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Elijah, September 12
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye
between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then
follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
1 Kings 18:21
.
Among the mountains of Gilead, east of the Jordan, there dwelt in the
days of Ahab a man of faith and prayer whose fearless ministry was destined
to check the rapid spread of apostasy in Israel. Far removed from any city of
renown, and occupying no high station in life, Elijah the Tishbite nevertheless
entered upon his mission confident in God’s purpose to prepare the way
before him and to give him abundant success. The word of faith and power
was upon his lips, and his whole life was devoted to the work of reform. His
was the voice of one crying in the wilderness to rebuke sin and press back
the tide of evil. And while he came to the people as a reprover of sin, his
message offered the balm of Gilead to the sin-sick souls of all who desired to
be healed.
As Elijah saw Israel going deeper and deeper into idolatry, his soul was
distressed and his indignation aroused. God had done great things for His
people. He had delivered them from bondage and given them “the lands
of the heathen: ... that they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws”
(
Psalm 105:44, 45
). But the beneficent designs of Jehovah were now well-
nigh forgotten. Unbelief was fast separating the chosen nation from the
Source of their strength.
Viewing this apostasy from his mountain retreat, Elijah was overwhelmed
with sorrow. In anguish of soul he besought God to arrest the once-favored
people in their wicked course, to visit them with judgments, if need be, that
they might be led to see in its true light their departure from Heaven. He
longed to see them brought to repentance before they should go to such lengths
in evil-doing as to provoke the Lord to destroy them utterly.—
Prophets and
Kings, 119, 120
.
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