Biblical Reference: I Kings 18:17-39
But first....
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Elijah vs. the Baalists
"Elijah Fires Up Mount Carmel"
The story, of course, is about the confrontation between Elijah and the 450 priests of Baal. Elijah’s name represents the battle he is fighting. Eli – jah = The Lord (Yahweh) is God (Elohim). You probably know the details…it’s a great tale. (NRSV text is reproduced below, at the end of this Mid-Week Message.)
Now, there are some difficult elements in this story. First, there is the miraculous blast of fire from heaven. Not a big surprise to some ancient religions. Thor had his hammer; Zeus and Jupiter tossed thunderbolts. Later, the Apostle Paul will be hit by lightning and survive, according to the Book of Acts.
But the circumstances of this particular fire bolt make us suspect mythology rather than meteorology is at work here. I’ve often wondered if Elijah might have doused the offering three time with some kind of accelerant…but kerosene, gasoline and other inflammatory liquids were thousands of years in the future, and oil would not have fooled anyone.
Looking at the story as the ancients must have seen it, the narrative compels the listener to consider four factors:
1) The supremacy of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to Baal, the god of the Canaanites.
2) The non-existence of Baal and, by inference, of all other gods but Yahweh.
3) The demand that Israel serve NO OTHER god, because the Lord is the supreme God.
4) True prophets produce visible results. False prophets don’t.
Metaphysically, this is a battle playing within every one of us. Shall we serve the Lord?—which means knowing the Truth about our indwelling Christ, the God within each of us—or shall we serve Baal, the counterfeit god of man-made religions?
When you look up the elements of this confrontation in Charles Fillmore’s Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, you find that Baal takes quite a beating in symbolic terms. Over 75 years ago, Mr. Fillmore wrote about the dangers of all the pop-fad spirituality in which American Truth students love to dabble. And I’ve got to tell you, I was frankly shocked when I first discovered how explicitly Charles Fillmore condemned, by name, a lot of practices which are still popular to this day. As you read this, please remember that Mr. Fillmore was the soul of civility, a kindly, affirming, inclusive, supportive man who seldom criticized anyone and who certainly believed that Truth can be found in all the religions of humanity:
“Baal…represent(s) nature in its various sensuous aspects…When we fall into the evils…we think that the planets and stars rule over us and that it is necessary to pay them a certain degree of homage because of their influence. Some people to this day have great faith in their ‘ruling planets,’ and think that they are bound to certain traits of character because they were born when those sidereal bodies were in the ascendancy. They are forgetful of the God power within them, and so they are brought into condemnation.” [1]
Ouch! Strong words. The Co-founder of Unity, talking about “condemnation”? Surely this must be a mistake. Listen as Mr. Fillmore continues:
“Luck, chance, sorcery, familiar spirits, and wizardry are some of the avenues through which (Baal consciousness) attempts to regulate…(us). Astrology, palmistry, the guidance of spirits, mesmerism, hypnotism, are some of the many modern forms of denial of God. Indulged in for a time they lead the negative mind into deeper and deeper bondage, until the transgressed law reacts upon the transgressor and he is put ‘in chains’ and bound ‘with fetters’ and carried away to Babylon, or utter confusion. The way to escape is through prayer to God and return to His ‘city of peace’ within the soul, Jerusalem.” [2]
Mr. Fillmore is castigating the spiritually promiscuous attitude which, in Glimpses of Truth, I have called pop-fad spirituality, something akin to the lackadaisical religiosity which Deitrich Bonhoeffer, the WWII Protestant martyr, called “Cheap Grace”.
From Glimpses:
“Metaphysical Christianity has fought long and bravely for recognition of its status as a legitimate expression of Christian faith. Charles Fillmore realized that a movement so open-minded was bound to attract the lunatic fringe, so he repeatedly called for his branch of the Christian Truth movement to remember its roots deep within the Judeo-Christian heritage. He would brook no compromise with those who wanted to move ‘beyond’ Christianity into either the normlessness of syncretism or the netherworld of dependency to psychic phenomena.” [3]
People should explore new thoughts…that’s what New Thought is all about. However, when the Baals of life come knocking on the door, a healthy response might be to greet them with a smile and ask them for credentials: “Mr. Baal, sir, can you show me some good ideas which outpicture as spiritual benefits in the real world?”
It’s okay to question one’s religion; as noted, the Baalists Elijah was addressing were fellow Israelites. It’s okay to ask for clarification; it’s even okay to say, “No, that doesn't work for me.” Critical thinking can be accomplished without arrogance, condescension or condemnation. The objective is to focus on what works and doesn't work for you, not what’s good and evil.
Elijah was not condemning the religion of another people…these were Hebrews, followers of King Ahab. He’s the King who married Jezebel, and very few mothers name their daughters after his wife to this day. The Bible also records that, “Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him.” (I Kings 16:33)
That’s quite an achievement, to be the worst King in the history of Israel. They had some real stinkers. Let’s not forget, this was a battle for the soul of a nation. If Judaism was to become a light to the gentiles and a beacon for the yet unborn faiths of Christianity and Islam, the Hebrew faith had to outgrow its pagan past and become a truly monotheistic religion. Judaism was built on law, but it was steeped in compassion for the poor and the helpless. Baalism was a wild ecstatic cult which practiced sacred prostitution, sympathetic magic, and bizarre rituals that included slicing yourself until the blood runs during their fits of frenzy. Not exactly the kind of doctrine that makes a good platform for religions of tolerance and forgiveness. Spirituality in Judaism has always been linked to works of good will, moderation and kindness, even among the most fervent Jews.
The question is, how do you question without condemnation? The common element in the test of faith employed by Elijah and Charles Fillmore seems to be this: Does it work for the benefit of people in the real world? To use an anthropological term which I've introduced to my students at Unity Institute, is the idea or practice adaptive or maladaptive?
Adaptive beliefs and behaviors contribute to the health and well-being of the individual and the group. Maladaptive traits work against individual and group wholeness and prosperity. This is a useful tool which can help people evaluate spiritual ideas and practices.
So, what can be learned from the confrontation between Elijah and the Priests of Baal….at the risk of sounding like I might be taking a stand…let me suggest that there ARE some places where people must take a stand. There are fences beyond which a sensible, God-centered person cannot venture without departing from reason and moderation. It is okay to look at Osama bin Laden’s insane Islamic fundamentalism and say, “No way…that is not worship of the true God, it’s blood-letting Baalism.”
It’s okay to read horoscopes, but you are not bound to the stars’ decrees. It’s okay to explore exotic ideas and read esoteric literature, but you do not need channeled messages from exalted, departed masters, or crystals to empower you, or secret rituals to heal you, or UFO abductions to transform you, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to make you more spiritual. You ARE the Christ. You have all healing power within you. And you can call down fire from that heaven of consciousness and light your life. You don’t need guru’s, pop psychology icons, motivation speakers, or hidden knowledge. Truth is obvious. God is good, Life is good. God has everything under control.
God is not somewhere up there beyond the clouds; God is inside you. To find God, don’t look up—look inside! Fearlessly sweep away all the false gods and their prophets within your consciousness… whatever keeps you from realizing your divine potential. And then make way for the God Who answers with the fire of love and the force of power enough to make your dreams come true.
1 MDB, 87.
2 Ibid.
3 Thomas W. Shepherd, Glimpses of Truth (Miami: UFBL Press, 2000), Ch.19.
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I Kings 18:17-39 (NRSV)
17 When (King) Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?”
18 He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 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.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.”
All the people answered, “Well spoken!”
25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.”
26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made.
27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood.
He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time, 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.
36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.”
