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The “Elijah” Of Our Day

The stage was set, emotions ran high, and Israel was desperate. Famine had ravaged the land for three years and if it continued, they would all die—man and animal. There had never been a time in recent memory when the people more needed the help of God, but–who was God anymore? Popular opinion now favored Baal and his prophets as the deity of choice.

Elijah requested and King Ahab ratified the command for all Israel to be summoned to the ancient altar site of Mount Carmel along with the priests of Baal where Elijah proposed a dramatic test.

The prophets of Baal would be supplied an animal sacrifice to place upon the altar. They would have the wood sufficient, but no fire would be given. The fire was to come from heaven. Elijah would face the same test before the people.

“The God that answereth by fire, let him be God,” Elijah proposed. “And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.” (1 Kings 18:24)

The stage was now set and it was life or death. While all Israel watched, the priests of Baal prayed, pleaded, leaped and danced with blood-soaked desperation in an effort to call down fire, but ultimately, and in spite of the volume and sincerity of their display, they failed.

Elijah stepped forward, called the people near, and rebuilt the authorized altar of the Almighty. The bullock was placed, the wood was set, but then to Israel’s wonder, Elijah called for barrels of water to be poured over the sacrifice, not once, but three times. That wood was as unlikely to burn now as the water itself.

And then, so unlike the drama of Baal’s prophets, Elijah calmly presented himself before the Lord at the hour of the evening sacrifice and said,

“Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know athat thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their bheart back again. 1 Kings 18:36-37

And according to the witnesses who were there,

38 Then the afire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, 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 they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. 1 Kings 18:38-39

That day, the prophets and priests of Baal fell at the hands of the very people they had led and deceived.

Another showdown is coming on the world stage. While a plethora of social problems destroy society, worship of the true and living God is being shouted down and profaned across the world, profaned, and the meek pushed aside. The collective self-proclaimed wisdom of politicians, pundits, all-knowing celebrities, and everyone else willing to shout loud enough or massacre publicly enough to be heard, all cry that they know the way and all who don’t agree should be destroyed.

Fire and destruction will surely come, yes, but when the smoke clears and the ashes finally settle, it will be the Lord, His prophets, and His covenant people that are left standing. How do we make sure that we abide the day? By giving heed to the authorized Elijah of our day.

Written in Basel Switzerland, June 28, 2022