Thread by @glprater

#GeraldsDevotional
The Choice Today of Who to Follow – Convincing Evidence

In the theme that we began yesterday about following, we all have a choice everyday about who we will follow. There are very strong and influential forces in our fallen world that work overtime to get our attention and to make us follow them. When we do the result is that bad

things happen and we tend to blame God (see verses (17-18 below).

The scene in today’s scripture is a description of a famous showdown between the forces of good and evil that play out all around us still today. Ahab was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel. They had gone

terribly astray to the ways of the world that the LORD had warned them about long before. In His warning, the LORD was not trying to be mean or to hold out on Israel, but instead cautioning them not to harm themselves. They didn’t listen and chose to forsake God and to worship

Baal, a man-made god of this world. Bad things happened as they fell out of God’s favor and protection.

Elijah was a prophet whom the LORD sent to Ahab and the people in order to get their attention and to make them turn back (repent) from their evil ways of following Baal.

Following the LORD’s specific instructions, Elijah set up this classic confrontation or competition between Baal and God to provide the people with indisputable evidence so that they could choose wisely who to follow.

Notice in the end how at the LORD’s instructions, Elijah made

it painfully obvious who was the real and living God. But in the end many people still chose poorly and suffered the consequences of their choice. It may seem like insanity that given the evidence that was presented, people still chose to follow Baal. But Satan is very good at

what he does to convince God’s people to go astray from His path.

Just as He did through Elijah in verse 21, the LORD is calling all of us to make a definitive choice today and then to follow accordingly. This scene is being played out today. “These are the days of Elijah.”

17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”

18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals.

19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Elijah’s Mount Carmel Victory
20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the

prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left

a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on

the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”

So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”

25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one

bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!”

But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.

27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and

must be awakened.” 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one

answered, no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of

Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in

pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water

ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.

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 Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in

Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt

sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of

Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there. - 1 Kings 18:17-40
A version of this devotional in Spanish is available at
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