LIFE OF ELIJAH CHAPTER TWO

I KI�GS 18 COMME�TARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

Many other authors are quoted in this study, and some are not named. Credit will be given if the

name of the author is sent to me. Some may not want their wisdom shared in this way, and if they

object and wish it to be removed they can let me know also at my e-mail address which is

glenn_p86@yahoo.com

Don't let my numbering system puzzle you. It is just a way to add new material without having to

change all the numbers each time I add a new paragraph.

I�TRODUCTIO�

1. Some are prophets of words, and such would be Isaiah, and others are prophets of deeds, and

that would be Elijah. He is the prophet mentioned in the �ew Testament more than any other

prophet, and it was not for his writing, but for his deeds. He wrote no books, and left no notes to

inspire us. He left a legacy of miracles and wondrous deeds that capture the mind and motivate

us to act in faith. He promptly obeyed every word of God's guidance, and the result was a life of

one amazing deed after another. This chapter is a highlight in the life of this one of a kind

prophet.

2. “It had been over three years since Elijah proclaimed that a drought and famine would befall

the nation. At that time he said that the drought would not end until he personally gave the word,

so he was a person very much in demand. It was only the protection and provision of the Lord

that kept him from the same fate that befell some of the other remaining prophets of God.

Typical of tyrannical heads of all false religions, the leaders of the land, Ahab and Jezebel,

refused the correction of God and began to focus their anger on the representatives of Jehovah by

systematically purging the land of any remaining influence of the former religion. They refused to

bow their knees to the God who is over all creation, and instead continued to promote and

practice the worship of statues and idols made with the hands of men.” author unknown

Elijah and Obadiah

1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the

LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab,

and I will send rain on the land."

1. It was after a long time of hiding and isolation that God called him into action again. J R.

MacDuff wrote of this period of inaction, "Three of the best years of his life spent in inaction! He

who could exercise (as we shall find afterwards) an almost magic power over multitudes, why

should he be pent up for this protracted period in a cottage of Gentile Phoenicia, when he might

have been doing mighty deeds amid the many thousands of Israel? Why should so noble a vessel

be left lazily sleeping on its shadows in the harbour, when, with all sail set, it might have been out

wrestling with the storm, conveying priceless stores to needy hearts? But it was enough for

Elijah, now as formerly, to feel assured [85] at it was part of the Divine plan.

He felt that he was glorifying his GOD,- just because he was occupying his assigned and

appointed place for the time,- as much in that humble habitation as he did on the heights of

Carmel. The Christian poet represents those angels in Heaven who "only stand and wait," as

"serving," - doing their Lord's will,- as truly as the swift-winged messengers who carry to and fro

the behests of His pleasure: and of the Church militant on earth, "Thus saith the Lord," by the

mouth of His prophet, "In returning and rest shall ye be saved: in quietness and confidence shall

be your strength." We can serve GOD in rest and in quietness,- in the noiseless tenor of an

uneventful existence,- as well as in the feverish bustle or prominent position of an active one."

1B. Finally and end to this blasted heat and dust. We say all good things come to an end, but lets

not forget the good news that all bad things also come to an end. Bad things are often judgments

of God, but his anger does not last because he always ends with mercy and grace. The point of the

drought was to wake people up to their folly in not trusting in Jehovah and going after other

gods. The goal was not punishment, however, but restoration. God wanted his people back, and

that is what the whole story of Elijah was about, and the purpose of the great miracle in this

chapter. The bad part of the story is over, and now it is time to get on with the happy ending, and

that has to start where it began, with the meeting of Elijah and king Ahab.

2. Dr. Ray Pritchard, “Elijah was a preeminently a man of action, and I do not doubt that many

nights he must have wondered why he was languishing by the brook and in the widow’s home

while a tide of wickedness swept over his homeland. Surely he must have prayed and asked the

Lord to do something. Perhaps he dreamed up various plans and strategies, but whatever he

thought and however he prayed, it is entirely to Elijah’s credit that he did nothing until God gave

him the green light.

We all understand it is difficult for men of action to be removed from the spotlight. Fortune

favors the bold, and the world bends to the man who does not sit and wait but seizes the tide.

Carpe Deum! Seize the day! Surely there was more than a little of this in Elijah’s bold, fiery

nature. Yet when sent into obscurity by the Lord, he instantly and uncomplainingly obeyed. How

few there are who would do that today. The spotlight beckons and we come running. But not

Elijah. He waited until God’s time had ripened, until the fullness of God’s purposes could be

revealed. Only then did he go in search of Ahab.”

3. Bruce Goettsche, “The first verse of chapter 18 says, “after a long time.” Don’t miss this.

Think about all the time that Elijah had to wait on the Lord. As we read these chapters things

looked like they happened quickly. They didn’t. There was a three year period of waiting. When

you think about it, many of the saints had to wait. Abraham waited for a son. Joseph waited in

prison. Moses waited to enter the Promised Land. David waited to be King. Time and again the

children of Israel waited for deliverance. Jesus waited for the “right time”. Paul waited in jail

for two years. And ever since the Lord’s ascension, we have been waiting for the Lord’s return.

Whenever I get a chance to talk to a new Pastor in the area the question is always the same.

What is the key to working in the Midwest? What is the secret to a long term Pastorate? The

answer is PATIE�CE. It’s not so much because patience is a virtue, but because patience means

we resist the urge to make things happen on our own and instead we wait for God’s leading. �o

one likes to wait. Most of us hate hospital waiting rooms because you feel so helpless. We don’t

like to wait for our food because we are hungry. We don’t like to wait for an answer to prayer

because we want to have things resolved.

The President of the University of Southern California, Steven Sample has written in his book

called, “The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership” that the key to a good leader is not making a

decision until you have to. He advises that we “think gray”. His reasoning is that when we wait,

some things resolve themselves and often in the time of waiting more information becomes

available that will help us make a better decision.

Sometimes in the Christian life God puts us in the waiting room.

We may need to wait for attitudes to change (ours or someone else)

We may need to wait for a needed character trait to develop

We may need to wait for trust to deepen

We may need to wait for a danger to pass

We may need to wait for an opportunity to develop

We may need to wait for more information.

Elijah showed his faith by his willingness to wait. In the book of Psalms you hear a frequent

refrain, “wait on the Lord.” Patience and faith go together.”

2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.

�ow the famine was severe in Samaria,

1. He holds no parley with unmanly fears,

Where duty bids, he confidently steers,

Faces a thousand dangers at her call.

And, trusting in his God, surmounts them all. ' — Cowper

2. As always, Elijah does precisely what God asks him to do. We have a severe famine here, and

what else can be expected with over three years without rain? If you get your concordance and

look up famine you will discover it is referred to 94 times, and it ofter refers to a severe famine. It

was a common problem in the Bible world, and people could go for years with terrible struggle to

survive. The people in that part of the world had struggles that most Americans have never

imagined possible. Famines still go on in many parts of the world, but we have been spared.

There are many, however, who are saying our time is coming, and we will be made to endure

what many of God's people did in Old Testament times.

3. John Loweie, “We are not made acquainted with the sad details of these years of calamity in

Israel. We know not the resources of the nation, or the measures adopted to meet this severe

dispensation. Doubtless many of the people became voluntary exiles to lands of greater plenty,

there to remain till the famine had subsided. These famines seem to have been often- times over

comparatively narrow districts of country, and the people often sought refuge in neighbouring

lands. Thus Abraham and Jacob both left Canaan for Egypt by reason of famine; thus �aomi

and her husband went to Moab because of a famine that lasted ten years; thus, perhaps, Israel

was drained at this time of much of its population. In any case, the resources of the kingdom

must have been exhausted, though if the drought did not extend to Hermon and Lebanon, the

fountains of the Jordan would not be dried up, and the people might resort thither for relief. Yet

the narrative implies that the Jordan also must finally have been exhausted.”

3B. The above author goes on to deal with one of the mysteries of Scripture and life, and that is

the issue of the innocent suffering with the guilty. A drought and famine does not affect the sinful

only, but the righteous as well. There were 7 thousand that had not bowed the knee to Baal.

There was the poor widow that Elijah stayed with who would have died without his presence and

the miracle of daily supply. There were many who did not have his presence who were just as

needy as she. Innocent people suffered for the sins of the wicked, and it is that way all through

history. The opposite is also true that the guilty often benefit because of the blessings of God on

the righteous. Loweie wrote, “These are mysteries in the government of a righteous God that

force upon us the conviction that in another life he will vindicate and rectify the inequalities here

so often seen in his dealings with man. This is a world where God's people must walk by faith ;

many things remain unexplained. By means of these the hearts of the wicked are often fully set

within them to do evil, yet surely may we know that it shall be well with the righteous it shall not

be well with the wicked.” In other words, life is not fair, but God is, and all will be judged or

rewarded fairly in the end.

3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge

of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the

LORD.

1. Ahab was a wicked king, but he had a man in charge of his palace who was a devout believer in

Jehovah. Obadiah was a godly man serving a godless king. This is a paradoxical situation, for it

was the duty of Obadiah to do his job well in serving this wicked king. Can a child of God be a

loyal servant of a man who defies his God? It is a situation in life that happens all the time, for

believers are often servants of unbelievers. Many ungodly people hire godly people to run their

business, or work in their business, for they are the kind of people that can be trusted. They do

not want people like themselves running their business, for they know they will not be honest,

and they will rip him off any chance they get. The ungodly rich want honest godly people in

charge of things, for they feel much safer with that kind of employee. Christians need jobs, and so

they often have to work for people who do not share their beliefs. The paradox arises when the

owner is wicked, and the workers are aiding this person in doing evil with his fortune they are

helping him to earn. This becomes a moral issue that people need to struggle with. Do I keep

working for a person who is profiting by my labor and is using those profits to promote that

which is contrary to the will of God. I am sure this gets very complex in many situations, but the

fact is, here is Obadiah maintaining Ahab's palace, and he is a godly man serving a very ungodly

man. Sometimes life is not easily separated into clear black and white, but see note 1 in verse 4.

1B. Jamison, “Although he did not follow the course taken by the Levites and the majority of

pious Israelites at that time of emigration into Judah (2Ch 11:13-16), he was a secret and sincere

worshipper. He probably considered the violent character of the government, and his power of

doing some good to the persecuted people of God as a sufficient excuse for his not going to

worship in Jerusalem.”

2. Pink, “A few extremists ("separatists") have grossly traduced the character of Obadiah,

denouncing him as an unfaithful compromiser, as one who sought to serve two masters. But the

Holy Spirit has not state he did wrong in remaining in Ahab’s employ, nor intimated that his

spiritual life suffered in consequence: instead, He has expressly told us that "Obadiah feared the

Lord greatly," (v. 3), which is one of the highest encomiums which could be paid him. God has

often given His people favor in the sight of heathen masters (as Joseph and Daniel), and has

magnified the sufficiency of His grace by preserving their souls in the midst of the most

unpromising environments. His saints are found in very unlikely places, as in "Caesar’s

household," (Phil. 4:22).

As the governor of Ahab’s household Obadiah was undoubtedly in a most difficult and dangerous

position, yet so far from bowing his knee to Baal he was instrumental in saving the lives of many

of God’s servants. Though surrounded by so many temptations he preserved his integrity. It is

also to be carefully noted that when Elijah met him he uttered no word of reproach unto

Obadiah. Let us not be too hasty in changing our situation, for the Devil can assail us in one place

just as easily as in another.”

3. Howat, “In the case of Obadiah, we are at first amazed to find him — 'one who feared the

Lord greatly* — in the household of Baal-serving Ahab. The two could have had but little in

common. Besides, it would appear that, both before and after this period, the Levites and a large

proportion of pious Israelites in Samaria, had emigrated to the neighboring kingdom of Judah,^

and there in Jerusalem had worshiped the true God. Yet Obadiah remained behind, and no doubt

God's providence was in the matter. A Joseph in the court of Egypt befriends his father and

brothers ; a �ehemiah in the court of Persia befriends his countrymen ; a Daniel in the court of

Babylon befriends the three Hebrew youths ; and so an Obadiah, in the court of Ahab, can in a

moment of peril befriend a hundred prophets, and feed them in a season of famine with bread

and water, the very luxuries of the time. We adore a wonder- working God ; we do homage to

boldness and liberality in His cause ; and we rejoice that these Obadiahs, to whom His Church

and His ministers in all ages have owed a deep debt, are still to be found, if not in an idol- serving,

at least in a money-loving and a money-keeping age. “The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he

that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

In the world's broad field of battle,

In the bivouac of life,

Be not like dumb, driven cattle.

Be a hero in the strife.'

4. Ron Ritchie has put together these 4 people of God who became servants of pagan kings, and

became saviors of God's people because of their being in places of power. The Bible makes it clear

that believers ought to seek places of service under unbelievers. There are pagan governments in

nations around the world where Christians find jobs where they are able to be a blessing. Thank

God for the godly who work with the ungodly. Ritchie compiled this list:

“Joseph the son of Jacob was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and ended up in Egypt as a

servant in the household of the captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard, where he was falsely accused of

making a move on the captain's wife. He was jailed but became an administrator and interpreter

of dreams. This gift moved him into the house of Pharaoh, who in time said to Joseph, "'You shall

be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the

throne I will be greater than you'....And he set him over all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 41:41-

43.)

Pharaoh's daughter found Moses in a basket in the weeds of the �ile river, raised him, and had

him educated in all the learning of the Egyptians. "...He was a man of power in words and

deeds...." (Acts 7:22.) However, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the

son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than

to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin...." (Hebrews 11:24-25).

Esther was a humble Jewish girl who by the power and protection of the living God of Israel was

raised up to become the queen of Persia, and within that evil society she was able to save the

Jewish community from death and destruction at the hand of their enemies.

Daniel as a young man was taken as a Jewish slave into the Babylonian captivity, only to be

raised by God as a prophet and an interpreter of dreams for the king. He was placed by God in

positions of power and influence in both the Babylonian and the Persian Empires. He lived long

enough to see his people return to Israel after the seventy years of Babylonian captivity.” He

adds, “And then there were all the new Christians in the household of Caesar �ero.”

Then he gives us this example outside of Scripture: “President Jorge Serrano of Guatemala was

the first Protestant Christian in history to be democratically elected to the presidency of a Latin

American country. Serrano holds degrees from Stanford, the ACE University of Texas, and the

University of Stockholm. But like politicians everywhere he has his critics, some of the most

outspoken his fellow evangelical Christians. "My life was complicated by people who insisted that

I ought to leave politics...but every time I was subjected to this type of pressure I became

conscious of a clear conviction that...being a Christian and being a politician were two perfectly

compatible activities." (�ews �etwork International, 1992.)”

5. Spurgeon, “We learn further from the narrative before us, that God will never leave himself

without witnesses in this world. Aye, and he will not leave himself without witnesses in the worst

places of the world. What a horrible abode for a true believer Ahab's court must have been! If

there had been no sinner there but that woman Jezebel, she was enough to make the palace a sink

of iniquity. That strong-minded, proud, Sidonian Queen twisted poor Ahab round her fingers just

as she pleased. He might never have been the persecutor he was if his wife had not stirred him

up; but she hated the worship of Jehovah intensely, and despised the homeliness of Israel in

comparison with the more pompous style of Sidon. Ahab must yield to her imperious demands,

for she would brook no contradiction, and when her proud spirit was roused she defied all

opposition. Yet in that very court where Jezebel was mistress, the chamberlain was a man who

feared God greatly. �ever be surprised to meet with a believer anywhere. Grace can live where

you would never expect to see it survive for an hour.”

6. Joe Guglielmo, “Obadiah was a believer in the true and living God who was serving a

unbeliever, king Ahab. And some today would see that as wrong, I don't. I think that we, as

Christians, can make an impact on unbelievers. In fact, God called us to go out into the world, as

light, and expel the darkness. He did not say we are to remove ourselves from the world, but to

let our light shine in the world. Obadiah's name means "servant of YHWH" and he is going to

have a positive impact in this kingdom, as we shall see.”

7. Henry, “There was one very good man, who was a great man at court, Obadiah, who answered

his name--a servant of the Lord, one who feared God and was faithful to him, and yet was steward

of the household to Ahab. Observe his character: He feared the Lord greatly (1 Kings 18:3 ), was

not only a good man, but zealously and eminently good; his great place put a lustre upon his

goodness, and gave him great opportunities of doing good; and he feared the Lord from his youth

(1 Kings 18:12 ), he began betimes to be religious and had continued long. �ote, 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. He that will thrive must rise betimes. But it

is strange to find such an eminently good man governor of Ahab's house, an office of great

honour, power, and trust. [1.] It was strange that so wicked a man as Ahab would prefer him to it

and continue him in it; certainly it was because he was a man of celebrated honesty, industry, and

ingenuity, and one in whom he could repose a confidence, whose eyes he could trust as much as

his own, as appears here, 1 Kings 18:5 . Joseph and Daniel were preferred because there were

none so fit as they for the places they were preferred to. �ote, Those who profess religion should

study to recommend themselves to the esteem even of those that are without by their integrity,

fidelity, and application to business. [2.] It was strange that so good a man as Obadiah would

accept of preferment in a court so addicted to idolatry and all manner of wickedness. 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. Obadiah

would not have accepted the place if he could not have had it without bowing the knee to Baal,

nor was Ahab so impolitic as to exclude those from offices that were fit to serve him, merely

because they would not join with him in his devotions. That man that is true to his God will be

faithful to his prince. Obadiah therefore could with a good conscience enjoy the place, and

therefore would not decline it, nor give it up, though he foresaw he could not do the good he

desired to do in it. Those that fear God need not go out of the world, bad as it is. [3.] 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. Those fear

God greatly that keep up the fear of him in bad times and places; thus Obadiah did. God has his

remnant among all sorts, high and low; there were saints in �ero's household, and in Ahab's.”

8. Alexander Maclaren, “This Obadiah is one of the obscurer figures in the Old Testament. We

never hear of him again, for there is no reason to accept the Jewish tradition which alleges that he

was Obadiah the prophet. And yet how distinctly he stands out from the canvas, though he is only

sketched with a few bold outlines! He is the ‘governor over Ahab’s house,’ a kind of mayor of the

palace, and probably the second man in the kingdom. But though thus high in that idolatrous and

self-willed court, he has bravely kept true to the ancient faith. �either Jezebel’s flatteries nor her

frowns have moved him. But there, amid apostasy and idolatry he stands, probably all alone in

the court, a worshiper of Jehovah. His name is his character, for it means ‘servant of Jehovah.’ It

was not a light thing to be a worshiper of the God of Israel in Ahab’s court. The feminine rage of

the fierce Sidonian woman, whom Ahab obeyed in most things, burned hot against the enemies of

her father’s gods, and hotter, perhaps, against any one who thwarted her imperious will. Obadiah

did both, in that audacious piece of benevolence when he sheltered the Lord’s prophets—one

hundred of them—and saved them from her cruel search. The writer of the book very rightly

marks this brave antagonism to the outburst of the queen’s wrath as a signal proof of a more

than ordinary devotion to the worship and fear of Jehovah. His firmness and his religion did not

prevent his retaining his place of honour and dignity. That says something for Ahab, and more

perhaps for Obadiah.”

9. J. R. MacDuff, “But a new character here reveals himself in the sacred narrative in the person

of Obadiah, the prime minister or steward of Ahab's palace. We are called to witness in him

another wondrous instance of GOD's sovereign grace. We have had occasion, in a recent chapter,

to refer to a signal example of that sovereignty in the case of a heathen widow - a votary of

Phoenician Baal We have now a miracle and monument of divine mercy in the court of a wicked

and [87] licentious king of Israel - for "Obadiah feared the Lord greatly." How, we may ask, could a

worshipper of Jehovah reside in the midst of so much degeneracy, idolatry, and crime? How

could the lily rear its head amid these thorns - this sheep of the fold survive in the midst of

ravening wolves?

We answer - just in the same way as divine grace, in the earlier part of this century, moulded and

quickened and sustained such men as Wilberforce, Fowell Buxton, and others, in the midst of the

lax, irreligious society, and the dissolute, licentious court - life of England. Ay, and just as, in the

midst of much obloquy and derision in the present day, there are those in the high places of the

land, who are able boldly to take up their cross, and who count this the brightest gem in their

coronets - "We serve the Lord Jesus."

If Obadiah had been a base time-server, his life aim would have been to second and stimulate the

diabolical designs of the royal persecutors. But the grace of GOD and the fear of GOD were in

his heart, and he knew no other fear. Under the insolence of oriental rule, he might well have

dreaded the combined influence of the queen and the idolatrous priests on the despot's will, in

compassing his degradation and ruin; but, sustained by the power of religious principle, this

righteous man was bold as a lion. He gave one specially unmistakable proof of his heroism and

true moral chivalry: [88] for when Jezebel was involving the prophets of Jehovah 1 in an

indiscriminate massacre, Obadiah hid and sheltered them by fifties in a cave, and fed them on

bread and water.”

10. MacDuff continues, “Obadiah, moreover, is a remarkable testimony to that singular respect

which sterling character and worth command, even from irreligious men. Uprightness, purity,

consistency, honesty of purpose, have always an irresistible influence and charm even to base

natures. Bloated vice stands rebuked and abashed in the presence of virtue. The wretched slave of

sin and pollution respects the purity which degrading habit forbids himself to practice.

Herod - the parallel of Ahab in the Gospel history - hated John's religion and that of his Master;

but he could not help admiring and respecting his honesty, self-sacrifice, self-denial, and

boldness. "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh his very enemies to be at peace

with him." As it was with Joseph in the court of heathen Pharaoh, or Daniel in the palace of

heathen Babylon, Obadiah's piety, worth, and goodness exalted [89] him to the highest honors

which his sovereign had in his power to bestow. Ahab may have hated from his heart the Jehovah

worshiper;-but he revered and reverenced the faithful counselor, with his stainless honor and

unblemished life.”

11. F. B. Meyer, “Obadiah was a good man, and did what he could to keep the true light from

utter extinguishment (compare 2 Chron. 11:13, 14). He was in a very abnormal position; but we

must not judge him too harshly for being in Ahab's house, unless he was there at the expense of

his testimony. Our loyalty to God does not involve leaving the service of men like Ahab, unless we

are called upon to violate our conscience. The apostle said distinctly that we were to abide in the

calling in which we were when we became Christians (1 Cor. 7:20). Still, Obadiah was doing what

he could, and used his position as a means of sheltering the prophets.”

