The story of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel has always been one of my “go to” stories from the Bible. I’m not sure if it’s because of the demonstration of God’s power, the call to action or the fact that as I kid I got a kick out of Elijah mocking their God by wondering if he was on the toilet.
One of the things that hit me as we interacted at our table was this sense of drama that was unfolding. Early in the story there is a powerful call to action when Elijah says “How long will you go back and forth? If the Lord is God, follow Him. If Baal is God, follow him.” It reminds me of one of my favorite movie lines from Sweet Home Alabama (ok, I know it’s a chick flick, but it’s still a great line). When his daughter is waffling at the alter the dad says, “You can’t ride two horses with only one ass sugar bean.”
Elijah is asking the same question here. You can’t have it both ways. Declare your loyalty. What intrigues me though is the response he gets: The people didn’t say anything, but just looked at the prophet.
It’s like the deer in the headlights response. The people were almost numb to this powerful call to action. They are on the sidelines.
Fast forward now a few hours. Elijah goes through meticulous detail to ensure that the people know it is God who acts. Fire reigns down from heaven and the people fall on their face to worship God. They don’t let the false prophets escape. They are no longer spectators, they’re players.
As we enter into our Men’s Life summer break, how are you going to respond to this call to action. Are there ways in which you’re trying to ride two horses?
May we all be able to make the declarative statement of another Old Testament leader Joshua who answered the call in this way.
But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 (NLT)