Turn in your Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 18. I know that in the past, the recent past, I have alluded to this section of Scripture. I wanted to look at it in more detail tonight. I doubt you're going to learn anything new.
Hopefully it is a reminder. Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. I wanted to take a look at Elijah because as we saw this morning in the prophet Malachi, He likens John the Baptist, or says that John the Baptist comes in the spirit of Elijah the prophet, or the Lord Jesus says that concerning him. There's several places, there's several parallels between Elijah and between John the Baptist.
Remember that the prophet would ultimately sound the warning and call Israel to repentance. We see that here in 1 Kings chapter 18. Well, that's precisely what John the Baptist does. He warns the people concerning the coming of God's holy kingdom and he calls them to repentance.
As well, the prophet Elijah modeled, in a righteous way, stubborn faithfulness. stubborn faithfulness. It's an interesting thing that Ahab actually has the gumption to call Elijah the troubler of Israel. Just the opposite was the case. Ahab was the troubler of Israel, but rather what Elijah models is stubborn faithfulness.
And John the Baptist shows that as well. Also, the prophet Elijah operated outside the power structure. He was not looked approvingly upon by the king. In fact, the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah almost had state-sanctioned status.
If you look for just a moment at verse 19 in chapter 18. Now, therefore, send and gather all Israel to be on Mount Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah. Notice, who eat at Jezebel's table. So they're being fed with the coffers that are being given to Ahab and to Jezebel.
The royal couple is using their money to supply vittles, or food, for the prophets of Baal and Asherah. So Elijah operates outside of the power structure in Israel, as does John the Baptist. He is the voice of one crying in the wilderness. As well, the prophet Elijah preached the law of Moses as God's covenant messenger, and this is precisely what the Baptist does as well.
He preaches the law of God. He calls men to repentance. He calls men to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ. So, when the prophet speaks of the coming of Elijah, and when the Lord Jesus describes or explains that John the Baptist is the embodiment of the prophet Elijah, we see those strong parallels that exist between the two men.
So let's just pick up reading at First Kings chapter 18. We'll read from verse 20 all the way to verse 40, and then we'll look at this exchange between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. 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, How long will you falter between two opinions?
If the Lord is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him. 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 four hundred and fifty 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 bowl 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.
The Victorious Display of God's Power
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 siahs of seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull 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 it 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 Tishon and executed them there.
Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, how we thank you for this wonderful example, this display of your power, of your glory, of your majesty. May this encourage the Church of Jesus Christ.
May we see that you are a great God. May we see that you are a holy God, a wondrous God, and a God who answers the prayers of his people. As James says, the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. He uses Elijah as his example.
We just pray, God in heaven, that we would come to you with big petitions, that we would come to you with big requests, and that we would present these things unto you, knowing that you are great and wondrous. And our Father, may you show us from this passage the serious sin of seeking to serve two gods. Help us, Father, to give you our hearts, to give you our soul, our mind, our strength completely and absolutely. And for any and all who here are serving the bales of this generation, we just pray that you would cause them to repent, cause them to believe on the Lord Jesus, cause them to serve Him and Him alone.
And we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
Introduction: Elijah and His Context
Well, Elijah gets a very interesting introduction into redemptive history. It's almost as if he sort of pops out of nowhere. After recounting several kings that were ungodly, several kings that engaged in futility, in chapter 17, verse 1, the first mention of Elijah the Tishbite. It says in chapter 17, verse 1, And Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." What a wonderful description of this particular man of God.
He says, As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand. So, Elijah lived quorum Deo. He always lived in the presence of God. His daily life was marked in such a way that he's able to describe himself as the one, or as God, as the one before whom I stand.
