choose your God

Joshua 24 & 1 Kings 18 Joshua has proven himself as a faithful leader. He asks the people to renew their covenant commitment before his death. Elijah impresses us as a man of faith and perhaps some theatrical flair. Ahab called him the “troubler of Israel” but Elijah reverses that accusation (1 Kings 18:17,18) and suggests a spiritual contest to declare true allegiances. Questions: What will it take to convince you that God is more powerful than anything else in your life? … What course of action should you take when confronted with differing views about God? (do some research?, accept the most convincing?, just ignore viewpoints different from me) … What false gods in my life need to be exposed, deposed, and disposed? … What are the false gods of ‘the land where we live’? … How can you make sure you choose to serve seriously? … After one has experienced so many of God’s miracles & victories, how is it possible to revert back to idolatry? … How do we avert the temptation to revert?

Joshua 24:14,15 = Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

1 Kings 18:21 = How long will you waiver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.

Deuteronomy 5:7 = You shall have no other gods before me.

Lessons:

• It is impossible to serve multiple masters – abstaining is not a viable or reasonable option

• Once you commit, there should be no turning back >• ‘Heart loyalty’ must accompany any declaration of allegiance

I had a conversation earlier this week about the many choices we have each time we go to the store - plentiful fruit and vegetables no matter what the season. Way more than even a generation ago. And any product you can dream of - there's a store somewhere - and now a multitude of choices on the internet - is there nothing we cannot find? Some restaurants have menus that overwhelm us with choices. And our small connected multi-cultural world offers much to choose from when it comes to world views, values and religions. There were times in the Bible when the spiritual leaders asked for the people to register their choices, to renew their vows.

We will try and hear the similar challenges that both Joshua and Elijah place before us. Are you ready to register your decision? Our priorities, our time, our money, our reading, our actions - these will reveal just where our heart is.

King Ahab has sought relentlessly to find Elijah, number one on Israel’s most wanted list. Ahab demanded on oath assurance that no one was hiding the prophet. Ahab mistakenly believes Elijah is somehow responsible for drought. Hebrew “troubler” = “one who stirs up” …describes turgid liquids, murky waters … Elijah is regarded as a traitor disturbing the tranquility and prosperity of Israel because Baal seems to have lost his power and influence over the land as evidenced by drought

The folly of his logic: if Baal is truly god, Elijah could have no power over Israel. So how could he put a hex on the land?

The contest was necessary – to prove that the Baal cult was powerless and nothing less than idolatry. It was also necessary so as to renew the spiritual allegiance of God’s people, which had dwindled, fizzled and melted into a melded mess of superstitious paganism with traces of memory of the one true living God.

The location of Mt. Carmel is not insignificant – it was the centre of the local Baal worship. It is close to the border with Phoenicia, so the ‘showdown’ is coming down within earshot of Jezebel – the driving force behind the assault on Elijah and his God. Also, there is a luxurious valley in the area, so fertility based religion thrives in the region.

Lessons:

1. The Lord of Israel will tolerate no compromise when it comes to devotion, no combination of multiple deities.

1 Kings 18:21 = How long will you waiver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.

Deuteronomy 5:7 = You shall have no other gods before me.

Hebrew = literally = “stop hopping between two boughs” … word for bough = also used for thoughts … therefore, as branches go off in various directions, so thoughts and opinions can go off in all directions (ideas about God) … Hebrew = literally = word for hop is also used for lameness (Mephibosheth from a childhood accident 2 Sam. 9:13) and a condition that disqualifies one from holding priestly office (Lev. 21:18)

The hopping around of deity devotion is paralleled by frantic altar dancing (vs. 26) and bloodletting (vs. 28) • The concept seems to suggest a lack of whole-hearted dedication • distraction/allegiance flows ebbs and flows like the tide, responding to outside influences of attraction (the moon’s gravity) • reminds us of James 1:5-8 (a verse for next week “Choose Wisdom”)

2. God intervenes with His powerful presence … fire = divine presence (Ex. 3:2, 19:18, 24:17) … fire attests divine acceptance & approval of the sacrifice (1 Chron. 21:26) (both concepts together in Jud. 6:20-22 = Gideon + Lev. 9:22-24 = Moses) … so where do you need to see God’s power & presence in your life these days

3. Time to toss the false gods we are attracted to, intrigued by, devoted to (example of Hindu converts in India turning over boxes/bags of idols to the Pastor for disposal) …. Idols, imposters

EXPOSED + DEPOSED + DISPOSED

• The fertility religion is not really a ‘respect for the land’ religion, an ‘O, isn’t mother nature grand’ religion: it is nothing more than a religion of materialism (see NIV Application Commentary, August Konkel, Zondervan 2006) … agricultural and economic success were at stake … this resonates well with our culture and time!

Joshua’s call to choose now rings in our memory banks: Joshua 24:14,15 = Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. • Beyond the river …. Back in Egypt? (Jordan?)(sun god?) … Back in Ur of Chaldees? (Euphrates?) (moon worship?) … Amorites = fertility gods

EXTRA NOTES:

1. Idols for Destruction: Christian Faith and its Confrontation with American Society, Herbert Schlossberg, Thomas Nelson, 1983

• Idols of History, Humanity, Mammon, Nature, Power, Religion,

2. Imposters of God: inquiries into favorite idols, William Stringfellow, Geo. A. Pflaum Pub., 1969

• “Few modern men in the postindustrial societies acknowledge that they are idolaters. Yet idolatry is pervasive in every time and culture, no less now than yesterday, no less in Washington than Gomorrah, no less among sophisticates than aborigines. Is there any difference between middle class people idolizing their children and heathen venerating their ancestors? Is the present idolatrous fascination with science significantly distinguishable from the adoration of fire and thunder? All idols are imposters of God.”