1 Kings 18:21

Context

During the reign of Ahab, king of the northern kingdom of Israel, the prophet Elijah addressed these words to the people gathered on Mount Carmel. Under Ahab and his queen, Jezebel (see Ahab and Jezebel), Baal worship had spread. After the drought that Elijah had foretold had persisted, he had the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah summoned to Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19). This verse is the question he put to the people before the contest at the altars: "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." The people "answered him not a word." Only after fire fell from heaven did they confess, "The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God" (1 Kings 18:39).

Interpretation

• Covenantal reading: Many commentators hold that the people of the time had not so much abandoned the LORD as tried to serve the LORD and Baal together. This blending of religions is called syncretism. On this reading, the verse is a demand for faithfulness to the first of the Ten Commandments, which requires the worship of the LORD alone, and to the covenant.
• Literary reading: The Hebrew verb rendered "halt" is understood to mean "to limp." The same root is used of the prophets of Baal leaping about the altar (1 Kings 18:26). The verse is therefore sometimes read as a wordplay that links the people's indecision with Baal worship.
• Applicational reading: In preaching, the verse is widely applied as a call to decision, urging believers not to compromise between faith and worldly values but to choose God clearly.

Questions Concerning Application

The clause "but if Baal, then follow him" does not acknowledge the two gods as equally valid options. It is generally read as a rhetorical device that presses the people to draw the conclusion for themselves. When the verse is used to urge decision, some ask whether a passage originally addressing the problem of idolatry may legitimately be extended to secondary choices within the church.

In the Korean Church

The verse is reportedly cited often in sermons and revival meetings that call for a decision of faith.

Related Passages

• 1 Kings 18:39 — The people's confession
• Joshua 24:14-25 — "Choose you this day whom ye will serve"
• Deuteronomy 5:6-10 — The commandment to have no other gods
• Matthew 6:24-34 — The teaching that no one can serve two masters