10/02/2023 – Fire from Heaven on a Wet Altar
1 Kings 18: 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” 34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 38 Then 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. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
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We must first repair the altar. Someone in the house, in the church, must repair the altar of God. Here it is revealed that 12 stones were required – each stone representing one of the tribes of the people of God. Even though they were in rebellion, Elijah presents them before the Lord and He brings them together in prayer and He summons them to the altar and challenges them: I know that the prophets of Baal represent a great temptation for you. But let’s come together at the altar of God so you can make a choice. But once the altar is completed, here comes the most interesting part of the process. Just as there were 12 stones that make up the altar, God requests 12 jars of water to be poured over the offering- one for each tribe. No one is exempt from being affected and being part of the opposition to the purpose of God. My beloved- our God is not afraid of contradicting ideas, rebellious actions, or whatever the devil or anyone can do to try to stop His power and His love. He in fact ordains it! It is part of the process- built in!
Sometimes we think that everything and everyone must be as we would like for God to act and for us to be happy. I can be that way. Any little thing out of place can set off frustration. I went through all that trouble to lift those heavy stones to repair the altar and now you want to come and pour water on my offering. How dare you…But the greatest demonstration of the power of God is not on a dry altar. It is precisely when the rebellion and the anger of a man like Saul of Tarsus seems at its worst…when the people seem to be lost in idolatry beyond reason, that God sends fire from heaven and burns the offering. God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.