1 Kings 18:21 - Don't Straddle the Fence!

1Ki.18:21; Don't Straddle the Fence!

1 Ki 18:21 (NIV)  "How long will you waver between two opinions? 
 If the LORD is God, follow him;  but if Baal is God, follow 
him."  

"How long hop ye about upon two boughs?" This is a metaphor 
taken from birds hopping about from bough to bough, not knowing on 
which to settle. Perhaps the idea of limping through lameness should 
not be overlooked. They were halt, they could not walk uprightly; 
they dreaded Jehovah, and therefore could not totally abandon him; 
they feared the king and queen, and therefore thought they must 
embrace the religion of the state. Their conscience forbade them to do 
the former; their fear of man persuaded them to do the latter; but 
in neither were they heartily engaged; (Adam Clarke Commentary) 

Elijah stood before them and challenged them to end their 
doublemindedness, wavering between two opinions. It was not good 
to try to "walk 
 the fence" worshiping two gods. [Bible Knowledge Commentary] 

Israel's sin was not that of totally rejecting Yahweh, but of 
seeking to combine His worship with Baal worship. [Ryrie SB] 

Elijah reproved the people for mixing the worship of God and the 
worship of Baal together. Not only some Israelites worshipped God and 
others Baal, but the same Israelites sometimes worshipped one and 
sometimes the other. This he calls (v. 21) halting between two opinions, 
or thoughts. They worshipped God to please the prophets, but 
worshipped Baal to please Jezebel and curry favour at court. . . . It is 
dangerous to halt between the service of God and the service of sin, the 
dominion of Christ and the dominion of our lusts. If Jesus be the only 
Saviour, let us cleave to him alone for every thing; if the Bible be the 
world of God, let us reverence and receive the whole of it, and submit 
our understanding to the Divine teaching it contains. (Matthew 
Henry's Commentary) 

Why did so many people waver between the two choices? Perhaps 
some were not sure. Many, however, knew that the Lord was God, but 
they enjoyed the sinful pleasures and other benefits that came with 
following Ahab in his idolatrous worship. It is important to take a stand 
for the Lord. If we just drift along with whatever is pleasant and 
easy, we will someday discover that we have been worshiping a false 
god--ourselves. [Life Application SB] 

Man is made to worship and he will worship something.  It ought 
to be Almighty God.  But man is very inventive in this regard and 
may worship stone, wood, money, lust, another person, an idea or 
many other things. And what man worships, man serves. Let your 
service be rendered unto God Almighty.  It is the only service that has 
eternal value and whose product will continue on throughout all 
eternity, to God's glory and your benefit. Be warned, anything less than 
God that you serve, the product of that service will be burned up 
and destroyed.  Today, choose to serve the Lord.  [In His Time; Walk 
With Wisdom re Jos.24:15] 

James 1:8 (KJV) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.