1st Kings 18:17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.
The passage of scripture above tells us of the reason why the spiritual battle which took place on Mt. Carmel became necessary, and the reason is because the Hebrews needed to make a definitive choice between good and evil, between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. Jezebel, who was the daughter of a pagan priest, was married to king Ahab of Israel, and because of her upbringing, she introduced idolatry of the darkest hue to the Jews, who were already prone to wander from God. Instead of obeying the laws that God had given them for their own good and longevity, they succumbed to the devices of the devil, and he succeeded in bringing the nation to its knees, through the dreadful famine that became necessary, so that the needed corrections could take place.
The proposal made by Elijah would then show beyond all doubt, who the only true God is, and thus the people would be led to give Him their allegiance, if they so chose. Elijah then began by addressing the wavering disposition of the Israelites, the tendency to believe at times, and at others to doubt. Let's read:
1st Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
The result of this reasonable proposal established the fact that indeed the people had been deceived through the worship of false gods, by a signal departure from the commandments of God, and what took place next represents a great spiritual awakening that will proceed the imminent return of Christ, for a final call is to be made to the inhabitants of this earth, for all who are on the Lord's side to take a definite stand for truth, righteousness, and the law of God, that has been so neglected and trampled upon in this our day. Let's read:
1st Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
In our day, the commandments of God are being trampled underfoot, just as it was in the days of old, for we have now come to a time when the teaching of absolute truth is not accepted or relished anymore, and almost everyone does what is right in their own eyes, so that we have now become a law unto ourselves, through the doctrine of relativism. The reason why we are seeing so much turmoil in the physical realm and in the spiritual arena is because we have departed far from God's ideal, and have now resorted to legalizing iniquity, so that we are fast becoming morally bankrupt as a nation. When any individual or nation departs from the great ideals laid down in God's word, the inevitable result would be chaos, confusion and war, for the wages of sin is death, whereas, the laws and statutes given us by God tend to life. Let's read:
Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
It then behooves us both individually and collectively to take a decided stand for the right, so that it may go well with us and our children, and so that we can be restored to God's favor. Let us search our own souls by the grace of God, to see if there be any cherished sin, or if there is any known departure from the principles of righteousness, and if any error is found, God is willing and able to pardon and cleanse from all sin. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to do just that, for the time of Christ's return draws near. Let's read:
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
May this be our experience today and for the rest of our lives. God bless!