12. Tony Baker, “What a place to find such a man: we praise God for devout Christians in high

places that are also tricky places. We think of Joseph in Egypt; we think of Daniel in Babylon; of

Cranmer coping with Henry VIII in 16th century England, before being burnt at the stake by

Henry's daughter. We think of Abraham Kuyper, the Calvinist Prime Minister of Holland in the

early 20th century. Of Kuyper, his biographer Frank Vanden Berg, wrote, 'Or Kuyper was indeed

a controversial figure, in Holland at once the most devotedly loved and the most violently hated

man of his day. Yet, out of the monumental labors and the bitter conflict of fifty years, he

emerged a national figure of commanding stature.' Such men need to be supported and prayed

for by other Christians, especially in the local churches to which they still need to belong. We

need to ask the Lord to raise up Obadiahs and Josephs and Daniels for the 21st century.”

4 While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets,

Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them

in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with

food and water.)

1. Obadiah had a position in the palace that gave him information and opportunity to save the

lives of a hundred of God's prophets. Had he not been in the service of the king, he could not

have done this, and so it was of great value that he kept his position and did not resign because he

refused to work for a godless king. He had the opportunity to have an underground ministry in

saving the lives of the godly believers. Had he refused to work for Ahab and Jezebel, all of these

prophets would probably have been killed by Jezebel. Here we see the value of godly people being

on the inside of a godless administration. It is the same thing as spies going underground to

infiltrate an enemy camp to get vital information that can lead to their defeat. So, in answer to

the question, can a Christian honestly work for a godless non-Christian who is evil, and who uses

his power and wealth to do evil?- yes, such a labor can be a labor for the Lord. Does this justify it

in every situation? It is not likely that it is valid in all cases, but in most cases it probably will not

be known how the godless owner of a business is using his resources for evil. If it is known, and

there is nothing a worker can do to make a positive difference, it would be wise to seek other

employment, for believers are to avoid all appearances of evil.

1B. "Prophets: this name is not only given to such as are endowed with an extraordinary spirit of

prophecy, but to such ministers as devoted themselves to the service of God in preaching,

praying, praising God, and the like." (Poole)

1C. " Account for it how you may, it is a singular circumstance that in the center of rebellion

against God there was one whose devotion to God was intense and distinguished. As it is horrible

to find a Judas among the apostles, so it is grand to discover an Obadiah among Ahab’s courtiers.

What grace must have been at work to maintain such a fire in the midst of the sea, such godliness

in the midst of the vilest iniquity!" (Spurgeon)

1D. "That Obadiah would have little difficulty in finding caves fro the sons of the prophets can

bee seen in that over two thousand caves have been counted in the Mount Carmel area."

(Patterson and Austel)

1E. John Steverson, “This reverence for the Lord had been demonstrated when Jezebel, the wife

of Ahab, had gone on a search and destroy mission against the prophets of God. Obadiah had

sheltered and provided for a hundred prophets of God. This was treason against the state.

This brings us to a question. At what point should a Christian disobey governmental authority?

At the point where that authority commands that which is sinful. And O�LY at that point. This is

reflected in the example of Obadiah. He disobeyed Jezebel by hiding the prophets of God. But

when Ahab gave him an order to survey the land for feed for his animals, he was subservient to

that authority.”

This is a good point in the conflicting views of the character of Obadiah, for it is not a negative

thing for a believer to serve a non believing master, for Christians all through history have been

faithful citizens of many pagan governments, and this is a good thing. They only displease the

Lord if they obey them in doing what is rejected by God as valid behavior for a believer. Obadiah

chose treason to his government because his government expected him to cooperate with them in

doing evil. He did the right and godly thing in his secret disobedience to the will of Jezebel and

Ahab.

2. Jezebel was systematically eliminating the competition. She was having God's prophets killed,

and so we see just how dangerous it was for Elijah, and why he had to be so well hidden to

survive. He would have been on the top of her list, and that is why God sent him into hiding. His

prophecy coming true made her so mad that she wanted to kill all who represented the God of

Israel. On top of all the suffering due to the drought, she added persecution against God's people,

and especially his prophets. Good men died, and so we see that Elijah played a special role in

God's plan that was not the case for all of his prophets. Some were not hidden, and they lost their

lives due to this wicked queen. There is no point in taking the life of Elijah and implying that this

is the way God will work in every life committed to him. Sometimes we take the heroes of the

Bible as examples of how God will work in all of our lives, but the fact is, they were exceptions,

and not the common pattern of God in all of his people. Some of these who were killed may have

been equal to Elijah in every way, but they were not chosen for the role God chose him to play.

3. Ron Ritchie, “It was at great risk to his own life from the hand of Queen Jezebel that he did

this. He was of the same character as Corrie Ten Boom of Holland, who during the second world

war had to make a decision to offer refuge to the Jews in the hiding place on the top floor of her

father's watch shop rather than listen to the orders of the �azis or her church to turn them out.”

4. In spite of the fact that neither God nor Elijah have any criticism of Obadiah, there are

preachers who feel compelled to blast him for his compromise in his working with such a godless

king and queen. An unknown preacher wrote, “..it is sad when people serve God in secret! It is a

shame when those who know the Lord sell out to the world, the flesh and the devil. How many in

this very room are guilty of the very same things? Because of a desire to fit in with the crowd,

because of a job, or to keep a friend, we have chosen to keep silent about what we really believe.

Far too often, God's children join the secret service. They conceal their faith in God to save face

with men. That is a tragedy of the highest magnitude! When we consider what Jesus suffered to

redeem our souls from Hell, how could we be ashamed to be identified with Him, Rom. 10:11?

�otice Mark 8:38, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this

adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh

in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

When I think of Obadiah, one word comes to mind: Compromise! Obadiah has chosen to live his

life somewhere between God and the world. He has chosen a position that forces him to conceal

who he really is. He has chosen to hide his faith in God to protect his life, satisfy his greed, exalt

his own name and secure his position. He has done what millions are doing today. That is, many

are wilfully hiding their faith in God and the biblical convictions to please a world that does not

know God. They do this for the same reason that Obadiah did it. They do not want to stand out

from the crowd and be labeled different! Even when Christians aren't guilty of committing sins

with their bodies, they sin by not abstaining from the very appearance of evil, 1 Thes. 5:22. This

sin is a wicked as any that can be committed by the believer! Give this world no reason to doubt

your faith in God!”

5. What we have in this record of Obadiah is just enough information that can be read as either

positive or negative depending on what you are looking for. Some find the positive standing out,

and others find the negative to be the key message. This reveals that there is a lot of subjectivity

involved in Bible interpretation. Different personalities will find very different ways of seeing the

same information, and that is why it is so important to keep asking yourself as you study the

Bible, what does the text actually say? We all get into speculation about what is not stated, and

that is valid if we make it clear that it is speculation and not interpretation. The primary goal is

to understand what the inspired text is telling us, and not what interpreters have felt about what

the text does not tell us. Does the text here tell us anything about God's negative attitude toward

Obediah? �o it does not! It tells us just the opposite, for it tells us he was a devout believer in the

Lord. That establishes what God thinks about him, for that is what God inspired the author to

write. But men do not always like what God says, and they add their own judgment that is not

inspired but is purely subjective speculation.

6. The unknown pastor quoted in paragraph 4 goes on as he deals with the next 2 verses: “In

these two verses, we find Obadiah actively involved in service to Ahab. Basically, Obadiah is

guilty of two great errors. First, he is employed by the wrong people. He is in a job that requires

him to compromise his beliefs so that he can keep it. Secondly, he is engaged in the wrong activity.

�otice that Ahab and Obadiah seem to have no concern for the starving people of the land. They

are out looking for grass to feed some horses. That shows a lack of compassion! Besides that,

Obadiah is helping Ahab do something that was forbidden by the Law of God. The kings of Israel

were not allowed to keep horses, Deut. 17:16. Of course, Obadiah's actions stand in marked

contrast to those of Elijah. You see, Obadiah was busy looking for grass to save a bunch of nags,

Elijah was looking for God to save a nation!” Later this author concludes, “As Obadiah walks

away, he is never heard from again. Did Ahab kill him as he feared? Probably not! Most likely, he

simply faded back into the woodwork and continued to live his live of compromise and

disobedience. His is a life that could have been greatly used of the Lord, but because of his

reluctance, his lack of faith and his compromise with the world, he was a man who never

amounted to much for the glory of God.”

6B. You, the reader, will have to decide if the above writer is being overly critical, or if he has a

valid case for his judgment on Obediah, and especially his judgment on his entire future life

based on silence. His reasoning is that if God does not tell us anything good about his future, then

we have a right to assume that it was bad. What ever happened to “Judge not lest you be

judged.” And Rom. 14:4, “Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he

stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” My conviction is that

he is reading too much between the lines, and coming to conclusions that have no basis in what

the text tells us about this devout believer used to save a hundred of God's servants from a violent

death. To me he is one of the great heroes of the Bible. And yet in my research I find another

preacher I love to quote often in my studies saying such nonsense as the following, “Elijah is seen

to be a faithful servant of God, while Obadiah is pictured as a mere hireling, that is, one who

gives lip service to God, but by his life he denies the God he claims to serve. Sadly, there are many

people like Obadiah in the modern church. People who talk about being saved and who claim to

love the Lord, but who by the lives they live deny Him, His power and His presence in their

lives.” I immediately read this chapter again to discover what leads men of God to say such

things about another man of God, and I could again find not a single clue in the text to come to

such slanderous conclusions.

7. Jamison, “As this succor must have been given them at the hazard, not only of his place, but

his life, it was a strong proof of his attachment to the true religion.” The point is, you do not risk

your life for a cause if you are compromising your belief in that cause. He had to go to enormous

trouble to get these men of God into two different caves, and then a great deal more trouble in

getting food to them undetected. These are not the actions of one who has abandoned the faith,

but of one who will die for the faith.

5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all

the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to

keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill

any of our animals."

1. It was a tremendous battle to keep animals alive with all of the vegetation drying up for lack of

rain. Animals were an important part of wealth and power, and so the king was desperate to try

and spare his horses and mules. Obadiah was his partner in helping then survive, and so here you

have a believer and an unbeliever working together to save the animals. This is a valid role for a

believer, for the goal was good. I have worked side by side with an atheist boss to achieve good

goals for a business, and had no problem in doing so. In fact, it was delightful, for while we

worked we often had very interesting discussions about theology. It motivated me to learn how to

deal with the objections of a unbeliever. I looked forward to working with him, and I would

assume there are believers working with unbelievers all over the world just like Obadiah and

Ahab.

2. When the king has run out of grass you know that most other people have long been out, and

so the animal kingdom suffered great losses, and this meant people lost a great deal of wealth.

This was equivalent to a major stock crash in our day, for people's assets were radically depleted.

The king hoped to find a spring somewhere that would have a little grass surviving the scorching

sun, for that was just how desperate he was. Here is one king who believed in hell on earth, for he

was tasting it, and feeling the pain. But what folly, for he never went seeking his own heart to find

out why this judgment had come upon him and his people. He knew it was because of his

allowing his wife Jezebel to bring in all of her prophets of Baal and set up idolatry all over the

land. We do not see him pleading with God to forgive him, and promise to bring his people back

to the God who was the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon. �ot at all. He just

kept looking for a way out. The upward look was not on his agenda, and that blind spot led him

to face even greater judgment. Pink wrote, “A later prophet in Israel complained of the people in

his day for manifesting this vile temper: "O Lord, are not Thine eyes upon the truth? Thou hast

stricken them, but they have not grieved; Thou has consumed them, but they have refused to

receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock," Ahab is one of these rock

faces.

3. Pink, “In the hour of his deep need Ahab turned not in humility unto God, for he was a

stranger to Him. Grass was now his all-absorbing object - provided that could be found, he cared

nothing about anything else. If food and drink were obtainable then he could have enjoyed

himself in the palace and been at ease among Jezebel’s idolatrous prophets, but the horrors of

famine drove him out. Yet instead of dwelling upon and rectifying the causes thereof, he seeks

only a temporary relief. Alas, he had sold himself to work wickedness and had become the slave

of a woman who hated Jehovah. And, my reader, Ahab was not a Gentile, a heathen, but a

favoured Israelite; but he had married a heathen and become enamored with her false gods. He

had made shipwreck of the faith and was being driven to destruction. What a terrible thing it is

to depart from the living God and forsake the Refuge of our fathers!”

4. Howat, “In the case of Ahab himself, what an illustration the mission on behalf of the horses

and mules furnishes of the essentially mean, selfish, cold-blooded, contemptible character of the

man ! We charge it on Ahab as no indignity that he put himself at the head of a foraging

expedition, because such is quite in harmony with oriental ideas, and is done by chiefs in the East

to the present day ; but the idolatrous monarch who could think of his stables and not of his

subjects, only shows how totally unfit he was to wear a crown, and how it is of the essence of

idolatry everywhere to steel the heart against all human sympathy. It is very melancholy, also, to

see in Ahab one who can submit to great personal inconvenience to search for 'grass,' but who

has no desire to inquire after a justly offended God ; while, in his whole conduct in this

transaction, we have the type of all grovelling, sordid souls, who will spend more upon their

kennels in a month than upon their cottagers in a year, and who will lose in a few seconds, amid

the gambling of the turf, what would endow many an orphanage, and establish a hundred

schools.”

6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going

in one direction and Obadiah in another.

1. This was providential, for Elijah wanted to get Obadiah alone and let him convey a message to

Ahab. It might be too great a shock, and carry some risk to just come into the presence of Ahab,

and so he seeks an assistant, and who could be better than Obadiah. He was close to the king, and

could pave the way for a meeting.

7 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. Elijah was obviously directed again by God, for how could he know where Obadiah was

walking without the help of God? Obadiah seems to have known Elijah on a personal basis, and

we have no idea what connections they had before Elijah gave his opening message to Ahab.

There may be a history of these two before that, but we do not have it. It could be that Elijah had

become well known because of the lack of rain, and Obadiah knew him and honored him as a

hero in the eyes of the believers, and not because he knew him personally. There is not way to

know for sure how he so easily recognized Elijah, now why he bowed to him and called him lord.

2. Dr. Ray Pritchard, “As he journeyed from Zarephath to Samaria, Elijah met Obadiah who

was in charge of Ahab’s palace. In modern terms, we would say he was Ahab’s chief of staff, his

right hand man, the one who kept everything running smoothly. He took care of all the details so

that Ahab could busy himself being king of Israel. If you stop to think about it, Obadiah must

have been a man of considerable talent because this was a position with enormous responsibility.

Obadiah was in charge of everything that happened in the palace. He had oversight of all the

servants, the waiters, the helpers, and all the people who came in and out to see the king. This

certainly meant that Ahab must have known him well and placed a great deal of trust in him. Get

the wrong person in such a position and your reign might be very short. Find the right person

and your life suddenly becomes a lot easier. We all understand that there is the man who sits on

the throne, and there is the man behind the throne who makes it all happen. The man on the

throne gets the publicity, but it’s the unseen man who deserves the credit. That was Obadiah.

And it is precisely at this point that the story becomes fascinating because the Bible tells us two

different, and seemingly contradictory facts:

1) Ahab was a wicked man who did more evil than all the kings that preceded him.

2) Obadiah was a godly man who feared the Lord from his youth.

How did it come to pass that a godly man should be in charge of the palace for such a wicked

man? We do not know the answer because the Bible tells us nothing about Obadiah’s family

background.”

8 "Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'

1. Elijah wasted no time in giving Obadiah orders. He answers with a quick yes, and then says go

tell your master I am here. He was not being sociable at this point, and talking about old times

when life was better, and I didn't have to live in isolation. There was no information conveyed by

Elijah. He was focused on one thing only, because the biggest contest of his life was about to take

place, and his mind was totally wrapped around that, and getting it to happen.

9 "What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you

are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death?

1. Pink, “ It was only natural that Obadiah should wished to be excused from so perilous an

errand. First, he asks wherein he had offended either the Lord or His prophet that he should be

asked to be the messenger of such distasteful tidings to the king—sure proof that his own

conscience was clear! Second, he lets Elijah know of the great pains which his royal master had

taken in endeavoring to track down the prophet and discover his hiding place: "As the Lord thy

God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee," (v. 10.).

Yet in spite of all their diligence they were not able to discover him: so effectually did God secure

him from their malice. Utterly futile is it for man to attempt to hid when the Lord seeks him out:

equally useless is it for him to seek when God hides anything from him.”

10 As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a

nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone

to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom

claimed you were not there, he made them swear they

could not find you.

1. Bob Deffinbaugh, “Obadiah informed Elijah that Ahab had an “all points bulletin” out for

him. Without a doubt, Elijah was Israel’s most wanted fugitive. Ahab not only searched

throughout the land of Israel, he pressed the neighboring kingdoms to turn Elijah over to him if

he was hiding out within their borders. Even when a neighboring country assured Ahab that

Elijah was not living there, Ahab was not satisfied. He insisted that they provide him with the

equivalent of a sworn affidavit, stating in writing that they did not know where Elijah could be

found (18:10). Ahab was serious about capturing and killing Elijah.”

2. Henry, “Ahab had made diligent search for him (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. It should seem, he made this

diligent search for him, not so much that he might punish him for what he had done in

denouncing the judgment as that he might oblige him to undo it again, by recalling the sentence,

because he had said it should be according to his word, having such an opinion of him as men

foolishly conceive of witches (that, if they can but compel them to bless that which they have

bewitched, it will be well again), or such as the king of Moab had of Balaam. I incline to this

because we find, when they came together, Elijah, knowing what Ahab wanted him for, appointed

him to meet him on Mount Carmel, and Ahab complied with the appointment, though Elijah

took such a way to revoke the sentence and bless the land as perhaps he little thought of.”

11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah

is here.'

1. And now after an endless search by many nations ending in futility, you have the audacity to

ask me to tell Ahab I just happened to bump into Elijah on my walk today. He will skin me alive.

This is no Joke Elijah. Ahab is in no mood for any funny stuff. Play with his emotions now, and it

could be a deadly mistake

2. Henry, “He thought Elijah was not in good earnest when he bade him tell Ahab where he was,

but intended only to expose the impotency of his malice; for he knew Ahab was not worthy to

receive any kindness from the prophet and it was not fit that the prophet should receive any

mischief from him. [3.] He is sure Ahab would be so enraged at the disappointment that he would

put him to death for making a fool of him, or for not laying hands on Elijah himself, when he had

him in his reach, 1 Kings 18:12 . Tyrants and persecutors, in their passion, are often unreasonably

outrageous, even towards their friends and confidants. [4.] 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 . �ay (1 Kings

18:13), Was it not told my lord how I hid the prophets? 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. He that had

protected so many prophets, he hoped, should not have his own life hazarded by so great a

prophet.”

12 I don't know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry

you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't

find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have

worshiped the LORD since my youth.

1. Obadiah makes it clear that Ahab is filled with anger at Elijah, and any report of his presence

that does not become a fact will end in his wrath falling on the reporter who proves to be a liar.

He has had it with Elijah, and he will kill anyone, even his best servant, who plays with his mind

about the whereabouts of Elijah.

2. Commentators have mixed emotions about Obadiah. Some think he is a man of compromise,

and worthy of condemnation, while others think of him as an heroic man of God. Dr. Ray

Pritchard gives us some profound and attitude changing insights as he takes his stand on the

positive side. He wrote, “I find myself more in agreement with Charles Spurgeon who called

Obadiah an example of “Early, Eminent Piety.” He means that God ordained that Obadiah be

raised in the fear of the Lord from his youth. And then it pleased the Lord to place this godly

man in a position that must have been very difficult for him, serving a wicked man like Ahab.

Spurgeon also makes a point that, while it cannot be proved, makes sense to me. He suggests that

Elijah probably didn’t have much patience with Obadiah’s hesitation. When Elijah told him to

go tell Ahab where he (Elijah) was, Obadiah was plainly afraid to go. He thought it was a virtual

death sentence for himself because all he knew was that Elijah had shown up at the king’s courts

three years earlier and then suddenly disappeared without a trace. And now Elijah shows up

again. If Obadiah goes to the king and says, “I’ve found Elijah,” how does he know that Elijah

won’t disappear again? To me that’s a perfectly logical question. Obadiah was counting the cost

before opening his mouth, something Jesus himself advised us to do. I think it is clear that

Obadiah doesn’t mind dying for what he believes, but he doesn’t want to be killed for no reason

at all.”

Let me go back to Spurgeon’s point for just a moment. He begins his sermon this way:

I suspect that Elijah did not think very much of Obadiah. He does not treat him with

any great consideration, but addresses him more sharply than one would expect from

a fellow-believer. Elijah was the man of action — bold, always to the front, with

nothing to conceal; Obadiah was a quiet believer, true and steadfast, but in a very

difficult position, and therefore driven to perform his duty in a less open manner. His

faith in the Lord swayed his life, but did not drive him out of the court.

That makes good sense to me. Sometimes our eagerness to judge other believers stems less from

spiritual insight and more from differences in personality. Elijah could never have served in Ahab’s

court. �ever! Such a thought would have been abhorrent to him. Why would he, a prophet of

God, serve in the court of a man given to such wickedness? But that was evidently exactly where

God had placed Obadiah.

If Elijah didn’t understand Obadiah, and if Obadiah feared Elijah, it is perfectly understandable. I

don’t think Obadiah would have invited Elijah over for a cookout, and if he had, I doubt that

Elijah would have come. Many years ago I heard it explained this way. In the Lord’s army there

are prophets and there are priests. The prophets are called by God to speak boldly, rebuking sin

and calling people to righteousness. The priests are called by God to see the hurting people all

around them and to minister healing in Jesus’ name. We see the dichotomy often in dealing with

moral issues like abortion and gay rights. There are those who are called to denounce these sins,

and there are those who are called to minister to those hurt and ruined by these sins. I have

observed that the prophets rarely understand the priests, and the priests don’t appreciate the

prophets. Prophets often look at the priests as soft and weak, while the priests see the prophets as

harsh and uncaring. But both are called by the Lord and both have important jobs to do.

Someone has to speak out and take the heat.

Someone has to bind up the wounded.

Someone has to declare God’s Word boldly.

Someone has to help the hurting.

Someone has to stand and fight.

Someone has to take care of the causalities.

The army can’t be all fighters and no healers. And it can’t be all healers and no fighters. You

need both, and you need both at the same time even when they don’t always see eye to eye.”

3. Spurgeon has a focus on Obadiah being a believer from youth. He wrote, “ I notice that

these witnesses for God are very often persons converted in their youth. He seems to take a

delight to make these his special standard-bearers in the day of battle. Look at Samuel! When all

Israel became disgusted with the wickedness of Eli's sons the child Samuel ministered before the

Lord. Look at David! When he is but a shepherd boy he wakes the echoes of the lone hills with

his psalms and the accompanying music of his harp. See Josiah! When Israel had revolted it was

a child, Josiah by name, that broke down the altars of Baal and burned the bones of his priests.

