The sacrifice and the altar
Yes, the Word of God is living and active. Even after authoring a Bible study, I am wrecked by the Holy Spirit and the power of God's Word as I am now a student of the study. Often I come to a question and come under deep conviction as the Lord shows me my character and how very far it is from His.
So what has been painful to chew on recently?
1 Kings 18:36-39
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
Consumed. Totally consumed. There was absolutely nothing left of the stones or that altar after God was done with it. It was completely consumed.
So I've been chewing on that. I wonder if God had allowed the altar to remain, if there would have been a plaque marking it to commemorate the event. Or if even worse, it would have been decorated to become something that it never was meant for- a memorial. The Second Commandment is very clear about bowing down to images or anything that is not only the Lord. But God, in His wisdom, determined that the only way to send this miraculous fire from heaven was to totally and completely consume it to the very dust itself. We can visit Mt Carmel today and no one can give a definitive marker for where the fire of God fell. God did not perform this miracle so we could memorialize the act, it was so the children of Israel would see that Yahweh is Elohim! And bow their knees to Him!
Why is this so hard for me too chew on and allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction from? Because I like tangible, memorable things, like that altar. Personally, I like to be the place where ministry is done and ministry happens and ministry runs from. I like that place of sacrifice and fire and being that vessel that God does things on and through. An altar is visible, tangible, noticed.
And yet, God doesn't always allow that altar to remain. He asks for that as well. The altar did not remain when God came with HIS fire. He completely consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench. Nothing remained.
For I died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is my life appears, then I also will appear with Him in glory. Col 3:3-4
But have I died? Have I become more concerned with the Lord's glory than the altar remaining in place? Where have I lost sight of the purpose of an altar and started to be concerned with the altar more than its purpose-to glorify the Lord in providing a place to sacrifice? Where am I more focused on the altar than on the God whom it should be there for?
If the altar is built for Him, used for Him then can't He do with it whatever He pleases? Even if that means burning it up so that nothing is left of it and no one can tell where it once stood?
If we are honest, that is a painful thought because we like getting a little bit of glory, but we do need to come to the place as our Lord and Savior did in Gethsemane of bringing our will into complete submission, even when that meant death.
Lord, would You have Your way and would we be an altar that You can do whatever You like with.
So what has been painful to chew on recently?
1 Kings 18:36-39
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
Consumed. Totally consumed. There was absolutely nothing left of the stones or that altar after God was done with it. It was completely consumed.
So I've been chewing on that. I wonder if God had allowed the altar to remain, if there would have been a plaque marking it to commemorate the event. Or if even worse, it would have been decorated to become something that it never was meant for- a memorial. The Second Commandment is very clear about bowing down to images or anything that is not only the Lord. But God, in His wisdom, determined that the only way to send this miraculous fire from heaven was to totally and completely consume it to the very dust itself. We can visit Mt Carmel today and no one can give a definitive marker for where the fire of God fell. God did not perform this miracle so we could memorialize the act, it was so the children of Israel would see that Yahweh is Elohim! And bow their knees to Him!
Why is this so hard for me too chew on and allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction from? Because I like tangible, memorable things, like that altar. Personally, I like to be the place where ministry is done and ministry happens and ministry runs from. I like that place of sacrifice and fire and being that vessel that God does things on and through. An altar is visible, tangible, noticed.
And yet, God doesn't always allow that altar to remain. He asks for that as well. The altar did not remain when God came with HIS fire. He completely consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench. Nothing remained.
For I died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is my life appears, then I also will appear with Him in glory. Col 3:3-4
But have I died? Have I become more concerned with the Lord's glory than the altar remaining in place? Where have I lost sight of the purpose of an altar and started to be concerned with the altar more than its purpose-to glorify the Lord in providing a place to sacrifice? Where am I more focused on the altar than on the God whom it should be there for?
If the altar is built for Him, used for Him then can't He do with it whatever He pleases? Even if that means burning it up so that nothing is left of it and no one can tell where it once stood?
If we are honest, that is a painful thought because we like getting a little bit of glory, but we do need to come to the place as our Lord and Savior did in Gethsemane of bringing our will into complete submission, even when that meant death.
Lord, would You have Your way and would we be an altar that You can do whatever You like with.