1Kings 18:30-40

 

July 14, 2021

 

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down.   Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,”² and with the stones, he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed.   And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”   And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time.  And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.

And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.   Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.”  Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.   And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”   And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there

You do understand, it makes no sense to those standing around why you would put water on wood that you wanted to burn, but then much of what God is up to does not follow human knowledge.  The Prophets of Baal had spent most of the day begging the god that could not see, nor hear to send fire to their altar, they even cut themselves, so blood ran from their bodies.  But no fire had come.

 

Elijah builds the altar and fills the altar with wood and the cut-up bull, and water till it fills the trench around the altar, and then he said. “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.   Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.”  Fire fell from heaven and consumed the altar, the meat, the wood, and the water, and the people fell on their faces in fear of the God who is not a little god who could not hear or see, much less sent the fire.

 

Do you want God to awaken the Church in the USA, to our Creator the Lord Jesus Christ that died for the sin of the world?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice