Limping Between Two Opinions

John T. Mabray, Pastor Covenant Presbyterian Church Monroe, LA July 6, 2014

“Limping Between Two Opinions” First Kings 18: (1-19) 20-40 (41-46) (#3 in the sermon series on the gospel of Jesus Christ in the life of Elijah)

THE INTRODUCTION TO THE READING THE PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

THE READING OF FIRST KINGS 18:20-40 THE ASCRIPTION OF PRAISE

Elijah lived during the reign of King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, who promoted the worship of the false god Baal and his consort goddess, Asherah. Baal was supposedly the storm god who brought rain and, therefore, supposedly provided productivity of the crops and herds and, thus, prosperity and peace for the people: the god of abundant life. Baalism was essentially a nature- fertility religion, and its religious practices included sexual rituals and child sacrifice in order to bring Baal’s blessing of abundant life to the people.

As strange as that all sounds, if we think about it, it doesn’t sound too foreign to us now living in a culture which certainly worships sex and bows down at the altar of sexuality seeking happiness, fulfillment, and “liberation,” while at the same time demanding the legal right to sacrifice the children of that sexual activity for the sake of personal “freedom” or economic 2 independence or psychological well-being. Any ideology that powerful, deemed that important, which captures the heart and soul of a culture, promising happiness and fulfillment and freedom, can rightly be called a “religion” – a belief system which expresses itself in some form of worship. The question is: which god is being worshiped? One of the great divisions in the United States today is, in fact, the division between modern Baalism and Biblical faith.

The problem, of course, is that in our culture this kind of idolatry is presented in such sophisticated, glamorous, beautiful, and exciting, imagery. We don’t see images of primitive people with bones through their noses dancing around a blazing altar; instead we see the rich and beautiful, the powerful, the elite, luring us to believe that the gods of this world – money, sex, and power – can satisfy the longings of our souls.

So, it’s important to remember that idolatry is not merely a thing of ancient history, or something that takes place only in remote jungles by so-called “primitive people.” Idolatry – the worship of anything other than the true and living God – is the ever-present inclination of our corrupted hearts. John Calvin was right in saying that “man’s nature …is a perpetual factory of idols.”1 So, whether ninth-century BC Israel or twenty-first century America, idolatry is still idolatry.

1 John Calvin, INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, I.xi.8 (LCC, ed. F.L. Battles, Vol.1, p.108) 3

Now, let’s get into this great passage from First Kings 18. For three years there had been drought upon the land, as decreed by the LORD through Elijah, and yet King Ahab had not repented of his idolatry. In order to prove that the LORD (Yahweh) was the only God who rules over nature, Elijah went to Ahab and called for a contest between Baal and the LORD – a contest that would take place on Mount Carmel in the presence of “all the people of Israel” together with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah (the female counterpart of Baal).

So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD (Yahweh) is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer a word (1st Kings 18:20-21).

The rules of the contest were straight-forward and simple.

“ … 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” (1st Kings 18:24).

Elijah had no concern that he was in the minority. He gave the prophets of Baal every advantage. He let them choose the bull for their sacrifice. He let them go first. If Baal sent fire from heaven, the contest would be over, and Elijah would surely be captured and killed. So they called upon the name of Baal from 4 morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But no one answered. They limped around the altar they had made. That “limping” was a kind of ritualistic dancing as they chanted to their god, but it represented the halting, faltering, “limping” faith of Israel whose heart was divided between Baal and the LORD.

Of course, the Israelites knew the commandment:

You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3).

