First Kings chapter 18. First Kings chapter 18. Last week in chapter 17, we were introduced to Elijah the prophet. He comes basically out of nowhere and he rebukes or he says to Ahab that there would be no dew nor rain these years except at my word.
In chapter 17, verse one, we saw him sustained or provided for by God through ravens and through a widow at Zarephath. And then we saw the power of God displayed in answer to prayer. in the raising of this widow's son from the dead. So beginning in chapter 18 at verse 1, And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth. So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab, and there was a severe famine in Samaria.
And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, for so it was while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord that Obadiah had taken 100 prophets and hidden them, 50 to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water. And Ahab had said to Obadiah, go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to kill any livestock.
So they divided the land between them to explore it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him. And he recognized him and fell on his face and said, Is that you, my lord, Elijah?
So he answered him, It is I. Go tell your master, Elijah is here. So he said, how have I sinned that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me? As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you.
And when they said he is not here, he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. And now you say, Go tell your master, Elijah is here, and it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know. So when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth.
Was it not reported to my Lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid 100 men of the Lord's prophets, 50 to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, go tell your master, Elijah is here. He will kill me. Then Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Is that you, O troubler of Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table.
So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people and said, ìHow long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal, follow him.î But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men.
Therefore, let them give us two bulls and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God. So all the people answered and said, it is well spoken.
Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, choose one bowl for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many, and call on the name of your God, but put no fire under it. So they took the bowl which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
And so it was at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened. So they cried aloud and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was passed, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice.
But there was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, come near to me. So all the people came near to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, Israel shall be your name.
Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two sails of seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bowl in pieces and laid it on the wood and said, fill four water pots with water and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood. Then he said, do it a second time. And they did it a second time.
And he said, do it a third time. And they did it a third time. So the water ran all around the altar. And he also filled the trench with water.
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me. that this people may know that you are the Lord God, and that you have turned their hearts back to you again.' Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!
And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape. So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and executed them there. Well,
Introduction: Context and Overview
as we continue in this section of the book of 1 Kings, the emphasis is upon the northern kingdom, specifically under the reign of Ahab, and the book will stay there until the latter part of chapter 22. It will go back to Jehoshaphat and the southern kingdom to close out the book. But this Elijah comes now to meet with Ahab. We see that in verses 1 to 19.
And then we see this contest at Carmel in verses 20 to 40. Now essentially what God says is that He is going to indeed send rain on the earth. This is what's stipulated there specifically in verse 1. But God the Lord knows the hearts of men.
If He just sends rain upon the earth, then no doubt the Baal apologists will say He's come back after a three-year hiatus and He has brought rain upon the land. So praise Baal from whom all blessings flow. So God uses Elijah to engage in this particular contest at Carmel to show the supremacy and the singularity and the glory of the living and the true God and to show that Baal is no god whatsoever. So it is a means by which he brings judgment to bear upon those who had given their hearts to Baal in obedience and in worship and in service.
So
The Meeting with Ahab
let's look first at the meeting with Ahab in verses 1 to 19. There is the word of God that is the driving force in the narrative. God the Lord speaks through the prophet Elijah. Very specifically, he speaks to the prophet Elijah and he tells them, go present yourself to Ahab and I will send rain on the earth.
So this was in the third year. Remember, Elijah appears before Ahab in chapter 17, verse 1. He then goes and lives with this widow at Zarephath, and so now three years later, he comes back on the scene. Now, it tells us that there are certain meetings, specifically with Ahab and Obadiah, Obadiah and Elijah, and then finally Ahab and Elijah.
But note first Ahab and Obadiah in verses 3 to 6. It says, verse 3,
Ahab, Obadiah, and the Fear of God
Ahab had called Obadiah who was in charge of his house. So he was the man, the master, the governor of the king's palace or the king's royal quarters. And then it tells us Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. And then it gives us a reason, or it gives us a result of that fear of the Lord.
In other words, he feared God, and as a result of the fear of God, it led him to do these sorts of things for the glory of God and the good of God's people. It says, "'For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken 100 prophets and hidden them, 50 to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.'" We ought to appreciate, not in a positive way, but the murderous rage of Jezebel at this particular time, and the complicity of Ahab. Ahab has not only allowed Baal worship, but Ahab has built a temple and an altar for Baal. And now that Jezebel wants to purge the real prophets of the living and true God, she engages in this massacre, and Ahab not only doesn't do anything, but he's actually supportive of this.
But Obadiah, however, because he fears God, he serves in the capacity as the ravens in chapter 17 and the widow in chapter 17. He becomes the one that provides for these hundred displaced prophets, these men that Jezebel wanted to rid the earth of. And then when we look at Obadiah in more detail, we ought to appreciate that he's not the same sort of guy as Elijah. He is not this larger-than-life sort of figure that just sort of pops onto the scene out of nowhere and basically puts his finger into the face of Ahab the king.
