Elijah appealed to all the people and said,
"How long will you straddle the issue?
If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him."
The people, however, did not answer him.
"How long will you straddle the issue?
If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him."
The people, however, did not answer him.
Several years ago I sang for two semesters with Saint Catherine’s Choral Society in Saint Paul, Minnesota. During the first semester we sang Mendelssohn’s Elijah. I will always remember that wonderful piece when I read this story from the First Book of Kings, and especially the choirs’ astonishment as we sang, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
A too casual reading might elicit pity for the priests of Baal who were ruthlessly slaughtered. I’ve heard the same pity expressed for the Pharaoh and his Egyptian army as they pursued the Hebrews into the Red Sea. That compassion is misplaced. The point is "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
After seeing fire fall from the sky upon Elijah's altar, the people would no longer straddle the issue between YHWH and Baal. They made their choice.
A consumer society often straddles issues. We cannot decide republican or democrat. We cannot decide monogamous marriage or serial divorce. We want everything and choose nothing. The only commitments some people are willing to make are the design of their tattoos! Go figure!
Of Christians and Catholics the Lord God demands fealty. This must be a daily and hourly choice. Like the faithful spouse, God’s people are always aware of their Beloved God. Wherever we go, God is there. It is our privilege and our pleasure always to be in God’s presence. Even our heart beat drums the message,"The LORD is God! The LORD is God!"
But some people have such great stories as to why they tattoo the pictures they do. It is so interesting. Well, I have an interesting story about my journey with the Lord. So there!
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