Showdown At The Mt. Carmel Coral: 1 Kings #20: an exposition of 1 Kings 18:1-40. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, August 2, 2015.
Intro:
It was a moment of high drama. For three years drought has ravaged the land. In the heart of Baal country the prophet of Yahweh declared it would not rain until he, by God’s authority, said so. A massive manhunt had been underway. Ahab was determined to find this “troubler of Israel.” God had him tucked away down in Zarephath. Now the time had come for the prophet to confront the king. 1 Kings 18 is an important chapter. Here we have a “God Contest.” At issue is the acknowledgement of the real God? Ahab and Jezebel brought full scale worship of the pagan fertility god into the official heart of the nation. There they built an altar and a temple to Baal. They set up the Asherah. They promoted the growth of Baalite worship while seeking to rid the earth of the prophets of Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. It is time for the people to decide one way or the other. The matter is stated by the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him. But the people did not answer him a word.” Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel against the 450 prophets of Baal. Altars were built. Sacrifices made. Both would call upon their God. The God who answered with fire, He would be God. Our text is found in 1 Kings the 18.
Text: 1 Kings 18:1-40
This is one of those mountain peaks of Scripture.
We know the story about the showdown.
But I’m not sure we always consider the backstory or the implications.
Why was Israel under the judgment of God?
Why the drought?
Because of their idolatrous ways.
Because they went after pagan gods.
It seems God was serious about that 1st commandment.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:2-3)
“Before Me” = in my presence.
This isn’t about make sure I’m the first of many.
Rather understand, I alone am God.
This is another of those passages making it very clear, God is not real “understanding” about our pension for serving other gods. He’s pretty narrow-minded at this point. Serve the right God and serve Him the right way.
As we work our way through the chapter we will discover that…
Thesis: The “God Contest” on top of Mt. Carmel exposes some important truths about our God.
There are 4 truths I want to point out along the way.
- The uniqueness of our God is reflected in the diversity of His servants. (18:1-15)
- The existence of our God makes some disturbing demands. (18:20-21)
- Our God stands in stark contrast to all divine pretenders. (18:22-39)
- The revelation of our God is both terrifying and condemning. (18:40)
Conclusion:
Yes, 1 Kings 18 is full of drama but do not lose sight of the main character. It is not Elijah. It is, as always, the true and living God.
- He is unique.
- He is demanding.
- He is above all so called gods.
- He is terrifying.