But there were strong influences in their culture in those days – “political correctness” coming from the top down (the King and Queen were Baal-worshipers!); there were economic pressures, and the current trends supporting the practice of pagan religion; and, of course, the opinion of the majority determined by the popular polls (could 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah be wrong, when there was only one prophet of the LORD?) and so forth. Perhaps those limping Israelites thought it would be better to “go along and get along,” because maybe it wasn’t worth it to remain faithful only to Yahweh, to worship and obey only THE LORD; perhaps it would be wiser to pay homage to the other gods as well, just to cover all the bases, just to show their “open-mindedness,” just to prove that they were really enlightened and in-step with the times and always willing to embrace new ideas as “progressives”! 5

After the recent news of our former denomination’s vote to approve of so-called same-sex “marriages” and to redefine marriage as being between “two people,” I sent out an impassioned email to our congregation calling for renewed faith commitments. Not that your faith commitment isn’t real and strong; I didn’t mean to imply that. Over the last three years, this congregation has shown a very high degree of faith commitment, as far as any human eye can judge it. The Apostle Paul praised the Philippians for their faith, and I commend you for yours. It is a joy to serve as your pastor! So, some of you may have wondered why I was so impassioned, and why I addressed you as I did in that email. The reason, simply, is that there is so much at stake. There’s too much at stake today in these matters of faith for us to limp in-between the pagan ways of our culture and the narrow way of following Jesus Christ in faithful discipleship.

On matters essential to the Christian faith, such as the sanctity of marriage instituted by the Creator, the sanctity of sexual union within marriage blessed by the Creator, the sanctity of human life created in the image of God; and the reality of sin as an offense to God’s holiness, and the reality of God’s grace in Jesus Christ to rescue sinners and give them a new heart and a new life by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the Son of God himself, being the Savior whom God has sent into the world – on these very 6 basic and essential matters, clearly revealed in Scripture – many Christians in America today are confused, don’t know, don’t care, don’t care to know, or think that it doesn’t really matter. And so they now are “limping” between American Baalism and Biblical faith. May it never be so in this congregation! These things matter in our family of faith because the holiness and righteousness and glory of God matter, now and for all eternity!

There is one true and living God. He has revealed his word and his will in Holy Scripture. He has offered his redeeming mercy and saving power in Jesus Christ. He loves you. And He calls you to love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. That means, no limping – one foot in, one foot out, partly committed to the true and living God, and partly committed to the false gods and dead idols of this world. No! We were created by God and we were created for God’s glory; and therefore the true and living God is worthy of our complete, total, whole-hearted worship and obedience.

At noon, Elijah began to mock them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god.” In other words, “if Baal really is a god, surely he can hear you, if you yell loud enough.” Elijah continued, “Either he is musing” (daydreaming), “or relieving himself” (yes, that’s exactly what Elijah said! “Maybe Baal is going to the bathroom.”) 7

The point here is that Elijah was mocking these idolatrous idiots and their false god. “Maybe Baal was on a journey, maybe Baal is asleep” – but the point is that Baal could not hear them, Baal could not answer them, Baal could not provide for them. They were lost in the insanity of idolatry, worshiping a god who does not even exist except in the wicked imaginations of their own deceived, divided hearts and their darkened, deluded minds. The Baal worshipers continued to cry out, even to the point of lacerating themselves, shedding their own blood in ritualistic self- destructive frenzy, tattooing themselves with scars of idolatry, seeking to persuade a false god to send fire from heaven. But no one answered. And Baal will continue to fail to answer his worshipers when they cry out to him today.

So, we are not to fear the Baalism of today; we are to mock it. How? Not by verbal insults, but by faithful living. We are called to confront and to challenge the false gods of today. How? Here are just a few illustrations and applications:

When the “soccer god” tells your child to show up for practice or a game on the Lord’s Day, just tell him that your family has a prior commitment to something much more important. And then invite him and his family to Sunday School and Worship. Parents: Challenge the “soccer god,” and any other “activity god” who demands that you bow down and worship it on the Lord’s 8

Day. Don’t limp! And let’s all commit ourselves to being a community of believers who call the Sabbath “a delight” and keep it holy with worship and fellowship and family time, as a special day to share together as his people celebrating God’s grace, enjoying the blessings of the Lord’s Day all day.

