8

What a day it had been! Some would call it a most eventful day. So much had happened. Yet, in some respects, nothing had happened yet! Nothing of ultimate significance.

Ahab had summoned the entire nation to Mt. Carmel. Including all of the prophets of Baal and the prophets of the groves (the Asherah).

Elijah had issued his challenge to the people. They had sullenly declined to respond. They said nothing!

The prophet then proposed the test, which involved offering the sacrifices, first to Baal by the Prophets of Baal; then to the Lord by Elijah. The God who answered by fire would be demonstrated to be the true God..

The prophets of Baal had no choice but to comply. They built their altar, putting the wood in place. They killed the animal for the sacrifice. Then, they prayed to Baal to send the fire. They prayed all day, yet received no response whatsoever!

They had failed. Utterly. Totally. Everyone had witnessed their abject futility. Baal could not answer!

Yet, that fact should have surprised no one. Pagan idolatry always fails. Such worship is always futile. Nothing had changed. Yet.

The people watched Elijah make his preparations. They would have been very curious about some of the things he did. Especially when he saturated with water everything involved in the sacrifice.

"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel.''

The prophet Elijah came near to pray to the Lord. The language of his prayer was so simple. Yet, so very inspiring.

Earlier he had mocked the prophets of Baal. "Your god may be off somewhere, pursuing! Or, perhaps he is gone on a journey. Who knows where your god is?"

Elijah knew where to come to the Lord. How to approach the Lord. How to personally enter Into His presence. He knew that he did not have to frantically look around to find the Lord. To search here and there. Wondering all the time if he would be able to find Him. He knew how to draw near!

"Elijah the prophet came near!" He knew that he was in the presence of the Lord. That fact was unassailably real to him. He was totally confident that he stood before the Lord!

That confidence was the result of a lifetime of prayer! He had learned by experience, in vital fellowship, that he was never out of the presence of the Lord.

Elijah was a man of prayer. As James reminds us: "He prayed earnestly, ... And he prayed again!" (James 5: 17, 18).

Prayer was the constant reality of his life. Every detail of his life was saturated in prayer. Prayer had a most dynamic effect on everything he did. It was as real to him as the air which he breathed. And far more essential. He knew that! Even as he knew that such true prayer kept him constantly in the personal presence of the Lord.

Elijah heard the Word of the Lord. Again and again we have been reminded of that fact. He listened most attentively to the Lord. He wanted to be able to clearly hear all that the Lord was saying to him.

He heard. He obeyed. Obedience to the Word of the Lord had become second nature to him. He did not question. Or debate. Or postpone. Nor did he ever try to excuse himself.

His obedience was also an essential aspect of this fact: "Elijah the prophet came near!" Because he had obeyed he had not hindered the Lord. He had not grieved the Lord. He had given no reason for the Lord to have to turn away from him.

Prayer! Obedience. Faith. All the expression of the heart that is full of love for the Lord. The life that is totally loyal to the Lord. That commitment which always focused on glorifying the Lord.

The prophet was confident. He knew that he was living his life in the center of the will of the Lord. Always there. Always having the vital inner witness: he and the Lord were one in heart and spirit!

Thus he could always: "Come near!" Knowing that the Lord was so near. Personally so close to him. Never leaving him. Never forsaking him.

That was not intended by the Lord to be a unique experience. It was not to be limited to some "special" person like Elijah.

"A man as we are!" All that Elijah experienced of the presence of the Lord. All aspects of the personal involvement of the Lord, all is available to us. To every Christian. If that really is our heart's desire!

We can live that same life of prayer. Share in the same quality of prayer. The richness. The intensity. The reality. The depth. It is the will of the Lord for us today. That such dynamic prayer be a powerful yet very personal aspect of our daily living.

We can all know personally the thrilling experience of hearing the Lord. Hearing Him speak His Word to us. If we are willing to listen. If we will give close attention to Him. Receiving His Word as being of the first priority always! Urgently wanting to hear, to understand, and to apply His Word continually!

