Years ago, Hebrew National Hotdogs ran an advertising campaign featuring Uncle Sam smiling while holding a hot dog. The voiceover discussed all the artificial ingredients that the United States Food and Drug Administration had allowed them to use to produce a hot dog. The slogan at the end was: “Not us, we must answer to a higher authority.” “Responding to a higher authority is part of the lesson of this morning’s reading from First Kings. Before I continue, it is important that I share the story. Years earlier, King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had married Jezebel. This marriage was a scandal at the time. Queen Jezebel was a Phoenician princess, worshiper of Baal and Asherah. As Queen of Israel, she insisted that King Ahab build temples to Baal and the Ashram. She even went so far as to insist that Baal become the God of Israel and ordered the death of Yahweh's prophets. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay This was not well received by the people or by Yahweh. A drought spread across the country and famine ensued. This is where our passage resumes. Elijah is now taunted by the prophets of Baal as they celebrate Baal's apparent defeat at the hands of Yahweh as more and more of the children of Israel literally switch sides or choose to worship both Yahweh and Baal. But Elijah remains intrepid and literally chooses to challenge the prophets of Baal to a duel. Not necessarily a duel to the divine death, but truly a duel to see which god is real, or which god is capable of doing the impossible. The competition is simple, two altars are set up with a sacrifice placed on each. The goal of the challenge is to see which god will descend to consummate the people's sacrifice. Baal begins, with the altar set up, his prophets singing and praying and shedding their own blood all night for Baal to consume the sacrificial carnage with fire. At dawn, their efforts are for nothing. Baal does not come. Now it’s Yahweh’s turn. Elijah prepares the altar, then increases the anti by flooding the altar with water. He then appeals to the Almighty. With brilliance and panache, Yahweh comes like a ball of fire and consumes the sacrifice, proving that it is not Yahweh who is powerless, but Baal. In time, the children of Israel abandon Baal and other false gods corrupting their relationship with Yahweh and return their loyalty to God. Queen Jezebel is ultimately defeated and brought to her own untimely demise. This morning's story serves as an archetype of the human condition. It tells of our own inconstancy in terms of loyalty to God and to the values ​​God has given us. This demonstrates how quickly we are ready to turn our backs on God when we are seduced by the false gods around us until we finally come to understand the cliché "all that glitters is not gold." “Our passage is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago. This weekend, as we celebrate and remember the men and women who gave their lives in the name of this country, we are called to pause and ask ourselves why they were willing to fight. The easy answer is freedom. But I believe that for many, the call to arms was deeper than that. If my history teachers were right, this country was founded on the belief that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Yes, I know the history of this country is not as pure and simple as my elementary school teachers made it out to be. this appears to be the case. In the times of our ancestors, life, liberty and the search for.