Fire Fell From The Sky

The LORD—he is God! Yes, the LORD is God!   1 Kings 18:39

Elijah deliberately used twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Jacob, to build the altar. This was politically incorrect: his audience from the northern tribes would have preferred he take ten stones. But Elijah took twelve, because he was about to offer a sacrifice to the God of all Israel.

Elijah prepared his sacrifice, and then, in order to make the revelation of God’s power compelling even to skeptics, he poured water on the altar, drenching the sacrifice. Then “the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering” (1 Kings 18:38, ESV).

Imagine yourself in the crowd. You have bought into the prevailing belief that all religions are a human creation. As you are sitting at the top of Mount Carmel, the sky is filled with fire. Suddenly, your mind is lucid; everything falls into place: “Elijah is telling the truth! The Lord is God, and the fire of his judgment is falling!”

But when God’s fire came, it did not fall on the thousands of people who were there. God’s fire was diverted away from them and onto the altar, where the sacrifice had been prepared.

On a different day on a different hill, another sacrifice was offered. Jesus Christ died, and the judgment of God fell. But it did not fall on the people; it fell on the sacrifice. It struck him, and in this way, God created room for men and women from every culture and in every generation to be reconciled to himself.

When the people saw the fire, they fell down in worship. Witnessing the Lord’s grace and power, a group of people made a new and decisive commitment as they confessed their faith in the living God.

Maybe you’ve seen something of the glory of God and his grace to you in Jesus Christ. Don’t stay at a distance. Take your stand with Christ by confessing your faith in him today. God’s Word promises, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

For further reading, see Romans 10