God is in Control

1 Kings 18:17-40

Last week we examined the beginning of Elijah’s story and focused on the calling of God upon his life. In doing so we discovered how we too can become the men or women of God that He intended. It starts with allowing God to remove our limitations. Even though Elijah was a nobody from nowhere, God would use him in an incredible way to confront the wicked king Ahab for the sins of idolatry.

Secondly, we learned that we must stand in His presence so that we will be able to stand up against the wickedness of our day. Thirdly we must walk in complete obedience to what God is asking us to do. As we do, we will find God’s favor and provision. Finally, we must have a total dependency upon God.

Today we pick up the story a little over 3 years from where we left off. God was about to end the drought by sending some rain but first he wanted to teach the Israelites and their king a valuable lesson. A lesson that would not be forgotten nor would it be like any other.

17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?”

Isn’t that the natural response of a person who has sinful behavior. Our natural tendency is to pass the blame on someone else and never own up to our own wrong. Surely it is not our fault!

You would think that maybe king Ahab had realized that he did wrong and that his false god that he had trusted in had failed to reverse the drought which Elijah had proclaimed.

That is not the case. Ahab is not repentant rather he blames Elijah for bringing trouble in Israel.

But to blame Elijah for the drought would be to say that it was by Elijah’s power that the heavens did not yield any rain. However, it was not his doing, but it was God’s doing. We are powerless on our own strength. Elijah simply declared to Ahab what God had already declared over Israel.

God is in Control of Justice… So, live righteously

Ahab is blaming Elijah for something that God has done. But if God had done it then it was a just consequence for Israel’s sins. God is a loving God, but He is also just and a righteous judge.

If a judge pardoned someone who murdered your family member, then that would be unjust because there would be no penalty for the crime committed.

Sinful behavior will not continue to go unpunished. There must and will be consequences for rebelling against God. He is a just and Holy God. A person living in a sin must realize the error of their ways and that living such a lifestyle puts them as an enemy of God. God is in control of justice.

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.

Elijah sets King Ahab straight and then challenges him to a showdown. He was hoping to settle once and for all who was God, in the sight of all the Israelites.

Ahab thought he had seen trouble, he ain’t seen nothing yet.

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.

Israel was guilty of worshipping both God and Baal. They worshipped God to please the prophets and they worshipped Baal to please Jezebel the evil wife of Ahab.

God is in Control… So, Give Him Your All

But God had enough of their idolatry thus He sent His servant Elijah to bring the Israelites to a crossroad in which they could no longer live their lives halfway between God and idols. Because it is impossible to serve God while clinging to idols. So, if you’re going to live for God, then go all out for Him. But if you’re not going to live radically devoted to God, then go all out for the things of this world. Live like there is not God; but you better be right about that.

Elijah urges them to stop limping between the two.

· Stop acting like you love God, when you are still clinging to the world.

· Stop acting like you love the things of the world while clinging to your beliefs in God.

Be sold out to one or the other. Isn’t that the same thing that Jesus said when he addresses the church of Laodicea?

Revelation 3:15-16

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

I would encourage you all to do the same; go all out for God. Give Him your everything.

Luke 10:27

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Elijah continues

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.

Just to prove that God is God, and there is none beside Him, Elijah puts himself in an impossible situation. A situation in which only a supernatural God could get him out of.

It was 450 (Baal)+ 400 (Asherah) = 850:1 not very good odds for Elijah. Much like the fight with David vs Goliath, nobody was picking David to win that one.

But when it is the man of God, rather the God of the man vs the enemy of God, it’s a fixed fight, God wins every time. Your greatest enemy is powerless in comparison to the power of God.

Your greatest fear must bow to the Almighty. God is in control of natural and supernatural things.

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.”

They accepted Elijah’s challenge thinking that the odds were in their favor.

They needed rain, but the “One True God” was to answer with fire. Why fire, because their greater need was atonement for their sins. Atonement of sin was to be made by sacrifice before the judgment of the drought could be removed in mercy. In other words, the sacrifice preceded mercy. Because of Christ’s Sacrifice we receive mercy. Before they would receive the grace of rain it was necessary to deal with the sin problem.

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.”

What happens if their god responds by fire? Then it negates any argument that Elijah would have. Like when Moses turned the Nile to blood and then Pharaoh’s sorcerers were able to do the same using the using the dark arts, Pharaoh hardened his heart because of it. Would the same thing happen here?

Here is the thing, God had allowed those sorcerers to mimic Moses’s signs up to a point, then eventually they were unable to do so. The purpose back then was to harden Pharaoh’s heart so that God’s ultimate plan of redemption could take place.

