Making the right choice

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah confronts Ahab and the pagan prophets of Israel. In verse 21 (KJV), he issues a famous line,

How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.

The prophets of Baal were present, but as verse 19 makes clear, so were the prophets of Asherah (called the "grove" in the KJV). As outlined in a previous post, Baal and Asherah were the gods of prosperity and fertility (lust).

So Elijah's message to the people -- and also to us! -- is that we must choose between God or the earthly pleasures and treasures of sin. We can't pursue both.

As if to emphasize the folly of the incorrect path, the prophets of Baal then engage in an elaborate, and embarrassing, ritual aimed at getting a divine demonstration of power from Baal. The predictable outcome (verse 29, KJV),

And it came to pass ... that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

The story then proceeds to a legitimate show of power from God.

So the lesson is clear. We have a choice. One path, despite its shiny appearance, is empty. The other is the path of life.