Is God Enough?

That wasn't the title of today's sermon at church, but that was the question in my mind as our pastor introduced the Old Testament Challenge study on the Prophets. It was a great message today and one that is so applicable in our culture. It was the story of Elijah and his message to the 10 tribes of Northern Israel under the leadership of King Ahab.

King Ahab is best known for his choice of brides, Jezebel, who was from Sidon, a country where Baal worship was it's centerpiece. Baal was the "god" of agriculture, fertility, storms... here's what Wikipedia says:

Ba`al (baʕal;Arabic,بعل; Hebrew: בעל) (ordinarily spelled Baal in English) is a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord" that is used for various gods who were patrons of cities in the Levant, cognate to Assyrian Bēlu.

"Ba`al" can refer to any god and even to human officials; in some texts it is used as a substitute for Hadad, a god of the rain, thunder, fertility and agriculture, and the lord of Heaven. Since only priests were allowed to utter his divine name Hadad, Ba`al was used commonly. Nevertheless, few if any Biblical uses of "Ba`al" refer to Hadad, the lord over the assembly of gods on the holy mount of Heaven, but rather refer to any number of local spirit-deities worshipped as cult images, each called ba`al and regarded as a false god.

I'm using Wikipedia as a source because it gives us a more universal, as opposed to just Christian, definition of this "god". The nation of Israel had turned to Baal worship as it's chief religion, and all that worship entailed, including child sacrifice and massive orgies. In turning to Baal, God fell into the background and was none too happy about that. Along comes Elijah, sent to Ahab to deliver this message:

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe, in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." I Kings 17:1

After this message, God sent Elijah into hiding for three years. Hiding from what? who? Jezebel, who saw each prophet from God as an expendable enemy. Through many miracles, Elijah survives and finally, when God is ready to lift his water ban, gets to speak with Ahab secretly, revealing to him that Elijah is not the one responsible for the drought but Ahab and his family, who have chosen Baal over God. He gives Ahab these instructions.

Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

"I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." I Kings 18:16-19

When Pastor Mark was painting a picture of this event on Mt. Carmel, I saw something that I've never seen before in all the times I've studied and read this story. It was a familiar story to me, and most of the important elements were easily recollected. I just think it might be more meaningful to me now because I'm feeling a bit more convicted by it than ever before.

All the nations were present, all the prophets - 850 of them!! - there to bring an end to this 3 year drought. Elijah allows them to go first, to allow their god of storms, rain, thunder, lightening, fertility and everything in nature essentially, to bring an end to this madness. They spend all day performing their rituals, praying, dancing, begging, pleading with their "god" and nothing happens. All day. Nothing. What would you be thinking if you were there?

After sitting around watching them all day, Elijah chastises them with these words:

At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. I Kings 18:27-29

All that, and nothing. Not only that, the people were silent. Maybe it was disbelief, maybe it was disappointment, or maybe it was fear. Maybe years of turning their backs on the one true God caused them to become ambivalent towards any god.

Finally, it's Elijah's turn. Pretty much everything he does is symbolic, a reminder to Israel of His plan for them, His (God's) design for them, their nation, and a reminder of just how jealous a God he is for their hearts. He did not forget them, though they forgot him. He did not turn His back on them when they turned their backs on him. Here's what He did.

Elijah rebuilt the ancient altar to God using 12 stones - one for each tribe. He piled wood up in it's center, sacrificed a bull in pieces - a bull is often used in covenants between God and His people, then had the people pour 12 large buckets of water over the sacrifice, wood until it filled the trench. A soaking wet pile of wood and sacrifice. Then he prayed - no dancing, no singing, no cutting himself to sacrifice his own blood or anything like that - just a simple prayer.

At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." I Kings 18: 36, 37

And what happens?

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

Poof, just like that, God sends a ball of fire from heaven that consumes everything, STONES included. I have to tell you, our pastor is a great story teller, but when everyone in church this morning was cheering it wasn't for him (this might be the first time in my church I've heard everyone cheer during a sermon!). It was for God. He did in an instant what none of the 850 prophets of Baal were able to do all day, or in three years for that matter.

How many times do I avoid going to a God who will consume stone for my heart, but instead turn to the other gods in this world, who are powerless to help me? Who are not really gods at all but sorry excuses for me avoiding the God who is so jealous for me, my heart, my life? I'm sad to admit that it's much more often than I want it to be. This message today, though, will be a stark reminder to me that my one true God is the only God I want to serve. And He's more than enough for me.