1 Kings 18:16 – 40 So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah. When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
“I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all 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 did not answer a word.
Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.”
And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”
And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!”
But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.
At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”
So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.
Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.” And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. (15.6 liters)
Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.”
“Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time.
“Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. (12 full waterpots total)
So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.
When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.”
When Elijah shows up, Ahab immediately begins insulting and accusing him, but Elijah makes it clear that Ahab has brought disaster on Israel because of his sins and the sins of his wife Jezebel. The time for hiding is over, and it’s time for a showdown. Elijah orders Ahab to bring all the prophets of Baal and the Israelites to Mount Carmel.
Elijah opens the confrontation on Mount Carmel by demanding to know whom the Israelites are going to worship, whether they will follow Baal or the God of Israel. The Israelites remain quiet, waiting to see how this whole thing is going to turn out. This passivity on the part of the Israelites has helped lead to the problems of Ahab and Jezebel. Kings of Israel are only supposed to marry Israelites; however, after the poor example set by King Solomon, that regulation has been ignored. Nobody has spoken out as Jezebel has massacred prophets of the God of Israel; only Obadiah has had the courage to hide 100 prophets. It’s decision time for the Israelites, but they are still hoping to evade committing themselves.
Elijah issues a challenge: bring two bulls and allow the prophets of Baal to sacrifice theirs first. If Baal is really God, then he should answer with fire that consumes the sacrifice. The prophets of Baal cry out for hours, even cutting themselves until they are covered with blood, but Baal remains silent. Elijah taunts the Baal worshipers, suggesting that Baal is occupied, on a journey, asleep, etc. Finally, it’s Elijah’s turn. Elijah builds a simple altar with 12 stones representing the tribes of Israel and then digs a large trench around the altar. After arranging the bull and the wood for the sacrifice, Elijah orders the entire offering be drenched with twelve large waterpots. Not only is Elijah demonstrating his faith that God is going to send fire, but he also believes that God will send enough rain to replace the water he is now pouring out on the sacrifice.
Everything is in place just in time for the traditional evening sacrifice. Unlike the prophets of Baal, Elijah simply prays, asking God to demonstrate His power and turn the hearts of the Israelites back to Him. ZAP!!! God answers with so much fire that everything is consumed – the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water in the trench. All that’s left is a huge scorch mark on the ground. The Israelites immediately turn back to God and slaughter the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah.
APPLICATION: Why did the Israelites tolerate the reign of Ahab and Jezebel and allow themselves to be led into Baal and Asherah worship in the first place? Although King David loved God, he failed to disciple most of those around him, nor did he train Solomon in the ways of God. Solomon was so occupied with sex, wealth, and flaunting his wisdom that he did little to actually promote the worship of God. The kings that followed Solomon were even worse. None of the kings of Israel ever copied the Law of Moses for himself for personal study.
By the time Ahab and Jezebel arrived on the scene, many of the Israelites had only a vague idea of who God was or why He was worthy of worship. If those Israelites had lived today, they would have felt that they were good people because they shared inspirational memes on Facebook. These people had no understanding of the holy calling God had placed on the lives of all Israelites; they were far more interested in a religion that pandered to their lusts and didn’t make them feel uncomfortable. Given this attitude, it’s no wonder that the Israelites fell flat on their faces when God sent His fire to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, the altar, the water, and even the dust.
Although the Bible only mentions the killing of the prophets of Baal, it makes sense that Elijah would have wiped out the prophets of Asherah as well. Why leave prophets of a fertility cult?
The confrontation at Mount Carmel was nothing short of electrifying, but what were the long – term results? Did the Israelites truly repent and serve God, or did they slide back into their same idolatrous practices? God used this showdown between Elijah and the false prophets to demonstrate His power and His glory. But humans have an amazing ability to ignore large amounts of truth if they choose to believe lies. What did Jezebel have to say about all this? Jezebel wasn’t on Mount Carmel, nor did she see the fire of God fall.
Hundreds of years later, Jesus told his disciples that those who would not listen to Moses and the prophets wouldn’t even pay attention if someone rose from the dead. How much attention are we paying to what God is doing in our lives? Are we allowing God to speak to us, or are we trying to ignore Him in hopes that He will go away?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to listen for Your voice and to obey You when You speak to us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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