The Art of Decision Making
The story is told of the 1980's US President Ronald Reagan that he learned the need for decision making early in his life. A kindly aunt had taken him to a cobbler to have a pair of shoes made. The shoemaker asked him, "Do you want a round toe or a square one?" Regan could not make up his mind so the cobbler said, "come back in a day or two and tell me what you want."
A few days later the cobbler saw young Regan on the street and asked him if he'd decided yet. "No, I haven't made up my mind," he replied.
"Very well, " said the cobbler. "your shoes will be ready tomorrow." When Regan got the shoes, one had a round toe and the other one a square toe.
"Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson. If you don't make your own decisions, somebody else makes them for you."
The Key Verse
In Western literature we expect the climax of a narrative to be at the end, but this story about Elijah and Ahab is typically Jewish in its construction and the main thrust is at the centre. The key verse is v21, "how long will you waver?"
To and Fro'
Chapter 18 examines life's biggest decision and what flows from that decision. This period of Israel's history had been one of turning to and away from God in a continual cycle that had been the pattern since they entered Canaan. They were the people of God, but they kept being tempted away. God would bring judgement on them through calamity and when that became unbearable they would return to him for help.
People today still live like this. They know there is a God who they should honour, but the temptations of life pull them away…until there's a crisis. Then, even the unbeliever will be driven to his knees and cry out to God. The Christian too is susceptible to spiritual backsliding and over-confidence until the heat is on and she must again seek reliance on the Lord. James warns us in the first chapter of his letter about half-hearted prayer and commitment to God. God wants whole-hearted children like Caleb and Joshua. Here again is a graphic lesson on the issue. We might phrase it, 'Do we let God be God in our lives?'
"Living Water"
Here we find that Israel has lapsed into the worship of Baal which is open idolatry, and King Ahab has pursued a policy of murdering all God's prophets at the urging of his wife, Jezebel. Elijah had escaped three years earlier when God brought his judgement on Israel's unfaithfulness by means of drought.
Into this situation in verse 1 Elijah is commanded by God to be a bringer of rain. Throughout the chapter we find contrasts between rain and water on the one hand and drought and fire on the other. God is using these realities to illustrate spiritual truth, the difference between lives that are dry and brittle and those where streams of living water flow.
Obadiah, the role model
The chapter opens with three main characters: Elijah, Ahab and Obadiah, the first two being the main protagonists. Elijah places his faith in God and serves him whereas Ahab believes Baal and that is who he serves. Obadiah is sent by Ahab to look for water when he stumbles upon Elijah whom he calls 'lord' for he seems to recognise the authority Elijah has as God's prophet. In verse 8 Elijah responds by saying that Obadiah's real master is Ahab.
The name Obadiah means 'servant of Yahweh', and he represents the wavering nation of our key verse (v21). Israel is God's chosen people but they are not behaving as such. Elijah's message for Ahab is a challenge to Obadiah for it gives him a counter command. Will he go on looking for water or will he stop and deliver Elijah's message? It is a matter of allegiance. Elijah is saying, "Who do you really serve?"
Selective Faith
In verses 9 to 14 we learn more of Obadiah's wavering personality. In 12 and 13 he says he has always kept his faith in Yahweh and he has even heroically risked his life for God, but now when he is asked to do so again, he balks at the idea. He has compromised his life by working for an earthly master actively opposed to the Lord. His courage fails. He calls Ahab master three times (vv 9,12,14) and is terrified that Ahab will kill him, whilst forgetting that he should fear God far more than any human master.
We might say that Obadiah recognises God but does not know him. As a result his commitment to God is very shaky when a time of crisis comes. He is not the only one walking into danger, for Elijah's situation before Ahab is far more dangerous from a worldly point of view. And if Elijah trusts God enough to undertake the risk of this mission with such determination (v 15) then so too should Obadiah. But like so many of us Obadiah's obedience to God is rather selective. It is easy to keep the commands of God that cost little or which suit us, but the costly ones we do everything to avoid. How do you respond to giving money, helping others, praying, trusting God when you lose your job? How selective are you?
Grace
Incidentally, we should note that Obadiah fulfils his mission to find water! He met the rain bringer, Elijah. Isn't this so typical of God's grace? In judgement God provides always provides a means of escape. Of course, the rain that will come will not just be physical rain, but spiritual rain too. Perhaps the Lord is teaching you a spiritual lesson through a physical situation right now. Are your eyes open?
Showdown
In verse 17 we find the two protagonists facing each other and the charges are read out as a prelude to the showdown to come. Ahab accuses Elijah of being the 'troubler of Israel', that Elijah is responsible for the drought by having upset Baal. Elijah replies that God has withheld the rain, not Baal, and that the drought is a response to Ahab and Israel's spiritual dryness. How often we find the temptation to blame God for our circumstances rather than admitting the spiritual drought within us, repenting and reaffirming ourselves to the Lord.
The charge of verse 18 is most telling. Elijah says that disobedience to the word of God has led Israel into idolatry which is toe root cause of the nation's troubles. This should remind us of the need to ensure we know God's word.
Neither man will back down. Elijah is confident and Ahab full of bluster like so many who publicly denounce the Lord today. They agree to fight it out on Mt. Carmel on the Phoenician border in front of the nation of Israel in a suitably one-sided contest of 850 to 1.
Make-your-mind-up Time for all the Obadiahs
In verse 21 Elijah makes his appeal to the wavering nation of Israel. In effect he says to them, 'There is no sitting on the fence.' In the end everyone must decide whether they are for or against God.
