Israel was decimated by the drought. Everything was dusty-dry. The few flocks and livestock that had survived were gaunt, meager skeletons wrapped in hide.
Many in the nation wondered why Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had abandoned them. Others, worshippers of Baal, wondered why the god who ruled the rains had failed to do his job. Israel was hopeless. Broken. Defeated.
Then came the stunning announcement. Elijah, the prophet of God who had announced God’s judgment had now invited the nation to gather on the slopes of Mount Carmel.
With Ahab and his minions on one side, and the impoverished people of Israel on the other, Elijah spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). In what is likely a more accurate translation, the English Stand Version reads: “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21, ESV).
Elijah rebuked the people for sitting on the fence. They were double-minded, trying to appease both Jehovah and Baal, but faithful to neither. Like a drunk trying to walk a straight line, they were weaving and “limping” between right and wrong, between the Living God and the dead Baal.
Joshua warned Israel following the conquest of the Canaanite territories. Standing at the “Y” in the road, Joshua exclaimed, “Fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord. But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship—the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord” (Joshua 24:14–15).
When you and I first plant our feet on the cold carpet in the morning, we stand at the “Y” in the road. When we face troubles and trials, we stand at the “Y” in the road. When we make decisions, big and small, it’s the “Y” in the road. So, will we gratify our own pleasures and desires, or will we serve the Lord? Will we “limp” aimlessly along or will we walk the narrow path of obedience? Because “the Lord is God, follow him!”
“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).
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