ON THE VANGUARD

WYATT EARP AND THE PROPHET ELIJAH - Part 1
“Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’ But the people said nothing.”
I Kings 18:21

On October 27, 1881, the headline of the Tombstone Epitaph read: A Desperate Fight Between Officers of the Law and Cow-boys – The Killed and Wounded – Failure of Lord & Williams. The short editorial described a little known gunfight that would later be known as a major shootout in Arizona’s history. With a past record of verbal threats and the misdemeanor of bearing weapons within the Tombstone city limits, the ‘Cowboys’ had to be stopped. History records that at about 3:00pm on October 26th, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday made their way toward the alley between the MacDonald House and Fly’s Boarding House. It was here the two teams faced off in history’s Gunfight at the O. K. Corral.
At close range, the gunfire commenced. Standing trial before Justice Wells Spicer, Wyatt Earp would go on record stating that he shot first, shooting Frank McLaury in the abdomen, and Billy Clanton shot almost simultaneously at Wyatt, who managed to dodge the bullet. In the end, ‘Cowboy’ Billy Clanton was shot in the wrist before suffering a deadly shot to the chest. Frank McLaury was first shot in the stomach by Wyatt and shortly after received a fatal shot to the base of his skull. Tom McLaury received two shotgun wounds by Doc Holliday to his left side which rendered him dead. Billy Claiborne managed to escape unharmed, as well as Ike Clanton who was unarmed and allowed passage to safety by Wyatt who ordered him to “go to fighting or get away!”
For the law men, Morgan Earp suffered a non-fatal wound to the back when background noise distracted him during the battle. Virgil Earp was shot in the calf by Frank McLaury, which dropped him to the ground. Doc Holliday was bruised on his left hip when a bullet bounced off his holster. Wyatt Earp, however, collected no wounds whatsoever. The gunfight lasted only thirty seconds, and in the end, the Earps and Holliday were considered heroes.
The ‘Cowboys’ that remained retaliated from abandoned buildings and dark alleys, leaving Virgil with the use of only one arm in an attack on December 28, 1881, and Morgan dead from another shot to the back on March 18, 1882. In revenge for his brothers, and the upholding of the law, Wyatt Earp began his Vendetta Ride. In the span of three weeks, March 20 thru April 15, 1882, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and their federal posse, rode throughout Arizona with a warrant for William “Curly Bill” Brocius, the leader of the “Cowboys”. The two met on March 24, 1882 in Iron Springs where after an exchange of gunfire, Brocius lay dead from a shotgun blast to the chest. In the end, Earp and his posse rode after the cowboys and into Colorado where they finally dissolved and began going their own ways.
The fall of the “Cowboys” came shortly after the loss of their leader. Once he was proved powerless, the few “Cowboys” that remained were hunted down by Wyatt Earp and his crew. Wyatt Earp brought justice and restoration to both Arizona and his family name.
This same example is given to us in I Kings 18. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel rejoiced in the slaughter of God’s prophets only to find defeat in the end. Jezebel had ordered that all the prophets of the true God be killed. For the sake of their own lives they hid within the caves and found refuge under Obadiah. As Israel entered its third year without rain, Ahab summoned Obadiah to help him find grass to keep the animals alive. What Obadiah found, however, was the next segment in God’s outline of power.
It was Elijah who had declared to King Ahab three years prior that it would not rain except at the prophet’s command (I Kings 17:1). During the time Elijah had been away from the king, God was caring for him. Fed by ravens and provided for by the widow in Zarephath of Sidon, Elijah followed God’s commands. For his obedience he lacked nothing. But as God brought provision to Elijah, so also He brought lack on Israel. It only stands to make sense then, that when Ahab saw Elijah coming out to meet him, his greeting would be one of accusation.

“…and Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, ‘Is that you, you troubler of Israel?’”
I Kings 18:16b-17

Elijah defended himself and corrected Ahab by saying that the troublemakers of Israel were Ahab and his ancestors, for they abandoned God and His commandments, and had given themselves over to the idol worship of Baal. And in this same speech, Elijah called out for the king to bring all the prophets before him.

“Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
I Kings 18:19

The challenge was about to be laid down. The true God was about to stand out from among the crowd and re-take His throne over Israel. The enemy was about to be defeated. With all the prophets of both Baal and Asherah gathered together, Elijah posed his contest.

“Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’ But the people said nothing.”
I Kings 18:21

The people said nothing. Here we see an example of how the people of Israel were not necessarily trying to rid God from their lives, but were rather working to mix a blend of God and other gods into their daily practices. They wanted to combine a worship of both God and gods, life and death. In the end, they wanted the best of both worlds. Did history not show in the life of Solomon that the mix of other gods brought Solomon away from the true God? And was it not God Himself who, when giving the Ten Commandments, declared Himself to be a jealous God (Ex 20:5)?
I can ask this same question of myself. The truth is I do not have to think hard to recall an example of this in my own life. In the many years I spent addicted to pornography, I fought this same desire. I wanted to follow God with everything in me, but I also did not want to give up the addiction and the false feelings of security I clung to. I battled daily, even hourly, with the guilt and shame that came as a result of this sin, but at the same time I battled with the feelings of inclusion and acceptance I grew to believe. I wanted to have the best of both. And although I tried denying the fact, the truth was that I was bowing to my own idol. I was bowing down to lust, selfishness, and pride. I wavered between two opinions and said nothing.
In closing today, I challenge you to reflect where you are at this point. Are there things that God has told you to give up that you are still hoping you can mix in with your Christian walk? As is seen early in this devotional, and will be seen in my next writing, the time of double-mindedness must cease. Prepare to rid the gods, and join me ON THE VANGUARD!