In our story today, God had enough of the idolatry among His people whom He delivered, and He would not allow these Baal worshippers to succeed. Whatever evil power they had aspired to would be held in check by our omnipotent God.

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.

To put it plainly they looked like a bunch of fools. Jumping up and down, dancing around their altar, lifting their voices, screaming at the top of their lungs “O Baal, answer us”

As they approached noon the hottest part of the day, the most likely time for their cries to be heard and fire come down, we are told that there was no voice, no answer.

That is the problem with putting your trust in anything but God.

· You hope that by having lots of money you will bring about security and happiness in your life. Only to be met with unforeseen disasters which cannot be remedied by large amounts of money.

· Or what if your trust is in your employer, what happens when that job is taken from you due to changes in the economy?

· Perhaps you trust in material possessions, what happens when that thing breaks or gets destroyed or stolen?

· Or perhaps your trust is in a relationship, and you rely on that relationship to validate you as a person and give you self-worth. But what happens when that relationship is severed either by conflict or death.

· Or perhaps your trust is in Government systems to keep you safe, provide for your needs. What happens when those systems that you have trusted are not able to perform to your expectations?

The people of Israel were wavering in their trust between God and Baal. They had hoped that Baal would come through and answer by fire so that they could continue life as usual worshipping both Yahweh and Baal. But Baal did not answer. They trusted in Baal, but he failed them miserably.

When we put our trust in anything or anyone other than God they too will fail us miserably.

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.”

This is one of the funniest passages in the bible. After hours of hearing them rant and rave with no results, Elijah begins to poke fun at them and their god. He tells them to cry louder because he is probably meditating or preoccupied at the moment. He even suggests that he is using the bathroom.

So they took it up a notch.

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.

Though they mutilated themselves, there was still no answer. That is just like the enemy. What he promises through idolatry and sinful pleasures and what he actually gives are two different things. Baal was believed to be the fertility god who was also in control of rain, thunder, lightning, and dew. If they worshipped him then their crops would grow.

Yet their crops did not grow because Baal failed to reverse the drought, and now he fails again because he cannot answer by fire. Their prayers were unanswered, and their bodies were mutilated.

The enemy will lie to you and say that you need this and you need that to be fulfilled or to be successful in this life, and he will lead in ways that are in opposition to the will of God to obtain them . In the end his ways will always leave you feeling broke, busted, disgusted.

They had exhausted themselves during their ritual only to still be left empty.

Elijah knew how this challenge would go, he had confidence that God will not fail him.

Let’s see how the Lord comes through for His people.

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.

Elijah begins to repair the altar because it had been destroyed when the people started worshipping Baal. As Elijah is putting stone upon stone it reminded them of how they use to worship to God. How they use to Worship; Sacrifice; Give Offerings; come together with God’s people; Meet with God and Establishing Covenants.

Elijah reminds them of the covenant between them and God and tells them that Israel shall be your name. Israel was the name associated with the covenant.

We serve such a loving God who is patient with us. He uses Elijah to confirm the covenant to His people even though they were undeserving. His love never fails and neither do His promises.

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.

Elijah used twelve stones to rebuild the altar one for each tribe of Israel. He also used twelve jars filled with water to soak the sacrifice. As a reminder it was twelve stones that were gathered from the Jordan River upon crossing into the promise land. They were set up as a monument to remember how the Lord had stopped the river which allowed them to cross over into Jericho.

But soaking the sacrifice and the altar with water stacked the odds against Elijah once more.

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.” 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.

God is in Control…So Surrender to Him

Though the hearts of His people have gone after the Baals, though they betrayed, belittled and devalued God and though they loved other things more than God; this entire event on Mount Carmel was aimed at turning the hearts of His people back to God. It was God work in saving them from their destructive sins.

· God was appalled at the sin of His people, God called Elijah and gave him the message to bring,

· God did not allow the powers of darkness to succeed in this event,

· God had sent the fire to consume the sacrifice and the altar

· God had executed justice on the prophets of Baal

· God was responsible for turning the hearts of His people back to Himself

All things are in His Control! If they turned back to God, that it was God who turned them back. He is in control of the human heart. As we mentioned earlier God was not just wanting them to turn, but to turn whole heartedly. Though Elijah was the instrument and the vessel that God chose to use to bring this event about, God is to be glorified. He will allow those things which we trust in to come to complete ruin so that He will be most glorified in our lives. He wants our all!

God is in Control of Justice… So, live righteously, God is in Control… So, Give Him Your All, God is in Control…So, Surrender to Him