We can live out the true life of faith, always obeying the Word of the Lord as the expression of faith. Deeply thankful that He grants us such a glorious privilege.

We can all live: in the center of His will! Knowing with strong inner assurance that we are doing so. The Lord wants us to live with such confidence.

We too can : “Come near!” Knowing that the Lord is always near. He has always been faithful to us! He will never forsake us. We can know that fact with quiet inner confidence.

That is the simplicity of such prayer. As well as its power. Its effectiveness.

"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!"

There are three things which make this affirmation in prayer so strong. The reference to : His Covenant! The reality of: His Control! The reach of His Commitment

The people of the nation of Israel may have completely forgotten the covenant. Yet, they were the nation of Israel because of the covenant!

The prayer of the prophet points to that most vital covenant relationship! The Lord had called Abram from Ur of the Chaldees. In faith Abram had responded. Personally proving the total faithfulness of the Lord to His covenant call.

The Lord changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means: The Father of many nations.

With Abraham: Isaac. Then: Israel. It was so significant that Elijah used the name: Israel. The prince who had power with God and with man, and had prevailed.

This prayer accentuated the Lord's covenant, with these very people who were gathered on Mt. Carmel. People who had been so completely deceived and deluded. Almost totally destroyed by all that was so vile and degrading in their worship of Baal and the Asherah.

Elijah was convinced that the covenant purpose of the Lord was still in force. That the Lord still sought to reach out in grace to these people. To assure them that He still regarded them as a vital, an integral part of His plan, His will. That He wanted to draw them back into that covenant. Back into the fullness of His perfect will for them.

The Lord our God still speaks to us today. He still refers us to His covenant with us: The New Covenant. That covenant which is written in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He reminds us that He is still fully committed to that Covenant. That He desires that Covenant to be a vital personal reality to us! That is amazing grace! For us!

This speaks so definitely of the reality of His control. "This day!” Not only in the past. Not thinking so much of the future. This day! Thou art God! That is present tense. The actual present reality.

Baal was not God in Israel. Though all the prophets of Baal may claim that he was. The Asherah was not God either. Rather they represented the vile spiritual forces of evil..

He who was God in Israel had totally defeated and routed them. He had revealed their utter futility and failure.

The LORD IS GOD in Israel! That was the strong affirmation of the prayer of Elijah.

The LORD IS GOD today! The Christian can make that strong affirmation today because it is true. Nothing can ever change that glorious reality.

The world, the flesh, and the devil may make all their false claims. They may deceive and delude many. Yet even in that the Lord will defeat them again and again. Revealing their failure and futility. Doing so for all to see.

The LORD IS GOD! That is the eternal reality. The only reality. We can totally depend on that. Always!

"And that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy Word!"

That is the reality or His commitment. Elijah had gone to Israel as the servant of the Lord. As the ambassador of the Lord. The faithful messenger of the Lord, proclaiming His Word.

Everything that he did was done in obedience to the Word of the Lord. Everything! Every word of challenge. Every expression of judgment. The drought. The famine.

Elijah had spoken the Word of the Lord. He had done the works of the Lord. That, and nothing more.

Elijah prayed, Let the nation know this. That You have been seeking to get their attention through me. That You are speaking Your Word, through me.

The Lord was reaching out to them in grace. Reaching out to them with the deep longing of love. He so greatly desired to see them repent. To confess their sin. To return to Him in faith.

Above all else, the Lord wanted to be able to forgive. To reconcile. To restore. To revive them and to renew them. To draw them back into the full reality of the covenant relationship.

His plan was totally positive, for them. His commitment: the expression of His overflowing grace. His desire: to be able to express the fullness of His great heart of love.

He is still the same today. He wants nothing but His best for us today. His best as the expression of His love and grace. His best in every area of our lives. His utmost expression of love in total renewal and revival.

"Hear me, 0 Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the LORD GOD, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again."

Elijah's heart cry to the Lord was so very simple. So very significant.