One commentator says, whenever evil flourishes, this is a reflection upon the wicked kings that were mentioned in chapter 16. He says, whenever evil flourishes, it is always a superficial flourish. For at the height of the triumph of evil, God will be there, ready with His man and His movement and His plans to ensure that His own cause will never fail. the wonderful description of the role of Elijah the Tishbite in this reign of Ahab when the nation went a-whoring from God. We have 450 prophets of Baal, we have 400 prophets of Asherah, and we have the one lone prophet of Yahweh, and he challenges all comers and he sets forth this particular contest to demonstrate that Yahweh truly is the God of heaven and earth and Israel itself.
So
Sermon Overview and Outline
I want to look at this passage of Scripture under three brief considerations. I say brief there so that you can slow down your fanning. We won't be here all night. We'll notice first the challenge of Elijah in verses 20 to 25.
Secondly, the response of the prophets in verses 26 to 29. And then thirdly, the victorious display of God's power. in verses 30 to 40. So, notice first the challenge of Elijah.
The Challenge of Elijah
Again, it's not just the 450 prophets of Baal, but it's also the 400 prophets of Asherah. Now, it's important for us to remember that these were pagan deities. The children of Israel weren't supposed to worship these idols. They weren't supposed to follow after Baal.
They weren't supposed to follow after Asherah. And the way that Baal and Asherah worship worked was like this. If you notice in the text, the prophets attempt to prime the pump. For those of you who don't know what that means, let me just try to explain.
When I was growing up, my cousin, or my uncle, had a cabin in Oregon. And we would go there a couple of times, or I went there a couple of times. Well, they had one of these hand pumps. that got water out. That's one of these things, kids, that you have to actually do like this.
Kind of like a digital clock. We don't even know how to read those old things anymore. But you had to prime the pump. You had to put a little bit of water in it, and then you started to move this handle, and then the water flow would get going.
I don't absolutely know all the science involved, but just suffice it to say you had to prime the pump, and then the water would flow. Well, if you notice how these men call upon their God, they have to prime the pump. They had to try and rouse him to service. And the way they rouse him to service, very specifically here, is they leap around the altar, they cut themselves, they bleed all over themselves.
But another way that they would prime the pump with reference to Baal worship was through sexual immorality, was through fornication. The idea specifically was that the worshippers, this is really bizarre, but the worshippers would fornicate with the intention of priming the pump so that Baal and Asherah would come together and as a result of that would send rain and would send benefit upon the ground and would produce fertility. So it's a bizarre sort of a way to go about worship. And unfortunately, understanding the carnal heart of man, you could see why some Israelites would get caught up in that.
If they were not committed to Yahweh, if they were not committed to the gospel, if they were not believing the promises of God, unfortunately, they would go astray. And they would be perfect prey to come along or to come under this sort of a worship. and approach to Baal and to Asherah. So that's sort of the religious context of what is going on in the passage. You see, Elijah doesn't come along and say, well, you've got Baal and you've got Asherah.
Yahweh's not really a jealous God, like he says in the second commandment. You go ahead and you just worship any old way you want, or you worship any old thing you want. No, he doesn't do that. You see, for Elijah, as a prophet of the living and true God, this is sin.
This is evil. This is wickedness. And it's as a result of this that Elijah offers this challenge. Verse 20, 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, How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.
No Halting Between Two Opinions
You see, it's an absolute commitment, this whole idea of religion. You see, you cannot pick a little Jesus and a little Baal. You can't have a little bit of Yahweh and a little bit of Asherah. You don't get to pick and choose like you're at a buffet.
Well, I want three parts this and four parts this to complete my religious being. You know, I sort of like the pomp and the circumstance of this particular aspect. I sort of like this in this particular area of religion. And I like this carnality that's involved in Baalism and in Asherah.
So I'm going to sort of meld all those things together. No, you can't do that. The prophet issues forth this question. He sounds just like his Lord Jesus.
He who is not with me is against me. The question is penetrating. The question is as relevant today as it was then. How long will you falter between two opinions?
If the Lord is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him. If the Lord Jesus Christ is God, follow Him. If Mammon is God, then follow it, but don't try to play them both.