This man is sort of behind the scenes and this man is sort of in an inconspicuous manner serving the kingdom of God. And I think we ought to appreciate that with reference to Elijah and Obadiah. God's servants are not all the same. You get an Elijah once in a while that stands before the king and says, thou art the man.
But for the most part, the people of God will find more affinity with a fellow like Obadiah, serving behind the scenes, seeking to be faithful, doing those sorts of things that are pleasing to the Lord God. Davis says sometimes Yahweh attacks evil with the in-your-face style of an Elijah, and sometimes he frustrates it by the simple subversion of an unobtrusive agent. And that's what we have in this man Obadiah. Now
Ahab's Plan and Skewed Priorities
note the plan of Ahab with Obadiah in verses 5 and 6. Ahab says to Obadiah, go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to kill any livestock. Now the contrast here is absolutely incredible.
He doesn't mind whatsoever when Jezebel is massacring the prophets of the living God. but here he wants to make sure that they have grass in order to keep the horses and the mules alive. The economy first with reference to Ahab and his regime. He doesn't care one whit about the true prophets. He doesn't care one bit about his murderous, wretched wife Jezebel who's engaged in such lawlessness.
What is most important for Ahab is that we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to kill any live stock. Matthew Henry says he took a deal of pains to seek grass, but none to seek the favor of God. And so he divvies up the land. Ahab will take one portion.
Obadiah, his trusted servant, will take another portion. And this serves to get Obadiah away from Ahab, so that Elijah can now converse with Obadiah. We see that in verses 7 to 15. Verses 7 to 8,
Elijah's Command and Obadiah's Hesitancy
Elijah says, go tell Ahab that I am here. In other words, he is looking for me, he is surveying, he is scurrying the countryside in search for Elijah. Go tell him, it is I. Go tell your master, Elijah is here.
Now note the hesitancy of Obadiah in verses 9 to 14. Some come down a bit hard on Obadiah here, and perhaps you might be likely to think the same sort of thing. It almost sounds like he's afraid of dying. Yeah, how dare him be afraid of dying?
I mean, isn't that just incredible? It's easy for us in a Bible study room in a safe place on a Wednesday night to be a Monday morning quarterback and say, Obadiah, stand with Elijah shoulder to shoulder and rebuke Ahab. Sort of seems like he's trying to navigate and please his earthly master, Ahab, but on the other hand, he does fear the Lord. Well, this is again where the people of God oftentimes find themselves.
We ought to believe the author, according to verse four, that Obadiah is indeed a good man. He has hidden the prophets from the murderous rage of massacring Jezebel. But we see that he is suspicious that he had sinned and that he is going to be punished for it. Notice in verse nine, have I sinned that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me?
Now, as you follow his train of thought, here is the jest, or here is the point. Obadiah knows that Ahab is searching for Elijah. And Elijah has said, go tell Ahab that I am here. Now, Obadiah fears that the Spirit of the Lord is going to take Elijah away, like he did when he went to the widow at Zarephath's house, when he was out of commission for those three years.
And so Obadiah's fear is that he'll tell Ahab that Elijah's here, but the Spirit of the Lord will sweep Elijah away. And when Ahab says, where is Elijah? And there's no Elijah, then Obadiah will be murdered by Ahab. I think that's a legitimate fear that he had at this particular time.
He says that there was indeed a diligent search by Ahab and we see in that his impotence. I think all over this chapter it shows the impotency or the ineffectiveness of Ahab. Chapter 18 verse 10, he searches all over but he couldn't find him. I mean, come on, this is the king of Israel.
He ought to be able to find one lone prophet. As well, we see when these 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, only 450 prophets of Baal face off against Elijah. What happened to the 400 prophets of Asherah? Probably they are under Jezebel's command and Ahab couldn't get her to deliver them up so that they would face off against Elijah on Mount Carmel.
So the impotence of Ahab is everywhere seen in this particular chapter. But notice verse 11, he says, Now you say, Go tell your master, Elijah is here, and it shall come to pass as soon as I am gone from you that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know. So when I go and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord from my youth." He's not boasting here.
He's simply stating the facts. He is simply highlighting the reality. In other words, Elijah, you have a partner with me. You have somebody that is an affinity with you.
You have somebody that's sort of on the inside that can help hide prophets and make sure that Ahab doesn't do his thing to all of the prophets of God. Verse 13, he rehearses the fact that he hid the prophets, and then in verse 14 he says, now you say, go tell your master Elijah is here, he will kill me. Davis makes this observation concerning the difference between Obadiah and Elijah. Obadiah is obviously very different from Elijah.
Elijah's ministry is more public and confrontational. You'd have to admit that, right? I mean, he comes out of nowhere, 17-1, and he tells Ahab there's going to be a drought. And he, you know, wants to go and meet him.
