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Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ The people did not answer him a word.”
NL Daily Devotion for November 3, 2019
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Like the northern kingdom, we also blend our allegiances to God and things not of God.
The kingdom was divided. Israel in the north continued to worship the gods of surrounding countries. Their kings were routinely assassinated, and they never quite gained traction as a formidable power. At the time of King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, the people had fallen into terrible habits of idol worship, and the prophets that preached against it were all murdered.
Except for Elijah. When he was the only prophet remaining, he challenged the followers and prophets of Baal to a duel—Baal against God. In this duel, the god that lit the bull offering on fire would win.
Elijah showed up for the challenge with drama and flair. First, he mocked the prophets of Baal when their god failed to produce fire. Then, he doused his own altar with water three times to prove there was no trickery and that God was just that powerful. Of course, God prevailed, consuming everything from the bull to the altar—even the water in the trench—with fire. God was the one true God!
The people were convinced, but not for long. As is often the case with dramatic turn-arounds, unless there is significant follow-up, when the energy enthusiasm fades, so does the resolve. The people will once again fall to their old behaviors, and the kingdom would remain divided.
One of the reasons the northern kingdom struggled so much was that they continued to divide their loyalties between the God of the ancestors and the idols of nearby countries. Elijah sought to point out their ambivalence, but to no lasting avail. Wishy-washy won over commitment.
Ambivalence is often problematic, even for us today. We know the things of God, but we often disregard them for shinier, newer things like tech, money, prestige, relationships, spirituality. Like the Israelites, we don’t necessarily eliminate the things of God from our lives. Instead, we blend the things of God with the things of the world, muddying our faith walks. (Don’t beat yourself up—it’s a human thing.)
What might it look like to choose and commit ourselves to God?
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