Make a Choice

In I Kings 18 the prophet Elijah stands before all the people of Israel and asks them "How long will you waver between two options?  If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." (v.21)

The people respond with silence.

They do not reject the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  They don't turn their backs on the faith of their fathers.  They don't disregard GOD's hand in bringing His people out of Egypt.  They don't deny how He parted the sea so that Israel could cross on dry land.  They don't ignore the victory He secured through Joshua at Jericho.  They don't belittle the leadership of David or the wisdom of Solomon.  At least not directly.

The problem is not that the people stand opposed to GOD.  The problem comes in the fact that the people simply don't care enough to stand with GOD.  The people still believe all they were taught about the GOD of Israel.  They follow most of the law and they worship GOD.  However, they've allowed their faith to be corrupted by the followers of Baal.  There has been a time of justification that has pulled the people from the worship of GOD and opened them to compromises that allow for these other religious practices to slip in and take control.  They do not knock GOD from his place as Lord, they simply force him to share it.

We see this earlier in scripture with the Israelites at Mt. Sinai.  Moses has gone up the mountain to speak with GOD.  The people become concerned that Moses could be dead and GOD may have forgotten them so they ask Aaron to melt their gold into a calf for them to worship.  The people are not denying GOD's place, but they simply do not worship him properly.  They feel that by worshipping a single aspect of GOD they may please him.  They elevate something other than the entirety of who He is to the place of worship.  This never pleases GOD.

So again, we come back to Elijah on Mt. Carmel, the people have begun to worship something other the entirety of GOD and who He is.  I think they really don't see anything wrong with this.  I see nothing here to show that the people are embarrassed that Elijah has called them out.  We don't see an immediate repentance.  We simply see a people stand, dumbfounded, in silence.

The problem here is, as is the root with all our sin, idolatry.  On the surface it is very easy to see.  The people worship Baal as a god.  I think the root of this idolatry though is much deeper.  It is not that the people say "Baal is our only god".  The root of the issue is that the people say, "GOD is not god enough for us.  We need Baal too."

Now we start to feel  a little of what these people are going through.  It's easy to say, I would never worship something in place of GOD.  It becomes much more difficult to look at ourselves in the mirror when we start examining what we feel we need IN ADDITION to GOD in order to be happy, satisfied, fulfilled, content, etc.

If the LORD spoke to me and said, "Jonathan if you love me you will give up music.  Get rid of your equipment, delete your iTunes account, and never sing another song ever again."  I think I might greet Him with stunned silence.   I love the LORD and my desire is to be the man He has called me to be and to glorify Him through all I do, but to be perfectly honest, I would struggle with giving up music.  That is one of the idols I struggle with in my life.  I don't think of my love of music taking the place of GOD, but if I cannot be satisfied in Christ alone, if it takes the addition of music, than I am in the same place as the Israelites at Mt. Sinai or Mt. Carmel.

I think one of the most profound things I've ever heard came from J.D. Greear, so if you follow my blog you'll hear me come back to it often.  Greear said to overcome idolatry, "We must be captured by a vision of the beauty of the ONE TRUE GOD."  The point is that until we realize who GOD is and what He has done in our lives we will never give him the full glory that is due His Name.  We will never be satisfied in a GOD who we do not truly worship.

So the choice now sets before each of us today:  Is GOD all He tells us He is?  Is GOD enough for me today?  Will I give Him the full glory that is due His Name?  Will I follow GOD or will I follow Baal?

I choose GOD.  How about you?