God
is Sovereign in power and authority and when He is challenged He
always wins. In 1 Kings 18, we read Elijah's challenge to the priests
of Baal. Sooner or later God will go head to head with disobedience.
This was a pivotal time for Israel. 1 Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came
unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?
if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then
follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” Then Elijah
proposed a contest to determine the true God. The God who answered
with fire would be recognized as the one true God.
The
priests of Baal built an altar and prepared a sacrifice. They called
upon the name of Baal from morning till noon but there was no answer.
They leaped about upon the altar they had prepared but still no
answer. Elijah mocked them saying perhaps he is talking, on a long
journey, or even asleep. They cried aloud, cutting themselves until
the blood gushed out. They continued their appeal until the time of
the evening sacrifice but, “there was neither voice, nor any to
answer, nor any that regarded” 1 Kings 18:29. Baal never showed up!
Elijah
prepared his altar and sacrifice. Then he commanded, “...Fill four
water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on
the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it
the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they
did it the third time,” vs 33-34. Elijah prayed an anointed
prayer and God answered. 1 Kings 18:36, “...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 that thou
art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart
back again.” God answered Elijah's prayer. “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,” 1 Kings 18:38.
The
people fell on their knees in unanimous acclamation that the Lord, He
is God. The only acceptable response for the created is to fall
helplessly at His feet in total submission to His Sovereignty. God is
supreme, the creator of all life, the creator of all things.
God
will win this war against His Sovereignty. He will meet sin and
disobedience head-on. We are living in a time of God’s Grace but
there is a time in the near future when He will render His judgment.
Don’t believe the lies of Satan. He is doomed to defeat and he
knows it. He wants to take every soul he can with him to an eternity
in hell. Believe in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and
declare here and now that He alone is your Savior. He is the Lord!
God is always the Victor!
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