Sunset For Baal...Elijah pt 7

https://billrandles.wordpress.com/2021/11/26/the-sun-sets-on-baal-elijah-pt-7/ ^ | 11-26-21 | Bill Randles

[pastorbillrandles]

Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.( I Kings 18:19-21)

The time had come for the moment of Truth for the apostate nation of Israel. God had raised up Elijah to bring the nation to this point of decision, would they continue to serve Baal or would Israel return unto the LORD ?

What is Baalism?

Baalism, was the religion of Canaan, which was supplanted when God sent the Hebrews into the promised land, with instructions to destroy everything that had anything to do with Baal and his consort Ashteroth; any idols, groves, priest, altars, worshippers of Baal, all were to be driven out of the promised land, and uprooted without hesitation.

Baal and Ashteroth were fertility gods, and the worship of them involved every imaginable perverted sexual practice, including human sacrifice, incest and bestiality. Baalism expresses itself politically through the worship and absolute rule of the State.

Remember that by the time of Elijah, Israel had gone from true religion, then the split, (Shortly after the reign of Solomon) , unto a new State religion, (the worship of two golden calves, new holy days, and the new priesthood appointed by the KING to serve the State), and finally, through Jezebel, into Baalism.

Israel had reverted back to the pre-conquest religion of Canaan, as though Moses and Joshua had never happened.

There were 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets ofAshteroth. Many of these were castrated men, or homosexuals, temple prostitutes (men and women) completely sold out to Baal, (which means LORD, or Husband).

Notice that Elijah demands a choice of the people,“If the LORD is God , follow Him, or if Baal is God, follow him…” and then asks the question, “Why halt between two opinions?”

Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. ( I Kings 18:23-25)

The choice would be clear; two altars, two sacrifices, and two sources of prayer… which God will answer by fire?

It is somewhat amazing to see the submissiveness of Ahab and Baal; they listen to Elijah’s challenge, they assemble at Elijah’s word, they go about constructing and preparing a sacrifice because Elijah challenges them to… The Baal worshippers obeyed Elijah, seemingly without comment.

And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.( I Kings 18:26-28)

The Priests of Baal began by calling upon his name, and using meaningless repetition, ( As Jesus once referred to the prayers of heathen). When this proves fruitless after several hours, they began to whip themselves up into a fanatical frenzy, leaping about the altar, in a vain attempt to get their ‘god’ to strike the altar with lightning.

(Baal was often portrayed as being the god of thunder, and lightning, and his image portrayed him holding a lightning bolt.)

When leaping didn’t work, and as the frustration mounted, (Partly due to the silence of Baal, and partly due to the trolling of the prophet of God in mockery), the devotees began to escalate, into self harm, piercing and cutting themselves until they bled in their efforts to induce this ‘god’ into some kind of response. But there was no answer.

Paganism is always emotion and experience based religion, and usually involves human degradation, then it’s worship always descends into violence either against the self or sooner or later, against others. Blood is spilt, not the blood sacrifice appointed by the Most High, rather the blood of the worshipper or against others, such as when Shiite Muslims flagellate themselves in the streets and cut little babies or children, in commemoration of the death of Ali, Mohammed’s nephew.

And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.( I Kings 18:29)

In Hebrew culture, the new day begins at sundown, not sunrise. As the Sun set, we read that in spite of the exhausting frenzy of the Baal worship, the cuttings, bleedings, the devotional leaping, and ecstatic utterances, there was nothing, only silence.

No answer came from Baal, because though there may be a spiritual entity behind the various images and forms representing Baal and Ashteroth, the truth is, they are impotent, deaf , dumb and lame.

Had the priests and congregation of Baal and Ashteroth listened to King David, a prophet of the only true and living God, they would have known this to be true.

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.( Psalms 115:1-8)

Thus did the Sun began to set that day on MT Carmel, ( Which was a place believed to be by the pagans, the place where the ‘gods’ came down upon the earth).

Not only did the sun set o Carmel, but before the eyes of the assembled witnesses ( The congregation of apostate Israel), the sun began to set of Baal as well.

[sauropod]

Bkmk