There are two aspects of this simple prayer. Both of them focus on the Lord. Both of them are concerned with His relationship to His people.

“That this people may know that Thou art the LORD GOD!” That the people of Israel may be fully convinced about the LORD Himself. That all of their doubts and uncertainties would be fully dealt with.

For long years "this people" had been the victims of the lies of the prophets of Baal. They had been systematically deceived. Deliberately deluded.

Paul's words are so very appropriate. "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not" (2 Corinthians 4: 4).

Elijah prayed simply, yet so urgently. Lord, make them see! Open their eyes so that they can really see! See You! Let them see You as the LORD GOD! Lord, remove the veil. Let them see Your glory. Leave them with no doubts.

How that same prayer needs to occupy our time and attention today. There are vast numbers of people who are spiritually blind. We need to urgently pray that the Lord will enable them to see. To see Him in all the glory of' His grace and love. That they will see Jesus. See Him as their Saviour. The One who waits to genuinely and graciously meet their need.

Nothing is more urgent than that prayer today. The need is so huge. Only the almighty intervention of God in revival will make the needed difference.

Lord, that they will know that it is You who have intervened. In love and grace You have personally become involved with them. You have been seeking to make a most vital impact on their lives.

That they may be convinced that You, Lord, did this. That their faith will be firmly established on this reality. That You, Lord, You have turned them back to Yourself.

Not Elijah! Elijah did not turn the people back to God. He could not do that. He knew that he could not do it.

Only the Lord could do that. Elijah was willing to be the instrument of the Lord. To be used by the Lord. But only the Lord could do what needed to be done.

Many have trouble with this truth today. We imagine that we can turn people to the Lord. That we have won souls. That we can take some credit. Never!

Only the Lord can do that. Only He can open blind eyes to enable them to see. Only He can convict of sin, Only He can turn people to Himself. He does it. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit He does it. No one else.

He uses us if He can. But He does the work. All the credit is His. Only His. The focus should never be the preacher. Never the servant. Never the instrument. Rather, always the Lord. Only the Lord.

“Then the fire 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.”

"Then the fire of the LORD fell!" Then! At that moment! That moment when Elijah had faithfully obeyed the Word of the Lord. Fully meeting all the requirements of the Lord in every detail.

"Then!" When the servant of the Lord focused on the Person of the Lord! Pointing everyone to His presence. His involvement. His will. His plan. His desire.

"Then!" When the emphasis was on the glory of the Lord. The glory of His abundant grace. The glory of His perfect will for His people.

"Then!" Elijah had fully met all the Lord's requirements. He had faithfully carried out the Lord's stated conditions. Through his faithful obedience every hindrance was removed. The Lord was able to do all that He sought to do.

That is a crucial lesson for us. Elijah could not, did not, boast: “I brought the fire of the Lord down.” He was far too spiritually mature to make any such spurious claim.

He did all that he could. He humbly listened to the Word of the Lord. He obeyed the Word of the Lord in faith. Then he left everything else to the Lord.

Sometimes we like to pretend that: We did it! We may even be so foolish to boast about it. Suggesting that it was because of us that things happened. We delude ourselves.

We must make sure that we have removed all of the hindrances. That we hear and understand the Word of the Lord. That in faith we humbly obey the Word of the Lord. Then we must get out of the way and let God do the rest. Let God work in power. Let Him do what only He can do.

It was: "the fire of the LORD" which fell! Not something which the prophet had engineered.

The fire of the Lord falls, only according to His will. At the time of His choosing. When He is truly honored and glorified. When His conditions are fully met.

How we need "the fire of the LORD" today! That mighty fire of spiritual revival. It will fall when we genuinely allow the Lord to have His way. In all things.

“Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice.”

Elijah stood between the people of Israel and the Lord. He stood there as prophet to the nation. But also high priest for the nation. As the high priest he was confessing the very great sin of the nation. The undeniable guilt. The vile shame. The depraving stains of their sin.

He stood there on their behalf. Confessing their desperate need. Offering the sacrifice of atonement. Pleading on their behalf for cleansing. For forgiveness. For reconciliation.

