“And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.” (1 Kings 18:26–29, ESV)
This is one of my favorite parts of the whole chapter. Elijah’s mocking of the prophets of Baal resonates with my sense of humor. When we come to this section of 1 Kings 18, we find that a contest has been set. Two bulls have been set aside for a sacrifice. Whichever God answers by fire will be revealed to be the only true God.
It should be a simple contest for Baal. First, he is the god of thunder and the storm. So, a little lightning from him to start a fire should be no problem. Second, the prophets of Baal number 450. Elijah is on his own. Surely Baal will be moved by so many of his loyal devotees calling upon him. Third, Baal also has the support of the government. Ahab has introduced and promoted Baal worship among the people of Israel in greater measure than any previous king. Fourth, the followers of Baal are sincere in their devotion to him. They sincerely believe he will answer, and when he seems slow to answer they begin to mutilate their bodies to get his attention. No one can doubt the sincerity of their hearts in this situation. With all these advantages Baal should surely win this contest.
But Baal is silent. He does not utter a word. He does not form a cloud in the sky. He does not present even one lightning strike. Elijah begins to mock the prophets of Baal and supplies them with reasons for his silence. Baal could be busy, perhaps he is going to the bathroom, he might be on vacation, or he is tired and needs a nap. Of course, Elijah’s mocking reminds us of the stark contrast between Yahweh and Baal. “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4, ESV).
However, the real reason Baal does not do anything is because Baal is not real. He only exists in the deluded minds of those that worship him. He is nothing but a figment of their imagination. There is no Baal to bring them rain in the middle of their drought. There is no Baal to listen to their cries. There is no Baal to answer them with fire and consume the sacrifice they have offered. Baal would turn out to be a big disappointment.
What is true of this idol that was worshipped so long ago is also true of our modern idols. Our idols can do nothing for us. Baal was the god of thunder so this should have been an easy task for him to provide fire. Yet he was unable to deliver. The same is true for our modern idols. Whatever they promise they will not be able to deliver. For the man who has made lust and pornography his idol he will find that it only leaves him empty inside. It is all a fantasy. For those that have idolized politics they will find that the politicians only disappoint. Money is an idol that promises security, but there is never enough. Many idolize sports and with the current pandemic sports have been taken away. We can easily make an idol of anything, and yet whatever that idol promises, whatever need that idol is supposed to meet will never be delivered.
The prophets of Baal outnumbered Elijah, 450 to 1. Just because the majority follows a particular idol does not make it true. In fact, throughout Scripture we usually find that the majority is wrong. During the days of Moses the majority was wrong when they wanted to worship the golden calf, when they chose to listen to the ten spies and not go into the promised land, and when on numerous occasions they rose up against Moses’ leadership. It is much easier to follow the crowd than to stand for what is right. You cannot bring an idol into existence just because it has a large following.
Ahab had promoted idol worship. Just because the government believes in and endorses an idol does not make it true. In ancient Israel it would have been easier to be part of society, to buy and sell, to live life if you too were a worshipper of Baal. You too would have the endorsement and good graces of the king himself.
The prophets of Baal were sincere in their devotion to this idol. They went as far as to mutilate their bodies to call upon him. Today many equate sincerity with truth and see sincerity as a virtue. While the New Testament calls upon Christians to be sincere in our love toward others, the Bible always has the truth as the believers’ foundation for sincerity. Just because a person is sincere in their devotion to an idol, does not make the idol true. Once can sincerely believe a lie, but it does not change the fact that it is still a lie.
What was the result for these prophets of Baal? “But there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.” This is true for each of us who turn to idols to meet whatever need or provide whatever comfort we think they can provide. There is no answer. Our idols are not asleep, they are not going on a trip, or even taking a moment to powder their noses. They do not speak because they simply do not exist.
What a contrast between the God of Scripture and Baal. We can call out to the Lord anytime, never concerned that we are taking him away from something that is more important. We do not have to worry that he is tired, or asleep. And he speaks to us through his living Word. That day the prophets of Baal would be sorely disappointed. All those that trust in their own little idols will one day be disappointed, but for those who wholeheartedly follow Christ, ““For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame”” (Romans 10:11, ESV). It is time to put away the idols for they will only bring you shame.