Don't try to entertain Christ in the parlor and the devil in the basement, because you will most certainly fail. Ralph Davis says this is no mere academic question. Elijah's formulation assumes that theology leads to discipleship. Commitments have consequences.
You say you're a Christian. You say you believe on the Lord Jesus. You say that you've trusted in him alone. Does that have consequences in your life?
Are you easily led astray? Do you follow Mammon? Do you follow Baal? Do you follow the world?
Elijah's challenge is as relevant as I've said then as it is today, or now as it was then. But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, verse 22, I alone am left the prophet of the Lord. But Baal's prophets are 450 men.
Therefore, let them give us two bowls and let them choose one bowl for themselves. Cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. I will prepare the other bowl and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it."
One Prophet Against the Many
It's a great challenge, isn't it? I kind of wish you were there. I think we are when we actually pay attention to the text. You know, you can kind of see what's going on.
This one man. does not care about the numbers involved. Oh, there's 450 prophets of Baal. There's 400 prophets of Asherah. I'm the one lone prophet of Yahweh.
There's no way I'm going to make it. This morning, Pastor Cam read a portion of a message from C.H. Spurgeon on the necessity, basically, to defend the truth. It reminded me of a quote from John Calvin.
John Calvin said that as a little dog barks to protect its master, He says, how long would it be of me if I didn't bark to protect the truth of the living God? We need to bark, not in a sinful, wretched, whiny way. We need to defend the truth. That's what we find in Elijah.
Elijah does not cower before numbers. It intrigues me. There are some men today that seem to be so enamored with numbers. Elijah wasn't.
I don't care if there's 450 prophets of Baal. I don't care if there's 400 prophets of Asherah. You collect the bullock, you lay it down, you put the wood under it, and then you call upon your gods and let's see him act. If he is God, then this is certainly not a difficult task for him.
If He is God, then certainly He can consume one bullet. This is the challenge. This is the contest. This is the issue.
You call on the name of your gods, verse 24, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God. That met with acceptance. Yeah, everybody agreed. This is a good test.
This is a good contest. Certainly the God of heaven and earth, the One who has absolute sovereignty, the One who can bring fertility upon the land, can certainly consume with fire the bull that we offer up to Him. Yeah, that was agreeable to them.
The Response of the Prophets of Baal
Now notice the response of the prophets. Verse 25. 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 he allows them to go first. You've got the order. Everything's stacked in your position. You go right ahead.
You've got the numbers. You've got the people. You've got the resources. Elijah says, I want you to go.
Verse 26, so they took the bowl which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal. Notice, from morning even till noon saying.
Prayer Is Not Technique or Manipulation
Something conspicuous about prayer jumps out from this passage. We'll just introduce the thought here. Elijah's prayer is quite simple, isn't it? Isn't it?
He prays, God do this. What happens? God does this. What are we supposed to understand here?
We're supposed to understand that prayer isn't technique. Prayer isn't manipulation. Prayer isn't reward. Well, you prayed for six long hours, so I'm going to deliver the goods.
The text is conspicuous from morning till noon. These guys prayed. Have you ever prayed from morning till noon? Don't answer.
I don't want anybody to hold their head in shame. Oh no, six hours. I struggle at times with six minutes. I'm not justifying small prayers, big prayers, whatever kind of prayers.
But it's the approach to prayer and it's the idea of praying that we need to check. Prayer is not technique. Prayer is not manipulation. Prayer is not some sort of a thing that we insert this amount and out comes this response from the living and true God.
See, the pagans, the idolaters, The heathens, that was their relationship to their gods. You see, if we prime the pump, then our God will bless us. If we pray for hours on end, then our God will bless us. Sounds a lot like what happens in evangelical churches today.
If we do this, then God will bless us. If we pray and fast for 40 days, then God will bless us. If you want to pray and fast for 40 days, by all means, do so. But check your heart.
Is it technique? Is it manipulation? Is it an attempt to put God's arm behind his back and make him bless you? Are you going to come out of that 40 days of prayer and fasting and say, well, he didn't bless me the way I thought he should have, so it was a waste of time?
