Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Do you remember the fascination we had some years ago with space rocket launches? In those days they were rare and only two or three countries were involved in what was called ‘the space race‘. These days rockets launch from many countries of the world so frequently it really isn’t news anymore and space, even though vast and enormous, is actually getting a little crowded with satellites and ‘space junk’ floating around. One thing that hasn’t changed in more than 1/2 a century of the ‘space race’ is the countdown prior to launch. We’ve all heard it… 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…
Yesterday I left you on the top of Mount Carmel in a scene very similar to the crowds who gather for watching a space launch. Two altars had been built, two bulls slain and placed on their altars. Around one altar hundreds of prophets of Baal had danced for hours calling on their gods to answer by sending fire to their altar. Nothing had happened despite some of those men actually cutting themselves to demonstrate their devoutness.
At the other altar was one old man, the prophet Elijah, and he was concluding his prayer to the God of Israel, with these words: “…let it be known today that YOU are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your command. Answer me LORD, so these people will know that YOU, LORD, are God and that You are turning their hearts back again.” (1 Kings 18:36,37) Elijah finished with his arms uplifted to the cloudless sky, his eyes looking up and fully trusting… he waited.
Around him were thousands of people looking up and wondering what might happen, including wicked King Ahab and 850 false prophets of Baal and Asherah. Everyone held their breath and thousands of people were totally silent, watching and waiting, very much like the last few seconds before a rocket launch.
It must have looked like a fireball or maybe a lightning bolt, but the record describes what happened next with these words: “Then the FIRE OF THE LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stone and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” (1 Kings 18:38) As impressive as a rocket launch is, especially if you are watching it from a close enough proximity that you can feel the ground shudder and the flash of the rocket engines on fire almost blinds you!
It may have been something like that for these thousands of people on Mount Carmel that day! The Biblical record says their response was overwhelming awe: “When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate on the ground and cried out, ‘The LORD – He is God! The LORD – He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39)
While King Ahab was a very wicked man, he was King over Israel and Ahab had been born into the royal family of King David. Wicked Ahab knew the history of the kings of Israel who had gone before him. In this moment, with Ahab’s face to the ground and his heart beating so hard it probably felt like it would burst out of his chest.
I imagine Ahab was thinking back over Israel’s history to when another king of Israel, Solomon, lay face down before a blazing altar! On that day also God had sent a fireball from heaven to burn up the sacrifices Solomon and the priests had prepared at the dedication of the newly constructed great Temple in Jerusalem, but that almost 100 years before!! (2 Chronicles 7:1,2) Oh how far the people of Israel and their leaders had run away from God in the years since King Solomon!
This was Ahab’s moment, his opportunity to rise up from the ground and repent before God and before his people, but it appears Ahab said nothing. There’s a very important lesson here for all of us my friends: don’t ever miss the opportunity to repent and turn fully back to God when you’ve been drifting morally, spiritually and floundering in your life, especially if your life influences other people. Ahab didn’t, and once again Ahab failed in his leadership.
Rather than King Ahab, it was the old prophet Elijah who jumped to his feet and loudly shouted “Seize those prophets of Baal! Don’t let any of them get away!” The next few moments must have been mayhem as ordinary men and women jumped into action and wrestled those wicked priests of Baal and Asherah to the ground. Emboldened by God’s fire from heaven the people rose up against those who had deceived them and led them into the darkness of idolatry and false religion. But now what? Oh Elijah had an answer!
The record says Elijah led a parade of people dragging these false prophets down to the base of the mountain and justice was done! What Justice? In the days of Moses one of God’s commands was that any religious leaders who led the people of God away from the one, true, Almighty, Holy God and into worship of any false god, should be killed and the evil rooted out of Israel. (Deut.13:5) This was a day of reckoning for nearly 1000 men who had proudly, defiantly rejected the God of Israel and spread idols throughout the land deceiving and demeaning the people of Israel.
But Elijah wasn’t finished and neither was God. God had proven Himself powerful and responsive to Elijah’s prayer by sending fire from heaven; and purifying justice had been done, at least with these 850 false prophets; but Israel was still in the grip of a nationwide drought which God had sent in response to the wickedness of His people and their leaders. Now that the people had repented, God was ready to bless them with rain withheld for 3 years.
In the verses which follow in 1 Kings 18 you’ll see Elijah went back up to the top of Carmel and began to pray, telling Ahab he’d better start heading home because God was going to send rain. Ahab evidently looked up at the cloudless sky and his heart grew hard again. Perhaps he even mocked Elijah. Elijah prayed, Ahab watched, and soon a little cloud appeared on the horizon. Now Elijah sent his servant to tell Ahab he’d better hitch up his chariot and head home quickly, rain was coming! I wonder if Ahab just laughed?
I love what the record says happened next: “The sky grew black with clouds, the wind blew and a heavy rain started falling as Ahab rode off toward Jezreel. The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and tucking his cloak in his belt, Elijah ran ahead of Ahab, all the way to Jezreel!” (1 Kings 18:45,46) Jezreel was one of the towns where Ahab and Jezebel had a palace residence.
Depending on the route they took, that was about 30 miles from Mount Carmel! Elijah is the first marathon runner I find in the Bible and it appears old Elijah outran Ahab’s chariot! Do you see, my friends, how that is yet another evidence of the power of God unleashed in a person’s life?
As the rain poured out of heaven to nourish the land after 3 years of drought, it was a picture of God pouring out His love and His blessing both upon the land and the people He loved so much. As the rain was intended by God to nourish the land and produce a new crop & harvest, so the showdown on Mount Carmel with fire from heaven was intended to nourish the hearts and minds of a wayward people, bringing them back to right thinking and God honoring living.
Let’s pause here and reflect on this remarkable day, and consider what God is doing to draw you and me, and our world to HIM! Consider the nourishing God wants to do in our souls my friends, and consider the power God wants to unleash in our lives! Is there some repentance and cleansing which needs to take place first?
Here’s a powerful song to help us reflect on what we’ve experienced today and what it means in our day as God unleashes His power to us through Jesus!
Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 18:36-46.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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