John Kitto Morning Bible Devotions: November 15

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John Kitto Morning Bible Devotions: November 15

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Carmel

1Ki_18:19-22

Forty miles below Tyre, and little more than half that distance west of Nazareth, and forming the south-western boundary towards the sea of the plain of Esdraelon, extends for several miles the mountain ridge of Carmel, throwing out a bold promontory right into the sea. The beauty of Carmel is celebrated in Scripture; and even in this day of desolation it sustains its ancient praise. The enlivening atmosphere—the sides covered with perpetual verdure—the brow dark with woods—and the wide prospects around—combine to form a scene which he who has once beheld forgets no more. And this is saying much; for there are few travellers who do not forget as much of what they have seen, as most people do of the books they have read. The mountain is from a thousand to twelve hundred feet in height, and the views which it commands are very extensive. In front, the view extends to the distant horizon, over the dark blue waters of the Mediterranean; behind stretches the great plain of Esdraelon, and the mountains of the Jordan and of Judea; below, on the right hand, lies the city of Acre, lessened to a mere speck—while, in the far distance beyond, the eye rests upon the high summits of Lebanon.

Where “Israel was gathered together unto Carmel,” the scene of the great transaction—“the Lord’s controversy,” which they came to witness—was doubtless the inner side of the mountain, where it gradually descends into the noble plain beneath. This declivity overlooks a vast extent of country on every side; and from the hills of Galilee and Samaria the consummating miracle might have been beheld by the more distant gazers; while, from the plain in front, the prophets of Baal, their useless altars, and their frantic movements—as well as the calm majesty of the avenging prophet, would have been as distinctly visible as if the whole had been brought to their feet. It was a noble and fitting spot for one of the greatest transactions in the history of man; and which the imagination can so inadequately grasp in all the fulness of its grandeur, that we know not of any painter that has even attempted to portray it.

The great assembly gathered there together consisted of the priests of Baal, and some others, perhaps not very numerous, who were exclusively worshippers of that idol, and disavowed all knowledge of, or cared for, Jehovah. The court party surrounding the person of the king, who could not but know the claims Jehovah had to their exclusive reverence, and who, perhaps, had not gone so far as absolutely to deny him, but who practically ignored his existence and his claims, by giving all their attention and all their service to the fashionable idolatry. To them, this was but another form of the universal world worship. The worship of Baal was favored at court—to follow it was the road to advancement and honor; therefore Baal was great, therefore Baalism was true. And to them it was true; for Mammon was the real object of their worship, and Baal to them was Mammon. Then there was the great crowd of people, who, while they worshipped Baal, had never formally renounced Jehovah, nor had ceased to regard themselves as his people, and heirs of the promises made to the fathers. Sometimes they worshipped Baal, sometimes Jehovah, as convenience or impulse dictated, rendering, perhaps, generally their more public service to Baal, while Jehovah had the higher place in their private service and in their thoughts, and hoping in their hearts that they might not be far wrong in serving both. This was their form of serving two masters, which so many of us do at this day in some form or other, although the idol we associate in our worship with Jehovah may bear some other name than Baal.

It was to this great multitude of time-servers that the prophet addressed himself. When he stood forth, and lifted up his hand as one about to speak, there was a dead silence among that great assembly; and in that thin air his strong and awful voice was heard afar. Those who expected a long harangue, full of sharp rebukes and vehement calls to repentance, were disappointed. Elijah was habitually a man of the fewest words; but these few words were always full of power, and produced more effect than the labored discourses of the most “eloquent orators.” He spoke from God, he spoke from the heart—from his own heart—to the hearts of others.

In the present case, his words were not aimed at the apostasy, but at the hesitancy, of the people—not at their idolatry, but at their doubleness and indecision. Under the old dispensation, as under the new, nothing is more abhorrent to God than a profane neutrality in matters of vital moment—than the lukewarmness which admits not of decided opinions. He likes decision. He likes something real. Be hot; be cold; be something. To be

“Everything by turns, and nothing long,”

is intolerable—is hateful to Him. So now the prophet—“How long halt ye between two opinions? If Jehovah be God, then follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” In this was a boldness characteristic of this wonderful man. Instead of a tirade against Baal and his worshippers, here is a simple alternative of choice. His simple cry is—“Decide ! decide!” But decision is the most difficult of all things to lukewarm and temporizing men. The demand to take a part at once and for all, is the most cruel task that could be imposed upon them. This great audience shrunk from it. Dismay and astonishment held them mute. “They answered him not a word.” Some say that they feared to pronounce for the Lord in the presence of the king and the priests of Baal. Some say that they feared to pronounce for Baal, in the presence of that prophet whom they believed to possess the means of bringing down to the parched earth the refreshing showers, which could alone fertilize its barren womb. But we venture to say—it is our humble opinion, that they were silent as careless men, shrinking from the trouble and responsibility of decision. It required something more than they had yet witnessed to rouse them out of the inertness into which they had fallen.

Let us observe that, although the essential meaning of the prophet is correctly enough conveyed in the phrase—“How long halt ye between two opinions?” this is rather an explanation than a literal rendering of the original, which to us has a significance which ought not to be lost. Literally, the words may be translated—“How long leap ye upon two branches?”—a most beautiful and poetical allusion to the restlessness of a bird, which remains not long in one posture, but is continually hopping from branch to branch. Somewhat less expressive, but still very significant, is the version which others extract from the original words—“How long limp ye upon two hams?”—alluding to the alternate movements of the body—now on one side, and their on the other—of a lame man in his walk.