Daniel was but a youth when he took his stand for purity and God. The Lord hath to-day—I

know not where—some little Luther on his mother's knee, some young Calvin learning in our

Sunday-school, some youthful Zwingle singing a hymn to Jesus. This age may grow worse and

worse; I sometimes think it will, for many signs look that way; but the Lord is preparing for it.

The days are dark and ominous; and this eventide may darken down into a blacker night than

has been known before; but God's cause is safe in God's hands. His work will not tarry for want

of men. Put not forth the hand of Uzzah to steady the ark of the Lord; it shall go safely on in

God's predestined way. Christ will not fail nor be discouraged. God buries his workmen, but his

work lives on. If there be not in the palace a king who honors God, there shall yet be found there

a governor who fears the Lord from his youth, who shall take care of the Lord's prophets, and

hide them away till better days shall come. Wherefore be of good courage, and look for happier

hours. �othing of real value is in jeopardy while Jehovah is on the throne. The Lord's reserves

are coming up, and their drums beat victory.”

4. Spurgeon goes on with the highest regard for Obadiah. “Obadiah could say, "I thy servant fear

the Lord from my youth." Time had not changed him: whatever his age may have been, his

religion had not decayed. We are all fond of novelty, and I have known some men go wrong as it

were for a change. It is not burning quick to the death in martyrdom that is the hard work;

roasting before a slow fire is a far more terrible test of firmness. To continue gracious during a

long life of temptation is to be gracious indeed. For the grace of God to convert a man like Paul,

who is full of threatenings against the saints, is a great marvel, but for the grace of God to

preserve a believer for ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years, is quite as great a miracle, and

deserves more of our praise than it usually commands. Obadiah was not affected by the lapse of

time; he was found to be when old what he was when young.

�or was he carried away by the fashion of those evil times. To be a servant of Jehovah was

thought to be a mean thing, old-fashioned, ignorant; a thing of the past; the worship of Baal was

the "modern thought" of the hour. All the court walked after the God of Sidon, and all the

courtiers went in the same way. My lord worshipped Baal, and my lady worshipped Baal, for the

queen worshipped Baal; but Obadiah said, "I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth." Blessed

is the man who cares nothing for the fashion, for it passeth away. If for a while it rageth towards

evil, what hath the believing man to do but to abide steadfastly by the right? Obadiah was not

even affected by the absence of the means of grace. The priests and Levites had fled into Judah,

and the prophets had been killed or hidden away, and there was no public worship of Jehovah in

Israel. The temple was far away at Jerusalem; therefore he had no opportunity of hearing

anything that could strengthen him or stimulate him; yet he held on his way. I wonder how long

some professors would keep up their profession if there were no places of worship, no Christian

associations, no ministrations of the word; but this man's fear of the Lord was so deep that the

absence of that which is usually wanted for the sustenance of piety did not cause him to decline.

May you and I personally feed upon the Lord Jesus in the secret of our souls, so that we may

flourish even though we should be far removed from a profitable ministry. May the Holy Ghost

make us steadfast, unmovable evermore.”

13 Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel

was killing the prophets of the LORD ? I hid a hundred of

the LORD's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and

supplied them with food and water.

1. Spurgeon, “He was chamberlain of the palace. If he had pleased Jezebel and worshiped Baal

he might have been much easier in his situation, for he would have enjoyed her royal patronage;

but there he was, governor in Ahab's house, and yet fearing Jehovah. He must have had to walk

very delicately, and watch his words most carefully. I do not wonder that he became a very

cautious person, and was a little afraid even of Elijah, lest he was giving him a commission which

would lead to his destruction. He came to be extremely prudent, and looked on things round

about so as neither to compromise his conscience nor jeopardize his position. It wants an

uncommonly wise man to do that, but he who can accomplish it is to be commended. He did not

run away from his position, nor retreat from his religion. If he had been forced to do wrong, I am

sure he would have imitated the priests and Levites and have fled into Judah, where the worship

of Jehovah continued; but he felt that without yielding to idolatry he could do something for God

in his advantageous position, and therefore he determined to stop and fight it out. When there is

no hope of victory you may as well retire; but he is the brave man who when the bugle sounds

retreat does not hear it, who puts his blind eye to the telescope and cannot see the signal to cease

firing, but just holds his position against all odds, and does all the damage he can to the enemy.

Obadiah was a man who did in truth "hold the fort," for he felt that when all the prophets were

doomed by Jezebel it was his part to stay near the tigress and save the lives of at least a hundred

servants of God from her cruel power. If he could not do more he would not have lived in vain if

he accomplished so much. I admire the man whose decision was equal to his prudence, though I

should greatly fear to occupy so perilous a place.”

“I should not like to try it myself, nor would I recommend any of you to attempt a feat so

difficult. The part of Elijah is much safer and grander. The prophet's course was plain enough;

he had not to please, but to reprove Ahab; he had not to be wary, but to act in a bold outspoken

manner for the God of Israel. How much the greater man he seems to be when the two stand

together in the scene before us. Obadiah falls on his face and calls him "My lord Elijah;" and

well he might, for morally he was far his inferior. Yet I must not fall into Ellijah's vein myself lest

I have to pull myself up with a sharp check. It was a great thing for Obadiah that he could

manage Ahab's household with Jezebel in it, and yet, for all that, win this commendation from

the Spirit of God, that he feared the Lord greatly. “

1B. Adam Clarke, “He was a sincere and zealous worshiper of the true God, and his conduct

towards the persecuted prophets was the full proof both of his piety and humanity.” “This

persecution was probably during the dearth, for as this bad woman would attribute the public

calamity to Elijah, not being able to find him, she would naturally wreak her vengeance on the

prophets of Jehovah who were within her reach.”

2. After the above very positive view of Obadiah, I want to share an outline from another pastor

that I will not name. It reveals that men of God can look at the same Bible revelation and come to

very opposite conclusion about a man's character. Spurgeon sees him as a wonderful man of God,

and this other pastor sees him as a terrible example of a believer. He is held up as a great example

for believers, and also as an example to be rejected as a bad example. But notice just how

subjective the comments are in this outline, and that they are not based on what the text says, but

on their reading into it what they have determined. Here is the outline:

Obadiah is a picture of the compromising Christian – One who fears the Lord (18:3), but is

unwilling to take a firm stand for the cause of Christ!

• Elijah was serving God publicly without fear; Obadiah was serving Ahab (18:7-8).

• Obadiah had secretly cared for the 100 prophets of God by hiding them in caves and

feeding them bread and water (18:4).

• However, when Obadiah meets Elijah in the way, Obadiah fell on his face before the true

man of God.

• When Elijah told Obadiah to go and tell Ahab that he was here, Obadiah feared for his

own life!

• Obadiah then began to excuse himself by trying to impress Elijah with his own feeble

merits (18:13).

• Finally, Elijah convinces Obadiah that he will not deceive him, but that he will remain

there until Ahab comes.

• Alas, we have too many Obadiah’s today, and not enough Elijahs!

3. If you can read that outline and not laugh at the comment on 18:13, then you are very

undiscerning of a personal prejudice. He is saying that the saving of the lives of 100 prophets of

God is his own feeble merits. That is one of the most stupid remarks I I have ever read. I would

like to see the list of the author's merits to compare with that of Obadiah. Few believers in all of

history have ever earned the merits of saving the lives of a hundred other believers, and he calls

them feeble merits. I am sure he would change that wording if he reads this. He has so

determined that this man is bad that he had to minimize anything that gives him credit. In any

other context Obadiah would be considered a hero of the highest degree, but those who have

prejudged him to be the bad guy have tried to poison his image by slanderous remarks to make

people think of him badly. I think this commentator would have a different attitude had he been

one of the saved prophets, or had he been sentenced to die in some foreign land with no Obadiah

in the government to come to his rescue.

In my mind it is scandalous to see a Bible hero have his name reduced to shame with no hint to

support such character assassination. My hope is that by reading this, pastor's will avoid

following negative judgments about this man with nothing to support them but subjective

assumptions. Everything the Bible says of this man is positive, and everything negative said of

him is pure speculation, and that is not valid Bible interpretation. The problem is, if there is a

good sermon by a good preacher in which a false idea is promoted, other preachers will assume

that it is a good idea, and continue to promote the false idea. We need to be more discerning and

recognize that the greatest preachers, who have the greatest sermons, can also miss the boat and

follow ideas that are false to Scripture. If you know of a preacher who never makes a mistake,

and never says anything that is foolish and speculative, let me know, for I would like to get

started on my list of perfect preachers, which, so far, stands at zero. I can't get on the list myself.

14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say,

'Elijah is here.' He will kill me!"

1. Obadiah is very close to Ahab, and he knows how the man thinks. He is so angry at Elijah that

he is ready to let his rage loose on anyone who gives him another false lead. He has searches his

whole part of the world to find this man, and has followed many a false lead. Another one will be

the last straw Obadiah fears, and so his resistance is valid. I will say this is where you are, and if

you are not there, he will draw his sword and say this is the last straw, and he will wipe me out of

the picture in fury. He will have no patience with anyone who gives him false information.

15 Elijah said, "As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I

serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today."

1. Elijah swears that he will be there, and so Obadiah takes him at his word and delivers the

message. He trusts a man who will swear by the name of the Lord, and so he honors that trust

and does what Elijah commands.

Elijah on Mount Carmel

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab

went to meet Elijah.

1. Obadiah was a worrier, for he was afraid he would be killed, but it all went fine, and nobody

was being slaughtered because Elijah showed up.

2. Pink, “The very fact that the prophet was seeking him out, yea had sent Obadiah before him to

say, "Behold, Elijah is here," must have rendered the king uneasy. Wicked men are generally

great cowards: their own consciences are their accusers, and often cause them many misgivings

when in the presence of God’s faithful servants, even though these occupy an inferior position in

life to themselves. Thus it was with King Herod in connection with Christ’s forerunner, for we are

told, "Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy" (Mark 6:20). In like

manner, Felix, the Roman governor, trembled before Paul (though he was his prisoner) when the

apostle "reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come" (Acts 24:25). Let not the

ministers of Christ hesitate boldly to deliver their message, nor be afraid of the displeasure of the

most influential in their congregations.”

3. Bob Deffinbaugh, “From the context, we know that Ahab and Obadiah had gone out in search

of pasture and feed for the king’s livestock. It would seem that they had prearranged to meet at

some designated place when they were finished with their search. I would take it, then, that

Obadiah went to this designated meeting place where he found Ahab. If this were the case, Ahab

would not have been too far off at that moment, and he may very well have gone directly to the

place where Elijah came upon Obadiah. �otice that Elijah did not go to Ahab; Ahab came to

him. Perhaps Elijah is attempting to make it very clear to Ahab who is in charge. As the

spokesman for God, Elijah is the higher authority. Furthermore, it was wise for Elijah to choose

a remote and private place. Ahab could not as easily arrest Elijah in such a place, whereas it

would have been relatively easy in the city of Jezreel. And there, in this secluded location, Ahab

and Elijah could talk candidly, without the interference of Jezebel. However it came about, the

king of Israel and Elijah are now “eyeball to eyeball,” as we would say.”

17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you

troubler of Israel?"

1. Everyone who met Elijah asked “Is that you?” He must have looked really rugged after three

years of isolation, and not just the same as he looked before. The king calls him a trouble maker

the first thing he sees him. He feels that Elijah is the problem, and not his wicked acceptance of

idolatry. He is a good example of people who never look at themselves, but see the problem to be

other people. They think they are innocent, and are victims of other people's faults. This

blindness leads them to judgment, as it did Ahab. He casts all blame on Elijah for the problems of

Israel. You wonder why he did not have Elijah killed on the spot, but it is clear to him now that

the drought is under his control, and it will never go away until Elijah prays for it to go away. He

knows he has no power to end this crisis, and so he is fully aware that he is dependent upon this

man he does not like at all. You just don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg, or the prophet

who has the power to restore the rain.

2. P. G. Mathew, “Throughout redemptive history, those who proclaim the word of God have

been seen by many as troublemakers. Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people insult you,

persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad,

because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who

were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).

3. Henry, “We have here the meeting between Ahab and Elijah, as bad a king as ever the world

was plagued with and as good a prophet as ever the church was blessed with. 1. Ahab, like

himself, basely accused Elijah. He durst not strike him, remembering that Jeroboam's hand

withered when it was stretched out against a prophet, but gave him bad language, which was no

less an affront to him that sent him. 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 . How unlike was this to that

with which his servant Obadiah saluted him (1 Kings 18:7 ): Art thou that my lord Elijah?

Obadiah feared God greatly; Ahab had sold himself to work wickedness; and both discovered

their character by the manner of their address to the prophet. One may guess how people stand

affected to God by observing how they stand affected to his people and ministers. Elijah now

came to bring blessings to Israel, tidings of the return of the rain; yet he was thus affronted. Had

it been true that he was the troubler of Israel, Ahab, as king, would have been bound to

animadvert upon him. There are those who trouble Israel by their wickedness, whom the

conservators of the public peace are concerned to enquire after. But it was utterly false

concerning Elijah; so far was he from being an enemy to Israel's welfare that he as the stay of it,

the chariots and horsemen of Israel. �ote, It has been the lot of the best and most useful men to be

called and counted the troublers of the land, and to be run down as public grievances. Even Christ

and his apostles were thus misrepresented, Acts 17:6.”

18 "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied.

"But you and your father's family have. You have

abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the

Baals.

1. Elijah is not going to take any criticism from this wicked king who accuses him of being the

trouble maker. He throws it right back in his face that he and his family are the real

troublemakers by their defying the commands of God.

2. Bob Deffinbaugh, “Elijah was not “troubled” by Ahab’s angry indictment. He knew better.

Quickly turning the tables on Ahab, he informed the king that Israel’s troubles were not due to

any wrong doing on his part, but were the consequence of Ahab’s disregard for God’s

commandments, and particularly his worship of other gods. Omri had acted wickedly (1 Kings

16:25-26), and now his son—Ahab—has surpassed him. �o previous king had matched Ahab in

wickedness (16:30, 33). And it was not just Ahab who sinned. Like Omri, Ahab’s “leadership”

encouraged the nation to sin as well (see 16:26).”

3. Pink, “Elijah was not to be intimidated by the wicked aspersion which had just been cast upon

him. With undaunted courage, he first denies the foul charge: "I have not troubled Israel."

Happy for us if we can truthfully make the same claim: that the chastisements which Zion is now

receiving at the hands of a holy God have not been caused in any measure by my sins. Alas, who

among us could affirm this? Second, Elijah boldly returns the charge upon the king himself,

placing the blame where it duly belonged: "I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father’s

house." See here the fidelity of God’s servant: as �athan said to David, so Elijah unto Ahab,

"Thou art the man." A truly solemn and heavy charge: that Ahab and his father’s house were the

cause of all the sore evils and sad calamities which had befallen the land. The Divine authority

with which he was invested warranted Elijah thus to indict the king himself.”

4. John Loweie has an interesting theory about Baal and the drought that came in judgment for

the worship of the Baal. He wrote, “It is not the unanimous opinion of the learned that Baal is the

sun. Mr. Mede thinks that the Bel of the Babylonians was a deified king of Babel, and that the

Baal of the Zidonians was a deified Phoanician king. Yet Calniet, Bishop Patrick and others,

think that Baal is the sun. Though the plural name of Baalam is applied to other gods, or perhaps

to multiplied images of the same god, yet it explains all the Scriptural references to Baal's

worship to suppose that he is the sun. The Jewish people did worship the sun. Josiah put down

the priests " that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the planets and to

all the host of heaven," 2 Kings xxiii. 5. So also he took away the chariots given to the sun, and

burned the chariots of the sun with fire.

Thus to understand this Baal worship explains the appropriateness of the judgment........ We may

suppose him now to say, " Since you will worship the sun, let the sun be your ruler. Let his bright

and unclouded rays beam upon you ; let no storm-clouds obscure his beauty to your admiring

eyes ; let no vapors rise to darken his splendor. The burning sun is Israel's god; let him teach

Israel the folly of exalting the creature into the place of that Creator who alone can make all his

creatures subserve his providential purposes."

5. If the above theory is correct, it becomes another illustration of God's poetic justice. The above

author goes on to give other illustrations: “In the divine administration of earthly affairs, we

often see the punishments of sin so appropriate to the sins that call them forth that men have no

difficulty in discerning why the displeasure of God is upon them. The Scriptures often express

this rule in explicit language : " His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself." " As she hath

done, so shall it be done to her." " Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." The

Egyptians destroyed the male children of the Israelites, and in judgment lose their own first born.

David's sin is followed by like sins in his own household. The Jews rejected their Messiah, and

were rejected by him. So in this great calamity of Israel. The people reap the fruits of their own

devices.” Another great example is Haman building a place to hang Mordaicai, and he ends up

being hanged there himself. God is saying in poetic justice, if you want something that is bad real

bad, then he will allow you to have it, for that will be your punishment. Israel wanted to worship

the sun God, and so God says I will give it to you three and a half years straight, and see how you

like it.

19 �ow 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."

1. Elijah throws down the challenge to bring all of the false prophets to Carmel to face a

showdown as to who the people of Israel should be following. Dr. Ray Pritchard gives us some

valuable information on Mt. Carmel and on the worship of Baal. He wrote, “If you ever go to the

Holy Land, your guide will take you to Carmel. It is an enormous mountain by the seacoast

overlooking the modern day city of Haifa. From the top of Mount Carmel you have a

commanding view in all directions. Carmel was important in the Old Testament for military and

geopolitical reasons. Whoever held Mt. Carmel controlled the northern half of the nation. And

whoever controlled the worship that took place on Carmel controlled the nation spiritually. The

priests and the prophets of Baal knew that. That is why years earlier they had built an altar to

Baal on top of Mount Carmel. We know from history that Baal worship was a particularly

degrading religion. It was a bizarre mixture of idolatry, perverted sexuality and child sacrifice.

The pagans believed Baal controlled the rising and the setting of the sun. He was also considered

the god who brought forth the seasons, and the god who brought forth or withheld the rains.

Because ancient Israel was an agricultural nation, Baal was an extremely powerful deity. Men

and women who came to worship Baal would offer a sacrifice and then engage in some sort of

sexual activity with the priests and priestesses. They believed that if you were joined physically to

one of those priests or priestesses of Baal, the power of Baal would be transferred to you. Thus

Baal worship appealed on one level to the mind, on another level to their economic well-being,

and on a deeper level to the desires of the flesh.”

1B. Gill, “the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, but not the four hundred prophets of the

groves; for of them we have no account afterwards, only of the former; it may be they were not at

the command of Ahab, only of Jezebel, at whose table they ate, who would not suffer them to go.”

2. Pink, “Very remarkable is this: to behold Elijah alone, hated by Ahab, not only charging the

king with his crimes, but giving him instructions, telling him what he must do. �eedless to say, his

conduct on this occasion did not furnish a precedent or set an example for all God’s servants to

follow under similar circumstances. The Tishbite was endowed with extraordinary authority

from the Lord, as is intimated by that �ew Testament expression, "the spirit and power of

Elijah" (Luke 1:17). Exercising that authority Elijah demanded there should be a convening of

all Israel at Carmel, and that thither should also be summoned the prophets of Baal and

Ashtaroth, who were dispersed over the country at large. More strange still was the peremptory

language used by the prophet: he simply issued his orders without offering any reason or

explanation as to what was his real object in summoning all the people and prophets together.”

3. Roger Hahn, “The choice of Mount Carmel as the location of the confrontation may be

significant. Mt. Carmel is on the only jut of land breaking the straight Israelite Mediterranean

coastline. Present day Haifa is located on the northern slopes of Mt. Carmel. At Elijah's time it

was near the border between Israel and Phoenicia. Possession of it had fluctuated between Israel

and Tyre through the previous centuries. Since it had been possessed part of the time by the

Phoenicians it was the one of the first places Baal worship had been introduced to Israel. Thus

Elijah picks the most Baalistic territory in Israel for the contest between Yahweh and Baal. In the

minds of the people the home court advantage would belong to Baal.”

4. Howat, “To the present day all travelers speak of the loveliness of Carmel. * Long before we

got to the summit,' says Dr. Wilson of Bombay, in his Lands of the Bible, “we were in a thick

jungle of brushwood, principally of oak, mountain juniper, and grasses, intermixed with many

beautiful odoriferous plants and flowers growing most luxuriantly.' And a more recent author.

Lieutenant Van de Velde, quite breaks out into rapture, as he writes : “What a memorable

morning in this flower garden ! Yes, Carmel is indeed Carmel — the fruitful, the graceful, the

fragrant, the lovely mountain that he was in the days of old.

Recent discovery has fixed upon El Mukhrakah or Maharrakahy at the eastern extremity, the

highest point of the whole range, and commanding a full view of the Mediterranean, as the

modern representative of the scene of Elijah's contest. The evidence of tradition is confirmed by

the meaning of the word, which signifies ' the burning,' the sacrifice,' and by the natural features

of the spot itself, which exactly correspond with the sacred narrative. It is a spacious terrace or

esplanade of rocky soil, and capable of accommodating on the neighboring slopes assembled

thousands. Here, in the better days of. Israel, had been a sanctuary devoted to God, but which

had probably been destroyed during the persecution by Jezebel. It was among the ruins of this '

Sitting on that commanding height, on a bright spring evening, I felt persuaded I was upon the

scene of Elijah's great sacrifice Beside and under me were probably the very stones of which

God's altar was built, and over which played the heavenly flame. A few paces beneath me was the

well from which the water was drawn There, stretching out before me, was the plain across which

Ahab dashed in his chariot ; and yonder, on its eastern border, I saw the little villages which

mark the sites and still bear the names of Jezreel and Shunem. Is it strange that when one thus

visits the holy and historic places of Palestine, the grand events of Bible history should appear to

be enacted over again, and should become living realities ?' — PROFESSOR Porter's Giant

Cities of Bashatty p. 238.”

5. We are not to take this table of Jezebel literally, for that would call for a table to seat 400 plus

her and her family, and some other guests. This simply means that they were supplied from her

kitchen, and so we can assume that she had quite a crew preparing a great deal of food every day.

This was all the more depressing to Ahab and Jezebel that Elijah had made food so much more

scarce because of the drought. All of these people were forced to go on a much slimmer diet due

to the crops that would not grow. They were doubtless delighted that they could get a chance to

meet this meal spoiler in a contest.

