READ: 1 Cor. 5:1-13
And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them … – 1 Kin. 18:40
The people see the impressive, scorching fire without any doubt as a response from God. They may also have experienced their own salvation with great fear.
In any case, “all the people saw it,” as it says (v. 39). In response, they fall on their faces and say, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” The repetition underscores their affirmation. Now they are certain. They are filled with awe. It is the same reaction as at the dedication of the tabernacle and temple. It is the Lord who evokes this confession. As Elijah prayed: “Lord, turn their hearts back.”
In one moment, He makes them give themselves to Him with reverence and awe, with their faces to the ground. Thus, He brings them to the confession: the LORD is God! Thus, He is honored after so many years of apostasy and desecration.
This faithful worship also requires the sanctification of their lives. God asked for this at Horeb as well. They must rid themselves of what is incompatible with His holiness. Idols must be removed. They may only serve the Lord. Not God and Baal or God and Mammon (Matt. 6:24). They must no longer waver between two opinions (v. 21). Therefore, all the prophets of Baal must be killed, which the people do. For church excommunication too: remove the wicked person from among you (1 Cor. 5:13).
Service to the LORD requires radical action from us. It often goes against our feelings when we must distance ourselves from things we find pleasant. The Lord
Jesus puts it this way: “If your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fiery hell” (Matt. 18:9).
We too must not play with fire but “serve God in a way that pleases Him with reverence and awe…” (Heb. 12:28,29).
Is the punishment of the Baal prophets merciful?
Sing: Ps. 28:2,3