Putting our misguided beliefs to the test

When I was learning to drive, my instructor explained early on about areas that my mirrors did not cover, and how important it was to look over my shoulder so as not to miss a car in my blind spot. I nodded yes, yes, but she wanted to demonstrate it. She got out of the car and told me to keep looking at my side mirror and tell her if I could see her. It was a nasty shock when I realised looking over my shoulder that she was standing by my back window and the mirror showed no one there! I realised that even though I mentally agreed to the truth she told me, I was deep down convinced that the mirror would show me what I needed to see. Sometimes a demonstration is required for us to recognise our misguided beliefs and for the truth to sink in.

A challenge and a demonstration

This is what Elijah is calling the people to as he challenges them about their attitude. His question in the Hebrew means ‘How long will you limp on two opinions’ (1 Kings 18:21), i.e. on trying to follow Baal and Yahweh at the same time. While worshipping several gods was the norm in the ancient world, Elijah says that the two are so incompatible with each other that it will only lead to spiritually hobbling along as if on crutches. Yet, the verbal challenge is not enough. Israel is resistant (they do not give an answer, v.21), probably because they are convinced that this both-and arrangement works well enough for them. Yes, there is a famine but who is to say that Elijah’s interpretation (that God withheld the rain) is correct? The prophet, however, goes further and suggests a practical demonstration where the two gods can show what they are able to do (1 Kings 18:23-24). Since Baal was a storm god, generally depicted with a thunderbolt in his hand, his worshippers would have felt confident that he could bring down fire to consume the sacrifice. Thus, they respond positively to the suggested experiment (v.24).

No voice and no answer

The situation soon turns into a farce when getting an answer from Baal does not come despite an extended time of calling out to him and a ritual dance (the word is the same root as the limping or hobble of the worshippers, 1 Kings 18:21, 26). The efforts become increasingly desperate as the prophets lacerate themselves with swords to show their serious intent and as they go into a frantic rave (1 Kings 18:28-29). Yet, no matter what they do, there is no voice, no answer, no one pays attention (vv. 26, 28). Elijah drives home the conclusion by his mockery: Baal is an ineffectual god who cannot hear or is busy or asleep (1 Kings 18:27). According to myth, Baal fights a battle with Mot (god of drought, infertility and the dead) and is overcome, only to be resurrected to bring rain and fertility again. It is debated whether this refers to a dramatic time of drought and famine or is meant to be understood as a cyclical event explaining the agricultural seasons. The point is that even by ancient standards, the gods are far from sovereign, all-powerful and all-knowing and here, Baal fails to deliver.

Our bankrupt options

There is so much in this incident that can resonate with our Christian experience. For most of us, the temptation is not an either-or choice but a both-and. We worship God, but we also look for fulfilment from what the world around us offers. Sometimes we only realise how much we rely on the latter when God’s will leads away from those. A couple I know felt called to the mission field, but the husband struggled to give up the prestige of a well-earning job and the material comforts that went with it. A friend of a friend was deeply unhappy with her singleness and when she met a manipulative and destructive man, she still decided to marry him because loneliness felt so much worse. Even when we know that the things we look to for fulfilment do not work, we still inflict pain on ourselves (like the Baal prophets lacerating themselves) in the hope of having some sort of answer. Knowing that our options are bankrupt, however, is not enough. We must see that the alternative God offers will truly meet our deepest needs.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with others.