The Lord, He Is
The God!
Based on Series of
Sermons on the Repetition of Name and Titles
Preached in PCC
Worship Service, 26 February 2017
Part 3 of 3
We
are continuing our study of 1 Kings 18:1-40. In our previous article, we looked
at the challenge of the prophet Elijah to the false prophets of Baal on Mount
Carmel. In this article, we will look at the Lord’s answer to the prophet as
well as some lessons we can learn from this whole contest on Carmel.
The LORD’s Answer to the Prophet (vv.
30-40)
According to verse 29, the
time of the evening sacrifice had arrived, which would have been 3pm in the
afternoon. Elijah gathered the people to him and then he repaired the altar of
the LORD that had been thrown down. This could have been an old altar which
people used to use to sacrifice to the LORD prior to the establishment of the
tabernacle or temple.
Elijah repaired it using
twelve stones, according to the number of tribes of Israel. Even though the
nation at that time had been divided, politically, into the northern and
southern kingdom, still, there was but one church or one people of God, not
two. And so Elijah used 12 stones for this altar symbolizing the unity of
Israel as the covenant people of God.
Then having completed the altar, he made a trench
about the altar, large enough to hold two measures or about 15 litres of seed.
This means that the trench itself must have been fairly large. He then arranged
the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he ordered
four large jars to be filled with water and poured out upon the offering and
the wood. This was repeated twice, which means a total of 12 jars of water were
emptied on the altar so that the trench around it was filled with water as
well. The purpose of pouring all this water on the altar was simply to show
that only a supernatural act of God could account for the burning of the
drenched wood and sacrifice. There could be no other explanation for the fire.
Then at the time of the
sacrifice, Elijah the prophet stepped forward and prayed in these words, “LORD
God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art
God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done
all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may
know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their
heart back again.”
What a contrast this prayer
of Elijah is to that of the prophets of Baal. Whereas those prophets prayed
continuously from morning to evening, Elijah prayed but once in the evening.
Whereas they cried and shouted at the top of their voices and even bloodied
themselves with knives, Elijah offered up a simple prayer without ranting and
raving and great commotion. Whereas they prayed to Baal, the god of the storm
and of fertility, Elijah prayed to Yahweh, the Sovereign God of the whole
universe and the covenant God of His people. And this made all the difference.
Elijah prayed that the LORD would glorify Himself among His people that day and
that He would turn their hearts back to Himself.
Verse 38 records the LORD’s
answer to Elijah’s prayer, “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the
burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the
water that was in the trench.”
The LORD accepted Elijah’s sacrifice by sending fire
to consume the burnt offering. But unlike other occurrences of fire from heaven
in the Bible, this one was even more dramatic and wonderful. We are told that
the fire of the LORD consumed the burnt sacrifice, but it didn’t stop there. It
consumed the wood and the stones, and the dust and even the water that was in
the trench, so that by the time the fire died down, there was absolutely
nothing left of the altar which Elijah had built. It was entirely consumed.
Everything that was combustible and incombustible was gone! Without doubt, this fire came
down supernaturally from the LORD, and the people recognized it at once.
Verse 39, “And when all the people
saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is
the God; the LORD, he is the God.” The people were filled with awe and
wonder of God. They fell prostrate and confessed that the LORD is God not once
but twice. The LORD – He is God, the LORD – He is God.
Remember what Elijah said in
verse 24, “call ye on the name of your gods, I will call on the name of the
LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people
answered and said, It is well spoken.” The LORD or Yahweh had indeed answered
His prophet by fire and the people rightly acknowledged that He is God. He is
God. And the unmistakable implication is that Baal is not god. The bull that
was lying on his altar was still unconsumed – a clear testament to the utter
impotence and indeed the non-existence of Baal.
But the contest was not over. In verse 40, Elijah
said to the people, “Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.”
And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew
them there.
We must not view this act of
Elijah as one of personal vengeance and retaliation against the prophets of
Baal. Rather, he was simply carrying out God’s capital punishment on those who
led His people astray into idolatry and rebellion against God. You can read of
that in Deuteronomy 13.
Well, what are some lessons
or truths we can draw from this passage? I’ll like to call our attention to
two.
Lessons
First, let us be filled with awe
for the living and true God.
As I mentioned earlier, the
question of who is the real God dominates this chapter. One commentator even
names this chapter as, “Will the real God please stand up?” Again and again, we
see the contrast between the real God Yahweh and the false god Baal.
Let me just reminds us again
of the contrasts or differences between them, and there are at least four of
them.
Firstly, there is the issue
of geography. Mount Carmel was supposed to be Baal’s sacred or if you like home
ground. If this contest had taken place in say Jerusalem, the prophets and
followers of Baal might have given the excuse that Yahweh had won because of
home ground advantage. But on Mount Carmel, Baal was on home turf whereas
Yahweh and his prophet were the away team. And yet the away team won.
