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HELEN SANDERS
7-12-2021
THE SHOWDOWN
There comes a moment in time where each of us has to make a decision. We either go with God, or we choose not to. There is a story of Elijah where the idol Báal was served by the evil king Ahab and his wife Jezebel. The people of God were in the valley of decision. Some forsook Jehovah God and had gone after this false god. It was time for a showdown. Would the God of Elijah be more powerful than Báal, or would Báal have victory over Jehovah God?
In I Kings 18 there is a showdown between these two “gods.” In verse 21 Elijah is speaking and says, “…. How long halt (hesitate) between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Báal then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”
They had seen the power of God operating in Elijah and they didn’t know what to say. Elijah gave them a choice to either go with Jehovah or go with Báal. He told the people to put a sacrifice on the altar and pray to Báal to burn it up. They called on their false god from morning to noon, but nothing happened. The followers of Báal even cut themselves hoping that their blood would bring their false god to the event, and nothing happened. Elijah mocked their god, even saying that perhaps he had taken a walk. They continued on into the evening and nothing happened.
Then Elijah put forth an impossible situation. He put a sacrifice on the altar and poured water all over it and the altar and the animals along with water in the trench around the altar. There was no way possible for a fire in the natural to start, let alone burn the sacrifice. Now it was time for the evening sacrifice and Elijah prayed in verse 37, “Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.”
Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench around the altar. This miracle caused the people to fall on their faces and say, “The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.” (vs. 39)
The showdown between the two had ended and Jehovah God showed up and the false prophets and worshippers of Báal were taken down to a brook and slain.
There are times in our lives that we have a showdown. We must trust that God will show up for us just like he did for Elijah. Standing in faith not only brings us victory, but it will also bring victory to those that “halt” between two opinions. Never give up my friends. God has the final word!
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