That betrays an improper approach to the whole act of prayer. It's more pagan and heathen and Baalistic and Asherah-like than it is the prayer that is modeled for us in Matthew chapter 6. Jesus gives us heads. He gives us points.
He gives us specifics. He says, in this manner, pray. Pray that God's glory would be had. His name would be Hallel.
Pray that His kingdom would come. Pray that His will would be done. Ask Him for food. Ask Him for forgiveness.
Ask Him for protection. And then give Him the glory and the praise that is due Him. And then go from your closet into your workplace and shine His lights in that particular area. It really isn't magic.
It really isn't manipulation. It really isn't formulaic. And it really isn't technique motivated. That's how Baal worshippers went about their particular task.
They took the bull, verse 26, 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. Notice the conspicuousness of the text. But there was no voice, no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made." Again, if you're looking at this in your mind's eye, this looks pretty whacked up, doesn't it?
They're leaping about the altar. Why? Because they think that for their effort, for their leapingness, for their earnestness, for their vigilance and persistence and their attempt to get Baal to blast, that he's going to do it. This is technique driven.
If we leap about the altar, then our veil will bless us. That's not the way we ought to pray. We pray because we worship. We pray because we're commanded.
We pray to align our will to the will of the Father. We don't pray to manipulate God. That's how veil worshipers pray. So at this point, they just look silly, don't they?
I mean, imagine that. Imagine, kids, if instead of prayer, we just, you know, the Sunday morning prayer meeting, instead of sitting there and hearing some requests and then bowing our head and closing our eyes and praying, we sort of leaped around the tables. Hear us, Lord, hear us, Lord, and sort of did a little jig. That would look silly, wouldn't it?
You say, why would you do that? Should God need to be manipulated? Does the Pope need to be primed? He's not sovereign?
He doesn't? You don't have his ear? So if it was silly, it then becomes grizzly, horrific. Notice.
Well, let's just stop for a moment, look at Elijah's response. And so it was at noon, verse 27, 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. Now, maybe Elijah was a much better man than all of us.
I'm sure that he was. But if he said that straight faced, I would be amazed. Absolutely amazed. He's mocking them.
He's saying, where's your God? Where is he? You pray from six to noon. Your sacrifice is laid out.
The wood is in place. You've called upon Him. Look at the language that is used here. Cry aloud.
It might be hard of hearing. You need to raise your voice. Nowhere are we told that our prayers, the effective, firm, and prayer of a righteous man are loud. You've got to pray loud so that God will hear you.
Not necessarily. You pray silently and the Lord God in sovereignty hears. But he says, cry aloud for he is a God. Either he is meditating.
Again, this is an affront to the idea of God. What does the prophet Isaiah say concerning God? He doesn't sleep. He doesn't take time off.
We need the Sabbath. God didn't institute Sabbath in the garden because he was weary and he needed to put his feet up. He set forth a pattern for his creatures. We get weary and we need to put our feet up and we need to come apart and rest for a while.
God doesn't need Sabbath in terms of being able to recharge his batteries or refresh himself. But the pagan God isn't acting. And so, Elijah says 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.
Again, that doesn't strike you funny at some level. You've got to wonder about your theology. We're talking about God. God doesn't sleep.
God doesn't go on vacation. God doesn't meditate. God doesn't have to take a week off in the summertime so that He can come back refreshed. God doesn't need a boost in the arm.
God doesn't need energy drinks. God doesn't need a bedroom. God never slumbers. God never sleeps.
God is always on duty. always completely, omnipotently responsive to everything in the created order. Elijah is picking on their theology proper. He is mocking Baal. He is mocking Asherah.
From Silly to Grisly: Self-Cutting and Futility
Now notice, we go from what I've already mentioned. What was silly in verse 26 to what is grisly? What is wicked? What is horrific?
