Today, November 5, 2024, the world will come to an end.
Or not.
It's the most consequential election in the history of the United States and the winner will have free reign to permanently alter the course of history for the country and the world. Democracy must be preserved at any cost and one of these two candidates is the only hope for truth, justice, and the American way.
Or will it?
We in the US tend to think we are the center of the world and what happens here is more important than anything that happens anywhere else. We seem to believe that our votes for a presidential candidate will make or break world history. We think things are so terrible here that only President #47 can solve all of our troubles and make us united and whole as a nation. It's a deeply flawed perspective on many levels. We are not much different than humans of other generations who looked for solutions anywhere but the Sovereign Lord.
Life was pretty dire when Ahab began to rule over the northern country of Israel around 874 BCE. The previous kings had instilled a culture of idol worship, and Ahab "did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him" (1 Kings 16:30, NRSV). He and his wife, Jezebel built an altar for Baal, a pole for Asherah, and set Samaria as the religious capital of the Northern Kingdom. He oppressed the people, violated nearly every law of God, compromised with foreign nations, and fought the prophets of Yahweh.
Elijah prophesied against Ahab that God would withhold water from the land as a consequence of Ahab's evil. The drought that followed would decimate Ahab's wealth and power (1 Kings 17). Three years into the drought, Elijah went back to Ahab. Ahab did not welcome the prophet and repent of his idolatry, rather, he dug in his heels, saying, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" (1 Kings 18:17). Prompted by the Spirit, Elijah told the king to gather up 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah and meet him at Mount Carmel to determine which gods held power. The prophets would set up an altar for Baal, and Elijah would set up an identical one for Yahweh.
How long will you go limping between two different opinions?
Before the event, Elijah spoke to the people, " 'How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.' And the people did not answer him a word" (1 Kings 18:21). The people stayed silent, tacitly remaining uncommitted to the power of the Lord.
The rest of the story is both tragic and humorous (1 Kings 18:22-40). The prophets of Baal twist and turn and beg and harm themselves in an effort to be heard by Baal so that their god would accept their sacrifice. They went on for hours, as Elijah looked on and mocked them, saying that maybe their god had to think about it or that he was in the bathroom. Maybe their god was on vacation or asleep. Nothing happened.
Finally, Elijah called up the Israelites and told them to drown the altar in water (a precious commodity in a severe drought) and then pay attention to what the LORD would do. Then Elijah prayed,
“O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (1 Kings 18:37).
Immediately, fire from the Lord plunged down from heaven, consuming the sacrifice, the altar, and the water. The people then believed Elijah and worshiped God.
1 John 5:21
Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
This election season, and today's election, is a modern version of the prophets of Baal, begging and pleading for attention at any cost. On one hand, the false teachers allow physical and emotional harm to the people toward a progressive ideal of "inclusion" and "equity." On the other hand, a different set of false teachers promote a form of rugged and crass individualism without consequences or accountability. Unlike the united prophets of Baal, today's idolaters bait each other with ad hominem attacks, exaggerations, and outright lies. Both sides desire power, notoriety, and control, unwilling to bend for the better good of the people they purport to represent and defend. Neither fully understands the severity of the spiritual drought in the nation. Neither has a plan to address the spiritual needs of a people desperate for relief.
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols" wrote John. Baal, Asherah, Moloch, Dagon, Marduk, Ishtar, Minerva, Ra, Nut, Ptah, Dionysus, Gaia, a Golden Calf, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Dr, Malcolm X, Joel Osteen, James Dobson, Norman Vincent Peale, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and countless other religious and political personalities are not the Living LORD, Creator of the universe, King of kings, or Savior. No idol is worthy of the attention they garner from a desperately wicked people. The only salvation is in Jesus. To put any of these personalities in a position of adulation or worship is idolatry.
This nation needs King Jesus far more than it needs a Republican or Democrat (Democrat or Republican, take your pick on the proper order) in the White House. Like every idol, whomever wins this election will be in that position for a few years and then others will replace them. In the grand scheme of history, 2015-2028 will be nothing but a footnote. Followers of Jesus need to wear their lenses of eternity as they vote and they need to love their neighbors after this election is ended. The Lamb will prevail. Those who trust Jesus as the Son of God overcome the world (1 John 5:5). Trusting in a politician or a political party is no less idolatry than begging the Baals to light the pyre.
Resources
The ESV Bible. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org/.
New Revised Standard Version Cultural Background Study Bible. Zondervan, 2019.
What is Idolatry? - WebBible Encyclopedia - ChristianAnswers.Net
Well said Stephanie. Thank you for this refreshing perspective.
This is AMAZING!