The Broken-Down Altar of the Lord

The Broken-Down Altar of the Lord

“Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come near to me.’ So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.” 1 Kings 18:30.

Elijah was a zealous prophet of God. He saw how God’s people sacrificed to the idols in every place while the altar of the Lord was broken down. In his zeal for the altar, Elijah gathered all the people together, repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down, and proved to all the people that the Lord was God and that He was mighty to answer with fire.

Even in our days people bring sacrifices to the god of this world in every place, but the altar of the Lord is broken down. If we have the same mind as the prophet Elijah, we cannot possibly see all that and not be inflamed with a holy zeal to repair the broken-down altar of the Lord. It has to be built up in our own life first so that our relatives, friends, and all the people with whom we associate, have to acknowledge that we truly serve and worship a living God. They must see a tremendous change in our life; then the fear of the Lord will fall on them. Unconverted people despise the kind of Christianity that is prevalent in our days because they do not see any sign of life from the God whom the Christians claim to serve. Many of those who claim to be believers have their belly as their god; they desire earthly things. Phil. 3:19. They also live in covetousness, which is idolatry. Col. 3:5. They want to get hold of everything they see that is to their advantage.

How can an upright Christian—who knows that Christ is coming again soon—look at all that and not be inflamed with a holy zeal like Elijah was? He stood before all the people and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” It is not possible to serve both God and idols.

We know that Christ is coming soon, and it is important that we save ourselves and others. May the altar of the Lord be built up everywhere and regain its rightful place of honor and dignity that it held in the days of the apostles, when even the least bit of half-heartedness was not tolerated (such as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira). Let us be wholehearted and true Christians, and also persuade others to do the same.

The Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel and commanded them, saying that they should not fear other gods or worship them, nor bring sacrifices to them, but that they should fear the Lord alone, who in His goodness had led them out of Egypt. However, after the Lord had spoken such fervent and good words to them, we read these sad words in 2 Kings 17:40-41: “However, they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing this as their fathers did, even to this day.”

This is the situation among God’s people, even until this day. They are permeated by half-heartedness. They have been instructed in it by their forefathers. They do not know anything else, and it is difficult for them to believe that it can be otherwise. But God be praised that faith speaks differently. We are called to be more than conquerors through Him. Only faith and wholeheartedness can please God, and it alone will bring us true joy and peace. Only after our entire self-life has been put on the altar will God answer with His acknowledging fire. If we want to preserve this fire, we must always sacrifice whatever we see of our self-life. Jesus says, “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Luke 12:49. Therefore, let the altar be raised up again!