Elijah first challenges the people to choose, just as Moses
and Joshua before him called on the people to choose to either serve Yahweh or
someone or something else. Moses made it
clear on the two mountains, blessings for following Yahweh or curses if
not. Joshua said the choice was between
life and death and urged the people to choose life. Elijah says it comes down to Yahweh or Baal,
they can’t have it both ways any longer.
Baal was a fertility god, responsible for rain, but now there has been
no rain because Yahweh said so and shut up the heavens, a sign like the signs
in Egypt. The challenge to the prophets
of Baal has to do with fire to bring rain, and we all know that at the dedication
of tabernacle and temple alike the Lord brought down fire to burn up the
sacrifices. Jews should expect Yahweh to
do this sign, it is what He does. As the
prophets of Baal cry out and cut themselves attempting to get Baal to send down
fire Elijah trash talks, at one point suggesting that Baal is perhaps relieving
himself. Remember how precious a commodity
water is in the land after 3 ½ years of drought and yet Elijah commands four
jars of it be poured out on the sacrifice and the altar, making it more difficult
for fire to consume the sacrifice and a great display of faith in the outcome
both in terms of the fire and the subsequent rain to replenish the water. Elijah engages in none of the theatrics of
the prophets of Baal, he simply prays, it isn’t his effort that makes anything
happen, it is God. The Lord’s response
is powerful and the people believe. (Did
you notice the word limping appears twice, once in Elijah’s accusation against
the people and then in the Baal worship?)
Jesus later will tell the disciples that Elijah has come in
the form of John the Baptist. We are to
think of him in those terms even though John refused to accept that designation
when asked. How is John’s ministry like
Elijah’s? He called the people to repent
of serving two masters and to prepare for the coming of the Lord who was angry
and prepared to judge the nation. John’s
mode of dress and his diet would have been prophetic words against a nation in
times of prosperity and peace, which they enjoyed due to the Roman empire. What they had they had not because of the
Lord but because of Rome. Could we be
accused of something similar? The faux
righteousness of the Pharisees and Sadducees fails to impress John who compares
them to a brood of vipers. Fleeing wrath
and real repentance are two different things aren’t they? We get a glimpse of that later when Jesus
asks these same leaders whether John’s message was from God or not and they
will not answer. They, too, are limping
between two opinions.
Paul knows what is going to happen in Philippi because it
happened everywhere else. Those who come
and insist on circumcision, the Law, and all the other ceremonial things will
soon be there. He warns the church about
these things and says that he has as much reason as anyone to glory in these
things and yet because he has met Jesus he considers all that to be
rubbish. In fact, he considers
everything to be rubbish compared to Jesus.
He knows that he has seen real righteousness and that nothing he has
ever done has compared to that righteousness so he wants the righteousness of
faith in Jesus’ righteousness. Moreover,
he desires to share in Jesus’ sufferings.
I have never, for one second, considered that I want to share in Christ’s
sufferings. If we are inoffensive to the
world we won’t suffer. If, however, we
bring the offense of truth and righteousness, we will indeed suffer but these
are for glory. Elijah and John both
sided with the Lord and it cost them dearly, just as it did Paul and the
apostles. I need to pray the Lord will
cause me to love Jesus, His righteousness and His kingdom so much that I too
desire to suffer for Him as He has done for me.
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