Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I often wonder what it looked like to have a prophet speak on behalf of God to the people.

It is true that now a days people are prophetically calling people to repentance from their sin.

But if a prophet where to call our culture out for worshipping God and something else what would be the work or display that would happen.

I often wonder if our lack of dependence upon God would be called into question.

The Throw Down Decided

Elijah has seen enough of Israel riding the fence.

Remember his name means “My God is Yahweh.”

His life is about worshipping God alone and not straying from that call.

But the King of Israel has led the people to worship God and Baal.

And enough is enough, a throw down is about to happen.

God verses Baal in a cage match.

One prophet of God verses the 450 prophets of Baal.

Elijah is irritated, flaming with zeal for God.

He cannot handle the lack of passion the people have for God.

He words the challenge this way:

“The challenge ‘How long will you go on limping (waver) between two opnions?’ can be interpreted also as hobbling between two forks (denoting tree branches or crossroads, or even crutches).

The english idiom to ‘sit on the fence.’”

“The people are noncommittal at best.

They “limp” along without conviction, wanting to follow halfheartedly one god or the other.”

As we hear the words that the people are non committal about God, they are half hearted, what do we envision their lives looked like?

They worked, they raised families, they spent time at the temple of God as well as the worship place of Baal.

Family get together occured, and I wonder who they prayed to as they ate?

I imagine that their lives looked like most of ours.

But what is it that we gravitate to for worship if it is not God.

When I hear a word like half hearted I hear a word that could describe my worship of God on a given day.

I spent time this week trying to see how I am just like the people of Israel.

For me, my own self sufficiency could be the Baal I run to.

I take pride in being able to handle most anything on my own strength.

Perhaps it could be my ability to reason and process through situations, instead of prayer, there are times that I can run through pro and con lists, risk analysis, and potential solutions quickly.

To diagnose how I am like Israel I contemplated on what I run to instead of prayer.

I thought throw what sources of wisdom to I look to instead of Scripture.

I also thought about what I gravitate towards when things are going well, what do I think about and what do I spend my time doing.

Then I thought about the rough times and what habits of mind and action do I switch to.

Where are you on this?

What stands out to me about Elijah’s question is the accusation of a lack of conviction inherent in the wording.

Why do you limp between.

Why do you not have any conviction?

“Only Elijah and ironically, the prophets of Baal have any conviction.”

I wonder what convictions the people of Israel would have claimed to have had…love of country, love of God, love of family, love of freedom to pursue work and hobbies...

But their lives declared a lack of conviction.

What conviction does your life declare?

Is that the conviction you want your life to declare?

How do you change that?

What if your conviction more matches the prophets of Baal?

What if you are super passionate and live your life for the an idol or false truth.

So the throw down was happening at Mount Carmel.

This is the same place where King Saul set up a monument after the defeat of the Amalakites.

It is a place that King David visited and was disrespected.

it was a fruitful and meaningful place.

Each group of worshippers was to take a bull prepare it for a burnt offering, but do not light the sacrifice on fire.

Rather the deity who answers the prayer of either group will prove who is truly God.

“As the storm god Baal was thought to be responsible for lightening as well as rain, so this should be an easy contest.”

Vain Efforts

So the prophets of Baal choose the bull for their offering and prepare it.

Then they began in the morning calling out to Baal.

They prayed and prayed and prayed fervently for hours.

I am trying to imagine the conviction it takes to believe in Baal and how much conviction it would take to cry out for hours to a deity who may or may not answer.

From what I have seen and studied, God is the only one who spoke to his prophets.

After this display of crying out for hours, Elijah begins to mock Baal.

The first mock Elijah says cry louder…perhaps he cannot hear.

Then

“Elijah’s lofty conception of God virtually excludes all other objects of worship and makes all the gods idols.

Elijah apparently proved by his action that he believed the God of Israel not to be limited by the territory of Israel, and he demonstrated that God can perform miracles in Phoenicia as well, thus showing his belief in a universal deity.”

“Was Baal asleep and Yahweh was not?”

One Remains

“In pouring the water Elijah was just ‘loading the dice against himself’ as a guarantee against fraud.”

“This prayer incorporates concern then, for God’s reputation, the validity of the prophet’s work, and for the people’s well-being.”

What is your Baal?

What is it that is causing you to flip flop between faith in God and faith in this other thing, deity, or possession?