23/04/2021
A CONTEST OF ZEALS
In 1 Kings 18, I saw two genres of zeal. Zeal one was the Zeal of Elijah. It was a zeal that challenged demonic powers and their human agents. Baal, Asherah and their prophets were a cohort of demonic strongholds. It was a zeal that challenged ungodly kings. That was the description Elijah gave Ahab: "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals.” (18:18-19). It was a zeal that demonstrated confidence in the name of the Lord: “…you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire — he is God." (23-24). It was a zeal that counts majority based on whom God’s presence is with and not on numbers. Ratio 1:850 is a serious arithmetic! (19, 22). It was a zeal that can ridicule other gods right to their faces and that of their adherents and loyalists (27). It was a zeal that is calm and quiet in the face of challenges (30-33). It was a zeal that is full of knowledge and well organised. It was a zeal that knows whom God is and whom one is (36). It was a zeal that is purposeful. The ultimate goal of Elijah was to see repentance and revival among the people. His prayer in verse 37 is, “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."
But there was another category of zeal. Zeal two was the zeal of the prophets of Baal. It was a zeal that is ready to challenge God and his prophet (23-24). It was a zeal that trusts in the name of a false god (24). It was a zeal that made men call upon a dead god from morning till noon, shout, dance around a dead altar (26), slash themselves with sword and spears till their blood flowed (28). It was and prophesied frantically but prophesied absolutely mothing! They really believed a dead god was alive. No wonder, Elijah taunted them. In verse 27-29, the Scripture said, “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." So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.”
Where do we direct our z