6. Clarke, “The king and queen had different religious establishments; the king and his servants

worshiped Baal, the supreme lord and master of the world, the sun. For this establishment four

hundred and fifty priests were maintained. The queen and her women worshiped Asherah, Astarte,

or Venus; and for this establishment four hundred priests were maintained. These latter were in

high honor; they ate at Jezebel's table; they made a part of her household. It appears that those

eight hundred and fifty priests were the domestic chaplains of the king and queen, and probably

not all the priests that belonged to the rites of Baal and Asherah in the land; and yet from the

following verse we learn that Ahab had sent to all the children of Israel to collect these prophets;

but Jezebel had certainly four hundred of them in her own house who were not at the assembly

mentioned here. Those of Baal might have a more extensive jurisdiction than those of Asherah,

the latter being constantly resident in Samaria.”

7. Bob Deffinbaugh, “Elijah also instructed Ahab to assemble the 450 prophets of Baal and the

400 prophets of Asherah. I am not convinced that the 400 prophets of Asherah showed up. When

the people and the prophets arrive at Mount Carmel, Elijah refers only to the 450 prophets of

Baal. In verse 22, Elijah indicates that the odds are 450 to 1—450 prophets of Baal to 1 prophet

of God, himself. In verse 25, Elijah speaks to the prophets of Baal, but no mention is made of the

prophets of Asherah. In verse 40, Elijah orders the Israelites to seize the prophets of Baal. Again,

there is no mention of the 400 prophets of Asherah. I am therefore inclined to think that Jezebel

and the 400 prophets of Asherah stayed behind, and did not accept the challenge. As someone

remarked, for the Prime Minister of Israel to meet with Palestine Liberation Organization

Chairman Yasser Arafat is to give him a certain legitimacy. It is to officially recognize him and

the organization which he represents. I do not think that Jezebel was willing to recognize Elijah

as a prophet. If Ahab was willing to take orders from this fellow, let him, but not Jezebel.”

8. Gill, “�o doubt but more discourse passed between Ahab and Elijah, though not recorded,

before he made this motion to him; it is very probable, that after some dispute between them,

who was the true God, and about idolatry, as the cause of want of rain, Elijah proposed to the

king what he afterwards did to the people, to which he could not object; and being desirous of

gratifying his curiosity, and especially of having rain, which the prophet might promise him in

the issue of this affair, he agreed unto it; and therefore Elijah desired that all Israel might be

convened, that it might be openly and publicly done, and to the conviction and reformation of

them, which was what was chiefly designed; and he chose Carmel, a mountain in the tribe of

Issachar, well situated for the people that came from all parts; and the rather this than Samaria,

that he might meet with no obstruction from Jezebel, and from whence: he might be able to see

the rain when coming, as he did.”

20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled

the prophets on Mount Carmel.

1. Great Texts. “How the pulse quickens as we read the story ! In his splendid isolation stands

Elijah against king, court, and nation. For three years he has been a hunted fugitive ; for three

years Jezebel has enjoyed her wicked triumph; but this one man is unsubdued and unsubduable.

At last he comes forth from hia desert, and he comes like a thunderbolt. He bars the way of the

king s chariot with a gesture, and silences him with one stern accusation: "Thou and thy father s

house have made Israel to sin ! " �ever was the fearlessness of right so splendidly illustrated, or

the impotence of evil so conclusively exposed. The hunter is dumb before his prey; the tyrant

quails before his victim. There is a royalty in righteousness before which all other royalty is but

tinsel ; there is a supremacy in goodness which strikes the wicked dumb. Are you armed with that

supremacy ? Dare you stand fearless in the right though the heavens fall ? Only then is man

invulnerable. �o one can defeat a man who is in the right. He may be a wild man of the desert

and stand in tattered garb, but the chariots of wrong stop at his signal, and kings fear his face.

When Elijah says, " Gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel," Ahab knows he must obey. So

to Carmel Israel is gathered; there the broken altars are rebuilt, and there the pregnant question

of the text is put to the vast multitude, who at last, when the fire of God descends, cry in fearful

acquiescence not less than profound conviction, "The Lord, he is the God ; the Lord, he is the

God."

2. W. A. Criswell, “I can see them making their trek up to the top of Mount Carmel by the

thousands and by the thousands. From the north, they come from Dan. And, from the south,

they come from Bethel. And, from the east, they come from Gilead. And, from the west, they

come from Sharon. And, from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, there do they gather, there

do they gather on the top of Mount Carmel. And, I can imagine that no tiger ever more fiercely

watched and stalked his prey than Ahab looked upon Elijah, as that great concourse of people

assembled on the top of the Mount, next to the Mediterranean Sea.

Then, when they were gathered, Elijah spoke seven times. First, he flung out a great challenge.

“How long halt thee,” he says, “between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him. But if

Baal be god, then follow him.” Same thing that the Lord said about the Laodicean church:

“You're not hot and you're not cold. And, you're not for and you're not against. And, you're

lukewarm, and just middlin' and tolerable and in between.” “How long,” says Elijah, “are you

going to beat the thing in your heart. If God is God, follow him. If Baal is God, then follow

him.” And, the people answered not a word, not a word. They were ashamed and conscience-

stricken before the great prophet Elijah.”

3. "Imagine the scene. A national holiday has been declared. People from all over Israel begin to

gather to Mount Carmel with its commanding view of the Mediterranean Sea. They have come to

see the battle of the Gods - 15 rounds, winner take all. On one side the bleachers are packed. A

total of 450 prophets are gathered. Around the neck of each of these prophets hangs a piece of

metal designed to reflect the rays of the sun, for they are sun worshipers. Sitting in the best seat is

King Ahab himself amid all of his servants and royal retinue.On the other side stands Elijah. He

is dressed in simple clothes, his hair blown in the wind. He is alone.” author unknown

4. Many years ago I preached a sermon on verses 20 to 40, and rather than incorporate that

message into the commentary, I am putting the entire message in Appendix A for an example how

the content of this passage can be used for a sermon on Elijah.

21 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."

But the people said nothing.

1. Pink, “Behold the sea of upturned faces as every eye is focused on this strange and stern figure,

at whose word the heavens had been as brass for the last three years. With what intense interest

and awe must they have gazed upon this lone man of sinewy build, with flashing eyes and

compressed lips. What a solemn hush must have fallen upon that vast assembly as they beheld

one man pitted against the whole company. With what malignant glances would his every

movement be watched by the jealous priests and prophets. As one commentator puts it, "�o tiger

ever watched its victim more fiercely! If they may have their way, he will never touch yonder

plain again," As Ahab himself watched this servant of the Most High, fear and hatred must have

alternated in his heart, for the king regarded Elijah as the cause of all his troubles, yet he felt that

somehow the coming of rain depended upon him.”

It is unspeakably solemn to note that he said not a single word to the false prophets, making no

attempt to convert them. They were devoted to destruction (v. 40). �o, instead he addressed

himself to the people, of whom there was some hope, saying, "How long halt ye between two

opinions?" (v. 21). The word for "halt" is totter : they were not walking uprightly. Sometimes

they tottered over to the side of the God of Israel, and then they lurched like an intoxicated

person over on the side of the false gods. They were not fully decided which to follow. They

dreaded Jehovah, and therefore would not totally abandon Him; they desired to curry favour

with the king and queen, and so felt they must embrace the religion of the state. Their conscience

forbade them to do the former, their fear of man persuaded them to do the latter; but in neither

were they heartily engaged. Thus Elijah upbraided them with their inconstancy and fickleness.”

1B. What a bunch of chickens. They stand silent as if there is no history already about the God of

Israel and his great works. People need the same thing demonstrated over and over again. God

has shown his people more miracles than any people on the planet. It has been a part of there

history and heritage, but they are always asking God, but what have you done for me lately? So

they wait in silence to decide who is the right God to follow. They are demanding another miracle

of proof before the make any commitment. �o wonder God occasionally wondered if he should

scrap the whole plan of using Israel, and start over with a new family. They were stubbornly

standing in the middle not ready to make a choice until they saw the miracle. There was no faith

here, but only a forced choice because God gave them on other choice when he destroyed the

competition. There is not valid reason to praise the people at all, for all the glory belongs to God.

It was an emergency situation, and so God had to win his people back by a show of power.

1C. David Guzik, “Spiritually speaking, Israel was like an unfaithful partner in a marriage who

doesn't want to give up their marriage partner, but also does not want to give up their illicit lover.

The marriage partner has a legitimate claim to the exclusive devotion of their spouse.” “The

ancient Hebrew word translated falter means "to limp, halt, hop, dance, or leap." (Dilday) It is

the same word used in 1 Kings 18:26 where the prophets of Baal leaped about the altar. It may be

that Elijah meant, "How long will you dance between two opinions?"

1D. Gill, “how long halt ye between two opinions?

sometimes inclining to the one, and sometimes to the other: as a lame man in walking, his body

moves sometimes to one side, and sometimes to another; or "leap ye upon two branches" F18, like

a bird that leaps or hops from one branch to another, and never settles long; or rather it denotes

the confusion of their thoughts, being like branches of trees twisted and implicated; thus

upbraiding them with their inconstancy and fickleness; what their two opinions were, may be

learnt from the next clause:

if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him;

for there is but one God, one infinite, immense, and incomprehensible being; one that is

omnipotent, all sufficient, good, and perfect; there cannot be more, and therefore but one to be

followed, served, and worshipped:

and the people answered him not a word:

through conviction and confusion, his reasoning being unanswerable; or not knowing which to

choose at present; or fearing they should be drawn into a snare, should they name any; either

incur the displeasure of the king, who was for Baal, or of the prophet, who was for the Lord, at

whose word rain was withheld, and might be given, which they were desirous of.”

2. Great Texts, “THIS scene is one of the most memorable and striking in history. It represents

one of those great culminating points when life suddenly becomes dramatic, when, as it were, the

con fused groups of men and women on the stage of life suddenly shift themselves into place and

position, and the curtain rises on the acts of a great tragedy. Such culminations occur also in the

individual life, when the still river of our days deepens, and rushes on in loud thunder, and all our

scattered energies become concentrated in one vast struggle. In such moments life is felt to be

infinitely significant, and we know that it fulfils itself in the open eye of the angel-crowded

heavens. In such moments the character of coming centuries is determined, and individual

destiny is sealed and fixed.

From the challenge of Elijah to the falling of the fire from heaven, the interest grows and the

excitement deepens. It was one of the most memorable national convocations ever held in Israel.

Old men were there, and they could not remember such a bitter time in the nation s history. For

years no rain had fallen at the appointed seasons, and the land was literally burnt up with the

drought. By famine and hunger God had appealed to the conscience of the nation, and the appeal

had apparently been in vain. They had not risen up in wrath and repentance to cast the new and

false religion out of the land.”

3. Once to every man and nation conies the moment to decide,

In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side;

Some great cause, God s new Messiah, offering each the bloom or blight,

Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right,

And the choice goes by for ever twixt that darkness and that light.

Hast thou chosen, my people, on whose party thou shalt stand,

Ere the Doom from its worn sandals shakes the dust against our land?

Though the cause of Evil prosper, yet tis Truth alone is strong,

And, albeit she wander outcast now, I see around her throng

Troops of beautiful, tall angels, to enshield her from all wrong. James Russell Lowell

4. Great Texts, “Elijah called the people to decide between two Gods Jehovah and Baal. This

decision has to be made in every age. �ow Baal, the male, and Ashtaroth, the female, represented

the fertilizing and productive principle in nature, and their worship was that of power. To the

more cultivated and refined, it was simply a species of pantheism ; to the multitude, it was what

one has called "the worship of deified abundance, under a splendid and sensuous ceremonial " ;

or, as Maurice has put it, " The worship of Baal was the worship of power as distinguished from

righteousness."

5. Roger R. Williams, “There can be no doubt that Elijah was "the greatest religious personality

that had been raised up in Israel since Moses." Wellhausen has nobly expressed Elijah's great

idea in the splendid definition, "To him Baal and Jehovah represented, so to speak, a contrast of

principles, of profound and ultimate practical convictions; both could not be right, nor could they

exist side by side. For him there existed no plurality of Divine Powers, operating with equal

authority in different spheres, but everywhere One Holy and Mighty being, who revealed himself,

not in the life of nature, but in those laws by which alone human society is held together, in the

ethical demands of the spirit." That man became the precursor of the long line of spiritual

prophets who are one of the chief glories of Israel's religion, and it was their destiny to look

forward and finally to have their line culminate in the incomparable figure of the Savior.”

6. Howat, “' How long halt ye between two opinions ?' There is no doubt a reference here to the

grotesque actions and gestures of the priests of Baal at the shrine of their god — "the halting,

tottering, limping, leaping" characteristic of their worship ; for, literally rendered, the question

would read, ' How long leap ye upon two branches ? How long limp ye upon two thighs ?' The

allusion, however, is deeper, wider, and much more spiritual. There were two distinct classes

represented on Carmel's ridge in full view of the prophet. The one was the openly ungodly

represented by Ahab, the court, and the priests. The other was the undecided, represented by the

thick ranks of the assembly of the people. To the latter Elijah addresses his stern rebuke. He

speaks plainly and honestly. Whether they relish it or no, is nothing to him : they shall at least,

and for once, hear the truth. Why then, he says, this veering and vacillation } Why this want of

settled religious conviction ; ' everything by turns, and nothing long.' Why this weakness, and

wavering, and hankering after idols } Follow God, or follow Baal ; but take up a position — make

a deliberate choice, and keep it.”

7. Dr. Ray Pritchard, “Let me ask a simple question. Three frogs are sitting on a log. Two decide

to jump off. How many are left? The answer is three. You haven’t jumped off the log because you

decided to jump off. Deciding counts for nothing. You’re still on the log until you jump off the log.

You can decide till the cows come home, but as long as you’re sitting on the log, you’re still sitting

on the log. You can say I have decided to follow Jesus. You can sing it. You can shout it. But until

you’re following him, you’re not following him. I don’t care what you decided. It’s not your

decisions that matter; it’s what you actually do.

8. Spurgeon, “If God be God, serve him, and do it thoroughly; but if this world be God, serve it,

and make no profession of religion. If you are a worldling, and think the things of the world the

best, serve them; devote yourself to them, do not be kept back by conscience; spite your

conscience, and run into sin. But remember, if the Lord be your God, you can not have Baal too;

you must have one thing or else the other. "�o man can serve two masters." If God be served, he

will be a master; and if the devil be served he will not be long before he will be a master; and "ye

can not serve two masters." O! be wise, and think not that the two can be mingled together. How

many a respectable deacon thinks that he can be covetous, and grasping in business, and grind

the faces of the poor, and yet be a saint! O! liar to God and to man! He is no saint; he is the very

chief of sinners! How many a very excellent woman, who is received into church fellowship

among the people of God, and thinks herself one of the elect, is to be found full of wrath and

bitterness, a slave of mischief and of sin, a tattler, a slanderer, a busybody; entering into other

people's houses, and turning every thing like comfort out of the minds of those with whom she

comes in contact—and yet she is the servant of God and of the devil too! �ay, my lady this will

never answer; the two never can be served thoroughly. Serve your master, whoever he be. If you

do profess to be religious, be so thoroughly; if you make any profession to be a Christian, be one;

but if you are no Christian, do not pretend to be.”

9. John Huffman Jr., “Are you a spiritual juggler? Perhaps you've been exposed to the historic,

life-changing claims of Jesus Christ. But you are attracted enough by competing pressures to be

neither totally committed to God or totally committed to the world and its pantheon of competing

gods. To put it bluntly, you are "neither fish nor fowl" spiritually. Elijah talks about "wavering

between two opinions." The King James version translates this, "halting between two opinions."

The Revised Standard Version translates it, "how long will you go limping with two different

opinions?" Translate it whatever way you want, but it paints a graphic picture of a person who

hops from one foot to another, jumping from one side to another, wavering between competing

attractions. It's a very different picture from a person who is centered on Jesus Christ, whose life

daily is moving forward with a steadfast, spiritual commitment.

A young man shared with me his dilemma. He was raised in a Christian home. He admired the

faith of his parents. He went to college and was attracted by a lifestyle of living that seemed quite

sophisticated. He wanted to be accepted by his buddies in the fraternity. Yet he knew there was

something better. He continued to identify with the Christian background of his home--even to

the point of considering going into the ministry. At the same time, he began to play it fast and

loose with the crowd that was serving the god of sensual pleasure. He had one foot in the city of

God and another foot in the city of man. He described to me what a remarkable job he did of

hopping back and forth from one to the other to the point that he was functioning with a kind of

split personality. He was neither one nor the other. Remorsefully, he declared, "I can't go on this

way any longer. I've got to make a decision. Either it's God's way or my way."

10. Ron Daniel has put together this list of Scriptures that speak to the issue of God's place in our

lives. “God is not content to be one of two gods. He will not stand for it. He said,

Exod. 34:14 ...you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a

jealous God When God has to share your heart with something else, He says that you are

committing adultery against Him. God said,

Ezek. 6:9 ...how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by

their eyes, which played the harlot after their idols...To attempt to worship God as well as follow

after something else is the same as going to your spouse and saying, "Honey, I love you and I'm

going to stick by you, but I'm going to keep another lover on the side as well." Well, none of us

would tolerate that either, would we? In the book of Revelation, Jesus was telling the church of

Ephesus that He knew how doctrinally sound they were, and how they had persevered. However,

He also said,

Rev. 2:4-5 "But I have {this} against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore

from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to

you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place —unless you repent." They had left their

first love. That doesn't speak of first in a chronological sense, like your first love was your high

school sweetheart. It speaks of first in the sense of placement, rank, or priority. Jesus had this

against them, that He had been taken out of first place in their lives, our of first priority in their

hearts. Is Jesus in first place in your life, or just in the top ten? Is He the only God you worship,

or are you devoted to something else as well? How long will you hesitate between two opinions?

As Joshua said,

Josh. 24:14-15 “�ow, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put

away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you

will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods

of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the

LORD.” Either serve the Lord completely, or choose something else to follow. As for me and my

house, we've chosen to serve the Lord.”

11. Jonathan Edwards was one of the greatest preachers in American history, and he makes it

clear that so many people are just like the Jews assembled in this context. He wrote, “Many

persons remain exceedingly undetermined with respect to religion. They are very much

undetermined in themselves whether to embrace religion or to reject it. Many who are baptized,

and make a profession of religion, and seem to be Christians, are yet in their own minds halting

between two opinions. They never yet came fully to a conclusion whether to be Christians or not.

They are taught the Christian religion in their childhood, and have the Bible, the word preached,

and the means of grace, all their days. Yet [they] continue, and grow up, and many grow old, in

an unresolvedness whether to embrace Christianity or not. And many continue unresolved as

long as they live.

There are some persons who have never come to a settled determination in their own minds

whether or [not] there be any truth in religion. They hear of the things of religion from their

childhood all their days; but never come to a conclusion in their own minds whether they be real

or fabulous. Particularly, some have never come to any determination in their own minds

whether there be any such thing as conversion. They hear much talk about it, and know that

many pretend to be the subjects of it. But they are never resolved whether all be not merely

designed hypocrisy and imposture.

Some never come to any determination whether the Scriptures be the Word of God, or whether

they be the invention of men; and whether the story concerning Jesus Christ be anything but a

fable. They fear it is true, but sometimes very much doubt of it. Sometimes when they hear

arguments for it, they assent that it is true. But upon every little objection or temptation arising,

they call it in question; and are always wavering and never settled about it.

So it seems to have been with many of the Jews in Christ’s time. They were always at a loss what

to make of him, whether he were indeed the Christ, or whether he were Elias, or one of the old

prophet, or a mere impostor. John 10:24, 25, “Then came the Jews round about him, and said

unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus

answered them, I told you, and ye believed not.” Some have never so much as come to a

resolution in their own minds, whether there be a God or not. They know not that there is, and

oftentimes very much doubt of it..................These are the persons of whom the apostle James

speaks in chap. 1:8. “The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

12. Edwards goes on to point out the utter madness of not coming to a determination of what you

believe, and to whom you are committed, for it is the most important choice of your life. If

Jehovah is God, and if Christ is God's Son, who died for us that we might have eternal life, this is

not something to ignore or waver about. Losing this is eternal hell, and gaining it is eternal

heaven. Is there anything more insane than not coming to a decision on a matter of such infinite

importance. Every other decision in life is insignificant compared to this. If Jesus Christ is the

Savior, and the only way to heaven, as the Bible makes clear, it is the essence of wisdom to trust

him, and ask him to be your personal Savior. To waver and doubt, and be in and out of your

commitment to him is the very essence of folly.

22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the

LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty

prophets.

1. If you are going by the odds everyone should be putting their money on Baal, but when dealing

with the God of Israel you need to know that numbers are never the crucial issue, for one is

plenty when he decides to act. He has been hidden, but now is the most public figure in the land,

and he has the attention of the masses. One man stands alone facing overwhelming odds, and he

is not afraid, for God has given him assurance that his plan will prevail over all the prophets of

Baal. God will bail him out of this conflict with Baal. A believer never gives up just because the

odds make things look impossible. Elijah feels alone, for the 100 prophets that Obadiah his in a

cave are still hiding, for they would be killed by Jezebel. They are hidden for their protection, and

so Elijah is a one man show, but that is always an adequate number for God.

1B. Elijah was optimystical, which is a word we seldom hear. It means, “A mental state of being

incredibly optimistic in the face of overwhelming odds. For example, “Her oncologist told her she

would die 100%. Even with chemotherapy the metastisized breast cancer in her bones and lungs

would kill her within a month. She drove to an alternative treatment center in Mexico which

emphasized absolute positive thoughts, optimystically, along with many alternative and

traditional medical treatments. Being optimystical saved her life. A true story. Her word not

mine. Three years later she is cancer free. The Power of Positive Thought and a will to battle the

odds.” Urban Dictionary History is so filled with amazing survival stories in the matter of war,

disease and accidents that there is always hope in any circumstance that the impossible will

happen, and we can overcome overwhelming odds. This is all the more possible when we are

walking with God, as was Elijah.

1C. Clarke, “That is, I am the only prophet of God present, and can have but the influence of an

individual; while the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men! It appears that the queen's

prophets, amounting to four hundred, were not at this great assembly; and these are they whom

we meet with 1 Kings 22:6 , and whom the king consulted relative to the battle at Ramoth-gilead.”

2. Overwhelming Odds is the title of a book where this in the summary: “This inspirational story

is written by Susan and Denny O’Leary, who find themselves inside any parent’s worst

nightmare. On an ordinary wintry day in a quiet St. Louis suburb, their son John is engulfed by

flames after a gasoline explosion. John, just nine years old, critically injured and, begging to die,

is transported to St. John’s hospital where he remains for more than four months, with 98% of

his body severely burned. Against all odds, John lives.”

3. All odds were overwhelming against the following ever happening. “Years ago, a young mother

was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when

she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination and when the

blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they

discovered that before her death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about

her baby. When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he was

alive and well. She had mounded her body over his and given her life for her child, proving the

depths of her mother love. Years later that child, David Lloyd George, grown to manhood,

became prime minister of Great Britain, and, without a doubt, one of England's greatest

statesmen. -- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc,

1988), p. 375.

