Sermon Tone Analysis

I Kings 17-18

 

! Introduction

            Have you ever seen someone with one foot on the edge of a boat and the other on the dock.

As the boat begins to drift away from the dock, the person can’t decide whether to get onto the boat or the dock and in the moment of indecision, they end up in the lake.

Wavering between two decisions is a decision and usually results in disaster.

In I Kings 18:21, Elijah asked the people of Israel a very serious question.

“How long will you waver between two opinions?

If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

As we examine the issues which raised this question, we will be invited to ask the same question of ourselves.

Are we fully following the Lord, or are we also wavering between two opinions?

If the Lord is God, will we follow Him?

 

! I. Are We Wavering Between Two Opinions?

!! A. Gradual accommodation

            About three weeks ago, we learned that Solomon did not end well.

He opened the way for worship of other gods because of the many foreign wives he had married.

Because of his sin, God took the kingdom away from him.

Two weeks ago, we learned that the once great kingdom was divided into the northern tribes, from then on referred to as Israel and the southern tribes referred to as Judah.

We saw a succession of kings who continued to walk away from God and walk in the way of idolatry.

The focus of I Kings 17,18 is on the northern tribes of Israel.

In the chapters which lead up to these two, we see an increasing movement away from God.

We hear again and again about the evil of the kings who reigned in Israel.

In 12:28 we read about how  Jeroboam made two golden calves and told the people that these were the gods who brought them out of Egypt.

We read in 15:26 that Nadab “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”

We read in 15:34 that Baasha “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”

And so the story goes with every king, for example, Elah “provoked the God of Israel to anger by their worthless idols.”

And finally we get to Ahab who “did more evil than any of those before him.”

In 16:31 we learn that “he began to serve Baal and worship him.”

Baal was the god of the Sidonians which was where his wife Jezebel came from.

She was the one who prompted him to such evil and he willingly followed.

So severe was the evil that Jezebel was even killing the prophets of the Lord, as we learn in 18:4.

Baal was being promoted as god and the Lord was being forgotten by the people.

As we read about this movement away from God, we might think that it was a deliberate and obvious walk towards disobedience, but I wonder if they saw it as that obvious?

Gradually they had come to accommodate to something that was against God’s will until they saw no problem with it.

When Elijah confronted the people and asked them how long they would waver between two opinions, they did not answer.

They were not sure how they should answer and had become quite comfortable having two gods.

They did not mind if God was their God and Baal was also worshipped.

It seemed to make sense to them.

They had come to accept this mixed religion and it didn’t seem like an issue that needed a decision made.

!! B. But We Don’t Worship Baal?!

But we don’t worship Baal.

We do not have idols in our house and we do not go to the shrines of other gods in order to worship them.

This makes us wonder what the application of this passage might be for us.

But let us think this through once again.

The critical question is, “Are we following the Lord fully?”

Is it possible that there are other ways in which we are wavering between two opinions?

Have we really understood what it means to follow the Lord?

For example, if we have something against another person and we have allowed bitterness to grow up and we refuse to forgive them for what they have done to us, are we not wavering between two opinions?

The teaching of scripture is absolutely clear on this.

We are to forgive those who wrong us.

Whenever we don’t forgive, we demonstrate by our actions that we are not really following the Lord, but rather yielding to our vengeful feelings.

We live in close contact with a world that has values that are opposite to those of Christ.

When we listen to the radio, watch television or engage in entertainment, we are constantly bombarded by these opposite values.

We should not stop living in close contact with this world, but we should question each activity to see if it promotes the values of Christ or undermines them and constantly make sure that we are not wavering between two opinions.

Recreation and sports are great gifts of God in our life.

They are meant to be enjoyed.

But when they are our whole life, when we put these things ahead of the work of God, ahead of worship, ahead of serving others, then the question could well be asked of us whether we are perhaps “wavering between two opinions.”

Are we serving our recreation or are we serving the Lord?

In a few weeks we will have the opportunity to participate in a province-wide evangelism effort.

God’s word is quite clear that He has called us to go and make disciples of all nations.

If we do not take the opportunity to participate in this great evangelism effort, are we really following the Lord, or are we allowing our fears or what is important to us to cause us to waver between two opinions?

Each of us needs to open our hearts to the Lord in order to have them revealed to know whether we are truly following the Lord or wavering between two opinions.

!

II.

We Must Decide Who Is Lord!

            Israel was wavering between two opinions.

God was the one who had brought them out of Egypt, Baal was widely worshipped.

It was time for a decision.

!! A. Preparing For The Decision

            God began the process of forcing a decision by bringing a drought upon all the land.

Elijah actually prayed for disaster so that the people would return to God.

It is interesting that God should use a drought to force people into rethinking whom they put their trust in.

Baal was the god of storms and was believed to bring rain and lightening.

During the dry season, it was believed that he was dead, but it was also believed that he came to life twice every year to water the earth.

The rains in this land were very regular.

There were the early rains between October & Jan and another set of rains called the later rains in April and May.

The agricultural system was used to this cycle and when it didn’t happen, it was devastating.

The purpose of the drought was to cause the people to doubt the power of Baal.

After the drought began, we read several interesting stories of God’s power and provision in the midst of it.

The stories provide an interlude between the beginning of the drought until three years later when the contest took place.

They demonstrate how God is able to look after his own.

Elijah was supported, first by food brought by ravens and water from the Kerith Ravine.

Then there is an interesting story about how he is provided for through the help of a widow.

The interesting thing is that this widow lived in Sidon, which was where Jezebel, the wicked queen of Israel was born.

This widow came to believe in God when she saw how God provided for her and for Elijah by never allowing the flour and oil to run out and then when she saw God to raise her son to health.

These stories in which Elijah must trust in God also help to strengthen his faith for the difficult confrontation that is coming.

The severity of the drought is seen in the need for Elijah to find sustenance.

It is also seen in the fact that this widow who was probably a wealthy widow because she owned a house with an upper room was now reduced to gathering sticks and making one last meal before she died.

In 18:17 the time of decision has come.

Elijah met king Ahab and he asked, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

His perspective was that Elijah’s actions had resulted in the anger of Baal so that he did not send rain.

That is why Ahab looked at Elijah as the troubler of Israel.

Elijah, however, gave the true perspective on this.

He told Ahab that it was he who was the troubler of Israel because of his idolatry which was bringing down the wrath of God.

!! B. Faith Crisis

            The drought got the people’s attention and in God’s timing, Elijah was sent to invite the people to make a decision.

Instead of wavering between two opinions, they were to decide.

After Elijah met with Ahab, he told him to gather all the people.

As they were gathered together, he asked them the question we have been examining.

“How long will you waver between two opinions?

If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

The response of the people was interesting.