But actually, if you think
about it, there is really no place on this earth that may be considered away
ground for the LORD for as Psalm 24 says, “The earth is the LORD'S, and
the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Every square inch
of ground on this earth and indeed every cubic inch of space in this universe
belongs to the LORD. Not a single piece or bit of it belongs to Baal or any
other idol.
Secondly,
there is the issue of numbers. The prophets of Baal outnumbered Elijah, but
that didn’t matter. In 1 Samuel 14:6, Jonathan said to his armour bearer, “for there
is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” The LORD’s power
and ability to save is not dependent at all on how many people are on his side.
The victory is and always will be His. Opinion polls and majority reports are
of no consequence when it comes to the LORD.
Thirdly, there is the issue
of religious fervour and emotions and activities. The prophets of Baal outdid
Elijah in terms of their outward zeal and action and display of emotions. He
could not match them for their flurry of passionate religious activity, even to
the point of self-mutilation. But here is where our God is so different from
the false gods of paganism. True religion does not consist in how emotional or
active or outwardly zealous we are.
The LORD Jesus teaches us the same thing in This
ought to be a great encouragement to us as God’s people in this world for we
are often the minority report and the ones who are despised by the rest. But
always remember that our God is unlike all the other false gods of this world.
He is the God for whom numbers are of no consequences.
Matthew 6:7-8, “But when ye pray, use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard
for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father
knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
And because of that, we can
seek the LORD in simplicity and sincerely, and we do not need to imitate the
antics and hype of the pagans or even certain groups that call themselves
Christians.
But fourthly, there is the
issue of natural obstacles and handicaps. Elijah made it as difficult as
possible for the sacrifice to ignite. The prophets of Baal and all the people
might have thought that he had lost his mind when he ordered even one jar of
water let alone twelve large jars to be emptied on the altar. Surely he had
ruined his chances of winning the contest. At best, the contest would end in a
draw or stalemate since surely no god had the power to ignite something like
that.
But drenched wood and soaked
meat and dripping stone and saturated dust are no obstacles to the Lord’s
power. The patch of scorched and smoking ground on Mount Carmel that day
testifies to that. May this encounter between Yahweh and Baal reignite and
rekindle our fear and awe of the living God. He is a God like none other, a God
to whom nothing and no one can compare.
And oh what a joy and
privilege and comfort it is to worship and serve Him! The whole world may be
against us. The devil and all his hosts may war against us. But if the LORD God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is on our side, then the victory is ours.
The second lesson from our text is
this: let us turn our eyes to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only mediator between
God and man.
1 Timothy 2:5, “For there
is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
We’ve already talked about the “one God” part earlier on in contrast to Baal, but
now, let’s focus very briefly on the “one mediator” part.
When the LORD fully consumed
the bull and indeed the entire altar, He was showing that Elijah was His
servant and that He had accepted Elijah’s sacrifice. Many years later, and on a
different mountain, the LORD would powerfully demonstrate His acceptance of
another of His servant’s sacrifice. This time, the altar was made of wood not
stone, and it was made in the form of a cross; and the sacrifice was His only
begotten Son.
Three days after His death,
He arose from the dead and walked through the tomb, and forty days after that,
He ascended into the glories of heaven and sat down at the right hand of God as
the victorious King of kings. The resurrection, ascension and session of Christ
all demonstrate that His sacrifice on the altar of the cross on behalf of His
people is well-pleasing and accepted by God.
Dear unbelieving friend, understand that there is no
other sacrifice for sin and no other mediator between God and man except Jesus Christ.
There is no other way to God but through the Son of God. Baal will not do.
Dagon will not do. Molech will not do. Chemosh will not do. And neither will
all the other false gods and religions throughout history. All who trust in
them will be like the prophets of Baal that day – disappointed, frustrated,
mutilated, ashamed and eventually executed. Oh would you not bow before Yahweh,
the true God, and seek reconciliation with Him through His Son Jesus Christ?
But
finally to you my beloved brethren, understand this – that the real God not
only sent fire down from heaven that day on Carmel, He has also come down into
this world in human flesh to dwell among us. Keep looking to Christ for
acceptance with God, and not to your own merits or good works. Keep looking to
Him to provide for all your needs and to give you victory over the enemy.
And continue to serve the
Lord faithfully and courageously wherever you are. You do not need to be an
Elijah to be of service in His kingdom. You can serve Him like Obadiah –
quietly and behind the scene. You do not need to be like the prophets of Baal
serving in a flurry of activities and emotions. You can serve Him simply and
sincerely. What a liberating thought that is! Praise God for His amazing grace
to us in Jesus Christ.
—Linus Chua