Are We Destined to Repeat the Past? A Message for Christians “Smackdown” on Mount Carmel
Elijah’s Statue at Mount Carmel, Israel Photo taken by David Richardson June 11, 2014
This paper is directed toward acknowledged and professed Christians, but nonbelievers can also benefit from the message. My hope is that you will become a believer. Then, acknowledge your weaknesses, and find solace in Christ. The account of Elijah on Mount Carmel is a story of encouragement in the face of insurmountable odds. Elijah’s experience of faith and stick-to-it-tiveness to the will of God occurred around twenty-nine centuries ago in a special place at a special time. The place looks unassuming, but the event that transpired on the plateau of the Mountain reverberates throughout the centuries. It was on Mount Carmel that Israel renewed its faith in a mighty God. It was on Mount Carmel that Israel realized the injustices that were perpetrated on God’s people and His prophets. It was on Mount Carmel that God’s people had to face their fears and make a decision between right and wrong. It was on Mount Carmel that Elijah displayed his greatest courage. We need an Elijah experience in order to fortify our courage, and to stand for the right regardless of world events, and to make the right decision to deal with all men and women equitably without prejudice to their “race, creed, or color.”
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Mount Carmel, Israel Photo taken by David Richardson June 11, 2014 Prejudice and injustice were rampant in Israel during Elijah’s tenure as a prophet. Things got so bad for Elijah that he had to flee for his life. His colleagues were murdered, because they stood firm for their beliefs. They were exterminated, because of their faith and because they looked and acted differently. Almost 3,000 years later, we are faced with similar problems of intolerance and injustice toward others. What have we learned since antiquity? Are we destined to fall into the same pitfalls of prejudice and injustice for the duration of human existence? Recently, I heard about an incidence at a fundamentalist Christian college located in Tennessee where a few white students made disparaging remarks about Black Americans during Black History month. These students allegedly used the “N” word during conversations on the anonymous “Yik Yak” gossip app, and those conversations were not unique to that college. How long can humanity exist with prejudice and injustice toward our fellow brothers and sisters? At least, on the surface, it appears as if our nation, its peoples, and our churches have changed their negative attitudes toward minorities, but there are some people who still harbor prejudice in their hearts. This has become apparent during the Republican presidential campaigns. One Republican Presidential Aspirant’s campaign rallies encouraged violence toward minorities and people who criticized the campaigns’ platforms. This same Aspirant has made disparaging comments toward women and Moslems. This is the first time in the history of our nation that one of the frontrunner for this nation’s top political post is someone who incites riots and discourse. It’s problematic for a presidential hopeful to use words like “we could have riots” if I am 100 delegates short of the nomination and don’t get it. Also, it is puzzling to have a brilliant retired surgeon and a former minority presidential aspirant endorse an individual who incites violence, encourages walls of separation, and espouses prejudicial behavior.
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The people of this nation need to stand as Elijah stood alone with his faith against the priests of Baal. Ahab, king of Israel for 22 years, did more evil in the sight of God than the six kings who preceded him (1 Kings 16:25). Are we positioning our nation in a similar manner? Ahab was married to Jezebel who led the Israelites into the worship of Baal. He constructed altars and worshipped Baal, and made Asherah poles. He provoked God’s anger more than any man before him (1 kings 16:31-32). Ahab called Elijah, the Tishbite, a “troubler of Israel,” because Elijah declared that “As the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” I guess, by today’s standards, Ahab’s actions could be compared to twentieth century personages like Jim Jones or David Koresh. Strong personalities who directed people down the wrong paths, and pointed people away from God. These people distorted the truth, led people into idolatry, and encouraged people to misunderstand and misinterpret God’s Word. These people gave God a bad name. Is our nation headed down the same pathway? God sent Elijah to Ahab with a message, “You have abandoned the Lord’s commands, and have followed the Baals (1 Kings 18:18).” Ahab diminished God and accentuated Baal. Ahab rejected God’s message, because he thought that Elijah had “too much God,” but, in reality, Ahab and his entourage had “too little God.” Is that the case with our nation today? We lift our idols high above God. Idols like careers, money, property, and personal possessions. There is nothing wrong with these things, but when they are above God, then they become our gods…and God said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” This is His first commandment spoken by Him and written on tablets of stone. Like many of us today, Ahab abandoned God for worthless gods! Is our nation headed down the same pathway? When the people reached Mount Carmel, Elijah asked an important question, “How long will you waiver between two opinions? “ That question is relevant for all of us today! So many people do not know where they stand with God, and their actions of prejudice and injustice are indicative of their lost souls. The world is replete with one group exhibiting injustices or unfair practices toward another group of people. We desire to live in a relatively comfortable and safe environment, but the reality of world events puts us in an uncomfortable and tenuous environment whether we are in the country or whether we are traveling outside the country. It is amazing how our peace and tranquility have been disrupted. We are faced with issues of starvation, contaminated drinking water, increase poverty, downgraded life styles, and unknown dangers in the work place. The country needs a leader who can address these critical issues as well as have the ability to amicably negotiate with the leaders of developed and developing nations. It seems like the entire planet is in a state of fear. This is a perfect condition for encouraging people to believe just about anything under the guise of Christianity!
