1 Kings 18:21: “And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people answered him not a word.”

July 21st, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

During King Ahab’s reign, Baal worship reached new heights. His wife, Jezebel, had “massacred the prophets of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:4) and put in their place 850 heathen prophets of Baal and Asherah. Obadiah, Ahab’s servant, had hidden 150 prophets in caves. And there was also the prophet Elijah, who God had preserved. Elijah was a highly unusual, totally sold out man of God. He marched to a different drummer. He knew what he stood for and had a strong sense of purpose. He wasn’t moved by peer pressure but was committed, uncompromising, firm, and assured.

Because of Ahab and the people of Israel’s idol worship, it had not rained for over 3 years in the land. But at the end of those 3 years, the Lord told Elijah to go to Ahab and that it would rain. So Elijah, 1 man, challenged the 450 prophets of Baal to offer a sacrifice on Mount Caramel. They would call on their gods, while he would call on God; and they would see whether God or Baal would answer with fire. The prophets of Baal tried for hours to call upon their gods, but there was no answer. Then Elijah drenched his sacrifice in water and called on the Lord. Fire came from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, the stone altar, the dust, and even the water. And afterwards it rained.

The prophets of Baal probably thought of themselves as progressives who were throwing off the restraints of a repressive society. But they were in fact, deeply committed to immorality and were leading the whole nation into moral decay. The people of Israel were a halting, stumbling multitude as they faltered between 2 very different worldviews. If asked, they no doubt would have said they believed in the God of Israel; but all of them were bowing their knees to false gods. Their devotion was mixed, diluted, making them wishy-washy and unsteady. They had no solid commitment to either God Almighty or the many man-made material gods. They were committed to nothing and therefore open to everything, which is why Elijah challenged them (and us) to choose whether they would follow God or Baal.

To falter between 2 opinions literally means, “to limp along on or between 2 twigs.” Elijah’s challenge today is still uncomfortable but awesome because it speaks so clearly to the church around the world. So many are trying to play both sides of the fence, keeping a foot in both worlds. Pastor A. W. Tozer said it well:

Whoever is on God’s side is on the winning side and cannot lose; whoever is on the other side is on the losing side and cannot win. Here there is no chance, no gamble. There is freedom to choose which side we shall be on but no freedom to negotiate the results of the choice once it is made. By the mercy of God we may repent a wrong choice and alter the consequences by making a new and right choice. Beyond that we cannot go.

“LORD, we choose You again this day, no compromise, no turning back, no hopping back and forth between You and the world.”