Evening, July 17
Go To Morning Reading
“Let not one of them escape.”
1 Kings 18:40
When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and
the fire from heaven had consumed the sacrifice in the presence of
all the people, he called upon the assembled Israelites to take the
priests of Baal, and sternly cried, “Let not one of them escape.” He took them all down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. So
must it be with our sins—they are all doomed, not one must be preserved. Our darling sin must
die. Spare it not for its much crying. Strike, though it be as dear
as an Isaac. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid upon his
own Son. With stern unflinching purpose must you condemn to death
that sin which was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask how you
are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to
overcome sin given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength
to win the victory in the crusade against inward lusts, because Christ
Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end. If you would
triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the Sun of
Righteousness. There is no place so well adapted for the discovery
of sin, and recovery from its power and guilt, as the immediate presence
of God. Job never knew how to get rid of sin half so well as he did
when his eye of faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred himself,
and repented in dust and ashes. The fine gold of the Christian is
oft becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume the dross. Let
us fly to our God, he is a consuming fire; he will not consume our
spirit, but our sins. Let the goodness of God excite us to a sacred
jealousy, and to a holy revenge against those iniquities which are
hateful in his sight. Go forth to battle with Amalek, in his strength,
and utterly destroy the accursed crew: let not one of them escape.