The Fire Making Challenge

A Lenten series on Mountaintop Moments
– Elijah on Mount Carmel
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
1 Kings 18:16-46

[In this Lenten series, we will be looking at Mountaintop Moments. These mountains are more than just geographical features. They symbolize divine encounters and moments of revelation, faith and transformation. In other words, meeting God on the mountain top.]

  

At the end of the season of the TV show Survivor, there are four contestants remaining. However, only three will advance to the final. The bottom two compete in a fire making challenge to determine who that will be.

 

With a million dollars at stake, the competition is fierce, and the pressure is intense. But it pales in comparison to the competition and pressure that Elijah faced in his fire making challenge. His life was literally on the line.

 

Fifty-six years after the nation of Israel split into the northern kingdom (Israel) and southern kingdom (Judah), Ahab took power as the king of Israel. His reign was marked by significant idolatry and the promotion of Baal worship, largely influenced by his wife, Jezebel. Because of this, the Lord seethed with anger.

 

As a prophet of the Lord, Elijah confronted Ahab and Jezebel many times. On one such occasion, he directly challenged Baal, the Canaanite god of rain and fertility, when he told Ahab that “there will be no dew or rain… until I give the word!”

 

For the following three and a half years of the draught, Elijah hid from Ahab and Jezebel. Meanwhile in Israel, things had gotten much worse. Ahab blamed Elijah for the famine and had been looking for him everywhere to punish him. Not only was the famine very severe, but Jezebel had been killing the prophets of the Lord.

 

In one of the most dramatic scenes in the Bible, Elijah returned to Israel where he challenged four hundred fifty prophets of Baal to come to Mount Carmel for a fire making challenge. “All of Israel” gathered to watch.

 

²¹ Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.        NIV

 

First, the prophets of Baal prepared their altar by placing the sacrificial bull on the wood, but did not light it. Then they called upon Baal for fire. From morning until noon they shouted, they danced, they cut themselves… but with no response.

 

Following their failure, Elijah prepared his altar. Besides the wood and the sacrificial bull, he also had large amounts of water poured over everything; not just one time, but three times!

 

Without performing the theatrics like the prophets of Baal, Elijah prayed a simple prayer. And when he finished, “the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench”.

 

Why did Elijah challenge the prophets of Baal? The answer is in his prayer.

 

^36b “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. ³⁷ O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”    NLT

 

This wasn’t just a challenge of the prophets of Baal, or even of Ahab and Jezebel. It was a challenge to the people of Israel. A challenge for them to recognize the power and sovereignty of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; to turn from Baal and follow the Lord only; to understand that “The Lord – he is God!”

 

How has the Lord challenged you? Probably not miraculously like he did with Elijah on Mount Carmel. But his Holy Spirit is at work in our lives every day to draw us closer to him.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

Survivor

 

A series on Isaiah 9:6 – The Child of Prophecy
 – Introduction
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Isaiah 7:1-17; 9:1-7 

[Jesus was a child of prophecy. The Christmas story in the Bible was predicted in many Old Testament prophecies but the centerpiece of these is Isaiah 9:6. It was written nearly six hundred years before Jesus’ birth. In this series we’re going to look at the meaning and implications of this amazing prophecy.]

  

The reality TV show “Survivor” is in its 47^th season. The premise is that 18 strangers are placed on an island together with no shelter and little or no food. One by one, they vote each other out of the game until only the winner remains.

 

As the number of participants are reduced, the lying and manipulation increases. Alliances are made and broken, sometimes on the same day. The prize is one million dollars… so the stakes are high. People become desperate to survive. It is survival of the fittest.

 

Isaiah lived in a tumultuous time of history. The world was full of political intrigue, shifting alliances and warring nations. It was a matter of survival on both a national and personal level. It was survival of the fittest.

 

The Assyrian Empire was expanding to the west. The brutality of the Assyrian military was evident in their merciless torture and terrorism. Fear and intimidation were among their weapons. They were masters at siege warfare and one of the first to use cavalry in battle giving them a decided advantage.

 

Israel was now divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, with the northern kingdom in the crosshairs of Assyria. As a result, both nations were weakened.

 

In order to combat this, Israel and Aram formed an alliance and then tried to usurp King Ahaz of Judah into a forced coalition against Assyria. Their plan was to replace Ahaz with their own man as king. As you might expect, this possibility terrified Ahaz as well as the people of Judah.

 

But Isaiah met with Ahaz and told him not to worry. That the Sovereign Lord wouldn’t let this happen. However, Isaiah also warned Ahaz of the consequences if he chose to form an alliance with Assyria instead of trusting the Lord. It would mean a broken alliance that would result in the oppression of Judah by Assyria.

 

Ahaz didn’t listen to Isaiah and the result was as prophesied. Assyria became not only the Lord’s instrument of judgement for Israel, but also Judah. But there was hope. Isaiah prophesied that the people who walked in darkness will see a great light; that they will be freed from the “yoke of their slavery”.

 

Into our world of survival, Isaiah pronounced this famous prophecy from the Lord.