Notice in verse 28, so they cried aloud caught themselves. Now this just gets bizarre, doesn't it? Imagine we go back to the prayer meeting room and we're kind of dancing around the table. You say, that's weird, that's silly, that's strange.
But if then we stopped and we walked over to that kitchen table and we started, this is what they were doing. This is what the text says. They were cutting themselves. What's the idea?
Baal will see our blood, he will know we mean business, he will know that this is a genuine contest, and as a result of that, he will bless us. Again, it is technique and manipulation. They cried aloud, they cut themselves, as was their custom. You can see who was a prayerful man in the service of Baal.
They had dash marks, they had scars. It would be easy to parade one's piety as a Baal worshipper, wouldn't it? Oh, look at me, holy brother. Look at how much I pray.
You see, it's carnal. It's self-will. It's all about the person. It's not about God.
That's what's going on here. They cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances until the blood gushed out on them. Aren't you happy to be in the service of Yahweh? Aren't you happy to be in the service of Jesus Christ?
He says, go into your secret place and in this manner pray. Our Father who art in heaven, he doesn't say go to the kitchen drawer and take a knife in there with you to cut yourself. Don't go in there trying to manipulate my Father. You go in there and my Father who sees in the secret place will hear your prayers.
The Spirit will intercede. The Spirit will give you utterance. The Spirit is your aid and your guide and your assistance with reference to prayer. You don't have to cut yourselves.
You don't have to engage in this sort of madness and falling. until the blood gushed out on them. And then notice in verse 29, and when midday was passed, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. You see this? It's an entire day devoted to Baal worship.
It's an entire day devoted to praying to Baal, begging and imploring and cutting and lancing and gushing and dancing and all that stuff, saying, Baal, bless us. and nothing happens. Again, the text, verse 29. There was no voice. No one answered.
No one paid attention. You see, this is where you're supposed to think theology. You're supposed to realize that's not true in Yahweh's world. He has a voice.
He pays attention. He is God. He is Lord. He is king.
He is majestic. These idols of the nations are fake. They're false. They're wrong.
A.W. Pink said it this way.
The Powerlessness of False Religion
The altar stood cold and smokeless. The bullock unconsumed. The powerlessness of Baal and the folly of his worshipers were made fully apparent. The vanity and absurdity of idolatry stood completely exposed.
No false religion is able to send down fire 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 won and all failed, as Baal's worship did that memorable day on Carmel. Beautiful statement.
That's why I hope how you read this passage of Scripture or passages like these, stop for a moment, reflect upon what is going on. The veil worshipers think their technique is going to garner blessing. That's simply not the case. Elijah, like that guard dog, barking, mocks these prophets.
And now, notice the victorious display of God's power, picking up at verse 30. 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 seers of seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, Fill four waterpots with water." Again, I think I mentioned this several weeks ago. He said, but there was a drought. Why would he waste all that water?
Because they were right near the Mediterranean Sea. It'd be very easy to get seawater and pour it on the sacrifice. Don't think that Elijah, what are you wasting water for in a drought, Elijah? What's the matter with you?
No, it's seawater. It's a body of water right there called the Mediterranean Sea. So they would just get some water and pour it on there. But notice the text.
It's beautiful. 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. What's he saying? Stack the deck in your favor, make it difficult, make it hard so that when God sends the fire and consumes the bullet, no one can scratch their head and say, well, you know, it was a drought condition.
No one's going to be there from the Democratic Party to put a spin on reality. So, you know, it was a drought condition. or liberals that deny the supernatural. It was a drought condition. You know, the conditions were right.
The sun was baking it down and boom, there was a spontaneous combustion. You're not going to be able to say that because I want you to take these four water pots and pour it on there. Do it. Do it a second time.
So they did it a second time. Notice the text is almost redundant. God wants us to see this. Do it a third time.
Okay, we'll do it a third time. He wants you to get this. How foolish Baal worship is and how glorious Yahweh worship is. That's the point of the passage.
