The condition of Israel at this time was much like the world today. There was a drought of three years. The trouble was spiritual. God withheld the rain as a token of his displeasure. Through it all the prophet Elijah followed the Lord.
I Kings 18: 36 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, 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.38 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.39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
If the people of Israel had been asked what they prayed for, it would have been rain. They didn’t understand why God shut up the heaven of its rain. Elijah and the prophets had told them their own sins had brought God’s judgment. They paid no attention. Their desire was not to feel the reality of God but to have the benefits of it. Today there is the tendency to ask God to do this and this or make that and that happen. The list of things to do for God’s will is short. We pray very little about praying, witnessing, or our faithfulness compared to what we ask from God.
Rain is a blessing and a symbol of it. The crops were failing. Water was scarce. Telling the people they needed the fire of God and not rain would have been rejected. In verse 21 Elijah asked the people how long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. The people didn’t answer. Then in verse 24 he said the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. This is how God works. He doesn’t always answer by rain. In fact, many times he answered by fire. He appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. He led Israel to the Promised Land with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was a token of God’s presence. The visible token of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was cloven tongues of fire. The fire of God is sorely needed in the lives of people today.
Our human nature is to blame someone else if our blessings seem to dry up, but we can only look to ourselves for blame. Spiritual dryness doesn’t have to be on any church or individual. The people thought it was okay to serve the Lord and Baal at the same time. They went to the temple and went through the ceremonies but went home and worshipped their idols of wood and stone, their likenesses for Baal. Under every green tree was an altar. The people thought it was okay to have their temple religion and their backyard one too. If we’re not careful we’ll adopt a philosophy like that thinking we can worship God and do our own thing. If we esteem any person or thing above God, we sin against him. There can only be one God in our lives. As Elijah said, if God is truly God, worship and serve him only. Society has come down to this choice today. People are halted between opinions, mixed up. Many go through the motions of worship and service to God all the while being devoted to other things above Him.
We cheat when it comes to worship of God. A house, money in the bank—things or any other person can’t save us. The followers of Baal cried out to him, but he didn’t answer because he couldn’t. He doesn’t exist. Many don’t want the reality of God. When is the last time each of us put anything on the altar for God? Elijah wanted the people to see the deadness of their god and see he couldn’t save them. What our things do for us is passing. What we invest in God is eternal. We must be willing to get into the light of God. We can’t draw him into our darkness; we must go into his light. In his fire is light. Christianity can’t be just a habit and only a profession. We can’t be cold or lukewarm and expect the blessings. To have the blessings we must be in the presence of the giver of them. He is fire and his warmth dispels coldness and indifference. If God were to be cold and dark, it would mean he is dead. That’s not possible. God cannot die.
We must be like Elijah. Invite God to the altar. Put away all things not pleasing to him. Admit there are no other gods. Have you slipped away from God? Are you as dedicated as you used to be? Fire consumes wood turning it to cinders and ashes. God wants us there. We’re afraid we’ll get burned. Returning to God brings about a purging. What really matters is the feeling of warmth, the heat of God—the fire. He has a way of burning us up and refreshing us at the same time. This is the only way it will work.
The people of Israel came to see what was about to happen. They need to feel it as well as see it. The fire licked up all the water, but they needed to feel the heat. Elijah gave the prophets of Baal a hard time because they got no answer from him when they screamed out to him. They could get no answer no matter what they did. Give your life to this world and all you’ll do is die without God. I’d rather have the warmth of God, the fire. We must be willing to be burned by God.
Elijah prayed. 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. The fire fell. The people hit the ground. They could see and feel the fire. It wasn’t long before they felt the rain on their faces and the goodness that the land needed. First came the fire. Rain followed. The fire is better. It is God.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 