He calls Ahab the troubler of Israel. He says, Obadiah works quietly in behind-the-scenes fashion and yet is faithful in the sphere where God has placed him. We ought to appreciate the differences in the servants of the Lord and not expect or demand that everybody be an Elijah. Not everybody is an Elijah.
Not everybody's a Spurgeon. Not everybody's an Amy Carmichael. God has different people doing different things with the same goal, the same focus, and the same purpose. And we should see that in scripture, and we should see that in the church, and it should guard us against the tendency to say, well, I'm doing thus and thus, why isn't anybody else?
Because they're doing a different thus and thus that serves the same focus, kingdom, and kingdom purpose, and yet it's different than what you are entrusted with. Let us not be the sorts of people that demand everybody be an Elijah-like figure like me, or an Elijah-like figure like them, or be a C.H. Spurgeon. Be faithful where God has planted you with the gifts and the resources and the abilities that He has given you.
It might be an Obadiah that's governor over the house of Ahab. It might be Elijah the Tishbite who's fed by ravens at the brook Carinth. It may be, you know, an apostle Paul. It may be who knows who, but just serve God where God has placed you.
Now notice when they, or just verse 15 quickly. Then Elijah said, as the Lord of hosts lives before whom I stand. He said that in chapter 17, verse one as well. It's a beautiful description, isn't it?
Elijah's conscious of the reality that he stands before God. You know, God is in the heavens and he does his sovereign will. Elijah's on earth. Nevertheless, he stands before God each and every moment.
I will surely present myself to him. Now
Elijah Confronts Ahab
note the meeting with Ahab and Elijah. They both battle over the identifier of the troubler of Israel. Ahab has the gall to say to Elijah, you are the troubler of Israel. No doubt, because Elijah had prayed and prophesied concerning the drought.
So Ahab looks around at the brown, he looks around at the dearth, and he looks around and he says, you are the one that brought this to pass. It's your fault. Well, if you go back in the book of Joshua, in Joshua chapter 6 and 7, remember there was a man by the name of Achan, and he troubled Israel. Perhaps Ahab is thinking that if we remove this Achan, this Elijah, this troubler from Israel, if we remove him from the land, then God will heal the land, and we will get rain, and everything will be hunky-dory.
But Elijah does not agree with him, as we would expect. Elijah doesn't say, yes, you're right, Ahab, I am the troubler of Israel. No, he says, you are the troubler of Israel, and he gives specific reasons why. Verse 18, I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals.
Proven says, the trouble has religious roots, the abandonment of the Lord's commands and the worship of the Baals. And it is Ahab, not Elijah, who is the Achan of this narrative. So it's not Elijah that's the problem in Israel, it is rather Ahab. And then in verse 19 he says essentially to gather everybody up at Mount Carmel, 450 prophets of Baal, 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table.
Now Jezebel was the queen. So if these prophets are sitting at our table, that means they are subsidized by the government. That means they are feeding based on tax dollars. They are state-sponsored false prophets in Israel at this particular time.
Again, we often make this observation that when we look out around us, we see wickedness, and we see a secular society, and we see animosity toward the people of God, and we see, I think, increased animosity toward Christianity. But there is nothing new under the sun. I mean, Jezebel was trying to murder the true prophets of God, the very queen of Israel. The very queen of Israel is trying to murder the prophets of Israel.
And the same sort of thing is seen in this particular section. Now
The Contest at Carmel
let's look at this contest at Carmel. And there's three sections that I want to cover. First, the challenge issued by Elijah. Second, the response by the false prophets.
And third, the display of God's power. But the first thing,
The Challenge Issued by Elijah
the challenge issued by Elijah, notice in verse 20, Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. Remember when Elijah goes to Zarephath, we said that it was Baal country. If you go up north and east over toward the Mediterranean Sea, you've got this region called Phoenicia. And this was the hub of Baalism.
And this was where Zarephath was. And so Elijah goes and he lives right in the heart of Baal's country. Well, Mount Carmel is just south of Phoenicia. I mean, it's just right there on the border.
And it is intriguing that some of the sorts of reports about Mount Carmel in the earlier history. Mount Carmel was close to Phoenicia, which was Baal country, and had had an altar to Yahweh in disrepair. Notice in verse 30, it says, Elijah said to all the people, come near to me. So all the people came near to him and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.
So at one time, Carmel had a particular altar that was in operation. in service to Yahweh. It probably had been co-opted and been used now for Baal worship. But Davis goes on to say, in Egyptian records from the second millennium B.C., Mount Carmel is called Holy Head, suggesting it was a sanctuary. In the annals of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III in 841 B.C., Mount Carmel appears as, quote, the mountain of Baal of the promontory.
So essentially, the same thing is happening again. Elijah beat Ahab when he stayed at the widow at Zarephath's house for those three years. Elijah is going to beat Ahab and Baal again right in Baal's own hometown. And if you were to read this chapter not knowing sort of the outcome, you might actually think that Elijah was trying to stack the deck against the God of Israel.
