. Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.
23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.
24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire--he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good."
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire."
26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no-one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or travelling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened."
28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.
29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no-one answered, no-one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins.
31 Elijah took
twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." (Israel)32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench round it large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."
34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it
a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time.35 The
water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and
prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."
38 Then the
fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!"
40 Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
Baal was Satan's demon helper masquerading as a god of rain, fertility, and nature. The nation of Israel had been deceived - led into idolatry. God is ready to show what this false-god is made of.
People have this nature. They are drawn into whatever comes along. They are easily impressed. They fall for the exciting, the dramatic. They so easily get drawn off the path. "Show me a few tricks, I'll follow you anywhere."
So Elijah challenged the false prophets to a duel - a contest. The winner would take all. The loser gets cancelled. It's a life or death battle.
Elijah did not even get his 'amen' out before the fire of God descended and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, stones, and dirt and evaporated the water in the trench.
Instantly the thousands watching fell on their faces in humble acknowledgment and worship of God. Never in history was there so instant a revival. They seized the false prophets and killed them, according to Ex 22.20, Deu 13.5, and 18.20.
The "
instantly" shows He had their attention. "Seizing the false prophets" shows He had their hearts.Baal worship often involved obscene sexual immorality as a religious act. I see the rise in obscenity and sexuality in America as an attempt of Satan to capture us in his same old traps. He keeps using them because they work so well.
I think it's time we took hold of the demons ruining our society and put them out of business. The government cannot do that through 'legislation' because the watchword today is "fairness to everybody". It's not about fairness or equality, it's about "holiness". It's about what is right and what is wrong. It's about sin. And only the church can deal with that, and the only way the church can deal with it in this world is
to pray and to preach holiness.We need for the fire of God to fall on us and consume us. I know your wood may be wet, but he can lick up the watered down stuff in you, burn the wood, hay, and stubble out of your life and make you a firebrand for Christ, a torch for God, and Lighthouse for the lost.
The question is, are you ready to be fired? Are you ready and willing to be consumed by God to where there is nothing left of you and all of Him in you. (I'm tired of so much of 'me' being in the way.) Crucify me, Lord.
God's fire in those He controls will burn on and on. It transforms their lives. It consumes sin and sinfulness and brings repentance. It makes you holy.