MAKE A DECISION
I Kings 18.1-46
S: Choosing God
C: Idolatry
Th: Life Can Be Hard
Pr: WE MUST BE UNDIVIDED IN OUR ALLEGIANCE.
TS: We will find in our study of I Kings 18 how Elijah courageously called people to make a decision to God.
Type: Inductive
I. INSTRUCTION (1)
II. SITUATION (2-16)
III. ACCUSATION (17-18)
IV. CONFRONTATION (19-29)
V. VERIFICATION (30-39)
VI. RETRIBUTION (40)
VII. PRECIPITATION (41-46)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• We must be undivided in our allegiance.
• We are never to underestimate the power of a dedicated life.
• When God is on our side, we are unbeatable.
Version: ESV
RMBC 12 November 06 AM
INTRODUCTION:
In our study last week, we learned that…
1. “Life can be hard.”
We probably know in our head that we have it pretty easy.
During the storm, a lot of us were saying that it was like going back to pioneer days.
But that was not really true.
Our lives were supplemented with generators, gas stoves or grills, and batteries.
We were still driving our cars around.
Was it hard?
Sure, but still not anything like it could have been.
It could have been much worse.
But if you were like me, when the electricity came on, you were going… “Yes!!!”
There are times, though, life is hard.
There are times of illness or disease.
There are times when a loved one is wandering spiritually.
There are times when relationships are broken.
There are times when finances are really tight.
But realize this…
2. There are still choices available to us, even when times are difficult.
Sometimes, though, we don’t make good choices.
ILL Choice
This week, I found this list that shows you how you know you have chosen a bad lawyer:
• Just before trial starts he whispers, "The judge is the one with the little hammer, right?"
• When the prosecutors see who your lawyer is, they high-five each other.
• Just before he says "Your Honor," he makes those little quotation marks in the air with his fingers.
• The sign in front of his law office reads "Practicing Law Since 2:25 PM."
• Whenever his objection is overruled, he tells the judge, "Whatever."
Now, there is wisdom when we know we have made a bad choice.
But, there is an even greater wisdom when we do something about it.
Sometimes, when life is hard, we think we are left with little choice.
That is not always true, because we can always make the greatest choice.
We can choose to trust in God.
So in our story today…
3. We will find in our study of I Kings 18 how Elijah courageously called people to make a decision for God.
OUR STUDY:
First, we hear the…
I. INSTRUCTION (1)
After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth."
Note first that…
4. The time of hiding is over.
It has been three years that the drought has been in force.
As we saw last week, after Elijah had made the pronouncement, God sent him away.
He said, “Go hide yourself.”
But now, three years later, it is a much different instruction.
It is, “Go show yourself.”
It was time to confront Ahab.
So, here is the…
II. SITUATION (2-16)
I will be reading the entire text, though your supplement only contains a few of the verses…
(2) So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. (3) And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. [Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly, (4) and when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water.] (5) And Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals." (6) So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself. (7) And as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. And Obadiah recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Is it you, my lord Elijah?" (8) And he answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your lord, ’Behold, Elijah is here.’" (9) And he said, "How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? (10) As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. And when they would say, ’He is not here,’ he would take an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. (11) And now you say, ’Go, tell your lord, "Behold, Elijah is here."’ (12) And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth. (13) Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD’s prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water? (14) And now you say, ’Go, tell your lord, "Behold, Elijah is here"’; and he will kill me." (15) And Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today." (16) So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah.
Understandably…
5. Obadiah is concerned about being revealed.
He has been working undercover.
It has been his role to keep godly men alive with the resources of the kingdom since Jezebel has been on the war path since Elijah’s pronouncement.
It is his concern that Elijah is going to stir up things and then disappear, and then his work will be for naught.
Elijah assures him that will meet with Ahab.
So Elijah and Ahab meet and we hear the…
III. ACCUSATION (17-18)
(17) When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel?" (18) And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals.
Though it was as plain as the nose on his face…
6. Ahab still does not get it.
He accuses Elijah of causing the problem.
In fact, the word troubler is also used for the word “snake.”
So, to Ahab, Elijah has been a sneaky snake.
But, Elijah is not intimidated.
He was not troubled by the indictment of Ahab.
In fact, he shifts the blame for the famine, disease and death that was coming to land right back where it belonged.
He points out wisely that the troublemakers are those who do not follow the commandments.
The real problem was not the lack of rain.
The real problem was a lack of faithfulness to the Creator God.
So Elijah furthers the…
IV. CONFRONTATION (19-29)
(19) Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table." (20) So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. (21) And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word. (22) Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. (23) Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. (24) And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken." (25) Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it." (26) And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. (27) And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." (28) And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. (29) And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
Elijah orders an assembly of the prophets of Baal and Asherah.
These were the guys that were in with the queen, eating at her table.
Many in Israel had willingly followed this wicked and idolatrous leadership.
Others had been more neutral, just going with the flow.
But to Elijah…
7. Indecision is their enemy.
When Elijah challenges the people to respond, there is an eerie silence.
People are hesitating.
They are vacillating.
They are afraid to stand up for their Creator.
Nevertheless, Elijah calls for their decision.
There will no longer be any lingering in neutral.
Their passivity, he says, is making them lame.
Elijah offers a reasonable test.
Whoever answers with fire, Yahweh or Baal, He will be understood as the true God.
For the Baal worshippers, this made sense.
In their epic tales, Baal rides the thunderclouds and sends lightening.
So, the prophets of Baal go to it.
They create quite the frenzy.
They are jumping up and down.
They are crying, begging, and pleading.
They are even cutting themselves to attract Baal’s attention.