His prayer included, "That Thou hast turned their heart back again!" Thou, Lord, hast intervened. Thou hast made atonement possible! Thus Thou hast reached out in reconciliation!

God intervened to confirm His saving love for His people. He was freely extending His abundant grace. He was revealing that forgiveness was not only possible. It was available.

He was graciously assuring the entire nation. As well as each individual person. They could come back to Him!

They could come and know that He had forgiven all their sin. That He was confirming that they were cleansed from every stain. That all their shame was totally blotted out. They could know that they were fully set free from all the guilt.

No longer did they have to be under His judgement. He had accepted the sacrifice of atonement. All their sin was blotted out.

God was saying, This is what I have done! Will you receive it? Will you respond in faith?

It points us to that infinitely greater Sacrifice! He is pointing all men today to the cross of Calvary. He assures us that He fully accepts that sacrifice of atonement made by His precious Son, Jesus. He accepts His sacrifice as sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world.

We, and all men, may be cleansed. Forgiven. Made whole. Reconciled. Revived. Restored. Accepted.

The fire of the Lord fell. The sacrifice was accepted. God is fully satisfied. That is the glorious truth of the Gospel. For all who will believe.

“The fire 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.”

Elijah had prayed for the fire of the Lord to fall. To consume the sacrifice of atonement which he had offered

The Lord heard! The Lord answered. The Lord gave far more than the prophet had asked.

“The burnt sacrifice and the wood!” That was fully to be expected. But there was so much more here.

“The stones!" Those twelve stones with which Elijah had built the altar! Those stones which represented "the tribes of the sons of Jacob" (verse 31).

Add to the stones: "the dust!" Even: "the water that was in the trench!" There was absolutely nothing left. Nothing but a totally bare rock surface.

What an amazing demonstration this was! This was the result of: "The fire of the LORD!" Not natural fire. This was supernatural fire. Better, this was “spiritual fire!”

This development must have had an amazing effect on the people. It was so sensational. So spectacular. But the key to this is not so much those spectacular effects. It is something far more important.

The Lord was delivering a most exciting message. Both to Elijah and to the people of Israel.

Elijah had prayed for the fire of the Lord to fall. To consume the sacrifice. The aim was to demonstrate that the LORD was the living GOD of Israel. And that He wanted His people to be reconciled to Him.

The Lord had confirmed all that was asked.. Yet in the most exciting way, it was as though the Lord was saying, You want proof that atonement can be made? That I desire the people to be reconciled? I will do all that. And more! So much more!

He would go far beyond what was asked. To reveal to the people just how much He wanted the relationship renewed. Restored! Revived!

''Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, . . . unto Him be glory!"(Ephesians 3:20 and 21).

He does go beyond all that we ask. So very often! Responding in ever abounding grace. Far exceeding all our expectations. That is His way! He rejoices to do that!

He wants us to really know just how much He wants the very best for us and for our lives.

“And when the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, HE is GOD; The LORD, HE is GOD!”

Earlier the people of Israel had been most reluctant to respond. Elijah had challenged the futility of their conduct. "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, then serve Him: but if Baal, then serve him!"

They remained totally unresponsive. "And the people answered him not a word!"

Now, what a dramatic difference we see! It was: "When the people saw it!" They had witnessed that most dynamic intervention of the Lord. They had seen the fire of the Lord fall. They had witnessed the incredible effects of that fire.

By contrast, they had also seen the total futility of the prophets of Baal. They had witnessed them furiously pleading with their god all day. But: nothing happened. No fire. No voice. No response.

They saw. They were convinced. They believed. They fell on their faces before the Lord. They responded in personal worship.

That was is the victory of faith. That faith which takes the Word of God seriously. That faith which experiences the exciting intervention of the Lord. As He comes in power and grace to restore and revive.

Faith which thrills to see the Lord active. Bringing His people back to Himself. Bringing them to sincere repentance. As they renounce the old life. As they confess the sin of that old life. As they surrender to the Lord in simple faith. To know Him as both Savior and Lord.

