How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. 1 Kings 18:21b

Devotion

The story of Elijah taking on King Ahab, his wife Jezebel, and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings is one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible. The northern kingdom of Israel was being ruled by an evil king, Ahab. King Ahab took a foreign wife (Jezebel) who led the people astray after other gods. He worshipped Baal and made an Asherah. King Ahab sacrificed two of his children to these gods as an offering while he was building new structures. 1 Kings 16 says Ahab “did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.”

What is also very interesting about King Ahab is that by many accounts, he was a very effective political ruler. He did many things that were quite astute, that helped build the military, fortify cities, grow the economy, and stave off attacks from other nations. In Ahab's case, two things were true at the same time:

• You can make some good political decisions; and
• You can be disobedient and provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.

As Elijah is called to confront King Ahab, he does it from a position of utter weakness. King Ahab is the power of the land, and there are 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah standing before the one prophet of God. Elijah is calling Ahab out, not for his political decisions, but for how he has turned astray from God and by doing so has led his people astray. The people of Israel have all been gathered together to watch this showdown (1 Kings 18). As they are all standing there watching Elijah, he asks them a simple question, “Who will you serve?” These people to date have not stood up to King Ahab; they have gone along with what he is doing that they know is not right. And when Elijah asks them that question, before the miracle occurs, the Bible tells us, “The people did not answer him.”

I wonder why the people did not answer Elijah? Why did they not know what was right, what was wrong, and what they should do? Was it because they had been led astray by multiple generations of faithless kings? Was it because their hearts were hardened? Was it because they were afraid? Were they so afraid because their trust wasn’t actually in God, it was in the powers of the day? Was their actual allegiance to King Ahab or to the other gods, rather than to the LORD our God?

God worked a glorious miracle that day and the people saw the power of God demonstrated in the most remarkable way. But Elijah asked the people to choose who they would serve before that power was demonstrated. Every day we are given a choice of “who we will serve.” We wake up each morning, we attend each meeting, we go to each sporting event, we engage in each phone conversation, we get on our smartphones and computers, we turn on the TV, we walk through the doors of our local church … with each activity we engage in, we must ask ourselves, “Who will we serve?” We decide today, we decide tomorrow, and we will decide each day of our lives.

We will be tempted each and every day to serve a power other than God, but let us be like Elijah and stare down the overwhelming powers that stand before us. Let us trust in God for he is the true power of all powers. Let us choose to serve him, not limping between two opinions, but making God our complete allegiance, nothing else—for he is so worthy, and his love is unending.

PRAYER

Father, may you increase our faith in you. May you keep us from the temptation of trusting in the powers around us. Let us have the courage and strength to accept the cost that comes from serving you with 100% of our allegiance, for we know it is for good and that your will is always good and beautiful. Bless all who read this devotion, may they be yours.

Blake Bastin
Pastor, Ministry & Operations

Resources:

Watch the Holiness series with Dr. Cliff Sanders and the School of Wesleyan Studies.

Explore other devotions like this one any time at crossings.church/devotions .