Through Elijah, God declared that Baal couldnt deliver the goods and his people couldnt have it both ways. Yahweh took care of his own while the king who had turned to Baal because of his claim to bring home the economic bacon wandered the countryside hoping to find a bit of grass for the few horses and mules who hadnt died yet (see 1 Kings 18:45). Elijah first surrendered, or rather discovered, himself to Obadiah. He also brought them food and water.) And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. His parables tell of farmers destroyed in the midst of their prosperity because they hoarded wealth and failed to be rich toward God (see vv. Pray to your god, but dont start the fire.. 29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. This is the right method. 3:24). 7While Obadiah was on his way, Elijah met him. In a truly horrific passage, Jeremiah writes that our worship of idols consumes not only our flocks and herds but also our sons and daughters (Jer. To demonstrate that he was neither ashamed of, nor afraid for, what he had done, though he knew how Jezebel would resent it, but durst venture himself in the midst of his enemies, as being confident of the Divine power and protection. (Poole), ii. " By afternoon, worshippers of Baal were cutting themselves up and ripping off their clothes, writhing in unspeakable suicidal frustration.When he called on them to shout and wake up . His interview with Ahab himself, 1 Kings 18:17-20. Article Images Copyright , The Real Reason Israel Worshiped Baal (It Wasn't Just a Pretty Statue), Michael Rhodes, Robby Holt, and Brian Fikkert. He himself retired to pray (for though God had promised rain, he must ask it, Zechariah 10:1), and to give thanks for God's answer by fire, now hoping for an answer by water. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. As such he tries to counterfeit the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Obadiah was a true follower of the LORD. Show these people that you commanded me to do all these things. Note, Early piety, it is to be hoped, will be eminent piety; those that are good betimes are likely to be very good; he that feared God from his youth came to fear him greatly. 21Elijah approached the people and said, How long will you not decide between two choices? He also recognized, though, that people in his day faced a new, subtler, and perhaps even stronger temptation: to treat money as an idol like Baal, an idol to worship as a god to get what they wanted. Start FREE. 3. He does not insist upon their relation to Jehovah--"Is he not yours, and the God of your fathers, while Baal is the god of the Sidonians? a. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. They allow the proposal to be fair and unexceptionable "God has often answered by fire; if Baal cannot do so, let him be cast out for a usurper." In it, Elijah, the prophet of Gd, puts to the test what was at the time perceived as the most supreme and powerful of all the godsBaal. The Lord preserved Elijah's life for a reason. He ordered his servant to bring him notice as soon as he discerned a cloud arising out of the sea, the Mediterranean Sea, which he had a large prospect of from the top of Carmel. For less than $5/mo. Showdown on the mount Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines. No one answered; no one paid attention" (v. 29 ESV).. They just added Baal worship to their insurance policy. The long drought was over, and it was demonstrated that the prayers of Elijah both withheld the rain and then subsequently brought the rain. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army. He mentions this, not in pride or ostentation, but to convince Elijah that though he was Ahab's servant he was not in his interest, and therefore deserved not to be bantered as one of the tools of his persecution. 3. Their perishing thus is the using, as the apostle speaks of them (Colossians 3:22), was to intimate the utter abolition of them after a little while, Hebrews 8:13. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. Obadiah recognized Elijah, so he bowed down to the ground and said, Elijah? Elijah is not the Achan: "I have not troubled Israel, have neither done them any wrong nor designed them any hurt." He tells Elijah what great search Ahab had made for him and how much his heart was upon it to find him out, 1 Kings 18:10; 1 Kings 18:10. Such living falls far short of the life Jesus invites us to experience. Prove that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant. While Baal worshipers went hungry during the drought, God fed Elijah meat and bread delivered to him daily by carrier ravens (see v. 6). Pray louder! he said. He sent the rain in torrents. Now in their experiment observe. It was strange that either he did not reform Ahab or Ahab corrupt him; but it seems they were both fixed; he that was filthy would be filthy still, and he that was holy would be holy still. We find that the beast which deceived the world does it. One may guess how people stand affected to God by observing how they stand affected to his people and ministers. It does not appear that either the increase of the provision or the raising of the child had caused him to be taken notice of at Zarephath, for then Ahab would have discovered him; he would rather do good than be known to do it. He pleads that he did not deserve to be thus exposed, and put in peril of his life: What have I said amiss?1 Kings 18:9; 1 Kings 18:9. He could not bring them to the altar at Jerusalem unless he could unite the two kingdoms again (which, for correction to both, God designed should not now be done), therefore, by his prophetic authority, he builds an altar on Mount Carmel, and so owns that which had formerly been built there. He would not make use of theirs, which had been polluted with their prayers to Baal, but, finding the ruins of an altar there, which had formerly been used in the service of the Lord, he chose to repair that (1 Kings 18:30; 1 Kings 18:30), to intimate to them that he was not about to introduce any new religion, but to revive the faith and worship of their fathers' God, and reduce them to their first love, their first works. