KSYC Program 

Mount Carmel and Israel’s Apostasy

 

1 Kings 18:20-46; Revelation 2:18-29

January 4, 2014KSYC 103.9FM (Yreka) • Download this article

Today we continue with our study of Biblical mountains. We have looked at the mountains of Eden, Moriah, and Sinai. Now we look at the familiar story of Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. Mention the name Elijah in evangelical circles, and images of fire from heaven at Mount Carmel instantly come to mind.

Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge

Mount Carmel is a mountain by the seacoast overlooking the modern day city of Haifa in northern Israel. The priests and the prophets of Baal built an altar to their idol-god Baal on top of the mountain. From ancient Near East history, we learn that Baal worship was a bizarre mixture of idolatry, perverted sexuality and child sacrifice. The god Baal controlled the sun, the seasons and the weather. He could send rain, fire, thunder and lightning on the earth. So Baal worship presented an attractive alternative or supplement to the worship of the Lord (Yahweh) for many Israelites, especially because they were farmers.

During this time, the northern kingdom of Israel was ruled by the evil King Ahab. He added to his many sins when he married Jezebel, a Baal-worshiper. So Baal became one of the most important gods of the people. This was because Baal worship appealed, just as 1 John 2:16 says, first, to idolatrous eyes; second, to the desires of the flesh; and third, to the pride in possessions of the people.

Pagan Idolatry: The big challenge for Elijah was Israel’s violation of God’s first and second commandments, led by their wicked king Ahab himself and his pagan queen Jezebel. So Elijah went to the king, and asked him to gather all the people at Mount Carmel to decide once for all who is the true God: Israel’s Yahweh or the Canaanite Baal.

Because of their idolatry, God sent a fitting judgment on Israel: a three-year drought, so that their crops and farms failed. God showed them who is the master of the weather and the fertility of the land. Can their god Baal produce rain? No, only Yahweh, the one true God of Israel, can bring fertility and life, not Baal or any pagan gods.

At Mount Carmel, Elijah confronts the people to decide whom they will worship, Yahweh or Baal, “If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” But the people were not willing to make a commitment.

This is also a very dangerous situation for us today. When asked to repent and believe, some people will say, “Later, when I’m old and ready to die. But right now, I’ll relax, eat, drink and be merry.” But Jesus warns us, “Today, right now, is the day of salvation. Do not harden your hearts, because you don’t know when your soul will depart from you.”

Some people live for 70, 80 or 90 years. But some die at a very young age. It does not matter at what age you die, as long as you belong, body and soul, in life and in death, to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who has redeemed you from your sins and made you citizens of heaven. What if one day you discover that you only have days, or weeks or months to live? Are you sure that you will make your commitment to worship God alone? What if in a moment you became disabled and not able to have a mind to repent of your sins and believe in Christ? Like the Israelites whom God judged, you will be lost forever.

Elijah then asks the prophets to cut their bull-sacrifice, lay it on the wooden altar, and ask their idol-god Baal to send fire from heaven to consume the bull. From morning till late afternoon, they danced around the altar, and even mutilated their bodies in their pagan rituals to please Baal. Of course, there was no answer from a lifeless idol.

God warns his people Israel to be distinct from their idolatrous neighbors, so he prohibits them from copying these detestable pagan rituals to honor their dead or their idols. This principle of holiness, of being set apart and distinct from the unbelieving culture, is the mark of God’s people, whether in the old or new covenant.

When Elijah’s turn to pray came, he prayed to God to send fire so that the people may know who the true God of the universe is. The Lord answered him immediately as fire came down from heaven and consumed the bull, the representation of Baal. It was only then, after seeing this mighty wonder, that Israel acknowledged their true God.

Sexual Immorality: Baal controlled not only the weather, but also the fertility of the land and the people. Worshipers offered sacrifices and then engaged in sexual activity with the priests and priestesses. They believed that power and the fertility of the land came from this sexual activity connected with Baal worship. Baal worship also involved child sacrifice, which was an abomination to God.

In Scriptures, idolatry is called spiritual adultery against a jealous God. Thus, sexual immorality is almost always mentioned in connection with idolatry. Jesus even called the Jews of his day “an evil and adulterous generation.” Why? Because he condemned the Phar­isees and scribes for spiritual adultery: they did not worship the true God of grace and mercy, but their idols of good works, legalism, and signs and wonders.

Today, many people who call themselves Christians are spiritual adulterers! They profess faith in Christ, but the fruits of that faith are nowhere to be seen in their lives. They love the world’s pleasures and goods and thinking, more than the word of God. They spend hours on Facebook and computer games, but when the sermon is more than 10-15 minutes, they complain, “The sermon was too long!” They love singing man-centered “Christian” songs rather than the Psalms and the word of God. They would spend their money on expensive iPhones, iPads and Rock Band, but scorn buying inexpensive books about God and the Bible written by godly scholars.

In the story of Elijah’s destruction of the idol-god Baal, the Bible warns us that on Judgment Day, God will punish those who commit both spiritual and physical adultery.

Worldly Materialism: Another result of Israel’s spiritual adultery was their misguided dependence on their pagan god Baal for prosperity, asking him for signs and wonders. Today, many people are also bent on asking God to show them signs and wonders. They are obsessed with miraculous healings, speaking in tongues, prophecies, slaying in the spirit, and health and wealth in their lives.

For the love of an abundant harvest and a prosperous life, Israel sold themselves as adulterers who worship the idol-god Baal. And even from the very beginning, the church was already beset with the problem of materialistic greed. This is why Paul observed, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim 6:10).

Paul calls all kinds of sexually immorality, adultery, homosexuality, thievery, greed, drunkenness, reviling and swindling as forms of spiritual idolatry. For these gross sins, God destroyed Israel through the cruel Assyrians and Babylonians. Do not be deceived, Paul warns us: those who do these things, like Israel, will never inherit the kingdom of God.

Conclusion: Beloved friends, At Mount Carmel, the people of Israel had a choice: worship Yahweh the only True and Living God or Baal, a false and lifeless idol-god. Elijah told them to repent of their idolatry, sexual immorality and materialism.

When Christ died on the cross and rose again, he also freed his people from idolatry, sexual immorality, covetousness and all kinds of ungodliness. He gave them his own righteousness so they would not be consumed by his wrath. Because when Christ returns, those who worship the idols of the world today, rather than him and his Father in heaven, will be consumed by his fiery wrath.

But all those of you in whom the Holy Spirit created true repentance in your heart and faith in Christ alone, who worship the true God, creator of heaven and earth, will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” in the eternal glories and riches of heaven (Matt 13:43).

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, help us to make our full commitment to you, the only True and Living God, and to your Son Jesus Christ, the only True Savior. Today, we are surround­ed by many who seem to serve God, but serve other idols on the side. We are ever tempted to do the same. Let us remember the One for whom we were made that we might realize that we can be satisfied in Him alone, not by materialism and other idols of the heart.

This week, help us to be faithful witnesses to this truth from Elijah’s struggle against idolatry: to family, friends, co-workers, and even to strangers we meet along the way. Through Jesus’ name. Amen.

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