IF THE LORD BE GOD, FOLLOW HIM

The crisis. For some time the people of Israel had tried to com­bine the worship of the Lord and the worship of Baal. They were straddling the spiritual fence, and the time had come for a show­down. But, if the need was great and the time was right, God’s man was ready!

The question. ‘How long halt ye between two opinions?’ The word translated ‘halt’ means ‘to limp’. It may well indicate ‘to hobble on two crutches’, referring to Israel’s inconsistent dependence on both the Lord and Baal for their blessings and prosperity. As a man marked by passionate zeal and jealousy ‘for the Lord God of hosts’, 19. 10, 14, Elijah had no patience what­ever with such double-mindedness. In Elijah’s rulebook you couldn’t play for both sides! The challenge. ‘If the Lord be God, follow him’. Who is the real God? ‘This burning question ignites the whole episode’, Dale Ralph Davis. To Elijah himself, there was no ‘if’. He had no doubt whatever that the Lord was God. But the challenge he presented exposed the absurdity of the people’s position. Reli­gions so diametrically opposed could not both be right. Elijah demanded a definite decision. But, as always, the recognition of ‘who is God’ and of ‘who God is’ demands an appropriate response. It is wholly inconsistent to believe in God and not to ‘follow’ Him - to walk in His ways. Correct theology always leads to discipleship. The response. ‘Not a word’. There was no more reaction from the people to Elijah’s forthright challenge than there would be later from Baal to his prophets’ frenzied cries, vv. 26, 29! Joshua had once faced the nation with a similar challenge: to serve the Lord or to serve another God. But unlike those in Joshua’s day, Elijah’s audience held its peace! The sequel. Although in the ensuing ‘fire contest’ Elijah saw to it that all the odds were stacked in favour of Baal, the Lord was demonstrated decisively to be the true God. Seeing such awe­some power the people ‘fell on their faces’ and confessed their allegiance in words reminiscent of the meaning of Elijah’s own name (‘the Lord is God’).