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. Giving is what we do best; the air into which we were born. Giving signals and solidifies our allegiance to and dependence on God and his kingdom. Does God gives us political leaders or do we vote them by choice? Otherwise, the rain will stop him.. But his corruptions got the better of his convictions, and he was glad to get clear of him, as Felix of Paul, when he dismissed him, and adjourned his conference with him to a more convenient season. They worshipped God to please the prophets, but worshipped Baal to please Jezebel and curry favour at court. Those that fear God need not go out of the world, bad as it is. They thought to trim the matter, and play on both sides, as the Samaritans, 2 Kings 17:33. [4.] 43Then Elijah said to his servant, Go and look toward the sea.. Behold the bullock and the wood; but where is the fire?Genesis 22:7; Genesis 22:8. (2.) Probably on that mountain they had an eminent high place, where formerly the pure worship of God had been kept up as well as it could be any where but at Jerusalem. Ahab had made diligent search for him (1 Kings 18:10; 1 Kings 18:10), had offered rewards to any one that would discover him, sent spies into every tribe and lordship of his own dominions, as some understand it, or, as others, into all the neighbouring nations and kingdoms that were in alliance with him; and, when they denied that they knew any thing of him, he would not believe them unless they swore it, and, as should seem, promised likewise upon oath that, if ever they found him among them, they would discover him and deliver him up. Baal was chief of the Canaanite gods. "As long as God keeps bringing me stories that I can honor him with, to me, it doesn't matter what genre they . The prophets of Baal, as criminals, are seized, condemned, and executed, according to law, 1 Kings 18:40; 1 Kings 18:40. The people, as the jury, gave in their verdict upon the trial, and they are all agreed in it; the case is so plain that they need not go from the bar to consider of their verdict or consult about it: They fell on their faces, and all, as one man, said, "Jehovah, he is the God, and not Baal; we are convinced and satisfied of it: Jehovah, he is the God" (1 Kings 18:39; 1 Kings 18:39), whence, one would think, they should have inferred, "If he be the God, he shall be our God, and we will serve him only," as Joshua 24:24. Worship, after all, is an economic issue. Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. What is the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal? Has the book of Amos been fulfilled or is it a reference to end times? From Genesis to Revelation, we see that one of our Creator Kings primary qualities is his lavish generosity. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. Jeremiah 2:11. 36 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 of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Idols could do neither good nor evil. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. 30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. The manager of God's cause was but one man, lately a poor exile, hardly kept from starving; so that God's cause has nothing to support it but its own right. Ahab's care was not to lose all the beasts, many being already lost; but he took no care about his soul, not to lose that; he took a deal of pains to seek grass, but none to seek the favour of God, fencing against the effect, but not enquiring how to remove the cause. Elijah's Trial of the False Prophets; the Destruction of Baal's Prophets. And all the people came near unto him. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! Such was Elijah's zeal, no doubt, against the idolatry of Baal, and such his compassion to his people, that he thought it long to be thus confined to a corner; yet he appeared not till God bade him: "Go and show thyself to Ahab, for now thy hour has come, even the time to favour Israel." hear us, O Baal! It was great condescension in God that he would suffer so plain a case to be disputed, and would permit Baal to be a competitor with him; but thus God would have every mouth to be stopped and all flesh to become silent before him. [1.] The priests of Baal would pray to their god, and Elijah would pray to his God. Ahab is the Achan, the troubler, who follows Baalim, those accursed things. English Revised Version He solicited their allegiance, work, and worshipfor himself and his kingdom. If Baal really is a god, maybe he is thinking, or busy, or traveling! To this fair proposal of the case, which Elijah here makes, the people knew not what to say: They answered him not a word. II. (2.) IV. Report Ahab rode in his chariot, at ease and in state, 1 Kings 18:45; 1 Kings 18:45. 23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And they did it the second time. The people join issue with him: It is well spoken,1 Kings 18:24; 1 Kings 18:24. God will first prepare our heart, and then cause his ear to hear, will first turn us to him, and then turn to us,Psalms 10:17; Psalms 80:3. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out on them. The prophets of Baal went first. The glory of God: "Lord, hear me, and answer me, that it may be known (for it is now by the most denied or forgotten) that thou art God in Israel, to whom alone the homage and devotion of Israel are due, and that I am thy servant, and do all that I have done, am doing, and shall do, as thy agent, at thy word, and not to gratify any humour or passion of my own. 32Elijah used these stones to rebuild the altar in honor of the Lord. And he said, Do it the third time. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. And now, 1. 2. 