Battle of the gods
Notes
Transcript
Today we continue our look into the days of Elijah
Last week we considered the days into which Elijah suddenly appeared
King Ahab had led the people of Israel into the service of Baal and Asheroth
He married outside the nation to Jezebel the daughter of the king of Sidon
He was doing worse than all the kings before him in bringing the anger of God against the people of Israel
It is in these days of the 9th century BCE that Elijah brought a message of drought as punishment against the people
God cares for him by sending him a a brook Cherith in east of the Jordan
There he has water and food brought by ravens
Then is sent to Sidon where he is to find a widow.
While there they wanted for nothing - 1 Kings 17:15-16
15 So she went and did everything in accordance with the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days.
16 The bowl of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.
Today we pick with Elijah returning to Israel.
We will read of the battle of the gods.
Who is truly God, who is the true God of Israel!
Chair Bible pg. 243
1 Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will provide rain on the face of the earth.”
2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
20 So Ahab sent orders among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to struggle with the two choices? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him so much as a word.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left as a prophet of the Lord, while Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
23 Now have them give us two oxen; and have them choose the one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.
24 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 replied, “That is a good idea.”
Are you read for the message God has for us today?
Awesome, let’s begin
A prophet isn’t welcome
A prophet isn’t welcome
As we talked last week Jesus said that I prophet isn’t welcome in his hometown
We see that indeed Elijah will not receive a warm welcome home from Ahab
However first upon his return Elijah meets with Obadiah
Obadiah rescued prophets obedient to Yahweh! 1 Kings 18:4
4 for when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.)
He at least welcomes Elijah back! 1 Kings 18:7-8
7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, Elijah my master?”
8 And he said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’ ”
There are many scholars who say that this is the same Obadiah who wrote book of Obadiah, one of the 12 minor prophets in the Old Testament.
I follow this scholarship because of the earlier date attributed to the book Obadiah, make it authorEd in the time of Elijah and Elisha.
Elijah has a message that He wants Obadiah to send to Ahab - “Behold Elijah is here!”
The response of Obadiah is astonishing
He was not afraid to oppose Ahab and Jezebel in hiding prophets of Yahweh
However, to give this message to Ahab seemed as a punishment for some unknown sin - “What sin have I commited, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab, to put me to death?”
Obadiah fears that when he gives this message to Ahab that the Spirit will whisk Elijah to who knows where and won’t be found again and he will die!
His attitude it like - I mean has everyone forgotten what I did for Yahweh!
Listen to how Elijah assures his friend - 1 Kings 18:15
15 Then Elijah said, “As surely as the Lord of armies lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly present myself to him today.”
So off Obadiah goes with the message from Elijah to Ahab
We read next that in fact Ahab goes out to meet Elijah
and Ahab blames Elijah - 1 Kings 18:17
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?”
He gives this blast to Elijah, and Elijah immediately retorts
18 He said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals.
A challenge is given!
A challenge is given!
Next is the challenge 1 prophet of Yahweh against 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah to meet at Mt Carmel
one versus 850!
We learn also that Jezebel has been in league with the false prophets - “who eat at Jezebel’s table” (1 Kings 18:19)
So the with the challenge given Ahab orders all of Israel to assemble at Mt. Carmel.
Man I still see the flannel graph of this story in my mind.
Here is why the challenge is given: 1 Kings 18:21
21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to struggle with the two choices? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him so much as a word.
Next Elijah gives instructions in regard to this challenge:
Two oxen - one for prophets of baal one for Elijah
Both oxen prepared for sacrafice, but do not put fire on it
The God who answers with fire he is God - Look at the text I saw this - verse 24
They did according to the instructions of Elijah
So the prophets of Baal go first
O Baal answer us they prayed
Yet there was no answer - they limped about
I love the next part - 1 Kings 18:27
27 And at noon Elijah ridiculed them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, since he is a god; undoubtedly he is attending to business, or is on the way, or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep, and will awaken.”
I chuckle every time I read it
Notice they respond - they cried out with a loud voice,
cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances
blood gushed out on them.
Then 1 Kings 18:29
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.
Now it is Elijah’s turn
He calls the people forward
An altar is built with 12 stones 12 tribes of Israel
The altar is built in the name of Yahweh, a trench is dug around the altar
Then wood and the ox is laid on it
Four large jars of water are filled and poured over the altar 3 times filling the trench
Yahweh respond to the Elijah’s prayer: 1 Kings 18:36-38
36 Then at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached and said, “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.
37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that You, Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, and the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
With this the people turn back to God: “Yahweh, He is God, Yahweh He is God!”
Then the prophets are seized and slaughtered at the Brook of Kishon!
With this rain returns to Israel! 1 Kings 18:41
41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.”
But it was more than that 1 Kings 18:43-45
43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, but he said, “There is nothing.” Yet Elijah said, “Go back” seven times.
44 And when he returned the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a person’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot horses and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’ ”
45 Meanwhile the sky became dark with clouds and wind came up, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
Because of the response of the people rain returns to the land!
The foot race to Jezreel!
The foot race to Jezreel!
Now something else amazing happened
I grew up with this passage and this week in prep time God showed me something
Look at the end of verse 45 again and now read verse 46
46 Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he belted his cloak around his waist and outran Ahab to Jezreel.
Then I read this in the Jewish Study Bible
“The strength and stamina for Elijah’s long run came by virtue of the hand of Yahweh”
Consider the Message Bible translation of verse 46 - And GOD strengthened Elijah mightily. Pulling up his robe and tying it around his waist, Elijah ran in front of Ahab's chariot until they reached Jezreel. 1 Kings 18:46 (TMB)
Hebrew word for “The hand” - power or possession of controlling influence used to highlight immanent activity.”
Basically the Lord strengthened Elijah for a 25 mile run from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel!
A marathon is 26.2 miles so it is possible for a human to run that far.
But I missed that God gave him strength to do it because Elijah out ran the chariot of Ahab!
44 And when he returned the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a person’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Harness your chariot horses and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’ ”
I have ran a half marathon and it took me 2.5 hours
But not only did he run 25 miles he out ran a chariot doing it!
It is estimated that the top speed for a chariot is 35mph
That means at top speed Ahab could make it to Jezreel in less than an hour.
Elijah ran faster!
That can only come from the hand of Yahweh!
What is the application for us?
What is the application for us?
We go back to 1 Kings 18:21
Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent. 1 Kings 18:2 (NLT)
Our society sits in the same spot as Israel, we are struggling with Idolatry
Kyle Idleman (gods at war) - “The problem is that the instant something takes the place of God, the moment it becomes an end in itself rather that something to lay at God’s throne, it becomes an idol. When someone or something replaces the Lord God in the position of glory in our lives, then that person or thing by definition has becomes our god.”
Sure the idol may not be made of stone, but we still are dealing with idols
The postmodern philosophy of our world makes me, myself, and I idols we replace God with
There are other idols - pornography, pride, worshipping celebrities, success, money, power, food, etc.
The idols may look different than what the people in ancient times worshipped but they are still idols.
Our God is a jealous God, He wants us, he doesn’t want to share us!
Kyle Idleman “The reason why God has such a huge problem with idolatry is that his love for you is all consuming. He loves you too much to share you!”
So the question Elijah asks still remains “ How long will you sit on the fence? If God exists worship Him, If an idol is your god follow it!”
You see there is no middle ground!
Conclusion
Are you struggling with an idol?
Do you want to give back to God the prominent place in your life?
Do you need his help in removing the idol from your life?
The altars are open to you, won’t you come to him and pray!
