Tuesday
Devotional
Read 1Kings 18: 20-40
1Ki 18:20 So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
1Ki 18:21 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.
1Ki 18:22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men.
1Ki 18:23 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.
1Ki 18:24 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."
1Ki 18:25 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." Read on.....
Thoughts for the Day
Elijah’s single-minded commitment to God must serve as a big challenge to us today. He confronted difficult issues, without any element of compromise.
In many occasions compromises to the standards of God come, when we are faltering between two opinions. This is what happened, when Elijah challenged Ahab and his four hundred and fifty prophets of his idols to a ‘’justify-your- true-God -spectacle’’. He realised the backslidden nature of the Israelites, who had gone back from the commandments Almighty God gave them for a guide to their daily living; to an all compromising attitude of accepting Baal, (a fetish deity) as an alternative to the God of Abraham and Isaac.
What’s interesting in this passage is that when God’s people lose their first love for Him, they sometimes embrace anything for the sake of personal security. And many find security in personal wealth, sexual orgies, false religion, power and status etc. Why do they do that? You may ask, the answer is just to appease the emptiness in their lives.
Verse 27 says after the prophets have exhausted every effort known to them without success, at the mercy of the taunts of Elijah, Elijah called all the people together, and he repaired the broken altars of the Lord. The Altar meant the focal point of God’s presence. Therefore, by having all those altars broken down without the care of putting them back together, showed the extent of the rejection of God, by the people.
Repairing the altars means repairing the broken relationship with God and his people. And verse 31, says ‘’he took twelve stones according to the tribes of the sons of Jacob, and built an altar’’. This symbol also meant bringing the divided nation of Israel back together as one nation whom God has chosen for himself. How can we experience the Holy Spirit fire coming down to take our offering of prayer or coming down to defeat our enemies, if we harbour divisions among friends, husbands and wives, or divisions in our churches. Only our restored relationship with God can bring His glory back to our lives.
Prayer Focus:
Think about this, whatever enjoyment you are having now, if God’s altars are broken down in your life, it is better you hurriedly put them back together, because it is a hollow enjoyment with no spiritual security.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to recognise the falsehood in my life and give them up, so that I will have a sound and secure relationship with you, to overcome my enemies Amen.