4. It appears that the 400 prophets of Jezebel did not come to this contest. Howat wrote, “The

summons was extended to the priests of Ashtaroth and Baal ; but whether the former obeyed, has

been matter of doubt Even so high an authority as Dean Stanley seems in perplexity on the point.

Writing in his Sinai and Palestine^ he says : ' Ranged on one side were the king and people, with

the eight hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and Astarte ;' and writing in his subsequent

Lectures on the Jewish Church^ he says : * The prophets of Ashtaroth seem to have shrunk from

the contest* We think the later view of the learned Dean the correct one, and therefore believe

that wily Jezebel, either lofty in her palace-state, or fearing the conflict boded no good to her,

kept her four hundred priests in safety at home.

�ever in all history was picture more thrilling. One IS almost afraid to touch it. It is a singular

fact that, while the genius of Mendelssohn has embodied it in song, no painter of any note has

ever ventured to make of it a creation on canvas. We see on the one side of the rocky platform

Ahab, the court party, and the four hundred and fifty priests of Baal in their gaudy apparel,

constituting at once the civil and ecclesiastical strength of the land. On the other side we see but

one solitary =man, unpretentious in garb, weird-like in aspect, but strong in the Lord and in the

power of His might,' and with a heart beating beneath that sheep-skin mantle the anticipation-

note of triumph. Around, dotting the green slopes of Carmel, is the nation, — multitudes,

multitudes in the valley of decision, predisposed therefore in favor of Baal, and yet called to

pronounce, after a public contest, whether he or Jehovah is to be the God of Samaria. Beneath, at

a distance of a thousand feet, is the Kishon. Some twelve miles away in the dim prospect is

Jezreel, whence possibly Jezebel and her four hundred priests may have had, from the palace

roof, a glimpse of the scene. It is a memorable day for Israel, — a memorable day also for the

man of Gilead : he is staking his all, he is contending with fearful odds ; but, the calmest and

most tranquil in that mighty throng, he is willing to abide the issue.”

5. Spurgeon, “I notice that even after Elijah had learned more of him at this interview, he speaks

concerning God's people as if he did not reckon much upon Obadiah, and others like him. He

says, "They have thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I

only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." He knew very well that Obadiah was left,

who, though not exactly a prophet, was a man of mark; but he seems to ignore him as if he were

of small account in the great struggle. I suppose it was because this man of iron, this prophet of

fire and thunder, this mighty servant of the Most High, set small store by anybody who did not

come to the front and fight like himself: I know it is the tendency of brave and zealous minds

somewhat to undervalue quiet, retired piety. True and accepted servants of God may be doing

their best under great disadvantages, against fierce opposition, but they may scarcely be known,

and may even shun the least recognition; therefore men who live in the fierce light of public life

are apt to underestimate them. These minor stars are lost in the brilliance of the man whom God

lights up like a new sun to flame through the darkness. Elijah flashed over the sky of Israel like a

thunderbolt from the hand of the Eternal, and naturally he would be somewhat impatient of

those whose movements were slower and less conspicuous. It is Martha and Mary over again, in

some respects.” “Elijah must not deal harshly with Obadiah. I would that Obadiah had had more

courage: I wish that he had testified for the Lord, his God, as openly as Elijah did; but still every

man in his own, order, to his own master every servant must stand or fall. All lights ate not

moons, some are only stars; and even one star differeth from another star in glory.”

23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for

themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the

wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and

put it on the wood but not set fire to it.

1. Elijah gave them first choice in everything making it clear that this was to be a fair fight, and

he was not seeking any advantage for himself. �o fire was to be allowed anywhere in this contest,

for the only fire allowed was to come from heaven.

24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call

on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire—

he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is

good."

1. This was a logical test, and the people could see it as a fair trial. It was clever of Elijah to

propose such a contest, for he knew the prophets of the god of fire could not dare back down

from such a challenge. It would be like admitting defeat, and that their religion was all a big

fraud if they refused. They were trapped in a contest where they had no hope of winning. Elijah

knew that, and so he could be perfectly calm in facing enormous odds. He knew Baal could not

send fire, and he knew Jehovah could and would. Was it a fixed contest? Of course it was, and

that is why Elijah set it up. It was so he could demonstrate the folly of being worshipers of any

other god but the God of Israel. It was a clever trick to trap these false prophets in their folly and

give him the authority to end their evil careers in corrupting the people of God. He had to make

fools of them before he could eliminate them, for as long as they had credibility, they were

protected by popular demand.

2. Pink, “It had already been demonstrated by the three years" drought, at the word of the

prophet, that Jehovah could withhold rain at His pleasure, and that the prophets of Baal could

not reverse it or produce either rain or dew. �ow a further test shall be made, a trial by fire,

which came more immediately within their own province, since Baal was worshiped as the lord of

the sun, and his devotees consecrated to him by "passing through the fire" (2 Kings 16:3). It was

therefore a challenge which his prophets could not refuse without acknowledging they were but

impostors.

�ot only was this trial by fire on which forced the prophets of Baal out into the open and

therefore made manifest the emptiness of their pretensions, but it was one eminently calculated to

appeal to the minds of the people of Israel. On how many a glorious occasion in the past had

Jehovah "answered by fire!" That was the sign given to Moses at Horeb, when "the Angel of the

Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold,

the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed" (Ex. 3:2). This was the symbol of His

presence with His people in their wilderness wanderings: "The Lord went before them by day in

a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light" (Ex.

13:21). Thus it was when the covenant was made and the Law was given, for "mount Sinai was

altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof

ascended as the smoke of a furnace" (Ex. 19:18). This too was the token He gave of His

acceptance of the sacrifices which His people offered upon His altar: "there came a fire out from

before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the

people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces" (Lev. 9:24). So it was in the days of David: (see 1

Chron. 21:26). Hence the descent of supernatural fire from heaven on this occasion would make

it manifest to the people that the Lord God of Elijah was the God of their fathers.”

25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the

bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you.

Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire."

1. Bob Deffinbaugh, “In all my years of watching football, I have never seen the team that has

won the toss of the coin choose to kick off. They always choose to receive. They want the ball first

because they see this as an advantage. A team also prefers the home field advantage. After all,

would you want a stadium full of booing opponents, or one that is largely your fans? In our text,

Elijah gives the opposing team—the 450 prophets of Baal—all the advantages. They also have

450 men on the field, opposing only Elijah on the other team. Elijah gives them the advantage of

going first. They also have the home field advantage, because the crowd that has gathered is pro-

Baal and pro-Ahab. They would certainly not dare to side with Elijah, the fugitive whose life

seems to hang by a thread.”

2. Gill, “And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal…

Who agreed to this proposal, though not expressed; or they signified it by their silence. Ben

Gersom thinks they agreed to it, because that, according to their belief, Baal was Mars, and in the

sign of Aries, one of the fiery planets, and therefore fancied he could send down fire on their

sacrifice; but Abarbinel is of opinion that it was the sun they worshipped, under the name of

Baal, the great luminary which presides over the element of fire, and therefore had power to

cause it to descend; and if not, they agreed to it, he thinks, for three reasons; one was necessity,

they could not refuse, after the people had approved of it, lest they should rise upon them, and

stone them; and another was, that Elijah proposed to offer without the temple, contrary to the

law of his God, and therefore concluded he would not answer him by fire, and so they should be

upon a par with him; and the third was, that they thought they should offer their bullocks

together, so that, if fire descended, it would come upon them both, and then the dispute would be,

whether his God, or their god, sent it; and so no proof could be made who was God, nor the

matter in controversy decided:”

26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till

noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was

no response; no one answered. And they danced around

the altar they had made.

1. Pink, “But notwithstanding all their importunity with Baal, "There was no voice nor any that

answered." What a proof that idols are but "the work of men’s hands." "They have mouths, but

they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: . . . they have hands, but they handle not: feet

have they, but they walk not . . . they that make them are like unto them; so is everyone that

trusteth in them" (Ps. 115:4-8). "�o doubt Satan could have sent fire (Job. 1:9-12), and would, if

he might have done it; but he could do nothing except what is permitted him (Thomas Scott). Yes,

we read of the second beast of Revelation 13 that "he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire

come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men" (v. 13). But on this occasion the Lord

would not suffer the Devil to use his power, because there was an open trial between Himself and

Baal.”

2. Howat, “And now follows a scene which, for savage grandeur, has no parallel in all history,

either sacred or profane. The first to begin the contest are the priests of Baal. Confident of

success, they place the cut pieces of the bullock dripping on the altar, which they have con-

structed of wood from the forests of Carmel. The mutual condition is that there shall be * no fire

under ;' although St. Chrysostom has preserved an old tradition which asserts that inside their

altar the Baalites had secreted an accomplice who was to kindle a fire, but that in the act of so

doing he died of suffocation. It is morning, and for three long hours the prayer for fire is made —

nine hundred hands uplifted to heaven the while, — and the anxiety both to king, and priests,

and people becoming feverish and more feverish at each new iteration, *0 Baal, hear us! O Baal,

hear us!' But “ere was no voice ;”and so, to propitiate the god and hurry the reply, the wild

Pagan dance round the altar begins ; the racing, running, tumbling — the strong, frequently

hysterical, outlets of the Oriental soul, like the Corybantes of Greek mythology, and which, in

little different form, are to be seen in the whirling, dancing Dervishes of Constantinople...”

3. Gill, “called on the name of Baal, from morning even until noon, saying, O

Baal, hear us; and send fire down on the sacrifice; and if the sun was their Baal, they might hope,

as the heat he gradually diffused was at its height at noon, that some flashes of fire would proceed

from it to consume their sacrifice; but after, their hope was turned into despair, they became and

acted like madmen: but there was no voice, nor any that answered; by word, or by sending down

fire as they desired: and they leapt upon the altar which was made; not by Elijah, but by

themselves, either now or heretofore, and where they had formerly sacrificed; and they danced

about it, and leaped on it, either according to a custom used by them; such as the Salii, the priests

of Mars, used, so called from their leaping, because they did their sacred things leaping, and went

about their altars capering and leaping; or rather they were mad on it, as the Targum renders it,

and acted like madmen, as if they were agitated by a prophetic fury and frenzy.”

4. Tony Baker, “Elijah knew how to set the scene and build up to a climax:'Elijah, the holy rascal,

was a master of drama. Heknew how to stage-manage a show', says William Still, and there was

nothing wrong with that! The whole incident is told wonderfully graphically. We can see the

ridiculous ranting and raving of the prophets of Baal(v.26). As someone has said, 'Pagan religion

is preoccupied with making God hear', and our Lord commented on that (and perhaps he had

the event in mind) in Matthew 6:7: 'When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for

they think they will be heard because of their many words'. We can hear the sarcastic taunts of

Elijah: 'Shout louder!' (v.27).”

27 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."

1. The Message puts it like this, “By noon, Elijah had started making fun of them, taunting, "Call

a little louder—he is a god, after all. Maybe he's off meditating somewhere or other, or maybe

he's gotten involved in a project, or maybe he's on vacation. You don't suppose he's overslept, do

you, and needs to be waked up?"

1B. Roger Hahn, “At noon Elijah began to up the ante by mocking the prophets of Baal. Scholars

debate the exact meaning of the insults, but the effect is clear: Baal is being diminished by the

insults being sustained by his prophets. The suggestion that Baal is meditating or musing implies

that he is forgetful and is so preoccupied with himself that he does not notice the dilemma of his

prophets. Elijah's comment that Baal may be gone for a bit has often been interpreted as a

euphemism for having a bowel movement, an idea picked up in the Living Bible and the Good

�ews Bible versions. Though some readers find such humor distasteful it does express the raw

sarcasm of Elijah. Baal is being laughed at as if he were no more than a human being. Who

would want to follow a god like that?

Perhaps Baal is asleep, Elijah suggests. Psalm 121 declares that Yahweh does not slumber or sleep

(although Psalm 44:23 urges God to awake and respond). It is possible that Elijah is referring to

an aspect of Baal theology. Tablets found in the excavations at Ugarit in the 1930's show that in

some parts of Canaan Baal was thought to die in the fall as the dry season began and to lie dead

in the winter before rising again in the spring when the rains returned. Elijah's joke is that Baal

might be taking his dry-season nap.”

1C. David Guzik, "Elijah's irony bordered on sarcasm." (Patterson and Austel) The words

meditating and busy can be translated "to be engaged in business" and may be a euphemism for

bodily elimination. "Rabbi S. Jarchi gives this the most degrading meaning; I will give it in Latin,

because it is too coarse to be put in English; Fortassis ad locum secretum abiit, ut ventrem ibi

exoneret; 'Perhaps he has gone to the --outhouse-----------.' This certainly reduces Baal to the

lowest degree of contempt, and with it the ridicule and sarcasm are complete." (Clarke)

1D. Constable, “Elijah did something that must have shocked everyone present. He mocked Baal.

In the ancient East even if a person did not worship an idol he at least took its status as a god for

granted.216 However, Elijah refused to acknowledge that Baal was a god at all. He suggested that

Baal might be "occupied" (v. 27; lit. relieving himself).

1E. Bob Deffinbaugh, ““Elijah’s taunt is that Baal was acting in a merely human manner. He

uses terms known to the people from the Ugaritic Baal myths. Was the god musing on the action

to take (deep in thought)? Had he gone aside to answer the call of nature (so Targum; �EB

‘engaged’; �IV, after LXX, busy) or had he left on a journey with Phoenician merchants? Was

Baal asleep as Yahweh was not (Ps. 121:3-4)? The practice of self-inflicted wounds to arouse a

deity’s pity or response is attested in Ugarit when men ‘bathed in their own blood like an ecstatic

prophet.’

Baal was a “god” with human qualities, and Elijah forcefully drives these home, along with their

implications. Perhaps their “god” is preoccupied in thought, like a husband who ignores his wife

while reading his paper. He might be busy, on the toilet. Is their god suffering from constipation?

It’s crude, but it presses the point of the inferiority of their “god.” What a pathetic “god” this

would be! Maybe their god is just “out of the office” at the moment and can’t be reached. He

doesn’t even have a beeper or a cell phone. Perhaps he has dozed off, like some people do in

church, oblivious to what’s being said by another. If he was sleeping, there was only one solution:

yell louder to get his attention. Elijah was brutal in his attack, but this was no time for subtlety.

Either their “god” was God, or he was not. If he was not available at a critical time like this, then

he could never be counted on; he should never be trusted, and especially if the God of Israel did

respond.”

1F. Gill, “And it came to pass at noon…

When they had been from the time of the morning sacrifice until now invoking their deity to no

purpose:

that Elijah mocked them;

he jeered and bantered them:

and said, cry aloud;

your god does not hear you; perhaps, if you raise your voice higher, he may;

for he is a god;

according to your esteem of him, and, if so, he surely may hear you: unless

either he is talking;

with others about matters of moment and importance, who are waiting on him with their

applications to him; or he is in meditation; in a deep study upon some things difficult to be

resolved:

or he is pursuing;

his studies, or his pleasures, or his enemies, to overtake them; or he is employed on business F20:

or he is in a journey;

gone to visit his friends, or some parts of his dominions; so Homer F21 represents Jupiter gone to

pay a visit to the Ethiopians, and as yesterday gone to a feast, and all the gods following him,

from whence he would not return until twelve days; and in like manner Lucian F23 speaks of the

gods, mocking at them:

or, peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked;

with a loud crying to him: it being now noon, Abarbinel thinks this refers to a custom of sleeping

after dinner; Homer F24 also speaks of the sleep of the gods, and which used to be at noon; and

therefore the worshipers of Baal ceased then to call upon him; and it is said F25, the Heathens

feared to go into the temples of their gods at noon, lest they should disturb them; but such is not

the true God, the God of Israel, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, (Psalms 121:4) .”

1G. Maclaren, “Sarcasm is not the highest weapon, and the ‘spirit of Elijah’ is not the spirit of

Jesus; but the exposure of the absurdity of idolatry is legitimate, and even ridicule may have its

place in pricking wind-distended bladders. A man throttling a serpent may be excused using

anything that comes handy for the purpose. But, at the same time, the right attitude for us as

Christians in the presence of that awful fact of idolatry, is neither contempt nor scientific

curiosity, but pity deep as Christ’s, and earnest resolve to help our darkened brethren. The taunts

stirred to fiercer excitement and more extravagant acts, as ridicule is wont to do, and therein

proves itself an unreliable instrument of controversy. Laughing at a man generally makes him

more obstinate. The priests answered Elijah by savagely gashing their half-naked bodies with

knives and lances,—a ready way to make blood come, but not to bring fire. The frenzy became

wilder as the day declined, and at last, covered with blood, hoarse with shouting, panting with

their gymnastics, they ‘prophesied,’ having wrought themselves into that state of excitement in

which incoherent rhapsodies burst from their lips. What a scene to call worship! That is what

millions of men are ready to practise to-day. And all the while there is no voice, no answer, no

care for them, in the pitiless sky. The very genius of idolatry is set before us in that tumultuous

crowd on Carmel.”

2. Pink, “Hour after hour the prophets of Baal had called upon their god to make public

demonstration of his existence by causing fire to come down from heaven and consume the

sacrifice which they had placed upon his alter; but all to no purpose: "there was no voice, nor

any that answered." And now the silence was broken by the voice of the Lord’s servant, speaking

in derision. The absurdity and fruitlessness of their efforts richly merited this biting sarcasm.

Sarcasm is a dangerous weapon to employ, but its use is fully warranted in exposing the

ridiculous pretensions of error, and is often quite effective in convincing men of the folly and

unreasonableness of their ways. It was due unto the people of Israel that Elijah should hold up to

contempt those who were seeking to deceive them.

It was at midday, when the sun was highest and the false priests had the best opportunity of

success, That Elijah went near them and in ironical terms bade them increase their efforts. He

was so sure that nothing could avert their utter discomfiture that he could afford to ridicule them

by suggesting a cause for the indifference of their god: "Peradventure he sleepeth, and must be

awaked." The case is so urgent, your credit and his honor are so much at stake, that you must

arouse him: therefore shout louder, for your present cries are too feeble, they are not heard, your

voice does not reach his remote dwelling place: you must redouble your efforts in order to gain

his attention. Thus did the faithful and intrepid Tishbite pour ridicule on their impotency and

hold up to contempt their defeat. He knew it would be so, and that no zeal on their part could

change things.”

2B. Pink goes on, “Is the reader shocked at these sarcastic utterances of Elijah on this occasion?

Then let us remind him that it is written in the Word of Truth, "He that sitteth in the heavens

shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision" (Ps. 2:4). Unspeakably solemn is this, yet

unmistakably just: they had laughed at God and derided His warnings and threatenings, and

now He answers such fools according to their folly. The Most High is indeed longsuffering, yet

there is a limit to His patience. He calls unto men, but they refuse; He stretches out His hand unto

them, but they will not regard. He counsels them, but they set it all at nought; He reproves, but

they will have none of it. Shall, then, He be mocked with impunity? �o, He declares, "I also will

laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation,

and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then

shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find

Me" (Prov. 1:24-28).

3. Howat, “But noon has come, the very season when Baal, the lord of heaven, should be most in

his glory — his • meridian moment, in fact; surely 'the answer by fire* will be seen now. But no ;

and so the solitary man of the rocks taunts his opponents in words of merciless ridicule, — one of

the very few specimens of that dangerous weapon to be found in the sacred Scriptures. ' Cry

aloud,' he says, ' for he is a god : he is perhaps speaking to a friend, or off to the chase, or away

on a pilgrimage, or has suddenly gorged himself and gone to bed.And up again to heaven rise

nine hundred priestly hands, and over the valley of Jezreel wild screams are heard, but only to be

answered by Carmel's clefts, as Echo sends them back, ' O Baal, hear us ! O Baal, hear us!'

4. Dr. Ray Pritchard, “This is very non-PC. Elijah is definitely not politically correct. We don’t do

this sort of thing anymore. We don’t make fun of other people’s religion. You get in trouble for

doing that. If you did what Elijah did, you might be arrested for a hate crime.

When Elijah suggests that perhaps Baal is busy, he uses a Hebrew word that has a variety of

meanings. Some say that the word means that he’s gone off hunting or something. Others suggest

it means to go to the bathroom. That’s quite an insult if you think about it. Elijah is a mountain

man. He’s not afraid of embarrassing people. He’ll say anything that comes to mind.”

5. “An outstanding example of sarcasm in the Bible is Elijah's mockery of the false prophets of

Baal when prayers to their gods to send fire on the sacrifice went unanswered. And it came to

pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking,

or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked? (I

Kings 18:27). An oft-repeated question asks if this sarcasm was right or wrong. Admittedly, most

sarcasm has a biting sting gleefully delivered with enjoyable malice. Such is forbidden by the law

of love, for one element of humor is kindliness. But instances may exist when ridicule can be

spoken in love. Because ridicule may sometimes cut deeper than severity, like other sharp

instruments it demands cautious handling. If Elijah bore no personal malice toward the prophets

of Baal, even as Christ had none for the Pharisees, would not Elijah?s sarcasm come under the

same category as Christ?s sinless scorn? Elijah?s ridicule, which incidentally contains irony as

well, is a rhetorical device to teach in this case that the true and living God could always hear and

answer, and was never out on a journey or preoccupied or sleeping.

Isaiah ridicules those who bow down to a god of wood. He says of the idol-worshiper; He feedeth

on ashes? (Isaiah 44:20). From the previous verse we get this picture. The heathen hews down a

tree, chops part up for fuel to bake some bread, and with the rest carves a god to worship. The

log that he burns and turns to ashes is of the same stuff as the god he bows to. Can a god be burnt

up for fuel? If so, can he feed the worshiper with anything better than its ashes?

Likewise, another prophet shows the absurdity of idolatry. The people cut down a tree, deck it

with gold and silver ornaments, fasten it together with hammer and nails so that it won?t fall

over. Fancy having to prop up a god! Unable to speak, this god has to be carried because it can't

move itself. Imagine such a helpless god. But the Lord God is great and mighty (Jeremiah 10:3-

6).” author unknown

28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with

swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood

flowed.

1. David Guzik, “i. "The practice of self-inflicted wounds to arouse a deity's pity or response is

attested in Ugarit when men 'bathed in their own blood like an ecstatic prophet.'"