Do it a third time, and they did it a third time. Verse 35, So the water ran all around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water. No smoke and mirrors. This is not a trick.
This is not an illusion. This is not some magic that Elijah was inclined to perform for the dazzlement of people. No. was orchestrated to display the victorious power of God Almighty.
Elijah's Simple and Precise Prayer
Now, here comes his prayer at verse 36. It came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice that Elijah the prophet came near and said, and again, look at the simplicity of his prayer. It's beautiful. Brethren, it doesn't matter if you pray for hours and hours and hours.
It matters if you pray in faith, living in true God. Sometimes people say at the public meeting, you know, I'm a little bit intimidated in praying because I don't have the words that these other brothers have. Pray. Just pray.
Which one of you would say to your child, you can't speak to me until you can speak to me like a PhD? Hopefully you'd say, don't speak to me like a PhD. Just speak to me. I like to hear you.
You're my kid. I love you. Just talk to me. Oh, but Father, I don't have the perfect language with which to address.
Just speak to me. Don't use that as an argument, just speak to God. This is a simple prayer, brethren. These guys serving Baal gash themselves and dance around.
They engage in all manner of wickedness and evil, trying to manipulate their God. Here's what the prophet Elijah says, 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. Amen.
That's a brief prayer. It's a simple prayer. It is a theologically precise prayer. This is good theology.
This is bang on theology. 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. 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.
Yahweh Alone Is Victorious
Who was victorious on Mount Carmel? It was Yahweh of Israel. Not because Elijah dashed himself. Not because Elijah bled.
Not because Elijah prayed for 12 hours on that particular day, but because God Almighty displayed His glory in the midst of Israel. Everyone there understood the lesson. The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God.
You know what is unfortunate at this point to observe? God even had to do this. It shows us something about the heart of man, doesn't it? Dale Ralph Davis in a sermon that he preached on this, which I highly recommend, gives a bit of an illustration of this particular point.
I use him specifically because it puts it in the realm of the seminary students. Probably all of us at one time or another as parents, our kids aren't paying attention and they're, you know, jabbering away and we might have to raise our voice to get their attention. Well, Dr. Davis tells of a time when he goes to teach a seminary class.
I mean, the future ministers of America. They're all just jabbering away, jabbering away. He says, all right, it's time to start. All right, it's time to start.
No one's paying attention. No one's responding. They're all just sort of jabbering away. Finally, he screams at them.
Quiet! They all stop. They all take their seats. They'll do what they're supposed to do.
It's unfortunate that a professor of Old Testament has to yell at seminary students to get their attention. It's unfortunate that a father has to raise his voice with his five children to get their attention. It's unfortunate that Yahweh of Israel has to yell quiet to get their attention. This shows us something of the hardened heart of man.
The utter depravity of man is seen as we continue in history. One would think that such a display of the folly of Baalism would have removed it from the land forever. You would think everybody tempted to worship Baal subsequent to this act would say, remember Mount Carmel? Remember that prophet Elijah?
Remember that contest? Remember when those 450 prophets of Baal danced around the altar, cut themselves, cried aloud, and they were mocked by Elijah? Elijah offers up that one simple but theologically precise prayer, and Yahweh answers. You remember that?
Why would you bow to Baal? You would think an event like this would eradicate Baalism from Israel forever, but it didn't. There was a revival shortly after this, and Baalism prospered. So it was ultimately crushed again by Jehu.
Remember Jehu and his ingenuity. He invited all those people together and then he slaughtered all the worshippers of Baal. Jehu was the man. Unfortunately, he himself didn't know the Lord.
God used that man. It was revived under Adaliah. Josiah crushed a temple of Baal in his reign and Jeremiah pronounced his judgment against Baalism. So in the midst of this display, the fact that God sends forth this fire, the people all with one voice say, the Lord is God, the Lord is God, the hardened heart of man is such that we will forget the lesson at Mount Carmel and will bow before Baal from whom all blessings flow.