God is on the move. How we need to move with Him. To witness the glory of all that He is doing. To be excited by His victories. To be thrilled by the revival which He is bringing.

“They fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, HE is GOD! The LORD, HE is GOD!”

Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal. "And ye call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the Name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let Him be GOD!"

The people of Israel had heard his statement. "And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken!"

"The God who answereth by fire!" Baal had not responded at all. Baal could not respond.

The Lord answered by fire! The unique and spiritual fire of the Lord fell. The people did not hesitate. "The LORD, HE is GOD! The LORD, HE is GOD" There could be no doubt about it. The evidence was unmistakable. That evidence which they had demanded.

"The LORD, HE is GOD!" And only HE! Baal could not be God. Baal had been shown to be utterly futile. It would be so foolish to go on believing that Baal was God. It made no sense to continue to worship such a worthless idol.

"The LORD, He is GOD!" Yet, how convinced are people of that fact today? Do they really believe that statement? Or is it only an empty expression? So many profess to believe that the Lord is God. Yet their lives give the lie to their claim.

This is true of many who profess to be Christians. Their lives are still: halting between two opinions! They stagger back and forth. At times they attempt to serve the Lord. At other times they are found bowing before the altars of the world, the flesh and the devil.

"The LORD, HE is GOD!" When that truth really does get a hold of a person what a thrilling difference it makes! A totally transforming difference. Then: the LORD is GOD in all areas of the life. Nothing else is permitted to compete with HIM!

"The LORD, HE is GOD!" There is no doubt about it. Therefore, let us live accordingly.

"And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there!"

For long years these men had played the leading role in degrading the nation. They had given themselves totally to the spiritual forces of evil. Spreading the most vile and immoral practices. Even as they had actively encouraged the slaughter of the prophets of the Lord.

Having chosen to be so totally identified with all that was evil. Having given themselves to be the vile instruments of demons. The end was inevitable.

Elijah's position was uncompromising. "Take the prophets of Baal, let none of them escape."

The people of Israel were now his active allies. They shared his total commitment to his goal. In fact, they confirmed their commitment to the Lord by doing so.

The prophets of Baal were taken to the brook Kishon. There they were all slain.

Elijah had no doubt about the total justice of this act. He saw it as the holy will of God. The death of these prophets was the only just outcome. This fact expressed the utter loathing of the Lord for the vileness by which they had chosen to live.

Some today may want to dismiss this act as barbaric. But then, today, so many people have lost all sense of the utter vileness of sin. They have become so expert at dressing up all sin. Making it appear nice. Respectable. Excusing it. Condoning it. Justifying it. Embracing it. Praising it!

Not God. God still says that sin is utterly vile. He still rightly defines it as being indescribably depraved. In the pure and holy judgment of the Lord all sin still fully deserves: hell! He hates sin! All sin! He justly hates it with a perfectly pure hatred!

The Lord wants to forgive sinners! He will forgive sinners as they meet His conditions. As they come to him in humble repentance. Confessing and renouncing all their sin and vileness. Putting their faith in Jesus and Him crucified. Receiving from Him forgiveness and cleansing.

The person who knows: The LORD He is God, also knows that sin must be hated. It must be renounced. It must be rejected and excluded from the life. There is absolutely no other way. No other acceptable attitude to sin.

"Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2 Corinthians 6: 17).

The victory of the Lord is equally real today. To all who will see it and claim it by faith.

The Christian today can stand strong in the Lord. Strong in faith. Experiencing the glory of His presence. His power.

Witnessing: His fire! The fire of the Holy Spirit. The fire of' Revival.

So that the Fire can fall. The Fire can burn! The Church will be gloriously revived. Sinners will be turned to the Lord.

Sin and Satan can be defeated. The Lord has broken their power. The captives can be set free.

When we obey the Word of the Lord. Obey in faith. Expecting Him to work in power! To the Name of our Victorious Lord be all the glory!