(Wiseman)"This was done according to the rites of that barbarous religion; of the blood of the

bullock would not move him they thought their own blood might; and with it they smeared

themselves and their sacrifice." (Clarke)

2. “Elijah's mockery sent these men into a fit! They screamed, jumped, even cut their bodies in

an attempt to get a response from Baal. However, the Bible tells us that there was no voice,

neither any to answer, nor any that regarded! That last phrase means that by this time, even the

people watching this spectacle had lost interest in what these false prophets were doing. Just try

to imagine this scene! 450 crazed prophets of Baal, prophesying, yelling, dancing, jumping,

cutting themselves all in an effort to get the attention of a god that didn't even exist.” author

unknown

3. Pink, “One would have thought those priests of Baal had perceived that Elijah was only

mocking them while he lashed them with such cutting irony, for what sort of a god must he be

which answered to the prophet’s description! Yet so infatuated and stupid were those devotees of

Baal that they do not appear to have discerned the drift of his words, but rather to have regarded

them as containing good advice. Accordingly, they roused themselves to yet greater earnestness,

and by the most barbarous measures strove to move their god by the sight of the blood which

they shed out of love to him and zeal in his service, and in which they supposed he delighted.

What poor, miserable slaves are idolaters, whose objects of worship can be gratified with human

gore and with the self-inflicted torments of their worshipers! It has even been true, and still is

today, that "the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty" (Ps. 74:20). How

thankful we should be if a sovereign God has mercifully delivered us from such superstitions.”

4. Henry, “How importunate and noisy the prophets of Baal were in their applications to him.

They got their sacrifices ready; and we may well imagine what a noise 450 men made, when they

cried as one man, and with all their might, O Baal! hear us, O Baal! answer us; as it is in the

margin: and this for some hours together, longer than Diana's worshippers made their cry, Great

is Diana of the Ephesians, Acts 19:34. How senseless, how brutish, were they in their addresses to

Baal! (1.) Like fools, they leaped upon the altar, as if they would themselves become sacrifices with

their bullock; or thus they expressed their great earnestness of mind. They leaped up and down, or

danced about the altar (so some): they hoped, by their dancing, to please their deity, as Herodias

did Herod, and so to obtain their request. (2.) Like madmen they cut themselves in pieces with

knives and lancets (1 Kings 18:28 ) for vexation that they were not answered, or in a sort of

prophetic fury, hoping to obtain the favour of their god by offering to him their own blood, when

they could not obtain it with the blood of their bullock. God never required his worshippers thus

to honour him; but the service of the devil, though in some instances it pleases and pampers the

body, yet in other things it is really cruel to it, as in envy and drunkenness. It seems, this was the

manner of the worshippers of Baal. God expressly forbade his worshippers to cut themselves,

Deuteronomy 14:1.”

29 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. Pink, “Thus they continued praying and prophesying, singing and dancing, cutting themselves

and bleeding, until the time when the evening sacrifice was offered in the temple at Jerusalem,

which was at 3 p.m. For six hours without intermission had they importuned their god. But all

the exertions and implorings of Baal’s prophets were unavailing: no fire came down to consume

their sacrifice. Surely the lengths to which they had gone was enough to move the compassion of

any deity! And since the heavens remained completely silent, did it not prove to the people that

the religion of Baal and his worship was a delusion and a sham? O the folly, the consummate

madness of serving false gods! From the highest viewpoint it is madness, for it is an affront unto

the true God, a giving unto some other object that which is due unto Him alone, an insult which

He will not tolerate or pass by. But even on the lowest ground it is crass folly, for no false god, no

idol, is capable of furnishing real help at the time man needs help most of all. �o form of idolatry,

no system of false religion, no god but the true One, can send miraculous answers to prayer, can

supply satisfactory evidence that sin is put away, can give the Holy Spirit, who, like fire, illumines

the understanding, warms the heart and cleanses the soul. A false god could not send down fire

on Mount Carmel, and he cannot do so today. Then turn to the true God, my reader, while there

is yet time.”

Ere passing on, there is one other point which should be noted in what has been before us, a point

which contains an important lesson for this superficial age. Let us state it thus: the expenditure of

great earnestness and enthusiasm is no proof of a true and good cause. There is a large class of

shallow-minded people today who conclude that a display of religious zeal and fervor is a real

sign of spirituality, and that such virtues fully compensate for whatever lack of knowledge and

sound doctrine there may be. "Give me a place," say they, "where there is plenty of life and

warmth even though there be no depth to the preaching, rather than a sound ministry which is

cold and unattractive." Ah, my reader, all is not gold that glitters. Those prophets of Baal were

full of earnest zeal and fervor, but it was in a false cause, and brought down nothing from

Heaven! Then take warning therefrom, and be guided by God’s Word and not by what appeals to

your emotions or love of excitement.

2. David Guzik, “This is the sad result of worshiping an imaginary god or the god of our own

making. We may dedicate great sincerity, sacrifice, and devotion to such gods but it means

nothing. There is no one there to answer.”

3. Henry, “The prince of the power of the air, if God has permitted him, could have caused fire to

come down from heaven on this occasion, and gladly would have done it for the support of his

Baal. We find that the beast which deceived the world does it. He maketh fire come down from

heaven in the sight of men and so deceiveth them, Revelation 13:13,14. But God would not suffer

the devil to do it now, because the trial of his title was put on that issue by consent of parties.”

4. This one unanswered prayer cost these prophets of Baal their lives, for if their god would not

come to their rescue in such a crucial situation, it is obvious that he does not exist, and this led to

them suffering the penalty for being false prophets, which was death.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me."

They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD,

which was in ruins.

1. Pink, “Clearly evident was it that nothing could be gained by waiting any longer. The test

which had been proposed by Elijah, which had been approved by the people, and which had been

accepted by the false prophets, had convincingly demonstrated that Baal could have no claim to

be the (true) God. The time had thus arrived for the servant of Jehovah to act. Remarkable

restraint had he exercised all through those six hours while he had allowed his opponents to

occupy the stage of action, breaking the silence only once to goad them on to increased endeavor.

But now he addressed the people, bidding them to come near unto himself, that they might the

better observe his actions. They responded at once, no doubt curious to see that he would do and

wondering whether his appeal to Heaven would be more successful than had been that of the

prophets of Baal.

Mark well his first action, which was designed to speak unto the hearts of those Israelites.

Another has pointed out that here on Carmel Elijah made a threefold appeal unto the people.

First, he had appealed to their consciences, when he asked and then exhorted them: "How long

halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him" (v.

21). Second, he had appealed to their reason, when he had proposed that trial should be made

between the prophets of Baal and himself that "the god that answereth by fire, let Him be God"

(v. 24). And now, by "repairing the altar of the Lord," he appealed to their hearts. Therein he has

left an admirable example for the servants of God in every age to follow. The ministers of Christ

should address themselves unto the consciences, the understandings and the affections of their

hearers, for only thus can the truth be adequately presented, the principal faculties of men’s souls

be reached, and a definite decision for the Lord be expected from them. A balance must be

preserved between the Law and the Gospel. Conscience must be searched, the mind convinced,

the affections warmed, if the will is to be moved unto action. Thus it was with Elijah on Carmel.”

2. Henry, “He repaired this altar with twelve stones, according to the number of the twelve tribes,

1 Kings 18:31 . Though ten of the tribes had revolted to Baal, he would look upon them as

belonging to God still, by virtue of the ancient covenant with their fathers: and, though those ten

were unhappily divided from the other two in civil interest, yet in the worship of the God of Israel

they had communion with each other, and they twelve were one. Mention is made of God's calling

their father Jacob by the name of Israel, a prince with God (1 Kings 18:31 ), to shame his

degenerate seed, who worshipped a god which they saw could not hear nor answer them, and to

encourage the prophet who was now to wrestle with God as Jacob did; he also shall be a prince

with God. Psalms 24:6, Thy face, O Jacob! Hosea 12:4. There he spoke with us.”

3.Gill, “he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down;

which had been set up when high places and altars were allowed of, while the tabernacle was

unsettled, and the temple not built; this is supposed to have been erected in the times of the

judges; though, according to a tradition of the Jews F4, it was built by Saul, see (1 Samuel 15:12 )

but had been thrown down by the idolatrous Israelites, who demolished such as were erected to

the name of the Lord everywhere, and built new ones for their idols, (1 Kings 19:10 ) . Benjamin

of Tudela F5 says, that on the top of Mount Carmel is now to be seen the place of the altar Elijah

repaired, which is four cubits round.”

31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes

descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD

had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel."

1. �athan Buttery, “You see, what was it that Elijah was trying to do in this confrontation with

the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel? Was he trying to tell them that there was only one God?

Well yes, of course, and we have already seen that. But that's only half the story. Because not only

was Elijah trying to show the people that God was the only God, but he was also seeking to bring

them back to the covenant that God had made with his people throughout their history. They had

a history of God promising wonderful things to them. God had promised to be their God and to

have the people of Israel as his people. And it is that covenant of grace that Elijah is reminding

them of.

�otice for example the altar in verse 31. It's an altar of twelve stones because these stones

represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Elijah deliberately reminds the people of their history. They

come from a people to whom God had made firm promises. Or look again at Elijah's prayer in

verse 36: 'O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel [that is Jacob]..' This God who defeats Baal

on Carmel is the covenant making God, the one who promised to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob

that they would have a people and a land and be blessed. It's this God that Elijah is bringing the

people back to.

And there was one particular part of the covenant between God his people that Elijah was

reminding them about. And that was the sacrificial system. Because it was no coincidence that it

was fire from heaven that destroyed the sacrifice. It had happened before. Back in Leviticus 9,

the sacrificial system is inaugurated by God by fire from heaven as the sacrifice is burned up. In

2 Chronicles 7, when Solomon dedicates the Temple, fire comes down from heaven and burns up

the sacrifices. It is God's way of showing that he is pleased with the sacrifices. And it is through a

sacrifice made on behalf of the people, that they can come to God. God graciously allows that his

people can have their sins forgiven and come back to him through the sacrifices.

So is it a surprise that it is a sacrifice which is miraculously burnt up that Elijah conducts on

Carmel. Well it's no surprise if you understand the God of the Bible. Because he is again showing

his people that he is a God of grace. He is willing to have his people back, even though they have

cavorted with other gods, even though they are wretched sinners. God will still have them back.

And this sacrifice points us forward to the final sacrifice where God dealt once and for all with

sin, when he allowed his own Son to die on a cross as a sacrifice for us. There God's grace and

mercy was seen in all it's Technicolor splendour, as the Son of God died for you and me. And

when see that God is a God of grace, why on earth would we want to go anywhere else but to

him? And yet often even Christians find it hard to come back to the God of grace when they have

sinned.”

2. Pink, "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" ( Kings 18:31).

This was striking and blessed, for it was taking the place of faith against the evidence of sight.

There were present in that assembly only the subjects of Ahab, and consequently, members of

none but the ten tribes. But Elijah took twelve stones to build the altar with, intimating that he

was about to offer sacrifice in the name of the whole nation (cf. Josh. 4:20; Ezra 6:17). Thereby

he testified to their unity, the union existing between Judah and the ten tribes. The Object of their

worship had originally been one and the same and must be so now. Thus Elijah viewed Israel

from the Divine standpoint. In the mind of God the nation had appeared before Him as one from

all eternity. Outwardly they were now two. But the prophet ignored that division: he walked not

by sight, but by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). This is what God delights in. Faith is that which honours Him,

and therefore does He ever own and honour faith wherever it is found. He did so here on Carmel,

and He does so today. "Lord, increase our faith.”

32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the

LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to

hold two seahs [a] of seed.

1. Gill, “And with the stones he built an altar in the same of the Lord,&c.] Whom the twelve tribes

had formerly worshipped; and though now divided in their civil state, yet ought to be united in

the worship of God:

and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed; or two seahs,

one of which was the third part of an ephah, and two of them were more than half a bushel; and

this trench or ditch round the altar was as broad as such a measure of seed would sow.”

33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid

it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars

with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."

1. Roger Hahn, “Elijah also further stacked the deck against Yahweh. By digging the trench and

drenching the altar, sacrifice, and wood Elijah made an answer by fire almost inconceivable.

Then he had the water poured over the altar two more times. Baal had failed when he had the

first opportunity to answer by fire. Baal had failed when he had 450 prophets praying to him.

Yahweh was up against His own people who had turned against him and even the altar, sacrifice,

and wood were totally drenched. From a human standpoint there was not much reason to expect

a miracle and a response from Yahweh.”

2. Clarke, “This was done to prevent any kind of suspicion that there was fire concealed under the

altar. An ancient writer under the name of Chrysostom, quoted by Calmet, says that he had seen

under the altars of the heathens, holes dug in the earth with funnels proceeding from them, and

communicating with openings on the tops of the altars. In the former the priests concealed fire,

which, communicating through the funnels with the holes, set fire to the wood and consumed the

sacrifice; and thus the simple people were led to believe that the sacrifice was consumed by a

miraculous fire. Elijah showed that no such knavery could be practiced in the present case. Had

there been a concealed fire under the altar, as in the case mentioned above, the water that was

thrown on the altar must have extinguished it most effectually. This very precaution has for ever

put this miracle beyond the reach of suspicion.”

3. Howat, “To complete his preliminaries — his quartered bullock It need excite no surprise that

Elijah, a prophet, offered sacrifice as priest. The prophetic office implied the powers of the

priestly when necessity demanded, and hence Samuel at Mizpeh offered *a sucking lamb' (i Sam

vii. 9). lying on the reconstructed altar — the prophet digs a ditch around it, and three several

times with water from a perennial fountain, two hundred and fifty feet beneath the altar plateau,

which of course would be independent of the drought, and which is still to be seen, he causes the

ditch to be filled, and soaks the whole pile. This is again high ground. He is resolved to make the

miracle a complete miracle, to give God room to act, and for this purpose multiplies obstacles to

place in His way. I saw the Lord standing upon the altar, and He said, . . . Though they dig into

hell, thence shall mine hand take them ; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them

down ; and though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out

thence.”

It is the old hour of evening sacrifice — the hour least grateful to the worshiper of Fire, because

Baal is departing, and therefore, in the eyes of the priests and people, another difficulty in

Elijah's path. There is a deepening solemnity on every face, as over the brow of Carmel the

tokens of sunset begin to creep. It is a moment of intense anxiety for all, but especially for the

man of God. What if he fail too ? A lesson to us in hours of trial, he approaches a throne of grace.

It is something new, in this idol-loving land, to hear mention of the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac,

and of Israel, and to find Him acknowledged in the language of earnest prayer. In singular

contrast to the frenzied utterances and antics of the priests, the petition that comes from the

prophet's lips is of the shortest, simplest kind. It consists but of four clauses : ' Let it be known

this day that Thou art Jehovah in Israel ;' ' Let it be known that I am Thy servant, and that I

have done all these things at Thy word ;* * Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may

know that Thou art Jehovah God ;' ' Hear me, that they may know that Thou hast turned their

heart back again.* This was all — it was even shorter in the original ; when, literally without a

second of interval, that fire, which in vain had been sought from Baal, descends. In presence of

the Baalite altar, standing cold and unconsumed, it not merely kindles the wood — ^although

that would have been enough to the miracle, and thankful the priests would have been for as

mucky — but envelopes in the flame the old Carmelite shrine, rebuilt with the twelve stones —

emblem that to ' all Israel' God was again willing to become their God ; bums up the sacrifice,

the wood, even the stones^ the dust, the water on the altar, the water in the ditch around, till

everything is consumed, and the crackle and hiss are gone.”

34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again.

"Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third

time. 1. We note that the four jars were filled and poured on the sacrifice three times, and that makes

12 pourings, one for each of the tribes of Israel.

35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled

the trench.

1. This was to make doubly sure that there was no hidden fire being used to deceive the people.

This had to be shown to be a miracle from heaven as the only way to account for the fire, and

thus prove that Jehovah alone is God.

2. Pink, “The pouring of so much water upon the altar, the flooding of the offering and the wood

beneath it, would make it appear utterly impracticable and unlikely for any fire to consume it.

Elijah was determined that the Divine interposition should be the more convincing and

illustrious. He was so sure of God that he feared not to heap difficulties in His way, knowing that

there can be no difficulty unto One who is omniscient and omnipotent. The more unlikely the

answer was, the more glorified therein would be his Master. O wondrous faith which can laugh at

impossibilities, which can even increase them so as to have the joy of seeing God vanquish them!

It is the bold and venturesome faith which He delights to honour. Alas, how little of this we now

behold. Truly this is a day of "small things." Yea, it is a day when unbelief abounds. Unbelief is

appalled by difficulties, and schemes to remove them, as though God needed any help from us!”

36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped

forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac

and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in

Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these

things at your command.

1. Pink, “It must of course be borne in mind that this was an extraordinary occasion, and that

Elijah’s procedure supplies no example for Christ’s ministers to follow today. Had not the

prophet done according to divine commission, he had acted in mad presumption, tempting God,

by demanding such a miracle at His hands, placing the truth at such hazard. But it is quite clear

from his own statement that he acted on instructions from Heaven: "I have done all these things

at Thy Word" (v. 36). That, and nothing else but that, is to regulate the servants of God in all

their undertakings: they must not go one iota beyond what their Divine commission calls for.

There must be no experimenting, no acting in self-will, no following of human traditions; but a

doing of all things according to God’s Word. �or was Elijah afraid to trust the Lord as to the

outcome. He had received his orders, and in simple faith had carried them out, fully assured that

Jehovah would not fail him, and put him to confusion before that great assembly. He knew that

God would not place him at the front of the battle, and then desert him. True, a wondrous

miracle would have to be wrought, but that occasioned no difficulty to one who dwelt in the

secret place of the Most High.”

1B. Pink goes on, "And said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel" (v. 36). This was far

more than a reference to the ancestors of his people or the founders of his nation. It was

something more than either a patriotic or sentimental utterance. It gave further evidence of the

strength of his faith and made manifest the ground upon which it rested. It was the owning of

Jehovah as the covenant God of His people, and who as such had promised never to forsake

them. The Lord had entered into solemn covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:7, 8), which he had

renewed with Isaac and Jacob. To that covenant the Lord made reference when He appeared

unto Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:6 and cf. 2:24). When Israel was oppressed by the Syrians

in the days of Jehoahaz we are told that, "The Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion

upon them, and had respect unto them, because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and

Jacob" (2 Kings 13:23). Elijah’s acting faith on the covenant in the hearing of the people

reminded them of the foundation of their hope and blessing. O what a difference it makes when

we are able to plead "the blood of the everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20).”

1C. Maclaren, “Clearly we must suppose that in all the ordering of this sublime trial by fire,

Elijah had been acting ‘at Thy word,’ even though we have no other record of the fact. He had no

right to expect an answer unless he had been bidden to propose the test. God will honor the drafts

which He bids us draw on Him; but to suspend our own or other people’s faith in Him, on the

issue of some experiment whether He will answer prayers, is not faith, but rash presumption,

unless it is in obedience to a distinct command. Elijah had such a command, and therefore he

could ask God to vindicate his action, and to prove that he was God’s servant. His last petition is

beautiful, both in its consciousness of power with God and recognition of his place as a prophet,

and in its lowly subordination of all personal aims to the restoration of Israel to the true worship.

He asks, with reiteration which is earnestness and faith, and therefore the sharpest contrast to

the mechanical repetition by Baal’s priests, that God would hear him; but his sole object in that

prayer is, not that his name may be exalted as a prophet, or that any good may come to him, but

that the blinded eyes may be opened, and the hearts, that have been so sadly led astray, be

brought back to the worship of their fathers’ God.”

2. Spurgeon, “It was no whim of his to chastise the nation with a drought. It was no scheme of his,

concocted in his own brain, that he should put the Godhead of Jehovah or of Baal to the test by a

sacrifice to be consumed by miraculous fire. Oh, no! If you read the life of Elijah through, you

will see that whenever he takes a step, it is preceded by, “The word of the Lord came unto Elijah

the Tishbite.” He never acts of himself—God is at his back. He moves according to the Divine will

and he speaks according to the Divine teaching—and he pleads this with the Most High—“I have

done all these things at Your word; now let it be known that it is so.”It makes the character of

Elijah stand out, not as an example of reckless daring, but as the example of a man of sound

mind! Faith in God is true wisdom—childlike confidence in the Word of God is the highest form

of common sense. To believe Him that cannot lie and trust in Him that cannot fail is a kind of

wisdom that none but fools laugh at! The wisest of men must concur in the opinion that it is

always best to place your reliance where it will certainly be justified and always best to believe

that which cannot possibly be false.”

3. Henry, “He then solemnly addressed himself to God by prayer before his altar, humbly

beseeching him to turn to ashes his burnt-offering (as the phrase is, Psalms 20:3), and to testify his

acceptance of it. His prayer was not long, for he used no vain repetitions, nor thought he should

be heard for his much speaking; but it was very grave and composed, and showed his mind to be

calm and sedate, and far from the heats and disorders that Baal's prophets were in, 1 Kings

18:36,37. Though he was not at the place appointed, he chose the appointed time of the offering of

the evening sacrifice, thereby to testify his communion with the altar at Jerusalem. Though he

expected an answer by fire, yet he came near to the altar with boldness, and feared not that fire.

He addressed himself to God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, acting faith on God's

ancient covenant, and reminding people too (for prayer may prevail) of their relation both to God

and to the patriarchs. Two things he pleads here:-- (1.) 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. Thou employest me; Lord, make it appear that thou dost so;" see

�umbers 16:28,29. Elijah sought not his own glory but in subserviency to God's, and for his own

necessary vindication. (2.) The edification of the people: "That they may know that thou art the

Lord, and may experience thy grace, turning their heart, by this miracle, as a means, back again to

thee, in order to thy return in a way of mercy to them."

37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will

know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are

turning their hearts back again."

1. Great Texts, “We have in this story of Elijah the record of the actual struggle which went on in

Israel for at least fifty years between monotheism and idolatry, between puritanism and

immorality, between the individual conscience and a despotism, between nationalism and foreign

influences. Politically, socially, morally, and religiously Elijah represented and concentrated this

struggle. �o figure can be more grand than he, standing there alone, above the wild dance and

crying of the priests of Baal ! All the desert majesty is upon his face ; all the glory of the great

conception of one God, of one righteousness, is shining in his eyes ; all the power of that thought,

and of being the servant of its law, speaks in his iron attitude, even in his scornful speech one

against the world, and in mortal danger. There are few who have the steady inward power to take

and keep that post. It needs courage, not only physical, but moral ; it needs determined will ; it

needs intense conviction of the right of that for which the stand is made ; it needs to have lived a

blameless life. All these things belonged to Elijah, and their power in him made him majestic.

Every soul that saw him that day, erect upon the rock, felt the strength and awe of his solitude

and solitary faith in God flow like a river from him into their hearts. Every soul felt the baseness,

in comparison with his stern manhood, of the court of Ahab; the noble contrast between his life

and the luxury of the city, the indifference of the people, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Every

one knew that there was in him something higher than earthly power ; that the soul of man was

here greater than the whole world. Each man, as the long hours of the day drew on, looked, knew

that God was there, and said within his heart

"The Lord sat as king at the Flood;

Yea, the Lord sitteth as king for ever."

