Elijah Devotions 2 - Fire and Decision

David W Palmer

(1 Kings 18:38–39 NLT) Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! {39} And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The LORD—he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!”

The generation into which God sent Elijah the prophet was similar to ours. Knowledge of God was in their background as a nation, and somewhere in the back of their minds was a distant memory of true worship. However, the glamour and pseudo freedoms of new religions—in our case also so-called secular society—lured them away from pure devotion to God. God’s plan was to demonstrate his reality and power to jolt them into a decision:

(Joel 3:14 NKJV) Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

To bring this to a crisis point, God used Elijah to call for a drought. After the drought had taken its full effect, he had the prophet confront the King:

(1 Kings 18:17–18 NLT) When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?” {18} “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the LORD and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.

Although king Ahab tried to blame Elijah for causing the drought, God’s man reversed the blame and put it squarely on Ahab—incited by Jezebel. The famine emergency was God’s opportunity for a show-down to bring the issue to a head and reveal truth. So he had Elijah call the nation to Mount Carmel for a show of overt power, a demonstration of which god was right:

(1 Kings 18:19–20 NLT) Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.” {20} So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.

This was God’s opportunity to retrieve his nation from the lies of their deadly enemy—the one who had deceived them into thinking that God was their enemy and that he (Satan) was their true source of life and provision. But he wasn’t; after all, he couldn’t even stop the drought. Satan had disguised himself to them in the form of Baal and Asherah, which they worshiped instead of the true God.

The king and the false prophets allowed Elijah to set the ground rules for this showdown. Through his man, God told them to build an altar, put wood on it ready to burn, and on top, a sacrificial bull; but they had to call on Baal to light the fire. After hours of fruitless self-sacrifice calling on a powerless god, they were worn out by self-effort and ended in failure. Then Elijah set up a similar sacrifice. At God’s prescribed time for this, he called the people to him and said:

(1 Kings 18:21–40 NLT) Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.

Like in our generation, it was time for the people to answer the questions; “Is this a godly nation?” “Do we fear God and want his rule over us, or do we really trust the false, deceptive, but empty promises of the thief?”

To bring them from their silence to an answer on this, Elijah had proposed that whoever’s god answers by fire is the true God. Then, at God’s prescribed time, he took action. But, unlike the empty promises and fruitlessness of the false prophets, when he called on the true God …

(1 Kings 18:36–39 NLT) At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. {37} O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” {38} Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! {39} And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The LORD—he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!”

In the hearing of the public, Elijah prayed a short, succinct prayer stating plainly what was going to happen. But no doubt, he had been praying in preparation for this all of his ministry life, and in particular, for the 3? years of very testing drought and famine.

Fire flashed from heaven … far more than enough to burn up the sacrifice. After the abject failure of the false religions to call down fire—exposing their deceptive and empty claim to meet needs, protect, heal, and provide, etc.—the people saw the clear and exceedingly abundant fire of God in demonstration of his ability and power. Plus, it confirmed that he spoke through his chosen prophet. Suddenly, the people’s silence was broken; their decision immediate; and their confession and action were loud and instant: they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The LORD—he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!”

Today, we have the same situation; multitudes are in the valley of decision: they have a memory of God and have enjoyed his amazing but diminishing benefits of a country formed in true worship and God’s provision. But like the ordinary people in Elijah’s case, they are silent … not knowing what to say or do. God’s plan to bring them to a decision for him is similar. He wants to demonstrate his power through the sign of fire.

Elijah waited until God’s time for the sacrifice. For them that was about 3pm. For us, it is now. They went through 3? years of drought, leading to famine, shortages, and emotional turmoil; we have been through similar outcomes from the hand of the enemy over the looming death and financial crisis of recent years. Our western nations are coming to their hour of decision. This is God’s opportunity to again answer by fire and to bring them to a clear decision for him.

When is God’s fire going to fall? His time for this is now; but as in the story we have seen in his word, he needed Elijah to call on him. After all, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We’ve had our three years of silence during the “drought.” Now it’s time to call on God to send fire. In our case, we don’t sacrifice a bull on a stone and wood altar; we are living sacrifices burning with passion for God, white-hot love, and fervent faith. We have to ignite with fire for God, have his fire fall in our meetings, and see fiery signs and wonders for the undecided to experience.

Where is the God of Elijah; he’s waiting on Elijah to call on him:

(Luke 1:17 NKJV) “He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’'and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

(Luke 3:9, 16 NKJV) “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” ... {16} John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”