We continued our study of Elijah today as we considered 1 Kings 18:16-39.
In this passage, Elijah invites the prophets of Baal to a confrontation on Mt. Carmel to see whose God is the true of Israel. The prophets of Baal, as usual, put on show of empty, corporal, even carnal entertainment which had nothing to do with true worship. Elijah shows us that worship is not an experience, but rather a response to God's Word by God's people. It is something we do or we offer, but not something we necessarily feel.
How do we apply this story to our situations today? Idols or man-made gods don't really tempt us today, right? Maybe not, but we could, instead, ask ourselves, "What is it that we love most?" "What subtly or not so subtly takes precedence and occupies the place that God should have? Four questions might help us to be honest with ourselves: What do I spend most of my time on? Where do I spend the most money? What do I think about the most? Where is my heart or what do I care about the most?
Elijah admonishes the people the quit "limping along" between two opinions. Who or what is the source of all life, love, joy? God made it abundantly clear that day when he made it rain fire from heaven: "And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God" (1 Kings 18:39, ESV).