2. Roger Hahn, “The climax of the prayer comes in verse 37 where Elijah asks that Israel not

only know in their own experience that Yahweh was God, but also that Yahweh himself had

turned their hearts back to Himself. Here again in the Biblical notion of grace. Israel would have

to choose to follow Yahweh instead of Baal. But when they made that choice to return to the

Lord, Elijah prayed that they would realize that it was not by their own initiative and wisdom

that they had repented. Rather God had graciously given them the desire, the opportunity, and

the willpower to make that right choice. This is another example of the way the Bible places all

the responsibility for serving the Lord upon us to make that choice. But at the same time all the

credit and glory for the choice to follow God belongs to God who invites and enables us to choose

to serve Him.”

3. Gill, “Hear me, O Lord, hear me; Which repetition is made to express his importunity, and the

vehement earnest desire of his soul to be heard in such a case, which so much concerned the glory

of God; the Targum is, ``receive my prayer, O Lord, concerning the fire, receive my prayer

concerning the rain;'' as if the one respected the sending down the fire on the sacrifice, and the

other sending rain on the earth; and which sense is followed by other Jewish writers:

that this people may know that thou art the Lord God;

and not Baal, or any other idol:

and that thou hast turned their heart back again;

from idolatry, to the worship of the true God; though some understand this of God's giving them

up to a spirit of error, and suffering them to fall into idolatry, and hardening their hearts, as he

did Pharaoh's; but the former sense is best.”

4. Dr. Ray Pritchard, “On one side you have 850 prophets Baal and Asherah, and you have eight,

nine, ten hours of screaming and yelling and whooping and cutting themselves, and you have all

their prayers to their fake God. You have all that religiosity. And over here you have one man, the

mountain man, God’s man. When he prays, he uses only sixty words in English. He prays for

three things:

1) Lord, answer me so they’ll know you are the true God.

2) Answer me so they will know that I am your prophet and doing your will.

3) Answer me so that the hearts of the people may be turned back to you.

Elijah’s only concern was for God, his word, his work, his glory, and God’s people. Lord, answer

me. �o screaming. �o whooping, �o hollering. �o cutting themselves. I am impressed by the

simple dignity of it all.”

4. Pink has these comments on the matter of effective prayer: “Prayer is one of the outstanding

privileges of the Christian life. It is the appointed means for experimental access to God, for the

soul to draw nigh unto its Maker, for the Christian to have spiritual communion with his

Redeemer. It is the channel through which we are to seek all needed supplies of spiritual grace

and temporal mercies. It is the avenue through which we are to make known our need unto the

Most High and look for Him to minister to the same. It is the channel through which faith

ascends to Heaven and in response thereto miracle descends to earth. But if that channel be

choked, those supplies are withheld; if faith be dormant, miracles do not take place. Of old, God

had to say of His people, "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your

sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear" (Isa. 59:2). And is it any different today?

Again He declared, "Your sins have withholden good things from you" (Jer. 5:25). And is not this

the case with most of us now? Have we not occasion to acknowledge, "We have transgressed and

have rebelled: Thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer

should not pass through" (Lam. 3:42, 44). Sad, sad, indeed when such be the case.

If the professing Christian supposes that, no matter what the character of his walk may be, he

has but to plead the name of Christ and his petitions are assured of an answer, he is sadly

deluded. God is ineffably holy, and His Word expressly declares, "If I regard iniquity in my

heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18). It is not sufficient to believe in Christ, or plead His

name, in order to ensure answers to prayer: there must be practical subjection to and daily

fellowship with Him: "If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,

and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). It is not sufficient to be a child of God and call upon

our heavenly Father: there must be an ordering of our lives according to His revealed will:

"Whatsoever we ask we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things

that are pleasing in His sight" (1 John 3:22). It is not sufficient to come boldly unto the throne of

grace: we must "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts

sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:22)—that

which defiles being removed by the cleansing precepts of the Word (see Ps. 119:9).”

�ow, if what has just been pointed out serves to explain the prevalency of Elijah’s intercession,

does it not (alas) also furnish the reason why so many of us have not the ear of God, have not

power with Him in prayer? It is "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man" which

"availeth much" with God (Jas. 5:16), and that signifies something more than a man to whom the

righteousness of Christ has been imputed. Let it be duly notes that this statement occurs not in

Romans (where the legal benefits of the atonement are chiefly in view), but in James, where the

practical and experimental side of the Gospel is unfolded. The "righteous man" in James 5:16 (as

also throughout the book of Proverbs, and likewise the "just") is one who is right with God

practically in his daily life, whose ways, "please the Lord." If we walk not in separation from the

world, if we deny not self, strive not against sin, mortify not our lusts, but gratify our carnal

nature, is there any wonder that our prayer-life is cold and formal and our petitions unanswered?

Having considered in detail and at some length each petition in Elijah’s prevailing prayer, let us

call attention to one other feature which marked it, and that is its noticeable brevity. It occupies

but two verses in our Bibles and contains only sixty-three words in the English translation: still

fewer in the original Hebrew. What a contrast is this from the long-drawn-out and wearisome

prayers in many pulpits today! "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to

utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be

few" (Eccl. 5:2). Such a verse as this appears to have no weight with the majority of ministers.

One of the marks of the scribes and Pharisees was, that they "for a pretense (to impress the

people with their piety) make long prayers" (Mark 12:40). We would not overlook the fact that

when the Spirit’s unction is enjoyed, the servant of Christ may be granted much liberty to pour

out his heart at length, yet his is the exception rather than the rule, as God’s Word clearly proves.

One of the many evils engendered by lengthy prayers in the pulpit is the discouraging of simple

souls in the pew: they are apt to conclude that if their private devotions are not sustained at

length, then the Lord must be withholding from them the spirit of prayer. If any of our readers

be distressed because of this, we would ask them to make a study of the prayers recorded in Holy

Writ—in Old and �ew Testaments alike—and they will find that almost all of them are

exceedingly short ones. The prayers which brought such remarkable responses from Heaven

were like this one of Elijah’s: brief and to the point, fervent but definite. �o soul is heard because

of the multitude of his words, but only when his petitions come from the heart, are prompted by a

longing for God’s glory, and are presented in childlike faith. The Lord mercifully preserve us

from hypocrisy and formality, and make us feel our deep need of crying to Him, "Teach us ( not

how to, but) to pray."

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the

sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked

up the water in the trench.

1. Fire is no problem with God, for he is the maker of fire, and he gave man fire. He is the giver of

the fire of the Holy Spirit that is the source of spiritual power in the believers life. He is also,

however the one who judges by fire. Pink gives us some ideas of the role of God's use of power by

writing, “"The God that answereth by fire." Fire, then, is the evidence of the Divine presence

(Ex. 3:2): it is the symbol of His sin-hating wrath (Mark 9:43-49): it is the sign of His acceptance

of an appointed and substitutionary sacrifice, (Lev. 9:24): it is the emblem of the Holy Spirit

(Acts 2:3), who enlightens, inflames and cleanses the believer. And it is by fire that He shall yet

deal with the unbeliever, for when the despised and rejected Redeemer returns, it will be "in

flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our

Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the

Lord" (2 Thess. 1:8, 9). And again it is written, the Son of man shall send forth His angels, and

they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall

cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:41,

42). Unspeakably solemn is this: alas that the unfaithful pulpit now conceals the fact that "our

God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). O what a fearful awaking there will yet be, for in the last

day it shall appear that "whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the

lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15).”

1B. Pink continues, “"Then the fire of the Lord fell." That this was no ordinary but rather

supernatural fire was plainly evident from the effects of it. It descended from above. Then it

consumed the pieces of the sacrifice, and then the wood on which they had been laid—this order

making it clear that it was not by means of the wood the flesh of the bullock was burnt. Even the

twelve stones of the altar were consumed, to make it further manifest this was no common fire.

As though that were not sufficient attestation of the extraordinary nature of this fire, it consumed

"the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench," thus making it quite obvious that this

was a fire whose agency nothing could resist. In each instance the action of this fire was

downwards, which is contrary to the nature of all earthly fire. �o trickery was at work here, but

a supernatural power that removed every ground of suspicion in the spectators, leaving them face

to face with the might and majesty of Him they had so grievously slighted.”

2. Clarke, “The process of this consumption is very remarkable, and all calculated to remove the

possibility of a suspicion that there was any concealed fire. 1. The fire came down from heaven. 2.

The pieces of the sacrifice were first consumed. 3. The wood next, to show that it was not even by

means of the wood that the flesh was burned. 4. The twelve stones were also consumed, to show

that it was no common fire, but one whose agency nothing could resist. 5. The dust, the earth of

which the altar was constructed, was burned up. 6. The water that was in the trench was, by the

action of this fire, entirely evaporated. 7. The action of this fire was in every case downward,

contrary to the nature of all earthly and material fire. �othing can be more simple and artless

than this description, yet how amazingly full and satisfactory is the whole account!”

3. "Elijah's petition had lasted less than a minute but produced spectacular results. The

difference lay in the One addressed." (Patterson and Austel)

4. Gill, “Then the fire of the Lord fell…

An extraordinary fire from God out of heaven, as the effects of it show:

and consumed the burnt sacrifice;

as it had done in former instances, (Leviticus 9:24) (Judges 6:21) (1 Chronicles 21:26 )

(2 Chronicles 7:1,3 ) , and besides this, which is still more extraordinary,

and the wood, and the stones, and the dust;

of the altar, thereby signifying that even such were not to be used any more:

and licked up the water that was in the trench;

around the altar, see (1 Kings 18:32 ) .

5. We often think that the more people who pray for something, and the longer they pray, that it

will be the key to God answering, but the Bible does not support that idea. Here and elsewhere in

Scripture the prayers are simple and short, and offered by one person of faith, and they are

answered. The fact is, when a prayer is offered by one person who earnestly prays for what is

God's will, it will come to pass, and often, as here, as soon as the prayer is prayed. God is not

impressed with numbers, and the fanatical antics of the false prophets. He is impressed with a

person of faith who is assured that he is praying for what God has promised. It is the prayer of

faith that gets the quick answer when that answer is crucial for victory.

6. Henry, “God immediately answered him by fire, 1 Kings 18:38 . 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 1 Chron. xxi. 26; 2 Chron. vii. 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. Compare

Psalms 135:7. He causeth vapours to ascend, and maketh lightnings for the rain; for this rain he

did both. As for those who fall as victims to the fire of God's wrath, no water can shelter them

from it, any more than briers or thorns, Isaiah 27:4,5. But this was not all; to complete the

miracle, the fire consumed the stones of the altar, and the very dust, to show that it was no

ordinary fire, and perhaps to intimate that, though God accepted this occasional sacrifice from

this altar, yet for the future they ought to demolish all the altars on their high places, and, for

their constant sacrifices, make use of that at Jerusalem only. Moses's altar and Solomon's were

consecrated by the fire from heaven; but this was destroyed, because no more to be used. We may

well imagine what a terror the fire struck on guilty Ahab and all the worshippers of Baal, and

how they fled from it as far and as fast as they could, saying, Lest it consume us also, alluding to

�umbers 16:34.”

7. Tony Baker, “Of course, we see Calvary prefigured - another altar, another sacrifice, with the

invisible fire of God's wrath falling on his own beloved Son. That is why the fire fell at Pentecost

without consuming the disciples: the wrath was satisfied and spent at the cross, so at Pentecost it

came to enlighten and to teach and to equip. On Carmel the tide was turned and a nation saved;

at the cross, righteousness and peace kissed each other (Psalm 85:10), and a whole world was

saved. After Carmel, the prophets of Baal were disposed of (v.40; see Deuteronomy 13:12-18); at

Calvary, Satan received his mortal blow. The roaring lion is in his death throes. As a boatman

remarked to me on the shores of Lake Kariba after striking a poisonous snake: 'He is killed but

he is not yet dead!' At Carmel, a crowd cried, 'The Lord - he is God'. At Calvary, a Roman

Centurion, probably scarcely grasping the significance of his own words, said of Jesus, 'Surely, he

was the Son of God' (Matthew 27:54). In leading needy, sinful men and women to Calvary, we

have a greater privilege than Elijah in leading them to Carmel.”

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and

cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!"

1. Elijah did not try to argue with a long list of reasons why Jehovah was the real God rather

than Baal. He chose to make his case by means of a demonstration that would be obvious to

everyone. That should be the way we do it today with all of the skeptics and unbelievers. We need

to point to the power by which the Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed lives. There is no such

record of atheism or unbelief. Who ever heard of a hospital built from the resources of those who

reject the God of healing. There are many such hospitals all over the world raised up by those

who serve the living God of the Bible. Where are the masses of people set free from alcoholism,

drugs, and evil habits of all kinds by joining the atheist club, or the clubs of the gods of our

culture? You only have such masses of people set free in the records of those who serve the living

God, and not the dead gods of culture. Don't just debate and argue with unbelief, show them the

results of the power of the Gospel in the lives of people, for that is the most powerful evidence of

the reality of God and of his love for mankind.

2. “The people on the mount prostrate themselves in awe before the unseen God. They dare not

continue to look upon the Heaven-sent fire. They fear that they themselves will be consumed;

and, convicted of their duty to acknowledge the God of Elijah as the God of their fathers, to

whom they owe allegiance, they cry out together as with one voice, "The Lord, He is the God; the

Lord, He is the God." With startling distinctness the cry resounds over the mountain and echoes

in the plain below. At last Israel is aroused, undeceived, penitent. At last the people see how

greatly they have dishonored God. The character of Baal worship, in contrast with the reasonable

service required by the true God, stands fully revealed. The people recognize God's justice and

mercy in withholding the dew and the rain until they have been brought to confess His name.

They are ready now to admit that the God of Elijah is above every idol.” author uknown

3. Howat, “ What matters the rough attire of that man from the desert ? — there is an honest

heart within ; and a thousand times rather give me truth in rags, than falsehood flaunting in

purple, for truth, like Lazarus, shall rise to heaven, while falsehood, like Dives, who passed him

by at his gate, shall assuredly find its place in hell. It is a great moment for Elijah. The old God of

Israel has triumphed. The bewildered thousands are on their faces on the earth. They rise, they

shout ; there is but one sentiment in the breasts of all. The rocks of Carmel ring and ring again.

Peak sends the message on to peak. The evening breeze carries it away across the Kishon, and out

to the adjoining sea — type, shall we not say, of the jubilee of time yet to dawn, when, every Baal

discomfited, and every image of man given to the moles and the bats, there shall reverberate,

'from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth,' this outcry of a regenerated

and ransomed world, ' The Lord, He is the God ; the Lord, He is the God?'”

4. Gill, “And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces…

In reverence of God, astonished at the miracle wrought, ashamed of themselves and their sins,

particularly their idolatry, that they should turn their backs on the true God, and follow idols:

and they said, the Lord, he is the God, the Lord, he is the God;

which acknowledgment of God, as the true God, in opposition to Baal, is repeated, to show their

firm belief and strong assurance of it.”

5. David Guzik, “Tragically, this was only a momentary persuasion. This was no lasting revival in

Israel. The people were decidedly persuaded, but not lastingly changed.”

6. Henry, “And now, 1. 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 ), 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. Some, we hope, had their hearts thus turned back, but the

generality of them were convinced only, not converted, yielded to the truth of God, that he is the

God, but consented not to his covenant, that he should be theirs. Blessed are those that have not

seen what they saw and yet have believed and been wrought upon by it more than those that saw

it. Let it for ever be looked upon as a point adjudged against all pretenders (for it was carried,

upon a full hearing, against one of the most daring and threatening competitors that ever the

God of Israel was affronted by) that Jehovah, he is God, God alone. 2. The prophets of Baal, as

criminals, are seized, condemned, and executed, according to law, 1 Kings 18:40 . If Jehovah be

the true God, Baal is a false God, to whom these Israelites had revolted, and seduced others to the

worship of him; and therefore, by the express law of God, they were to be put to death,

Deuteronomy 13:1-11. There needed no proof of the fact; all Israel were witnesses of it: and

therefore Elijah (acting still by an extraordinary commission, which is not to be drawn into a

precedent) orders them all to be slain immediately as the troublers of the land, and Ahab himself

is so terrified, for the present, with the fire from heaven, that he dares not oppose it. These were

the 450 prophets of Baal; the 400 prophets of the groves (who, some think, were Sidonians),

though summoned (1 Kings 18:19 ), yet, as it should seem, did not attend, and so escaped this

execution, which fair escape perhaps Ahab and Jezebel thought themselves happy in; but it

proved they were reserved to be the instruments of Ahab's destruction, some time after, by

encouraging him to go up to Ramoth-Gilead, 1 Kings 22:6 .”

7. Pink, “"And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, "The Lord, He is

the God." The Lord is known by His ways and works: He is described as "glorious in holiness,

fearful in praises, doing wonders." Thus the controversy was settled between Jehovah and Baal.

But the children of Israel soon forgot what they had seen and— like their fathers who had

witnessed the plagues upon Egypt and the overthrow of Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea—

they soon relapsed into idolatry. Awful displays of the Divine justice may terrify and convince the

sinner, may extort confessions and resolutions, and even dispose to many acts of obedience, while

the impression lasts: but something more is needed to change his heart and convert his soul. The

miracles wrought by Christ left the Jewish nation still opposed to the truth: there must be a

supernatural work within him for man to be born again.”

40 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. "That lone man, of heroic soul, stemmed the fearful torrent of idolatry, and like a rock in mid-

current, firmly stood his ground. He, alone and single-handed, was more than a match for all the

priests of the palace and the groves, even as one lion scatters a flock of sheep." (Spurgeon)

1B. Howat, “The cause of truth has been vindicated, and yet one last and awful duty still remains

the Vindicator of God must become his Avenger. It had been written of old in the law ofMoses : '

But the prophet which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded

him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. In

harmony, therefore, with this Mosaic statute, Elijah acts. He calls to the assembled thousands to

apprehend their deceivers ; ' Take the prophets of Baal ; let not one of them escape. Swept away

before Ahab*s face, they are dragged down the mountain's brow — still termed the hill of the

priests — brought to the banks of the Kishon — still termed the �ahr el Mukatta, or river of

slaughter — to meet at the hands of the new ecclesiastical ruler of the nation with a terrible but a

righteous doom.”

2. Howat goes on, “Those who find vindictiveness here entirely overlook the divine command.

Both Phinehas* and Samuel* had previously acted in a similar manner ; the former by the

immediate command of God. Besides, it was in harmony with the economy established amid the

thunders of Sinai, and followed throughout its course by blood and flame. 'The question is,' says

Kitto 'was it in accordance with the law and with the spirit of the times ? It certainly was ; and

Britons, not so much as fifty years ago, performed, under their own laws, with perfect peace of

mind, upon far less heinous offenders, the deadly executions we now regard with horror.'

We are utterly unable to share in the maudlin sentimentalism which has been expended in

connection with this act of Elijah. Look at the other side of the picture. To the death of how many

prophets of God had Jezebel and these very Baalites not been a party? How many Samaritan

homes had they not rendered scenes of lamentation and woe? How many innocent children,

even, had they not cruelly sacrificed, when they built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons

for burnt-offerings unto Baal?' Though for the noise of drums and timbrels loud, Their children's

cries unheard, that passed through fire To this grim idol'

These priests of Baal deserved their fate ; and the parallel they suggest is that of Robespierre

perishing on the same scaffold on which Jie had shed some of the best and bravest blood of

France. Talk of sympathy ! it is the stem justice of God that places the sword of vengeance in

Elijahs 'red right hand.' 'Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?' Carry out the feeling

that calls in question this retributive act, and you not only greatly dishonor God, but you abolish

all law, imperil all life, and make every wrong-doer martyr, over whose punishment the world is

to shed a flood of tears ; and so away in its torrent bed let the Kishon bear to the sea that

crimsoned stream, that all men may know there is a God in Israel, to awaken whose slumbering

wrath is neither wise nor well.”

3. �athan Buttery, “This verse teaches us that God is serious about sin. He cannot tolerate sin,

and he will deal with it as he sees fit. God will not be mocked. He will punish sin as it deserves. If

we cannot stomach such verses in our Bibles, then we have not understood God properly. And

whilst in the days before Jesus returns he may not deal with sin in such dramatic ways, then be

assured he will do so at the end of time. Hell is no scare tactic. It is the place reserved for those

who persistently refuse to come to him and who keep going their own way. And if you want to

know how seriously God views sin and the need to hold sinners accountable, then you need look

no further than the cross of Christ. For it is there that we see God's wrath against sin directed not

at some innocent third party, but at himself in the person of his Son. Whilst the cross shows us

God's incredible mercy and grace in offering a way back to sinners, it also shows his wrath and

justice. For he will not tolerate sin. And that should be a great comfort to us. In a week which has

seen countless injustices in our world, then will one day be righting of the wrongs. God will not

let sin go. And if you are holding on to your sin, refusing to come to God, I urge you to let it go

and come back to him. For make no mistake: The true God is a God of justice.”

4. Dr. Ray Pritchard, “Elijah had them brought to the Kishon Valley where they were

slaughtered. That may sound unkind, but was it? I don’t think so. Husbands, let’s suppose the

doctor tells you that your wife has breast cancer. Let’s further suppose that she needs an

operation. After it’s over the doctor says, “She’s okay and the operation was successful.” You’re

going to ask him one question. “Did you get it all?” That’s really that’s the only thing that

matters. Did you get it all? The prophets of Baal were a spiritually malignant tumor inside the

body of the people of God. Elijah was going to get them all! He wasn’t going to leave any part of

that tumor inside the body of the nation of Israel.”

5. This elimination of the false prophets was very significant for the future, for had they been

allowed to live, the battle would have continued, and the negative possibilities would have been

magnified. Total victory demanded that this evil force be totally eliminated from Israel. H. H.

Rowley wrote, “"Often in the history of the world great issues have depended on lone individuals,

without whom events would have taken a wholly different turn. Yet few crises have been more

significant for history than that in which Elijah figured, and in the story of the Transfiguration

he rightly stands beside Moses. Without Moses the religion of Yahwehism as it figured in the Old

Testament would never have been born. Without Elijah it would have died. The religion from

which Judaism, Christianity and Islam all in varying ways stemmed would have succumbed to

the religion of Tyre. How different the political history of the world might have been it is vain to

speculate. But it is safe to say that from the religion of [Baal] Melkart mankind would never have

derived that spiritual influence which came from Moses and Elijah and others who followed in

their train."

6. Eliminate the negative and God will accentuate the positive.

When the false prophets are slain,

God will restore the rain.

