What's Your Golden Calf? Confronting Idolatry预览

THE LORD IS THE ONE TRUE GOD 

In the Bible, we see people drifting away from God and worshiping idols time and time again. King Ahab of Israel's Northern Kingdom (the evilest king of Israel!) and his wife, Jezebel, worshiped the idols Baal and Asherah instead of the one true God. The showdown on Mount Carmel between God and Baal, a human-made god, is worth reading if you don't already know it. It proved that God is the one true God, and He is the God to follow. 

The story takes place in First Kings, chapter eighteen, beginning with verse 16. As the pagan worshipers called out to their idol, Baal, there was no answer all morning. The prophet Elijah was fully aware that their prophesying to Baal was futile because gods made by human hands can neither speak, hear, nor see. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." (1 Kings 18:27 NIV) 

Elijah then called out to God in prayer, saying, "Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." (1 Kings 18:37 NIV) God heard his prayer, answered his request, and proved His supreme and almighty power by raining fire down onto the sacrifice, burning it up, and burning up a huge amount of water that had been poured on the altar. When the people saw this, they fell to the ground announcing that the Lord is God.

Who are you following? Who are you worshiping? The one true and sovereign God hears you when you call out to Him and answers your prayers according to His will. He never sleeps, is never too busy for you, and is always with you. God never goes on vacation!

When you depend on something other than God, such as power, status, or material possessions, they can become your god if you devote your life to them, which can become dangerous. Such idols are silent when you desperately call out to them in times of crisis and can't offer real answers, guidance, or wisdom. Only God can do that. We can have faith that God will come through for us, as He did when He flashed fire from heaven for Elijah. He can turn hearts back to Him, as He did with the Baal worshipers who witnessed God's actions on Mount Carmel. Begin today to give your worship to  the Lord, the one true God. 

The illustration from The Wiedmann Bible Art-Edition depicts the showdown on Mount Carmel.