He gives the false prophets the home field advantage. He gives the false prophets the first crack at the sacrifice. He gives the false prophets just about everything they could ever imagine, and then, to make his task even more difficult, he douses his sacrifice in water. He stacks the deck against Yahweh so that when Yahweh does bring fire down to consume the offering, no one will ever make the mistake of having to say, well, that couldn't have been God.
It most certainly was God. It was the God of Israel that rendered this victory. Now, note the particular challenge. As stated earlier, God had intended to bring rain, but God didn't want these people to say, well, Baal brought the rain.
A three-year hiatus, having been in the underworld, Moth was not victorious, so ultimately Baal has brought the rain. No, this contest was to show who the true and living God was. Now
The Demand for Total Allegiance
note Elijah's demand in verse 21. Elijah came to all the people and said, how long will you falter between two opinions? This seems to be the problem in Israel. This word falter could also be translated limped.
When we see these prophets of Baal leaping about the altar, it's the same verb. They limped about the altar. I think that Elijah is making a play here and saying that you people who follow after Baal are just sort of limping along. You don't have zeal, you don't have earnestness, you don't have confidence because your God is a useless, vain thing.
But he issues this challenge. How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal, follow him. Now, he's not suggesting that Baal is the real God or is a God.
He is simply laying down the gauntlet and telling them they need to deal with this particular demand. And if we were to ask the question, why would anybody be tempted to follow Baal? In other words, why did they find themselves in this particular situation? I mean, admittedly, for us, don't you look at this chapter and say, man, what a bunch of fools.
They have the living and the true God. Why would they follow after Baal? The government supported Baal. Ahab and Jezebel were pro-Baal.
That would indeed increase the pressure to be a follower of Baal. As well, there would be the appeal of tradition. Remember when Israel comes into Canaan? What is one of the first things they are met with?
Baal worship, as well, relevance to felt needs. What was Baal's job? Allegedly, supposedly, he was supposed to bring rain upon the land. That's a great resource for farmers, a great resource in an agrarian situation.
And then Baal certainly appealed to sensual needs because Baal was worshiped through the glands. Baal was worshiped through copulation. Baal was worshiped in a manner that was absolutely wicked. So I'm not suggesting those are good and compelling reasons, but when you come to Mount Carmel and you see a whole waft of people that are serving, or a raft of people serving this Baal, hopefully this will inform you as to why he lays down this challenge.
But he says, if the Lord is God, follow him, but if Baal, follow him. What is Elijah saying? When it comes to your religious life, the God you serve demands total allegiance. You don't give God 30%, you don't give God 40%, you don't give God even 90%.
He demands total allegiance of everything, life, soul, mind, strength, body, everything. Davis makes the observation, this is no mere academic question. Elijah's formulation assumes that theology leads to discipleship. Commitments have consequences.
If you and I say we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, then it must be evidenced. It must be manifested. There must be that total allegiance. Christ picks up that theme, that Elijah-like theme, when he says in Matthew 12, 30, he who is not with me is against me.
You see, we don't have the prerogative to pick and choose. Well, we'll serve Jesus over here with, you know, 30% of our energies, but the rest of it we're going to give to this, that, or the other. We're going to give Jesus this, we're going to give Mammon this. We're going to give Jesus this, we're going to give this idol that.
No, we are to engage in total allegiance to the Lord God Most High. This is the gauntlet that is laid down by Elijah on Mount Carmel. And perhaps it was answerable to the reality that the persons of Israel at this time probably thought they could have a bit of Baal and a bit of Yahweh. Syncretism wasn't just completely forsaking Yahweh and only serving Baal.
I would imagine some of them were like that, but some of them probably had a bit of Baal and a bit of Yahweh. And Elijah says that's not the way religion works. Commitments have consequences. Theology leads to discipleship.
Choose you this day whom you will serve. Doesn't Joshua lay down the same challenge in Joshua 24? You see it in Joshua, you see it in Elijah, you see it in the Lord Jesus Christ. And for whatever reason, we still have a tough time hearing it, a tough time responding to it, a tough time exhibiting that sort of allegiance, that total allegiance to God.
And that's not uncommon because notice what happens in verse 21. But the people answered him not a word. They probably feared Ahab, and they feared Elijah. They didn't want to commit.
They were noncommittal. Let's see how this contest plays out, and then we'll make our decision. Typical sinners standing before an ultimatum. Notice, Elijah is greatly outnumbered, verse 22.
Again, the prophets of Asherah are a no-show. And that's going to be fatal, ultimately, to Ahab. You know what happens after this great contest at Carmel? The prophets of Baal are slain.
The prophets of Baal are seized and they are executed. But those prophets of Asherah live on to advise another day. And they tell Ahab to go into a battle wherein he loses his life. I mean, it's just, you know, beautiful irony in that whole situation, but that's for another time.
