Worship and Elijah

Before I share I need to say something. My original plan while reading The Jesus Way was to write a summary of each chapter . However, this was causing procrastination issues so I am just reading the book and when/if I see something that gets me I'll share it....like now.

Eugene Peterson is talking about Elijah right now. Something I did not know was that Elijah means "My God is Yahweh". It is interesting that he appears on the scene as Ahab and Jezebel have taken control. Their god was Baal. Elijah's, Yahweh. After Elijah's prophesy in regards to the three in a half year drought (Ironically Baal was the rain god) he comes on the back on the scene in a head to head face off with Ahab and Jezebel. The situation is this.

"So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "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. Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken." (First Kings 18:20-24)

So the God who wins, will torch the competition. So who will win? The crowd watches in rapt attention. Personally I think some were nervous as they knew they worshipped a false god. Plus there were obviously some there who believed that God was who he said he was. Now look at what happened when the prophets of Baal did their thing:

"And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention." (First Kings 18:26-29)

These prophets resorted to stabbing themselves, yet no one paid attention and no fire came! What intrigues me about this (and now we get to the meat) is the difference in worship. The worship of Baal is much more sensual and was definitely an experience to witness, but God doesn't want our experience. "A worship experience" is something that is said a lot today. I've said it myself and there is nothing wrong with a worship experience. But God wants our worship to be something we do, not experience. Our worship can be a sensual experience but it is not something we experience but something we do. "The experience develops out of the worship, not the other way around" (The Jesus Way, p 111). In order to experience something we have to do it. Without the "do" there can and will be no "experience". So now look at how God used Elijah:

"Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, "Israel shall be your name," and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." And he said, "Do it a second time." And they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time." And they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "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." Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God." And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape." And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there." (First Kings 18:30-39)

I will be the first to admit that doing worship from the as opposed to experiencing it is difficult to separate. I think they are really intertwined. The doing develops the experience. So next time you worship consider it something you are doing, and by doing, experiencing. If I'm out of line on any of this please call me out. I'd like different perspective as well.