This goes on all morning.
But nothing happens.
8. As Elijah mocks, Baal fails miserably.
There is no lightening, no fire.
There is no stirring in the skies.
There is only a pathetic, deafening silence.
Baal is the god of fertility and rain, but nothing is going on.
You can see Elijah leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.
He is there watching the show.
And he begins to mock them.
“Perhaps Baal can’t hear you – call louder.
Perhaps he is doing his business.
Or perhaps he has fallen asleep.”
Now, though, it was time for the truth.
Enough of this useless activity.
The needed…
V. VERIFICATION (30-39)
…for who the real God was coming.
(30) Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down. (31) Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, "Israel shall be your name," (32) and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. (33) And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." (34) And he said, "Do it a second time." And they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time." And they did it a third time. (35) And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. (36) And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day 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, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." (38) Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. (39) And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God."
In a conflict reminiscent of Moses and Pharaoh…
9. The Lord proves His power in the battle of the gods.
Elijah puts forth an ingenious plan that will provide undeniable proof.
He soaks the sacrifice, probably with water from the nearby Mediterranean Sea.
And he offers a simple prayer of faith.
The contrast is stunning.
There is no pleading.
There is no screaming.
There is, instead, an immediate answer.
In a moment, the fire comes, and utterly consumes everything.
For the doubters, it worked.
God had graciously provided the evidence that He was the true Creator God, and the people confess it to be so.
So, now comes the needed…
VI. RETRIBUTION (40)
And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape." And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.
It may seem extreme, but…
10. The cancer must be dealt with severely.
When you have cancer, it is not minor surgery, is it?
And you don’t want the doctor to take out only some of the diseased cells.
You want them all out.
You do not want anymore contamination.
This approach is not extreme.
It is wise and essential, and Elijah understood that the prophets of Baal were a cancer to this nation.
This is not the end of the story, for now comes the…
VII. PRECIPITATION (41-46)
(41) And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain." (42) So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. (43) And he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." And he went up and looked and said, "There is nothing." And he said, "Go again," seven times. (44) And at the seventh time he said, "Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea." And he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, ’Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’" (45) And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. (46) And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
You see…
11. God keeps His promises.
Now is the time for rain.
It has not rained yet, but Elijah believes it is going to.
So he prays.
He prays humbly.
He prays persistently.
He prays expecting an answer.
So, when the tiny cloud finally arrives on the horizon, he sends a report to Ahab.
“The rain is coming Ahab and you better get going or you are never going to get home.
You will get stuck in the mud with that chariot of yours.”
So the rain comes, and Elijah takes off running, ultimately beating Ahab to the palace.
It is, “Ahab, catch me if you can!”
APPLICATION:
ILL Loyalty: Mixed Message (modified)
I recall not long ago that I was driving down Main St. and I noticed a car that stood out as particularly patriotic. From a distance, I could see two new flags flying merrily above it. Getting closer, I saw that nearly every window was decorated with an American flag decal and it also had one of those magnetic ribbons supporting our troops.
Finally, stopped behind the vehicle at a red light, I read the car’s only bumper sticker: "Proud to be Irish."
Well, that raised a question of loyalty!
ILL Devotion: dog (modified)
Well, I have expressed that I am not a dog-lover to you before, but our dog has never seemed to understand that. He always seems to be nearby, laying by my feet, or blocking the hallway, or sitting staring at me. He has what might be called a look of devotion.
If I say something to him, he is delighted. Just a word gets him on his feet with his tail wagging and his eyes sparkling – waiting for my approval. Sometimes when there’s another dog outside or a squirrel, he goes crazy. He barks, runs back and forth from room to room, jumps up and dents the screens, and slobbers on the windows. And he always barks at me when I come into the house, then whimpers when he discovers it is me. But I will say this for him, he is devoted.
As I think of my dog’s loyalty and devotion, I find myself wishing I could give similar attention and affection to my Owner my Master; my Lord. My dog knows enough to watch for the approval on my face. How much more should I know how impor¬tant it is to seek God’s face!
Modified from M. R. DeHaan from "Our Daily Bread"
This being so…
12. WE MUST BE UNDIVIDED IN OUR ALLEGIANCE.
Nothing else makes sense.
Yet, how often do we find ourselves being double-minded, wavering in our devotion to God.
We listen to the idols in our lives.
They promise to make us feel good.
They promise to give us happiness and peace.
But the promises are empty, for at best, they are only temporary.
They are slippery and elusive, like trying to hold water in your hands.
Since we are either for God or against Him, we must give up our gods and serve the one true God.
There is no being neutral.
We must make a decision.
As Elijah as shown us…
13. We are never to underestimate the power of a dedicated life.
He is a man alone.
He is outnumbered 850 to 1.
It is a hostile opposition.
Yet, he made a difference.
He had learned to trust and obey God.
Did you notice that Elijah never shifted in his stand?
Did you notice that he never hesitated or stuttered?
Why?
Because…
14. When God is on our side, we are unbeatable.
When God is on our side, we are always in the majority.
When you add the Infinite plus one, you still have infinite.
So, no matter how tough the circumstances, when God is with us, He is always, always enough.
BENEDICTION:
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
RESOURCES:
Sermoncentral
Decker, Paul Showdown
Harlow, Dale Man Enough to Stand Alone
Morris, William It’s Show Time
Books
Swindoll, Charles R. Elijah: A Man of Heroism and Humility. Great Lives from God’s Word, vol. 5. Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000.
Wiseman, D. J. 1 & 2 Kings. 24 vols. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, ed. D. J. Wiseman, vol. 9. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
