February 13 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

Elijah's name is his mission: "My God is the LORD." Elijah teaches us the meaning of repentance by the removal of idolatry. Unless we obey the Word, God's blessings don't descend. Instead, the land will experience a terrible drought.

Bible Reading:

1 Kings 18:38–40

Bible Text:

They seized [the prophets of Baal], and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there (1 Kings 18:40).

Devotional:

With a flash of fire God answered Elijah's prayer. The sacrifice turned to ashes. Thousands of Israelites fell flat on their faces. The whole assembly cried, "The LORD—he is God! The LORD Yahweh—he is God!"

Now the people's hearts turn to the LORD. Their "wavering between two opinions" stops. Now they realize that the God of Elijah is the God of Israel. But if that is so, then the prophets of Baal must be removed. Seize them! Kill them! All four hundred fifty of them.

To us the slaughter of the prophets of Baal is harsh; it does not conform to the spirit of the New Testament. In the Old Testament God's enemies were slain, but in the New Testament they must be converted. Jesus did not kill his enemies—he loved them. He died for them.

Yet the Old Testament lesson must be heard. Idolatry remains the worst sin. The last line in John's love letter is "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols" (l John 5:21).

Idolatry is deadly. That's why God decreed through Moses that anyone who led Israel away from the true God to an idol would be killed. Christ too held out no hope for those who cause simple believers to fall away from the living God (Mark 9:42). If the Lord is God, remove all idols from your house.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.