It's an unfortunate reality that the hardened heart of man is so inclined to follow idols. Notice the response, the end of the narrative is verse 40. And Elijah said to them, seize the prophets of Baal, do not let them escape. So they seized them and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Tishon and executed them there.
The Execution of the False Prophets
That offends us at times or it offends some within evangelicalism because it seems so severe. I mean, they were wrong religiously. They were idolaters, to be sure. But isn't it overkill and isn't it wrong for Elijah to order the execution of these false prophets?
Again, I just want to read a section from Ralph Davis's commentary. He says, this Kishon slaughter was not an act of personal revenge, but of capital punishment. He says it was in line with the Torah, the law. Elijah was carrying out the sanctions of Deuteronomy 13.
If you were here a few Wednesday nights ago, you saw that if the false prophet or the dreamer of dreams comes to you and entices you, does signs and wonders, and may even come to pass, and yet he says, let us go worship these other gods, you're not supposed to say, well, you have your way and I have my way. No, he is to be executed. Deuteronomy 13, the solicitation to apostasy or idolatry. So he goes on to say, Elijah was carrying out the sanctions of Deuteronomy 13.
Those who would woo Israel to worship another God, whether a successfully wonder-working prophet, a member of one's own intimate circle, or the citizens of a whole town, Deuteronomy 13, they forfeit their lives. Remember, Israel was a theocracy. What we call church and state functioned as one. And here Elijah simply carries out Israel's constitution, the provisions of Yahweh's covenant law relating to solicitation of apostasy.
Now, notice this. He says, the problem is not God's lack of refinement, but our lack of sanctification. If our thinking were holy, we would understand such text. The nasty episode at the Keyshawn testifies that we have little horror of sin and calls evangelical Christians in particular to repentance.
You see, before you raise your eyebrows and say how severe, Davis says this is holy, this is righteous, it's good, it's godly. This is what we ought to. Appreciate. Now, I'm not suggesting that the church take up the sword and execute false prophets.
That is not her calling. That is not her role. That is not her job. Do not leave here saying, I'm going to go buy a sword.
I'm going to be Calvin's watchdog and I'm going to cut people down for Jesus. Please don't do that. Don't do that at all. But at the same time, don't freak out at an incident like this in verse 40, where God, through the prophet, is executing covenant law.
Application: Truth and Total Allegiance
Well, brethren, we learned in closing that truth is not democratic. Isn't that beautiful? Truth is not democratic. If 450 people believe that Baal is God, 400 believe that Asherah is God, and one man believes that Yahweh is God, it's not a numbers game.
It really isn't. It's about truth. It's not pragmatism. If the king, Ahab.
If the queen, Jezebel. If the whole land apostatizes, we must be Calvin's watchdog. We must bark for the truth of the glory of God Almighty. As well, we learn the necessity of allegiance toward God.
Matthew Henry comments on this section in verse 21, where he says, how long will you falter between two opinions? Henry says, it is a very bad thing to halt between God and Baal. He who is not with Christ is against him. We cannot serve Baal and God, Mammon and God, ourselves and God.
God alone is worthy of our total allegiance. Henry goes on to say 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 in that which is good.
Their heart is divided, whereas God will have all or none. So do not play games tonight. Whether you're an adult or you're a child, you're a young person, you're a teenager, it doesn't matter. How long will you falter between two opinions?
Yahweh is Lord and servant. Jesus Christ is Lord, then bow to Him. Jesus Christ is Lord, then follow Him wherever He bids you go. Believe on Him and you will be saved, and then pursue Him with every fiber of your being.
Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for this account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. We thank you, Father, for your wonderful display of glory and power and majesty. We praise you as well for the display, the utter futility of idolatry and worshiping that which is not God. We pray that you would teach us this lesson, Lord.
Teach us for our hearts are prone to wander and prone to leave the God that we love. Help us not to falter between two opinions. Help us not to be divided, but help us to love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And we ask in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And it's in His name that we pray. Amen.