And then the specifics of the contest in verses 23 to 25. It's pretty straightforward. You guys take a bowl, set it up for sacrifice, see what your God does in terms of consuming it by fire. And then when you fail, I'll go ahead and set up my bowl, and we'll see what my God does with reference to consuming it by fire.
Now, this idea of consuming it by fire, we see it in Leviticus 9. After God gives instructions concerning sacrifice, we see that Israel offers up a sacrifice and God brings fire down to consume that sacrifice. We see it as well in 1 Chronicles 21 and in 2 Chronicles 7. This is a sign of God's acceptance of the sacrifice by way of fire, and that is precisely the thing that is set forth.
Now, Howe says, as the storm god, Baal was thought to be responsible for lightning as well as rain, so this should be an easy contest. That's probably what they're thinking. It's good. This is a good plan.
I mean, as we read it and as we know the story, we see sheep running right into the slaughter, don't we? We know how the story ends, and we know what Elijah's going to do. But at this particular time at Carmel, Elijah is grossly outgunned. He is grossly outnumbered.
There are 450 of them against him and him alone. We learn from this that truth is not arrived at democratically. Even though 450 may say Baal is God, that doesn't make it true. Even though Islam is rapidly growing, that does not make it true.
Even though there's a great whack of Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, that doesn't make it true. Truth is not arrived at democratically. Truth is revealed to us by God Most High. And so Elijah stands up against these 450 prophets of Baal.
He lays down the terms of the contest. They agree. They figure this is going to be an easy bet. We are going to have no problems whatsoever.
Now
The Response of the False Prophets
notice the response by the false prophets in verses 26 to 29. They call on Baal. So they took the bull, which was given them, and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, O Baal, hear us." I mean, this is a pathetic scene with reference to idolatry. This is a very pathetic scene.
I mean, on the one hand, it's a glorious scene because we see the futility of idolatry, but it's a pathetic scene when you sort of drive down the streets of Chilliwack and you see people whacked out on drugs, people that are given to idols, people that will destroy their lives for their idols. That's what's happening right here before our eyes with these 450 false prophets. They keep escalating, they keep getting more and more, trying to invoke the blessing of their God to bring this fire down upon their altars. O Baal, hear us.
And then this is repeated twice, here and then later, but there was no voice, no one answer. Well, we know why that is, don't we? Because Baal's a fake. Baal's a fraud.
These are false prophets. They're not true prophets of a true God. They are false prophets of a no God. And that's why the text is specific.
There was no voice, no one answer. We might say there was no voice because there was no one to answer. There was no bail. There was no target of invocation at this particular juncture.
They increased their efforts. Then they leaped about the altar, which they had made, or they limped about the altar. which they had made. So they call on Baal. Notice, secondly, they are mocked by Elijah.
And make no mistake about it, Elijah is mocking them. Elijah is scorning them. Elijah is browbeating them. Again, one against 450.
Elijah is a larger-than-life sort of person. I don't care who else was in this passage, they wouldn't have, you know, stood shoulder to shoulder with Elijah. Obadiah is probably this pillar of majesty and glory, but standing next to Elijah, he almost seems a bit wimpy and a bit weak and a bit hesitant. Elijah is the sort of guy that mocks 450 men.
You got to have confidence in your God in order to do something like this. Matthew Henry says, the worship of idols is a most ridiculous thing and it is but justice to represent it so and expose it to scorn. And that is what Elijah does. Notice at verse 27.
And so it was at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, Cry aloud, for he is a God, either he is meditating, you get that sort of conception that there's your God sitting under a tree, you know, engaged with his thoughts. The next clause, or he is busy. Perhaps you have heard this explained as probably a reference to he's in the washroom. That's what it means.
He's defecating. He's in the restroom. He's out of commission for a bit. So he's not going to hear you when you call on him to consume your sacrifice by fire.
Or he is on a journey. Now, these are all things that were true of the gods in this particular context. you know, just sort of extra special humans, essentially. And so he is laying down this gauntlet upon them. Or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.
Now, when we consider our God, he is the direct opposite to each of those things. He is not busy. He is not meditating. He's not on a journey.
And he certainly doesn't sleep and must be awakened. The God of Israel doesn't slumber. The God of Israel isn't ever caught you know, off under a tree collecting his thoughts. That's not the God with whom we have to do.
Now they intensify their efforts again, verses 28 and 29. So they cried aloud and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them. You see, at first it just looks a bit foolish, right? You've got these fellows singing and are calling upon Baal, which doesn't exist, to consume their sacrifice with fire.
Then they leap about the altar and it's almost, you know, we giggle at that and certainly we stand right there with Elijah in verse 27 when he mocks, but verse 28 really is a picture of what idolatry brings a man to. They cried aloud, they cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them." That was in order to try and provoke Baal to come to their rescue. But certainly that's the devotion people have to their idols, isn't it? And maybe we're not thinking through this, brethren, but all around us there are people that are engaged in idolatry.
