“How long will you hesitate between two opinions?” It wasn’t just a question for the people of Elijah’s time. For let’s face it: there are all sorts of conflicting truth claims swirling around us today. Some people insist that money is the key to happiness, while others place their emphasis on romantic love. Some say we have to earn our salvation through deeds of service or through gifts to the church, while others say we have to follow time-honored traditions or rituals. We Christians point to Jesus as the only source of grace and truth, but how do we know who is right?

The people of Elijah’s time faced the same sort of problem. Yes, Elijah and some of the other old-fashioned preachers insisted that the God of Israel was the only true God, the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth. But the priests of Baal and Asherah, insisted that their false gods were actually the source of rain and fertility for the earth.

So, how can we possibly know who’s telling the truth? Well, the Lord made His power undeniably clear in the days of Elijah, didn’t He? It didn’t matter what those priests of those false gods did. It didn’t matter how many rituals they conducted or how many sacrifices they offered: phony gods had no power to send fire from heaven to burn up their offerings.

But the God of Israel did. For even though Elijah doused all the offerings he made with water three times, God’s fire burned up all those offerings – along with the water and the wood and even the stones of the altar he had built. No, after such a display of divine power there could be no doubt that the God of Israel was the only true God.

And the Christian faith continues to be founded, not on opinions or experiences or traditions, but on historical facts like this. For Jesus really did die on the cross, and He really did rise from the dead on the third day. And even though none of His disciples had been willing to die with Him, all of them eventually chose to die rather than to deny the reality of His resurrection. And so, because we know Jesus rose from the dead, we know that He is not only the Son of David the Lord promised would rule over His people. We know He is the Son of God, the only source of life and light, of truth and love.

So, will we go on hesitating between two opinions? Will we continue to give Jesus only a portion of our love and devotion, while also seeking other sources of truth and meaning, of comfort and peace? Or will we give all our worship and praise, all our obedience and service to the only true God?

I Kings 18:20-39 (NASB)

20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel, and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.
23 “Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox, and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.
24 “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered and said, “That is a good idea.”
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.
27 And it came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.”
28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
29 And it came about when midday was past, that they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
32 So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.
33 Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”
34 And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.
35 And the water flowed around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
36 Then it came about at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word.
37 “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that Thou, O LORD, art God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again.”
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering 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 God; the LORD, He is God.”