HILLSIDE HELPS- “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” (I Kings 1:21) The prophet Elijah appeared before King Ahab and declared that there would be no dew or rain for years to come. In the third year of this drought and horrible famine in Samaria, God instructed Elijah to and “show himself to King Ahab”. When Elijah and Ahab came face to face, the king declared, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” (vs. 17) Elijah refused to take the blame himself, and answered Ahab, “I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Balaam.” (vs. 18) Elijah then, called for Ahab to gather all the people and all the false prophets on Mt. Carmel. (there were 850 false prophets) Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel and shouted a question heard throughout the ages, “How long halt ye between two opinions”, or thoughts. There was division and confusion over who was the One True God. The land was filled with lying men who declared Baal to be god, who had succeeded in infiltrating Israel with the practice of worshipping and serving Baal. The Living God of Israel had been forsaken for a dead idol. The fearless Elijah stood alone as the only voice of Truth. Though outnumbered, Elijah had the Lord on his side. The time had come for the people to choose between God and Baal. They had been lied to and believed the lies. Now, Elijah challenged the king, people, and false prophets with a sort of contest. They would both build altars and pray. The God that would answer by fire would be God. The gods of Baal never answered for his prophets, but the God of heaven heard the prayer of Elijah, sent fire from heaven, and totally consumed the altar built for Him. Immediately, “they fell on their faces: and said, The Lord He is God; the Lord He is God.” (vs.39) The remnant of true believers finds themselve outnumbered in virtually every crowd. While the others chase after their own favorite dead and deaf idols, we are required of God to serve and worship Him only. The culture today is a unique mix of multiple religions each declaring their gods to be the true God. The choice is clear; choose you whom you will serve. Based on the Word of the only True God, He alone is God. There is none other beside Him. He always has been and always will be. In America we have the national freedom to serve whatever gods we may choose. In God’s Word there is no allowance for any other God, but God. It is time to choose between God and Balaam, between the Cross and Christ, or a cold dead statue of Baal. When you make the choice, you may find yourself standing in a crowd of unbelievers, but don’t let them intimidate you. The God, who sent the fire to Mt. Calvary, can and will prove Himself to whomever He chooses. (Bro Jerry McNeer) PLEASE SHARE
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 11:30:30 +0000
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