And they may not be, you know, cutting themselves and bleeding all over themselves to invoke the blessing of their idol, but they're losing houses or they're losing families or they're, you know, given over to some sort of lust or wickedness that completely ruins their lives. I mean, that's the sort of picture that we have here in verse 28. I mean, here's somebody's father cutting himself and bleeding on himself, invoking Baal to come and bless. That's a pathetic scene, and it is a clear scene of what idolatry reduces a man to.
Verse 29, when midday was passed, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. This was an all-day event for them. This frenzy, this madness, this calling upon Baal, this prayer time was extended for the entirety of the day. But the author tells us once again in verse 29, but there was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention.
A.W. Pink says, the altar stood cold and smokeless, the bullock unconsumed. The powerlessness of Baal and the folly of his worshippers were made fully apparent. The vanity and absurdity of idolatry stood completely exposed.
No false religion is able to send fire down upon a vicarious sacrifice. No false religion can put away sin, bestow the Holy Spirit. or grant supernatural answers to prayer. Tested at these three vital points, they one and all fail, as Baal's worship did that memorable day on Carmel. Now, brethren, you've got to appreciate the total depravity of man.
You would think that after this display, Baalism would be removed from the land, wouldn't you? We get to 2 Kings 10, and guess what Jehu's mission is? Jehu's mission is to rid the land of Baalism. This is idolatry.
Persons see the ruin that, say, drug abuse brings, or they see the ruin that adultery brings, or they see the ruin that love of money brings, and they nevertheless go out and do the same thing. This is a case study in the wretchedness and the wickedness of idolatry and the depravity of man who sees these instances multiply. I think about this often with reference to sexual infidelity in the pastoral ministry. This is the sorts of things we hear more often than not, how pastors leave the ministry.
It's because of sexual infidelity. We've got to wake up and smell the coffee and realize that this sin never brings blessing in your lives or whatever your particular career, whatever your particular bent or issue is. You see things in your life, people perpetuating sinfulness and pursuing idols not to their benefit, Does idolatry ever bring blessing, goodness, joy, happiness? It brings ruin.
It brings despair. It brings men, you know, gashing themselves and bleeding on themselves, calling to someone that's not even there. They could have done this for a million years and verse 29 would have been as strong. There was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention.
Now,
The Display of God's Power
notice the display of God's power in verses 30 to 40, the preparation by Elijah. He repairs the altar in verse 30, and then he sets up these 12 stones. This is an intriguing thing that Elijah does. By implication, he's saying to the northern kingdom, you are not legit.
You are not a legitimate kingdom because Israel is 12 tribes. It's a confederation of tribes. We are one body. We are one unified whole.
And you 10 are in rebellion against the living God. And when you did that, you then embraced Baalism and all manner of wickedness. Elijah setting up these 12 stones is essentially saying to Israel, we got to get back together, we got to get right before God, and we got to do those things that he has commanded us in his law. We're not supposed to be divided, and we're not supposed to be separated.
Now, when he douses the sacrifice in the wood, persons say, well, how come in a drought he would take these 12 jugs of water and pour it all over? They were right near the Mediterranean Sea. No one was drinking sea water. There was an abundance of water to cover this sacrifice and this wood.
So I mentioned earlier, Elijah could be understood to be working against Yahweh. The God in question, Baal, has authority over lightning. Seems like a sure bet that he's going to win this whole fire-consuming thing. Secondly, the false prophets have the home field advantage.
Third, they got to go first. Fourth, the dousing of the sacrifice. Davis says Israelites were not witless. They knew wet stuff doesn't burn.
Elijah had stacked a deck against Yahweh so that when His fire came, there could be no other explanation except that it was an act of God. You see, we use that today, our insurance companies use that today with reference to a tornado or a hurricane or whatever. Elijah set it up such that no one could not say it was an act of God. Everybody would see that Yahweh answered by fire and Yahweh was indeed the true and the living God.
Now note, the prayer offered by Elijah, the very opposite of these false prophets. Now Elijah was a man of zeal. Elijah was a man of earnestness. Elijah was indeed sort of a larger-than-life figure.
But Elijah knew something about the true God. He didn't need to be manipulated. He didn't need to be coerced, as if he could even be. You see, these false prophets are trying to manipulate and coerce Baal to bless them.
If we pray enough, if we say enough, if we leap enough, if we bleed enough, then Baal will come to our aid. You see, Elijah recognizes that God, Yahweh, is not Baal. He is not a super slot machine. You put the quarter in, pull back the handle, and get the blessing out.
That's not the way God operates. God is in absolute control. So he earnestly, fervently, and zealously prays, but he doesn't seek to manipulate or coerce God. And note the blessedness of his prayer.
It says in verse 26, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, the God of the covenant. Let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that you are the Lord God, and that you have turned their hearts back to you again." So three particulars with reference to his prayer. First and foremost, the glory of God.