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Look around your neighborhoods, and you will see that people are standing on the fringes of heretical beliefs rather than embracing the truths that are clearly delineated in the Bible. Once we embrace falsehoods, then we have difficulty facing God. God said in Exodus 19:21 “ …charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.” They would perish, because in their sinful states, they could not look upon the Lord and live. With the rampant sins of the world today, we couldn’t look upon the face of the Lord and live. “And he said, thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live (Exodus 33:20).” But Christ is our identifying entity. He was the God who was with Israel and the God who identified with humanity. A testimony to that fact can be found in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” I think if Elijah were here today, he would have plenty to say about our spiritual decadence and the condition of the world. He certainly had plenty to say to Ahab, to Israel, to the prophets of Baal, and to the prophets of Asherah, because they made a choice to break God’s first commandment written with His finger on tablets of stone. Exodus 31:18 “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” Deut 9:10 “And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.” Ancient Israel was populated with wavering people who were easily influenced by their leader. Similar to the ancient Israel, people today are wavering and easily influenced. We are wanderers, wavers, and wobblers, because we “stumble in the ways of the Lord (Hosea 14:9).” Unlike the contemporary church, Israel had seen the deliverance of God, but they had followed the path of least resistance that led to idol worship. They followed Jezebel’s god, because they had wandered so far from God. Also, can it be said that we are wandering so far from God that we cannot see the enlightenment Jesus presented in His sermon on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Gallilee and Capernaum. On that mountain, Jesus blessed the spiritually heartbroken, those who mourn their losses, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for righteousness. So, how can we imagine ourselves to be in opposition to what Jesus preached? Are we different from the Pharisees or Sadducees who violently opposed Christ? Do we crucify Christ anew by our hateful attitudes and acts of injustice because of the color of a man’s skin? Elijah presents two options, ”Follow God or follow Satan.” We have the same options today choose freedom in Christ or choose death with Satan. When Israel heard Elijah’s options, the people were silent! Did they realize that this was the ultimate
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“smackdown” between God and Baal? So, they watched in awe as Elijah challenged the priests of Baal right in God’s Vineyard - Mount Carmel. This was the final countdown! The Israelites are summoned to the Mountain to meet with God. Apparently, through their silence, they, at least, made a decision to observe what would transpire. In addition to the people of Israel, Elijah invited 850 prophets (450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah). He says to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left” in Israel, because Jezebel had the other prophets killed. He said, “Get two bulls for us. Let Baals prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire on it.” “I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.” “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—he is God…” The story of the prophets of Baal ends in disappointment. They cut themselves and they shout, but nothing happens. “…the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command…” “Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.” Elijah proposed a relatively simple challenge - one that Yahweh couldn’t resist…”the god who answers by fire, he is God.” And He spoke with a mighty fiery voice…His tongue of flames licked up the entire water-soaked sacrifice including the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water in the trench. Elijah’s experience can be our experience if we do not break the relationship between Yeshua and us? We can stand strong and confident when faced with the evils of Baal if we stay connected to the values that made this nation strong. But we need to ask several questions. Is our nation in spiritual despair, and in need of an Elijah experience? Do we need the Holy Spirit to work upon our hearts and allow us to have a “smackdown” session with our metaphorical Baals? Israel said, “He is our God…He alone is God…Let us worship and adore a living God, and worship him only. Let’s throw away our Baals, and turn again to the Living God. Is this the experience we need in this great nation? Do we need to return to the values that built this country? “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. (John 14:1)” Like the people of Israel, let us proclaim, “The LORD, he is the God…” This nation has wandered far from home, but now we need to come home! “The paths of sin too long We’ve trod, Lord, We ‘re coming home. Coming home, Nevermore to roam; Open wide Thine arms of love; Lord, We’re coming home.” Let’s get back to our fore parents’ Christian values. Men and women with purpose
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and heart have made our country great. The greatest want of our nation now is “men [and women] who will not be bought or sold; men [and women] who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men [and women] who do not fear to call sin by its right name; men [and women] whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men [and women] who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.” Let these values re-established our great nation. Don’t let prejudice direct our pathways, don’t let greed and avarice be the pathways to our destiny. Don’t let injustice be our motivation for existence. Don’t let our pathway be redirected to a former pathway of disgrace, degradation, and destruction. Let not our hearts be troubled, if we believe in God, we will “do the right thing.” Let’s let go of our prejudices, let’s let go of our injustices toward others, let’s let go of unfair practices toward people who don’t practice our religion or who don’t look like us, and let God take control. Heaven is only obtained by the pure in heart. If we do not drop our vile prejudicial thoughts against other races, ethnicities, religions, gender, visible disabilities, poverty, sexual orientation, and nativism, then our destiny is limited to the here and now, and the hereafter is not in our future. Let’s walk that ingenuous path that treats all cultures, ethnicities, and races with respect and dignity. Let’s not position our nation where we will become a nation that turns its back on justice; that embraces prejudice toward its citizens; that has a lack of concern for the poor and indigent; and espouses faithless values.
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