Prophets Faithfull to God's CovenantFaithful Prophets
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) Elijah: Prophet of Courage Kings 18:18-39
The Message17-19 The moment Ahab saw Elijah, he said, “So it’s you, old troublemaker!” “It’s not I who has caused trouble in Israel,” said Elijah, “but you and your government—you’ve dumped God’s ways and commands and run off after the local gods, the Baals. Here’s what I want you to do: Assemble everyone in Israel at Mount Carmel. And make sure that the special pets of Jezebel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of the local gods, the Baals, and the four hundred prophets of the whore goddess Asherah, are there.” 20 So Ahab summoned everyone in Israel, particularly the prophets, to Mount Carmel.
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26 So they took the ox he had given them, prepared it for the altar, then prayed to Baal. They prayed all morning long, “O Baal, answer us!” But nothing happened—not so much as a whisper of breeze. Desperate, they jumped and stomped on the altar they had made. ---
30-35 Then Elijah told the people, “Enough of that—it’s my turn. Gather around.” And they gathered. He then put the altar back together, for by now, it was in ruins. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob, the same Jacob to whom God had said, “From now on your name is Israel.” He built the stones into the altar in honor of God. Then Elijah dug a fairly wide trench around the altar. He laid firewood on the altar, cut up the ox, put it on the wood, and said, “Fill four buckets with water and drench both the ox and the firewood.” Then he said, “Do it again,” and they did it. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. The altar was drenched, and the trench was filled with water. ---
36-37 When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, “O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I’m doing what I’m doing under your orders. Answer me, God; O answer me and reveal to this people that you are God, the true God and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance.” 38 Immediately, the fire of God fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench. 39 All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship, exclaiming, “God is the true God! God is the true God!” For ReflectionI suppose you might be able to surmise the strength of one's commitment to God by observing the behavior of God's people and ministers. I realize the danger of holding persistent assumptions about yourself and others, but we are told that one is known by the fruits of our labor. I further suppose that if a person's labor does not demonstrate a compassionate, considerate, kind, humane, forgiving, and humble witness to the risen Christ, then one might think that the person in question may not fully comprehend the scope of his or her commitment to God.
We are all called to get into "Good Trouble" for God. PrayPray and put your ox to the fire! Pray and place your whole life as a sacrifice to the love of God. Pray and be confident in the power of God.
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