In other words, God bring this fire to bear upon this sacrifice so that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel. Secondly, to validate the prophet Elijah. I mean, he wants people to know that when he speaks in the name of Yahweh, he is in fact the real deal. Because up until this point, he's only met with resistance.
That's been Elijah's lot at this point. And then thirdly, the well-being of the people. Verse 37, Hear me, O Lord, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again. You see, this is Elijah's prayer, the glory of God, the validity of his office, and the well-being of Israel.
He's not there to beat up on Israel. He's there to beat up on Baal. He's there to beat up on this godless Ahab and Jezebel. But the people of Israel are his concern.
He's a prophet of Yahweh. He wants their recovery. He wants their repentance. He wants their blessing.
And this makes its way, obviously, into his prayer. Now, note the power of God displayed. Verses 38 and 39. The fire of God consumed the burnt sacrifice.
Verse 38. Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. The false prophet spent the whole day trying to invoke Baal to bless. Nothing happens.
No voice. No one answered. No one was there. No one paid attention.
Elijah offers up what we would call a very short prayer, wouldn't we? I mean, if Pastor Elijah was in the pulpit, everybody would be happy. There's no 20-minute prayer coming from Elijah. I mean, it takes, what, 10 seconds to read those two verses?
That's a prayer we can get behind, Elijah. You see, God is not manipulated and coerced to perform. He says what needs to be said. May you be glorified, may you validate my prophetic ministry, and may you bless these people.
And God answers. God answers. Never get it in your head that 20-minute prayers are certainly answered prayers. 20-second prayers can be answered prayers as well. So the fire licks up everything.
It licked up the water that was in the trench. I mean, what a display. Again, don't you see the depravity of the people that they would ever go back to Baal? Why go back to Baal?
You saw Baal beat on Mount Carmel. Yahweh handed Baal his head. And those false prophets, well, not only did he hand them their heads, He did so literally via Elijah. But then note verse 39, we're coming to a close here.
Now, when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, the Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God. I think in this, there's probably an act of God's grace alongside of His display of power. Because as I said, Leviticus 9, when they offer up the sacrifice and God brings down fire to consume it, what's the point in Leviticus? The whole point in the context of Leviticus is that the way that Israel gets to her God is through a bloody knife and a smoking altar.
So this fire consuming the sacrifice in this instance at Mount Carmel is God's act of grace to these people essentially saying there is a way back. There is redemption, there is forgiveness, there is mercy, there is grace to be had, and it comes through the smoking altar. In other words, remember what you have in the law of God. Now, they confess the Lord, He is God, the Lord, He is God, but as I've said, they fall back into Baalism.
And that brings us to conclude with reference to the punishment imposed by God. The false prophets are seized and the false prophets are executed. Some would say, well, you know, Elijah is such a monstrous figure here. No, Elijah is executing the vengeance of God, the justice of God.
Deuteronomy 13 is very clear that if anyone solicits or entices you to commit apostasy, they deserve to die. It's a capital offense. Remember, this is a theocratic situation. They are ruled by Yahweh's law.
So when there are those who are, you know, against Yahweh and against the true prophets of Yahweh, that's treason. They are traitors in times of war and even in times of peace. Nations are very harsh in terms of their punishment with reference to treason. This is not harsh.
This is not bad. This is not icky. This is the justice of God displayed through his servant. Well,
Concluding Lessons
in terms of a few concluding lessons, first, the folly of idolatry in light of verses 26 and 29. Look at 26 and 29. but there was no voice, no one answered. And then in verse 29, but there was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention. In Psalm 115, verses five and six, it's a Psalm that mocks the idols of the nations.
It mocks the peoples that have these idols, but it says, they have mouths, but they do not speak. Eyes they have, but they do not see. They have ears, but they do not hear. You see, Psalm 115 is displayed right here when these false prophets are calling upon Baal to come and consume their sacrifice.
Secondly, we ought not to leave verse 21 without giving it serious thought. the demand for total allegiance. It is indeed a condemnation of idolatry and syncretism. You cannot serve Baal and Yahweh. You certainly can't serve Baal.
The issue, the challenge, the declaration is you need to come to God. You need to get right with God. You need to come through the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry again says, the service of God and the service of sin, the dominion of Christ and the dominion of our lusts, these are the two thoughts which it is dangerous halting between.
Those halt between them that are unresolved under their convictions, unstable and unsteady in their purposes, promise fair but do not perform, begin well but do not hold on, that are inconsistent with themselves or indifferent and lukewarm and that which is good. Their heart is divided, whereas God will have all or none." See, verse 21 lays down the gauntlet for all of us to come to grips with. Is it a little bit of Baal and a little bit of Yahweh for me, or is it by the grace of God, I'm following the Lord God, I love Jesus Christ, and I want to do what He says? Are we singing 505 really, or are we hypocrites when we sing? all the way my Savior leads.