 

⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

For centuries, the Jews believed that this meant someday they would have an earthly kingdom. But not Jesus, for him it meant an eternal kingdom. The birth of Christ was the kingdom of heaven come down to earth. He was, is and continues to be "Immanuel, God with us”.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Simeon: A Faithful Servant

Christmas Character Series

Luke 2:22-40

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202%3A22-40&version=NIV;NLT

 
 

In the 2007 movie The Bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman portrayed complete strangers until fate lands them in the same hospital room.

Both men have a need to come to terms with who they are and what they have done with their lives.

To do this, they decide to complete a list of things that they want to see and do before they die… their bucket list.

 

Over the years, my bucket list has included taking a tour of Europe; hiking the Appalachian Trail; and participating on the reality TV show Survivor. A few years ago I finally fulfilled something on my bucket list; I sang a duet with my daughter at church.

 

Sometimes though, something that should be on your bucket list isn’t because it’s unexpected. Like when my granddaughter recently invited me to take her to the Father/Daughter dance. You can’t plan on something like that, but it doesn’t get any sweeter. Simeon may have had the same thought when he saw Jesus.

 

²⁵ At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel.        NLT

 

Simeon had a very short bucket list. It was to see the Lord’s Messiah. When he saw Jesus in the Temple, he knew that his deepest desire; his hopes and dreams; his bucket list had been fulfilled.

 

²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
   and the glory of your people Israel.”    NIV

 

The NIV translates verse 25 above as, “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel”. For Simeon, that was to see the Messiah. For us, it will be when we come before our Heavenly Father and hear his words, “Well done my faithful servant”. On that day, we will finally be home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survivor

Genesis 47:13-26

 

Survivor is a popular TV reality show in which contestants try to “outwit, outplay and outlast” the other competitors in order to win the grand prize of $1 million. Participants have been willing to go to almost any lengths to win including lying, stealing, manipulating and back-stabbing.

 

The people in Egypt and Canaan found themselves in a survival situation, only it wasn’t a game. The famine became so bad that the people were starving. At first, they spent all their money for grain. When that ran out, they traded all of their livestock. Finally, they traded not only their property, but their very bodies. They became slaves to their desires, and as a result to Pharaoh.

 

But, let’s examine Joseph and Pharaoh for a minute. As a result of the famine, they accumulated tremendous wealth at the expense of the people. Because of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, they were like inside traders who knew what the stock would do. Instead of telling the masses the future so that they could get ready, they planned and prepared so that when the time arrived, they could prosper at the expense of others.

 

At times, we all fall into one of the above groups: victim or victimizer. What are we willing to do to survive? Would we throw our principles out the window to get what we want? It is human nature after all. What if you are in power? Would you do what is best for you or for others? Would it come down to “it’s him or me”? Whichever side of the coin you find yourself, there is a message for you from Survivor.

 

The title of Survivor this season is Second Chance because each person on the show has played in a previous season and lost. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is a God of

second chances. God gave Joseph a second chance to provide for his father and brothers, thus taking another step towards fulfilling His covenant to make a great nation out of Abraham.

 

And now, through Jesus Christ, we have a second chance to be a part of that same covenant. Not a second chance to just survive, but a second chance to live our lives for Him; to follow Him; to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul. God has given us a second chance so that we might share THE Second Chance

with others.

 

“And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you [abundantly], And make your name great (exalted, distinguished); And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];”            Genesis 12:2 AMP

 

 

 

 

 

Survivor: Outwit, Outlast, Outplay

Hebrews 4:12-16

 

Survivor - It is one of my wife’s and mine favorite TV shows. We watch every episode and get into the lives of the players. We find ourselves cheering for some and against others based on their behaviors and attitudes.

 

Imagine though, what it would be like to have a camera recording every action you take, every thought you have, every word you say and every motivation that drives you. You don’t have to imagine.

 

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”.         Hebrews 4:13 NIV

 

“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away, you know my every thought… Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it.”     Psalm 139:1-4 TLB

 

If we are honest with ourselves, these verses would make us very uncomfortable. After all, our eternal judgment is at stake, and if God knows everything about us, we don’t have much hope. But some of the most hopeful words in the Bible are included in Hebrews.

 

“But Jesus the Son of God is our great High Priest who has gone to heaven itself to help us; therefore let us never stop trusting him.  This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses since he had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way to them and sinned”.            4:14-15 TLB

 

On Survivor, a jury of peers judge the final three participants. This jury is made up of the same people that the final players had a hand in voting out of the game. They may have been blind-sided by them, lied to or manipulated. They have observed the finalist over the last 39 days when they have been at their worst; thinking only of themselves; of what it would take for them to win the game, and doing anything to get there.

 

Although our Judge will be able to know and observe everything there is about us throughout our whole lives, both the worst and the best, we can still approach Him boldly and receive both mercy and grace.

 

 ^“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need”.          Hebrews 4:16           JB Phillips

 

What more do we need to survive than this? What more do we need to be victorious?