The Showdown at Mount Carmel – (1 Kings 18)

The entire land was gripped by a severe famine that persisted for nearly three years. It was not until the third year that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, instructing him to emerge from hiding and present himself to King Ahab. The famine had reached such devastating levels that Ahab had assigned a palace administrator to aid in rationing the food stock. Unbeknownst to the king, his palace administrator, Obadiah, was a steadfast worshipper of the LORD, providing sanctuary to the prophets whom his mistress Jezebel sought to eliminate. One day, Ahab called upon Obadiah to assess the land and locate areas with sufficient remaining grass to sustain the royal horses, warning that without such provisions, the animals would face slaughter.

As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?

1 Kings 18:7 (NIV)

Elijah was commanded by the LORD to go present himself to Ahab but he met Obadiah on the way. Perhaps he knew of Obadiah’s God-fearing nature and how he had sheltered the prophets from the wrath of Jezebel. Is it fear that causes Elijah to disobey God’s word or is it just convenience? Sometimes we choose convenience over obeying God’s word to the letter. After much persuasion, Obadiah agreed to take Elijah’s message to the king, as he feared what the king would do to him if Elijah did not show up before Ahab.

The Troubler of Israel

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

1 Kings 18:16-17 (NIV)

By branding Elijah as the troubler of Israel, Ahab is shrewdly deflecting responsibility onto Elijah for the condition of the land. Instead of acknowledging his hand in causing Israel to rebel against God, leading to their present condition, Ahab addresses Elijah as the troubler of Israel. Whether intentionally avoiding blame or oblivious to the true reason for the famine, Ahab’s actions contribute to the perception of people like Elijah as troublemakers to those who oppose God’s will.

Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

1 Kings 18:19-21 (NIV)

A dilemma that is faced by people even today. What prevents us from making that choice? In our attempts to please everyone in our lives, we observe meaningless traditions and partake in pagan rituals. When trying to get the best of both worlds, people unknowingly put God in the backseat. Living in the moment and deriving all the pleasures of the world seems more important to us. We want to do what is right in the sight of the LORD but not at the expense of alienating the people that we love. Even though Elijah was speaking to the chosen people of God, they had forgotten the guiding hand of God that had brought them thus far. Instead, they chose to put their faith in baal, who they believed controlled the rains. The three years of famine had made the people adopt the ways of the world to get what they wanted.

The Challenge

Elijah challenges the prophets of baal, stating that he is the only remaining prophet of the LORD, while baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. He proposes a test: two bulls are to be prepared, one by the prophets of baal and the other by himself. Neither bull is to be set on fire. The prophets of baal are to call on the name of their god, and Elijah will call on the name of the LORD. The one who answers their prayers by sending fire will be acknowledged as the true God of Israel. The people agreed to this proposal. However, despite their drawn-out pleas and incessant dancing, there was no response from baal.

At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

1 Kings 18:27-29 (NIV)

Do we see ourselves in the way the prophets of baal prayed on Mount Carmel that day? Sometimes when we don’t get a response from God, we go about similar practices, albeit, in a different manner. We fast for days on end, spend hours in meditation, and some even physically take on tedious tasks, just to gain sympathy from God. We feel that without the pomp and circumstance, God will not adhere to our request.

To spur this conduct, Christians invoke the parable of the persistent widow when addressing those who await a response from the LORD. Just as the widow persistently appealed to the judge for a favourable ruling, individuals believe that by persistently presenting their prayers and performing rituals, they will compel God to grant their desires. In adopting this approach, we liken ourselves to the prophets of baal who beseeched their god atop the mountain on that day.

Elijah meticulously reconstructed the altar of the LORD using twelve stones, subsequently erecting an altar in the name of the LORD and preparing a sacrificial offering upon the wood. He proceeded to have water poured over the offering and wood three times. As Elijah offered his prayer, fire descended from the LORD, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the soil, and even the water. Upon witnessing this miraculous event, the people wholeheartedly acknowledged the LORD as their one true God.

Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.

1 Kings 18:40 (NIV)

Elijah was eager to have the prophets of baal slaughtered right there on the mount. It may have been a response to Jezebel’s actions against his colleagues, or an attempt to eliminate all followers of Baal by eliminating his prophets. Regardless, this action does not appear to be a direct command from God and could potentially be a result of Elijah’s personal vendetta.

The Rains Came Down

And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
“Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.
“There is nothing there,” he said.
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

1 Kings 18:41-43 (NIV)

Elijah had made a daring declaration to the king, hoping that God would open the heavens and bring rain to the land. He instructed his servant to watch for any sign of a cloud emerging from the sea. Despite the servant’s repeated reports of not seeing anything, Elijah persisted. Finally, on the eighth observation, the servant returned with news of a small cloud, the size of a man’s hand, rising from the sea. Elijah, emboldened by this sight, instructed his servant to warn Ahab to leave before the rain hindered his journey. Soon after, the sky turned pitch black and heavy rains poured down, bringing an end to the three-year drought.

The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

1 Kings 18:46 (NIV)

Thus, the LORD brought rains over Israel and ended the nearly three-year famine that ravaged the land. One would think that after witnessing firsthand the awesome power of God, Ahab and Israel would have changed their ways. Unfortunately, this was only the beginning of the troubles for Elijah as he had to go into hiding to escape the wrath of queen Jezebel. Like Israel, are we still deciding between following the ways of the world or following the ways of the LORD? Let us not wait for the famines of our lives to overtake us before we give our allegiance to our Creator.

Discussion Questions

1. Why did Elijah meet Obadiah before presenting himself to king Ahab?
2. Elijah asked the people to not waver between two opinions, a dilemma that is faced by people even today. What prevents us from making that choice?
3. Are there any similarities between the prophets of baal and modern-day Christians?
4. Why did Elijah murder the prophets of baal?