Is that a lie? Or is it something we are seeking to pursue by the grace of God? Thirdly, we ought to appreciate the glory of the living God displayed in this passage. He is not hindered by numbers.
He is not hindered by numbers. If 450 people rise up and say that He is not, and one stands up and says He is, He is. Even if no one stands up and says He is. You've seen that bumper sticker before.
It says, God said it, I believe it, that settles it. God said it, that settles it. Whether you believe it or not, God spoke and it is true. He is not hindered by obstacles.
Try as Elijah may to stack the deck against him, God will overcome. Pour as many gallons of water on that bullock, on that altar, in the trench around it, and God's fire will lick up the water itself. God hears and answers prayer. I mean, if verse 38 teaches us anything, we ought to pray.
And notice that Elijah prayed as a man who had tried and proven his God in prayer. Same sort of thing in chapter 17. The widow's son dies. What does Elijah do?
He takes the dead boy up into the upper room, he lays down on the boy, and he entreats God to raise him from the dead. So he prays now as a man who has tried and proven his God. He demonstrates His mercy and His grace. If we accept in verse 38 that this fire consuming the sacrifice also sends the message that there is indeed a way back, it is through the bloody knife, it is through the smoking altar, this is a display of His mercy and grace.
He also demonstrates His justice and His righteousness in the execution of these false prophets. They deserve to die. I realize in our particular climate that really doesn't make any sense because heretics come to our door, heretics who deny the Trinity, you know, stand on the street corner. Heretics are all over the place and nothing bad ever happens to them.
But again, in this theocratic situation, a heretic or a false prophet was an assault upon not only the religious order, but the civil order as well. And so execution was the fit punishment for it. And then God is not influenced by frenzies. And I want to end on this note, the danger of Baalism today.
The danger of Baalism today, I suggest that there is more affinity with Baalism in some of our churches than there is with the worship of Yahweh. It is an emotional plea and ploy to get God to do things. Now, I hope that this isn't true of us, but just consider, the prophets of Baal thought they could influence Baal by their zeal. Is that what we think?
God's going to bless me because I'm zealous? Now, be zealous But don't do it to get. They called on His name from morning till noon. Brethren, by all means, pray from morning till noon.
But if it's only to get what you're after, you see, that's the essence of Baalism, doing what we do in order to get. No, we do what we do because we want to bring glory to God. We want to honor the name of Yahweh. We want to submit ourselves under His government and under His hand.
They leaped about the altar. They cried aloud. They cut themselves until the blood gushed out. They prophesied until the evening.
All of that was with a particular design to get Baal to act. Now, Davis makes the observation. He says, don't think Elijah was casual while the prophets of Baal were intense. Elijah was intense and earnest.
Note the repetition in 37a. But he knew God's nature. He didn't have to badger, coerce, manipulate. He didn't need to blabber on and bleed half the day to secure a hearing.
He then gives about a paragraph full of examples of things that are legit in and of themselves, missions trips and bake sales and all these things that churches do and individual Christians do. Again, not saying it's bad, but let's just question the motives or the rationale behind it. Are we doing what we're doing to try and manipulate God to bless us? You see, it's one thing to condemn Benny Hinn and the rest of the wingnuts that are out there preaching a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel, and yet be just like them, doing what we do to get from God.
You see the subtlety there? Are we treating Yahweh as if He's Baal? So He gives all these examples of what Christians and churches do, and then He says, all this Christian busyness is as exhausting as Baal worship, even minus the gashes. He says most of these are not illegitimate activities.
I'm not opposing, for example, more time spent in Bible study or missions trips. But might an illegitimate rationale drive them? Are these means of grace or gimmicks designed to manipulate, impress, or stir up God? You may not be a prophet of Baal, but you may think like one.
If only we do this, then God will do this." You see, it's easy to fall into this subtle trap of Baalism, only serving God for what God gives us. That's as bad as Benny Hinn, brethren. And I suspect it happens even in reformed churches. I pray, I read, I do because God will reward me.
God's good, God blesses, God's kind, God's gracious, but we aren't to be mercenaries in our service to God. We're certainly not to be bailists, gashing ourselves, cutting ourselves, or the equivalent of that, praying for 18 hours a day so that God will do this, that, or the other. By all means, pray 18 hours a day. Actually, don't.
Go to work, work hard, do your jobs. But pray, but just don't be a bailist about it. Don't try to manipulate God into doing what you want. Rather, submit yourself to His cause.
Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the prophet Elijah and the great example we learned in his boldness, his courage to stand up against these 450 false prophets. Thank you as well for the subtle servant Obadiah. Thank you most of all for the display of your glory and your power and your majesty there at Mount Carmel.
God, give us grace to see idols or potential idols in our lives. Let us hear John's admonition, little children, keep yourselves from idols. Grant us grace to serve you, to follow you, to glorify and to honor you. And we pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen.