First a mighty wind tore the mountains apart and shattered rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was a powerful earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then came a blazing fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper.
Category: worship
The Challenge
The prophets called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal answer us!” they shouted, but there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is in deep thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.
Names, Labels, and Titles
Here’s a Biblical example of a label that carries a negative degrading tone. John 1:47 records the event when Philip found Nathanael and told him they had found the One whom the prophets had written about – Jesus of Nazareth! Nathanael’s flat response was, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”