Thoughts on 1 Kings 18

Today's reading: 1 Kings 18; 2 Timothy 1

There is a lot we could talk about out of 1 Kings 18 this morning. There's a reason the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is so well known, even among people who don't know the Old Testament very well, and that's partly because it's just such good preaching fodder for a lot of topics. But what stuck me as I was reading the account this morning was the stark contrast between the frenzy of the prophets of Baal and the quiet calmness of Elijah, and I couldn't help but wonder which one churches today more reflect.

The contest we read about in this chapter is a relatively simple one: Put together an offering to your god, and whichever god burns up their offering is the god Israel should be worshipping. This is a contest of power between Yahweh and Baal to see who is worthy of their worship.

This is a bit of a side-note, and if you are a regular reader of this blog, this will probably come as no surprise to you, but I feel like it's worth pointing out that I don't question (and I don't think Elijah did either) the existence of Baal. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10 that what pagans offer, they offer to demons and not to God. So while I am certainly not a polytheist, we have to recognize what the bible itself recognizes, that there are very real spiritual entities/powers behind these pagan gods. What that means is that, very likely, Baal is not just a mute statue somewhere that has never spoken through his prophets or performed any supernatural feats. I'm willing to bet that the prophets of Baal weren't just hopping around, knowing full well that nothing would happen. They expected Baal to be able to do this. But Yahweh is greater than Baal, and in this contest He would not allow him to move, no matter how loudly his worshippers called for him.

Look at the difference though between the prophets of Baal and Elijah in this contest. The prophets of Baal call out to him, and when they don't get the reaction they want they start limping around the altar, cutting themselves until their blood is gushing out, and raving all afternoon, trying to arouse a response from Baal. In contrast to the wild frenzy and spectacle of the prophets of Baal, Elijah calmly and expectantly prays to the Lord, and the Lord moves mightily. There was no spectacle from Elijah, there was no frenzy, no whipping up an emotional craze, just the quiet assurance that Yahweh would move, and He did!

The reason this struck me is that I see so many churches today intent on trying to manufacturer a spiritual experience for their congregations. The Sunday service becomes more spectacle and show, trying to generate the emotion of deep connection with God, as though that emotional frenzy will be the key for people actually going deeper in their walks with the Lord. But God does not need a big, emotional frenzy to work. The Holy Spirit isn't more present when the stage is well lit and the lead singer is right on key. And no manufactured emotional experience will ever be a substitute for the true work of the Holy Spirit in someone's heart and mind.

People don't need to be whipped up into an emotional frenzy to learn to love and follow God, they need to be challenged, encouraged, and admonished by His Word. It is the Word of God, not the week's top 10 Christian hits, that are living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4). It is the words that come forth from the Lord's mouth that will not return empty, but will accomplish the Lord's purpose and succeed in the thing for which He sent them (Isaiah 55).

Too many churches today are playing up the spectacle, because that's what people like and enjoy, and downplaying the Word of God, because that is what is challenging and makes people uncomfortable with their lives of sin and rebellion against Him. If the goal is numbers, then this makes sense. The prophets of Baal were clearly better at gathering followers for Baal than Elijah was at gathering followers for Yahweh. People enjoy the spectacle. But if the goal is spiritual, rather than numerical, growth, then it is the faithful preaching of the Word that should be the focus rather than the spectacle.

Yes, we are instructed to speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5). And yes, when we come together, each one is to have a psalm, teaching, revelation, etc. (1 Corinthians 14). This should be part of communal life and worship as the Body of Christ. But for too many churches today, it seems like this is becoming the point of meeting together rather than that we would grow together through faithfully engaging with the Spirit in the Word. The manufactured emotion might feel effective or productive in the moment, but it is ultimately powerless to transform lives and call people to true depth in their relationship with God the way the teaching and study of the Scriptures can.

We don't need the frenzy of the prophets of Baal to convince our God to move, what we need is the quiet assurance that when we come together in His name, the Lord is already in our midst and will change hearts and transform lives by the power of His Word.