DCLM Daily Manna - Flee Idolatry

Wednesday December 7, 2016

Flee Idolatry

-1 KINGS 18:17-29

Key Verse:

"And call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken" (1 Kings 18:24).

In our world today, competitions are familiar experiences in the field s of sports and entertainment. Wrestlers and boxers particularly give a clear picture of a fierce contest between two individuals seeking to prove their superiority over each other. Our passage today invites us to come over and witness the defeat and disappointment of the idolatrous. Following the apostasy of the people of Israel under Ahab, Elijah, the prophet of God was provoked to challenge the worshippers of Baal to present their gods at Mount Carmel for a contest with the true God of Israel. He confronted Ahab with the truth of his negative influence and his idolatrous practices in Israel. Both Ahab and the 850 prophets of Baal as well as the people of Israel were then invited to appear on Mount Carmel to prove which is the true God between Jehovah and Baal. The confidence that Elijah had in the true God motivated him to challenge the other gods that the people worship. The narrative confirms that the prophets of Baal, in their foolishness, tried their best to prove that their idols could be compared with the true God. Of course, they failed as their gods refused to answer them even after calling from morning till evening and cutting themselves with knives and lancets. At the end of their futile attempts, the Baal prophets became tired, frustrated, and woefully disappointed. They even lost their lives in the process, because Elijah did not spare them. How true the Scripture is, that:"...they that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them(Psalm 115:4-8). Who is your God? The challenge for us today is to flee idolatry and fight against anything that will separate us from the true God.

Thought for the day: Idolatrous practices attract divine displeasure.

Bible Reading in one Year: AMOS 1 - 5