And parents: don’t let the Baal worshipers set the standards for our youth. Parties where adults serve alcohol to underage teens? Dances where chaperones let them bump-and-grind like they’re at an orgy at an altar of Baal? Not in our family. You don’t have to go along and get along. Challenge the Baal worshipers; give them an alternative; show them what real happiness really looks like; and show them that Jesus Christ has come to give life, life abundant; and that Baal is a god of ruin and misery.

When the Baal worshipers of today try to pressure you and lure you into sexual promiscuity, or make fun of you for your Christian standards of sexual purity, mock them. How? By glorifying God with your body, by committing yourself again and again to sexual fidelity within the bond of marriage. Don’t limp! Challenge the worshipers of Baal, and prove to them that God’s way is the only way to true happiness and lasting love.

When the prophets of Baal today tell you that a family can be designed in any shape or form, and that marriage can be re-defined to suit the personal preferences of individuals; and that it really 9 doesn’t matter whether children have a father in the home as long as the woman is financially stable; or that it doesn’t matter whether a child has one father or two fathers, one mother or two mothers, mock them. How? By committing your marriage and family to the Kingdom of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and cultivating within your marriage and family such an environment of love and support and worship and discipline and Christian education and spiritual nurture and service to others, so that it will be evident to all that Jesus is the Lord of abundant life! Your marriage and your family life are not first of all about your personal happiness – don’t let Baal deceive you there. Your marriage and your family life are first of all about the kingdom of God and the Lordship of Christ being shown forth in this world.

When the Baal worshipers tell you that you are narrow- minded, bigoted, hateful, extremist, and fanatical, mock them. How? By answering them with gentleness, by doing good deeds of mercy and kindness toward them, by praying for them; by getting out of your comfort zone and crossing the boundaries and barriers of racial division and socio-economic differences, and reaching out personally to people in need, showing the compassion and hospitality of Jesus; and confidently speaking of your personal faith in Jesus Christ and your love for him because of what he has 10 done for you: namely, dying for your sins. That’s how you mock Baal and his worshipers.

Elijah then repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down. Elijah was doing the work of reformation and restoration, re-building and re-establishing what had been destroyed, namely, the true worship of the true and living God.

If we hope and pray for the reformation, revival, and restoration of Christianity in this nation, if we want the LORD to send fire from heaven, to turn hearts back to him, then it begins with us rebuilding the altar of the LORD in our lives and in our life together as a congregation. In our challenge to modern American Baalism, our first step is our own repentance and renewed commitment of faith.

Elijah cut the bull into pieces and placed it on the altar. Then he told the people to soak it with water – and again, and again. The bull and the wood were soaked with water, so much that the water filled up the trench around the altar. Then Elijah prayed a simple, straightforward, and faithful prayer –a bold and confident prayer of faith, calling upon the true and living God.

“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. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (1 Kings 18:36-38). 11

Elijah prayed in faith according to the covenant promises of God. So let us see, and take seriously, that ultimately, the defeat of the prophets of Baal came not through Elijah’s power, but by the power of the LORD which came down in response to Elijah’s prayer.

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. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God” (1st Kings 18:38- 39).

On Mount Carmel, Elijah rebuilt the altar of the LORD, and fire fell from heaven in wrath against the sin of idolatry, to turn the hearts of the people back to the LORD. Elijah points us to Jesus Christ. Elijah points us to another altar on another mount, on which fire fell from heaven: the fire of God’s wrath against the sins of the world. There was not a bull on the altar, but a Lamb: the Lamb of God. The mount was called Golgotha. And the altar was in the shape of a cross. It was upon him, Jesus Christ, that the fire of God’s wrath fell to consume him as the sacrifice for all our sins, to set us free – free! – from the deception of false gods, the dominion of the devil, and the delusions of idiotic idolatry. And because Jesus Christ has died for us and has been raised for us, we can truly 12 taunt and mock all the false gods and Satan himself saying, in the words of 1st Corinthians 15:55

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

We can mock and taunt the all the false gods that lead to death because Jesus Christ is the Son of God who gives us life, life abundant, life eternal. So let us fall on our faces and say, “The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!”

To God be the glory. Amen.