14Now you want me to go and tell my master you are here? By this time there was no food in Samaria. Even in those bad times, when the calves were worshipped and the temple at Jerusalem deserted, yet there were some good people that feared God and served him, and some good prophets that instructed them in the knowledge of him and assisted them in their devotions. Based only on the sighting of a cloud that was as small as a mans hand, he knew a torrent was on the way. 732 views, 45 likes, 11 loves, 7 comments, 73 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from : 22 2023 . The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. He stood by them, and patiently heard them for so many hours praying to an idol, yet with secret indignation and disdain; and at noon, when the sun was at the hottest, and they too expecting fire (then if ever), he upbraided them with their folly; and notwithstanding the gravity of his office, and the seriousness of the work he had before him, bantered them: "Cry aloud, for he is a god, a goodly god that cannot be made to hear without all this clamour. 1. (1.) Elijah's God was neither talking nor pursuing, needed not to be either awakened or quickened; while he was yet speaking, the fire of the Lord fell, and not only, as at other times (Leviticus 9:24; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:1) consumed the sacrifice and the wood, in token of God's acceptance of the offering, but licked up all the water in the trench, exhaling that, and drawing it up as a vapour, in order to the intended rain, which was to be the fruit of this sacrifice and prayer, more than the product of natural causes. What would be some verses from the Bible to save a marriage? We may be sure it was not made necessary to qualify him for preferment that he should be of the king's religion, that he should conform to the statues of Omri, or the law of the house of Ahab. 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. Yet his guilty conscience gave him little reason to hope for it, but, rather, to fear some other more dreadful judgment. (Mark 6:20). Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. The execution he did upon the prophets of Baal, 1 Kings 18:40. Compare Mark 9:38; Mark 9:39; Matthew 21:30. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. Joseph and Daniel were preferred because there were none so fit as they for the places they were preferred to. Elijah allows it to them (1 Kings 18:25; 1 Kings 18:25), gives them the lead for their greater confusion; only, knowing that the working of Satan is with lying wonders, he takes care to prevent a fraud: Be sure to put no fire under. Wasnt killing too severe a punishment for the prophets of Baal? Moses's altar and Solomon's were consecrated by the fire from heaven; but this was destroyed, because no more to be used. To Christians this is a. I brought them food and water. We left the prophet Elijah wrapt up in obscurity. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. The particular Levitical institutions were so often dispensed with (as in the time of the Judges, Samuel's time, and now) that one would be tempted to think they were more designed for types to be fulfilled in the evangelical anti-types than for laws to be fulfilled in the strict observance of them. 1621), of rich men sent to hell for their failure to let go of their wealth for the sake of their neighbor (see Luke 16:1931), and of eternal judgment declared on the basis of ones willingness to share with those in need (Matt. 41Then Elijah said to Ahab, Now, go, eat, and drink, because a heavy rain is coming. 42So King Ahab went to eat and drink. It was a very coarse compliment with which he accosted him at the first word: Art thou he that troubleth Israel?1 Kings 18:17; 1 Kings 18:17. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 2 And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. Little wonder, then, that when King Ahab chose to marry a woman from Baal territory, the farmers in Israel built a house for this new god and welcomed him to the neighborhood (see 1 Kings 16:31). According to one ancient Canaanite myth, the father of Baal slashes his chest, arms, and back upon learning of his son's death. 45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Those fear God greatly that keep up the fear of him in bad times and places; thus Obadiah did. Their heart is divided (Hosea 10:2), whereas God will have all or none. Indeed, giving back to God and to his people is part of our DNA, a sign of our family resemblance to our generous Creator. Mauled by Money: The Cost of Economic Idolatry, The Bible also teaches us that the wages of our economic idolatry is death. Then he said, Do it a third time, and they did it the third time. He that will thrive must rise betimes. He ordered abundance of water to be poured upon his altar, which he had prepared a trench for the reception of (1 Kings 18:32; 1 Kings 18:32), and, some think, made the altar hollow. Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, since there are many of you; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it ." So they took the bull that was given to them and prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, hear and answer us." 6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. His interview with Obadiah, one of Ahab's servants, by whom he sends notice to Ahab of his coming, 1 Kings 18:2-16. God reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets; and yet, without a revelation, we may foresee that when man's judgments run down like a river God's mercy will. But there was no voice. [2.] Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural, Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine plural, Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword, Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural, A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style, Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed, Preposition | third person masculine plural, In the extremity of famine Elijah, sent to Ahab, meets good Obadiah, Elijah, reproving Ahab, by fire from heaven convinces Baal's prophets, Elijah, by prayer obtaining rain, follows Ahab to Jezreel, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT History: 1 Kings 18:28 They cried aloud and cut themselves after (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg). 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