July 21, 2020
“And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.” (1 Kings 18:26–29, ESV)
This is one of my favorite parts of the whole chapter. Elijah’s mocking of the prophets of Baal resonates with my sense of humor. When we come to this section of 1 Kings 18, we find that a contest has been set. Two bulls have been set aside for a sacrifice. Whichever God answers by fire will be revealed to be the only true God.
It should be a simple contest for Baal. First, he is the god of thunder and the storm. So, a little lightning from him to start a fire should be no problem. Second, the prophets of Baal number 450. Elijah is on his own. Surely Baal will be moved by so many of his loyal devotees calling upon him. Third, Baal also has the support of the government. Ahab has introduced and promoted Baal worship among the people of Israel in greater measure than any previous king. Fourth, the followers of Baal are sincere in their devotion to him. They sincerely believe he will answer, and when he seems slow to answer they begin to mutilate their bodies to get his attention. No one can doubt the sincerity of their hearts in this situation. With all these advantages Baal should surely win this contest.
But Baal is silent. He does not utter a word. He does not form a cloud in the sky. He does not present even one lightning strike. Elijah begins to mock the prophets of Baal and supplies them with reasons for his silence. Baal could be busy, perhaps he is going to the bathroom, he might be on vacation, or he is tired and needs a nap. Of course, Elijah’s mocking reminds us of the stark contrast between Yahweh and Baal. “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4, ESV).
However, the real reason Baal does not do anything is because Baal is not real. He only exists in the deluded minds of those that worship him. He is nothing but a figment of their imagination. There is no Baal to bring them rain in the middle of their drought. There is no Baal to listen to their cries. There is no Baal to answer them with fire and consume the sacrifice they have offered. Baal would turn out to be a big disappointment.
What is true of this idol that was worshipped so long ago is also true of our modern idols. Our idols can do nothing for us. Baal was the god of thunder so this should have been an easy task for him to provide fire. Yet he was unable to deliver. The same is true for our modern idols. Whatever they promise they will not be able to deliver. For the man who has made lust and pornography his idol he will find that it only leaves him empty inside. It is all a fantasy. For those that have idolized politics they will find that the politicians only disappoint. Money is an idol that promises security, but there is never enough. Many idolize sports and with the current pandemic sports have been taken away. We can easily make an idol of anything, and yet whatever that idol promises, whatever need that idol is supposed to meet will never be delivered.
The prophets of Baal outnumbered Elijah, 450 to 1. Just because the majority follows a particular idol does not make it true. In fact, throughout Scripture we usually find that the majority is wrong. During the days of Moses the majority was wrong when they wanted to worship the golden calf, when they chose to listen to the ten spies and not go into the promised land, and when on numerous occasions they rose up against Moses’ leadership. It is much easier to follow the crowd than to stand for what is right. You cannot bring an idol into existence just because it has a large following.
Ahab had promoted idol worship. Just because the government believes in and endorses an idol does not make it true. In ancient Israel it would have been easier to be part of society, to buy and sell, to live life if you too were a worshipper of Baal. You too would have the endorsement and good graces of the king himself.
The prophets of Baal were sincere in their devotion to this idol. They went as far as to mutilate their bodies to call upon him. Today many equate sincerity with truth and see sincerity as a virtue. While the New Testament calls upon Christians to be sincere in our love toward others, the Bible always has the truth as the believers’ foundation for sincerity. Just because a person is sincere in their devotion to an idol, does not make the idol true. Once can sincerely believe a lie, but it does not change the fact that it is still a lie.
What was the result for these prophets of Baal? “But there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.” This is true for each of us who turn to idols to meet whatever need or provide whatever comfort we think they can provide. There is no answer. Our idols are not asleep, they are not going on a trip, or even taking a moment to powder their noses. They do not speak because they simply do not exist.
What a contrast between the God of Scripture and Baal. We can call out to the Lord anytime, never concerned that we are taking him away from something that is more important. We do not have to worry that he is tired, or asleep. And he speaks to us through his living Word. That day the prophets of Baal would be sorely disappointed. All those that trust in their own little idols will one day be disappointed, but for those who wholeheartedly follow Christ, ““For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame”” (Romans 10:11, ESV). It is time to put away the idols for they will only bring you shame.