It is interesting that the text says bluntly, "But the people said nothing." In the tradition of human nature they want to see who wins first before they make up their minds. These Hebrews will be granted the sight of God beating Baal to prove the reality of life and the chance to come back to God. Those to whom we witness will get this proof when it's too late - unless they believe the historical evidence of Jesus in the Bible. That evidence is there: that decision should be made now.
True Worship and Idolatry
The decision we make about God when we come off the fence one way or the other influences our behaviour. The contest on Mt. Carmel is instructive on the two lifestyles of true worship and idolatry. The contest is based on animal sacrifice. In Old Testament times, sacrifice was the way that people cleansed themselves of their sins before God and came into relationship with him.
False Religion
The problem that the prophets of Baal have going into this showdown is that their god doesn't exist except as a figment of their wishful thinking. As David Jackman, Director of the Cornhill Training Course, has put it, "That is a fairly fundamental disadvantage!" Today, people still worship gods that are really no gods at all but substitutes of their own making. Some that come mind are health, good looks, success, intellectual ability and sexual freedom.
The worship of idols is primarily self-serving and marks out mankind as sovereign, rather than God. "False religion emphasises human performance and majors on personal emotional intensity," says David Jackman. The acolytes are given to the performance of public acts that show how committed they are. When I was young I was a big fan of the Rock group Deep Purple. I had posters of the band all round my room, and I wore Deep Purple T-shirts and badges. At their concerts I ensured I got a front row seat and I collected every record. Football fans proudly walk out in their replica shirts, and the fashion-conscious are careful to display designer labels on all their clothes and accessories. These are all displays of idolatry.
Those in churches can fall foul of this trap and turn their faith into religiosity. Instead of a daily walk with Christ, the Sunday service and church activities take on a kind of mystical significance. Being seen at church becomes more important than belonging to the body of Christ. Singing songs with fervour and with upraised hands becomes more the standard by which they measure their commitment to Christ rather than having a simple sincerity of heart. Dare I say too that speaking in tongues and other 'charismatic' phenomena take on a hugely exaggerated significance, as do the traditions and ceremonies of church events. We all recognise these issues as those that bring discord in fellowships. Far from bringing people together, false religion disunites people.
The prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 dance and shout and even slash their bodies to demonstrate their allegiance, their commitment, and their significance, but it is all in vain. We laugh at them, but how different are we these days…really?
Straightforward Worship
I find myself increasingly bothered about our use of the word 'worship'. So often people put worship in a church service context and even more use it to refer almost exclusively to singing songs and hymns. Whilst this is undoubtedly an act of worship, it is far from being the whole thing, and we very much belittle the glory of worshipping Christ by our incautious use of the word. Perhaps we have much to learn from Elijah.
Elijah's worship emphasises divine power and human dependence. The Baal prophets have made things as favourable as possible to get their god to act, and their acts of religiosity have been used as leverage. By that I mean that their thinking goes along the lines of, 'if we sing and dance nicely enough, our god will be obliged to act by way of thanks.' They couldn't even start a fire in a drought! By comparison, Elijah makes things as difficult as possible for himself, using water to discourage fire. He displays no great spectacle, but humbly offers up a quiet, confident prayer to God. In contrast to the hundreds of Baalites, Elijah's God needs only the simple request of one prophet to act. We might also note that Elijah is not only alone but in the midst of the enemy: his faith has led him to show great courage in bringing God's message. He is not sitting in the 'holy huddle' somewhere but declaring the message in action.
Symbolically, Elijah shows that God brings unity as he uses twelve stones in his deliberate act of rebuilding the altar, the stones representing the complete family of God (v31). As he does so he says, "Come here to me!" True faith unites. His use of twelve jars of water (v33-23) might be an echo of the Exodus miracle where salvation success seemed just as impossibly remote. The only way out of this situation is by divine miracle.
God's Answer
In verse 39 The Lord answers Elijah's prayer. Not just some of it but all of it. Total trust in God will always bring ultimate vindication whatever the odds. However, we should recall that Elijah had spent many years preparing for this moment. He has shown a dogged steadfastness in the face of hostility and so this victory is given to him.
The executions of verse 40 look awful and barbaric to us. As a teenager this story and particularly this verse made me reject God. I reasoned that a loving God could not, or should not act like this. Well, the Lord gave me another chance for which I am eternally thankful, and I now understand that a loving and a righteous God he must have a sanction against evil. Through the physical deaths of the prophets of Baal God is demonstrating a spiritual truth - the cost of idolatry is eternal death, final, inescapable and irrevocable. We may snigger at adherents of New Age lifestyles who trust in lumps of crystal, in star signs and tarot cards. Elijah pokes fun at the prophets of Baal in quite rudimentary terms himself (v27-29). But actually, this is far from a laughing matter. It is truly tragic.
Winning one battle does not necessarily win a war and Ahab and Jezebel remain as opponents to God and Elijah. And battles will not always meet with such instant success. Elijah's servant was sent seven times to look before the rain cloud appeared to break the drought, and it is likely that Elijah was praying all the time. We should bear in mind that God's work is on-going because the opposition to God is ever present. Changing peoples' hearts can be very hard and some may be beyond convincing. Nonetheless, we must grit our teeth and keep at the task.
The rain falls...
In verse 39 we see the greatest testament to the power of God in their lives that a witnessing believer can hear. The people 'fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord - he is God! The Lord - he is God!"'
The nation's wavering heart had been brought back from Baal to the living God, and the rains fell….Is the rain falling in your life?