When man removes the stain,

God will remove the pain.

Get rid of what's vain,

And God gives what is gain.

7. Pink, “There are those actuated by false notions of liberality, who condemn Elijah for his

slaying of Baal’s prophets, but they err greatly, being ignorant of the character of God and the

teachings of his Word. False prophets and false priests are the greatest enemies a nation can have,

for they bring both temporal and spiritual evils upon it, destroying not only the bodies but the

souls of men. To have permitted those prophets of Baal an escape would have licensed them as the

agents of apostasy, and exposed Israel to further corruption. It must be remembered that the

nation of Israel was under the direct government of Jehovah, and to tolerate in their midst those

who seduced His people into idolatry, was to harbor men who were guilty of high treason against

the majesty of heaven. Only by their destruction could the insult to Jehovah be avenged and His

holiness vindicated.”

8. “The people, of course, fell on their faces at such a magnificent sign. The prophets of Baal were

executed, God had had his day in court, and won the case hands down. What a great and

tremendous victory for God and His prophet! This certainly solved the idolatry problem in Israel,

right?

On the contrary, the idolatry persisted. There was a revival of sorts, a momentary sign of

submission and belief on the part of the people. After all, how could one help but fall to the

ground in worship at such a miracle? But, like so many modern day revivals it was merely

temporary. There was no real change of heart on the part of those who witnessed the event. They

simply reacted to a great supernatural miracle in acknowledgment of the mighty power of God,

but they did not truly repent and turn from their wicked ways.

A similar state of affairs existed when Jesus was here. He did more miracles than all of the

prophets put together, yet he was ultimately rejected by the religious establishment. Their hearts

were hardened just as Ahab's, people so rebellious against God that they had no hope of ever

experiencing the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit. They hated God and his program, and had

progressed to the place that, "even if one were raised from the dead" they would not believe.”

author unknown

41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there

is the sound of a heavy rain."

1. Bob Deffinbaugh, “I am taken aback by the way Elijah deals with King Ahab. From the way

he dealt with the 450 prophets of Baal, you might expect Elijah to order the execution of Ahab.

Better yet, why not have Ahab burned up with the fire from heaven? Here was a man who had

the dubious honor of being called the most wicked king of Israel to this point in time (16:30, 33).

Instead of calling for Ahab’s death, Elijah instructs Ahab to get up and to eat and drink before

the rains come. Was Ahab instructed to partake of the sacrifice? Well, if the sacrificial bull was

completely consumed (as it appears), perhaps there was still a feast of some kind.”

2. Gill, “And Elijah said unto Ahab, get thee up…

From the brook and valley where the execution of the prophets had been made; either up to his

chariot, or to the tent or pavilion erected on the side of the mount, where the whole scene of

things was transacted;

eat and drink;

which he had no leisure for all the day, from the time of the morning sacrifice to the evening

sacrifice, which was taken up in attending to the issue of the several sacrifices; but now he is bid

to eat and refresh himself, and that in token of joy and gladness, as became him, both for the

honour of the true God, which had been abundantly confirmed, and for the near approach of

rain, of which he assures him:

for there is a sound of abundance of rain;

the wind perhaps began to rise, and blow pretty briskly, which was a sign of it F6; besides,

according to the Tyrian annals F7, there were loud claps of thunder at this time, at least when the

heavens became very black, as in (1 Kings 18:45 ).'

3. Pink, “As Elijah acted the part of executioner to the prophets of Baal who had been the

principal agents in the national revolt against God, Ahab must have stood by, a most unwilling

spectator of that fearful deed of vengeance, not daring to resist the popular outburst of

indignation or attempting to protect the men whom he had introduced and supported. And now

their bodies lay in ghastly death before his eyes on the banks of the Kishon. When the last of

Baal’s prophets had bitten the dust, the intrepid Tishbite turned to the king and said, "Get thee

up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain" (1 Kings 18:41). What a load would

his words lift from the heart of the guilty king! He must have been greatly alarmed as he stood

helplessly by, watching the slaughter of his prophets, tremblingly expecting some terrible

sentence to be pronounced upon him by the One whom he had so openly despised and blatantly

insulted. Instead, he is allowed to depart unharmed from the place of execution; nay, bidden to go

and refresh himself.

How well Elijah knew the man he was dealing with! He did not bid him humble himself beneath

the mighty hand of God, and publicly confess his wickedness, still less did he invite the king to

join him in returning thanks for the wondrous and gracious miracle which he had witnessed.

Eating and drinking was all this Satan-blinded sot cared about. As another has pointed out, it

was as though the servant of the Lord had said, "Get thee up to where thy tents are pitched on

yon broad upland sweep. The feast is spread in thy gilded pavilion, thy lackeys await thee; go,

feast on thy dainties. But "be quick" for now that the land is rid of those traitor priests and God

is once more enthroned in His rightful place, the showers of rain cannot be longer delayed. Be

quick then! Or the rain my interrupt thy carouse." The appointed hour for sealing the king’s

doom had not yet arrived: meanwhile he is suffered, as a beast, to fatten himself for the slaughter.

It is useless to expostulate with apostates; compare John 13:27.

"For there is a sound of abundance of rain." It should scarcely need pointing out that Elijah was

not here referring to a natural phenomenon. At the time when he spoke, a cloudless sky appeared

as far as the eye could reach, for when the prophet’s servant looked out towards the sea for any

portent of approaching rain, he declared "there is nothing" (v. 43), and later when he looked a

seventh time all that could be seen was "a little cloud." When we are told that Moses "endured as

seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27), it was not because he beheld God with the natural eye,

and when Elijah announced "there is a sound of abundance of rain," that sound was not audible

to the outward ear. It was by "the hearing of faith" (Gal. 3:2), that the Tishbite knew the

welcome rain was nigh at hand. "The Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto

His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7), and the Divine revelation now made known to him was

received by faith.”

42 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.

1. God gave Elijah a role to play so that the rain would not come just because it was time. Elijah

was given the role of determining the time, and he had to pray earnestly again just as he did for

the rain to stop. His prayers were both the cause and the cure of the drought. It was God's doing,

for no man can control the weather on his own, but God would not act until Elijah pleaded for

him to enter the scene, and providentially take control of the conditions that produced the kind of

weather that was requested. It appears that the drought would not have ended had not Elijah

entreated God to act and change the conditions. God actually makes man a partner in his plans,

and so man has to do his part of the plan will not be finalized.

2. Gill, “put his face between his knees; expressive of his humility, and of his earnestness, and

vehement desire, and continued importunity, that rain might fall; for this was a posture of prayer

he put himself into, and continued in; and it is certain that it was through his prayer that rain

came, (James 5:18) and from hence came the fable of the Grecians concerning Aeacus praying for

rain in a time of drought, when it came. So the Chinese writers F9 report that at the prayers of

their emperor Tangus, after a seven years' drought, great rains fell.”

3. Pink, “"So Ahab went up to eat and to drink"(v. 42). The views expressed by the

commentators on this statement strike us as being either carnal or forced. Some regard the king’s

action as being both logical and prudent: having had neither food nor drink since early morning,

and the day being now far advanced, he naturally and wisely made for home, that he might break

his long fast. But there is a time for everything, and immediately following a most remarkable

manifestation of God’s power was surely not the season for indulging the flesh. Elijah, too, had

had nothing to eat that day, yet he was far from looking after his bodily needs at this moment.

Others see in this notice the evidence of a subdued spirit in Ahab: that he was now meekly

obeying the prophet’s orders. Strange indeed is such a concept: the last thing which

characterized the apostate king was submission to God or His servant. The reason why he

acquiesced so readily on this occasion was because compliance suited his fleshly appetites and

enabled him to gratify his lusts.

"So Ahab went up to eat and to drink." Has not the Holy Spirit rather recorded this detail so as

to show us the hardness and insensibility of the king’s heart? For three and a half years drought

had blighted his dominions and a fearful famine had ensued. �ow that he knew rain was about to

fall, surely he would turn unto God and return thanks for His mercy. Alas! he had seen the utter

vanity of his idols, he had witnessed the exposure of Baal, he had beheld the awful judgment

upon his prophets, but no impression was made upon him: he remained obdurate in his sin. God

was not in his thoughts: his one idea was, the rain is coming, so I can enjoy myself without

hindrance; therefore, he goes to make merry. While his subjects were suffering the extremities of

the Divine scourge he cared only to find grass enough to save his stud (18:5), and now that his

devoted priests have been slain by the hundreds, he thought only of the banquet which awaited

him in his pavilion. Gross and sensual to the last degree, though clad with the royal robes of

Israel!”

4. Pink adds, "And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the

earth, and put his face between his knees" (v. 42). Does not this unmistakably confirm what has

been said above? How striking the contrast here presented: so far from the prophet desiring the

convivial company of the world, he longed to get alone with God; so far from thinking of the

needs of his body, he gave himself up to spiritual exercises. The contrast between Elijah and Ahab

was not merely one of personal temperament and taste, but was the difference there is between

life and death, light and darkness. But that radical antithesis is not always apparent to the eye of

man: the regenerate may walk carnally, and the unregenerate can be very respectable and

religious. It is the crises of life which reveal the secrets of our hearts and make it manifest

whether we are really new creatures in Christ or merely white-washed worldlings. It is our

reaction to the interpositions and judgments of God which brings out what is within us. The

children of this world will spend their days in feasting and their nights in revelry though the

world be hastening to destruction; but the children of God will betake themselves to the secret

place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

“..observe well the posture in which we now behold this man of God: "And he cast himself down

upon the earth, and put his face between his knees" (v. 42). Very, very striking is this! As one has

put it: "We scarcely recognize him, he seems so to have lost his identity. A few hours before, he

stood erect as an oak of Bashan: now he is bowed as a bulrush." As he confronted the assembled

multitude, Ahab, and the hundreds of false prophets, he carried himself with majestic mien and

becoming dignity; but now he would draw nigh unto the King of kings, the utmost humility and

reverence marks his demeanor. There as God’s ambassador he had pleaded with Israel, here as

Israel’s intercessor he is to plead with the Almighty. Facing the forces of Baal he was as bold as a

lion; alone with God most high, he hides his face and by his actions owns his nothingness. It has

ever been thus with those most favored of Heaven: Abraham declared "Behold now, I have taken

upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). When Daniel

beheld an anticipation of God incarnate, he declared, "my comeliness was turned in me into

corruption" (Dan. 10:8). The seraphim veil their faces in His presence (Isa. 6:2).

That to which we are now directing attention is greatly needed by this most irreverent and

blatant generation. Though so highly favored of God and granted such power in prayer, this did

not cause Elijah to take liberties with Him or approach Him with indecent familiarity. �o, he

bowed his knees before the Most High and placed his head between his knees, betokening his

most profound veneration for that infinitely glorious Being whose messenger he was. And if our

hearts be right, the more we are favored of God the more shall we be humbled by a sense of our

unworthiness and insignificance, and we shall deem no posture too lowly to express our respect

for the Divine Majesty. We must not forget that though God be our Father He is also our

Sovereign, and that while we be His children we are likewise His subjects. If it be an act of

infinite condescension on His part for the Almighty even to "behold the things which are in

heaven and in earth" (Ps. 113:6), then we cannot sufficiently abase ourselves before Him.”

43 "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. Here we see a man fully in the will of God, and doing just exactly what God wills for him to do,

and still it calls for persistence and patience. �othing just fell into Elijah's lap. He had to work at

it, and pray with all his heart and mind. How frustrating that God does not just answer our

prayer the moment we utter it. There are prayers that are answered before the prayer is finished,

but these are more rare than those that call of waiting and watching. We have to have the

patience of Elijah when we pray, and just keep on praying with hopeful anticipation until the

answer appears. Elijah is a good example for us all in our prayer life.

2. Spurgeon, “Six times the servant returned, but on each occasion no word was spoken but “Go

again.” We must not dream of unbelief, but hold to our faith even to seventy times seven. Faith

sends expectant hope to look from Carmel’s brow, and if nothing is beheld, she sends again and

again. So far from being crushed by repeated disappointment, faith is animated to plead more

fervently with her God. She is humbled, but not abashed: her groans are deeper, and her sighings

more vehement, but she never relaxes her hold or stays her hand. It would be more agreeable to

flesh and blood to have a speedy answer, but believing souls have learned to be submissive, and to

find it good to wait for as well as upon the Lord. Delayed answers often set the heart searching

itself, and so lead to contrition and spiritual reformation: deadly blows are thus struck at our

corruption, and the chambers of imagery are cleansed. The great danger is lest men should faint,

and miss the blessing.”

44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as

small as a man's hand is rising from the sea."

So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot

and go down before the rain stops you.' "

1. The rain would make the dry roads so muddy that the chariot would not be able to go through

it for long before getting stuck, and so he had to hurry before the cloudburst came and made

travel almost impossible.

2. Jacox, “Scott has an imposing simile that may be called to mind :

" As that sea-cloud, in size like human hand

When first from Carmel by the Tishbite seen.

Came slowly overshadowing Israel's land,

Awhile, perchance, bedeck'd with colours sheen.

While yet the sunbeams on its skirts had been,

Lining with purple and with gold its shroud.

Till darker folds obscured the blue serene,

And blotted heaven with one broad sable cloud —

Then sheeted rain burst down, and whirlwinds howl'd aloud."

3. Such a small cloud would mean nothing to us in the West, but that was enough to take cover in

the East. Howat records an experience by Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson, of America, — “He gives

us, in one of his volumes, a very vivid picture of an incident precisely similar to the one before us.

Sailing in the Levant on a clear and beautiful morning, ' a little black cloud* was observed on the

distant verge making rapidly for the vessel. * Scarcely an instant had elapsed,' says the writer,

'ere the squall was upon us, and all grew black around ; the wind came rushing and crisping over

the water, and in a moment the ship was running almost gunwale down, while the rain was

dashing in torrents on the decks. The crew, accustomed to such sudden visitants, were not slow in

reefing the necessary sails, trimming the rigging, and bringing back the vessel to her proper

course ; and in about a quarter of an hour, or even less, the hurricane had all passed away, the

sun burst out again through the clouds that swept in its impetuous train, the wind sunk to its

former gentleness, and all was once more at peace.'”

4. The small cloud was all it took to motivate Elijah to action. He told his servant to go and tell

Ahab to get his chariot hitched up or he would be stranded in the mud. It seems strange that

Elijah was so concerned about Ahab. You would think he would have no concern for this wicked

king, but he cared about him, for he is the man who can make a difference in the land. We need

to be like Elijah and pray for our leaders, even if we radically disagree with them, for they are the

people who can make a difference. They play a role that can help or hinder the spiritual life of the

nation. We are not just to pray for the president that we voted for and appreciate, but the one we

fought to prevent his becoming president. Paul made it clear that we are to pray for all in places

of leadership, and for him that even meant evil �ero.

5. Howat, “Ahab was weak and wicked ; but Ahab was king. Elijah was God's servant ; but office

did not relieve him from loyalty to the throne. The prophet is severe in matters of religion ; but he

is also constitutional in matters of state. It is the recurrence of the motive we have seen before;

for Elijah's work in Israel was neither to create a republic, nor usurp the monarch's sceptre. '

Love the brotherhood says Peter ; ' fear God, honor the king.' What an answer there was here to

the cavils ' of Jezebel against Elijah ! what a lesson in his favor it should have read to Ahab ! and

how strong the recommendation it furnished in behalf of that faith which called upon potentates

to listen to prophets, as Ahab on Carmel, and yet called upon prophets to pay homage to

potentates, as Elijah amid the wild rushing tempest in the valley of Jezreel !”

6. Henry, “A little cloud at length appeared, no bigger than a man's hand, which presently

overspread the heavens and watered the earth, 1 Kings 18:44,45 . Great blessings often arise from

small beginnings, and showers of plenty from a cloud of a span long. Let us therefore never

despise the day of small things, but hope and wait for great things from it. This was not as a

morning cloud, which passes away (though Israel's goodness was so), but one that produced a

plentiful rain (Psalms 68:9), and an earnest of more.”

45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind

rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.

1. Howat, “It is the first that has been seen for three years and a half. It is abundantly visible in a

sky which, too clear, like a too beautiful cheek, tells there is surely something wrong. It rises

higher and higher. It becomes broader and broader. It moves with amazing celerity. The glow of

the sunset is lost in gloom. Long raven wings are extended all over the hill. The banks of the

Kishon put on a ghastlier hue. It breaks ; and there, amid a hoarse thanksgiving murmur from

the forest around, rains down the grateful deluge, — token that the prayers of the bent prophet

have been graciously heard, and that his victory over Baal is now, * in fire and water,' visibly

complete.”

46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and,

tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all

the way to Jezreel.

1. This was not a marathon, but it was a long run of about 15 to 18 miles, and that is quite a run

for anyone, and especially in the pouring rain. Talk about power drive; Elijah had more horse

power than Ahab with his real horses and chariot. An unknown author wrote, “We are told that

when the rains came, Ahab left in his chariot. After three and one-half years of drought, a

torrential rain would turn the ground to mud in no time. Therefore, Ahab wanted to beat the rain

back to Jezreel. His iron chariot wheels would bog down in the mud and cause him problems

traveling. As he went, suddenly ,he heard the pounding of sandals against the muddy ground.

Ahab looks over just in time to see Elijah pass him and run in front of him the 18 miles to the

gate of Jezreel. I am reminded of those old Roadrunner cartoons. I find this to be very

humorous!)” Elijah could say, “I can do all things through Jehovah who strengthens me.”

2. The unknown author from above also wrote, “What is the significance of this event? Ancient

kings were always preceded by a runner. This runner would announce the approach of the king

and clear any obstacles that might hinder the kings chariot from traveling the road. When Elijah

ran ahead of Ahab, he was making a statement. Elijah was in effect saying, "Ahab, I am a man of

God and I hate sin and idolatry. However, I respect your office and I am willing to submit to you

as my king, as you submit to God as yours." Elijah wanted Ahab to know that his stand against

Baal was nothing personal, it was just his zeal for the Lord! For Elijah, this was a statement of

humility! He simply assumed the role of a servant.”

3. J. Hampton Keathley, III, “When we read about someone like Elijah, we want so very much to

believe such people are inherently different because it soothes our consciences and gives us an

excuse for being mediocre or run-of-the-mill. We think it excuses us from tackling tough things

for God. However, James 5:16b-17 blows that theory wide open. First, James calls our attention

to the fact that the faithful prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much and be used

dramatically for God (vs. 16b). Then he reminds us that Elijah was a man with a nature just like

ours!

Elijah’s dynamic living, his courageous ministry and effectiveness against all odds was not the

result of certain innate super-duper qualities, nor was it in the absence of personal weaknesses,

temptation, failure, nor even fear. While Elijah was spiritually head and shoulders above most of

his contemporaries, he was at the same time normal and average from the standpoint of innate or

natural qualities and abilities. Elijah possessed a sinful nature just like ours with weaknesses,

fears and doubts. He faced the “I can’ts,” the “I don’t feel like it” syndrome just like everyone

else. In fact, his humanness will clearly emerge later in the record of his life and ministry

(chapter 19). But, by the strength of God through faith, Elijah rose above his weaknesses through

the divine resources at his disposal. The same resources are available to us in the Lord in even

more abundant ways in �ew Testament times through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.”

4. “As he journeyed toward the royal city through the darkness and the blinding rain, Ahab was

unable to see his way before him. Elijah, who, as the prophet of God, had that day humiliated

Ahab before his subjects and slain his idolatrous priests, still acknowledged him as Israel's king;

and now, as an act of homage, and strengthened by the power of God, he ran before the royal

chariot, guiding the king to the entrance of the city. In this gracious act of God's messenger

shown to a wicked king is a lesson for all who claim to be servants of God, but who are exalted in

their own estimation. There are those who feel above performing duties that to them appear

menial. They hesitate to perform even needful service, fearing that they will be found doing the

work of a servant. These have much to learn from the example of Elijah. By his word the

treasures of heaven had been for three years withheld from the earth; he had been signally

honored of God as, in answer to his prayer on Carmel, fire had flashed from heaven and

consumed the sacrifice; his hand had executed the judgment of God in slaying the idolatrous

prophets; his petition for rain had been granted. And yet, after the signal triumphs with which

God had been pleased to honor his public ministry, he was willing to perform the service of a

menial.”

5. Clarke, “Many think that Elijah ran before the king in order to do him honor; and much

learned labour has been spent on this passage in order to show that Elijah had put himself at the

head of a company of chanters who ran before the king reciting his praises, or the praises of God;

a custom which still exists in Arabian countries! I believe all these entirely mistake the writer's

meaning: Ahab yoked his chariot, and made all speed to Jezreel. The hand of the Lord, or, as the

Targum says, the spirit of strength, came upon Elijah, and he girded up his loins, that is, tucked

up his long garments in his girdle, and ran; and notwithstanding the advantage the king had by

means of his chariot, the prophet reached Jezreel before him. There is no intimation here that he

ran before the horses' heads. All this was intended to show that he was under the peculiar

influence and inspiration of the Almighty, that the king might respect and fear him, and not do or

permit to be done to him any kind of outrage.”

6. Gill, “And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah…Giving him more than common strength of

body, as well as courage and fortitude of mind; so the Targum, the spirit of strength from the

Lord was with him: and he girded up his loins; gathered up his long loose garment, and girt it

about him, that he might be more fit for travelling: and ran before Ahab to the entrance of

Jezreel; reckoned about sixteen miles from Carmel; this showed his humility, that he was not

elated with the wonderful things God had done by him, and that he bore no ill will to Ahab, but

was ready to show him all honour and respect due to him as a king; and that it were his sins, and

not his person, he had an aversion to; and that he was not afraid of Jezebel, and her prophets,

but entered into the city where she was, to instruct the people, and warn them against her

idolatries; though some think he went no further than the gate of the city, prudently avoiding

falling into her hands.”

7. Howat, “In conclusion, let us say, that picture of the fleet runner is suggestive to the Christian

of many profitable thoughts — and chiefly of this, that loyalty to God is simply 'running in the

way of His commandments.' And with this let nothing interfere. Let us run in the right spirit,

stripped of every encumbrance, with concentration of purpose, in humble reliance on God.

Elijah- like, in the way. His strength and support shall never be wanting; for 'the hand of the

Lord' shall be on us.' Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly

fall : but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings

as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; and they shall walk and not faint. He who has said,

So run that ye may obtain, will confer ' the mark of the high calling of God' on the humblest who

reaches the goal at the last ; nay, passing in at the gate of glory, the testimony of the mightiest

runner in the Christian race will be the testimony of every satisfied soul : I have not run in vain,

neither labored in vain; ' I rejoice in the day of Christ'”

APPE�DIX A

ELIJAH THE PROPHET OF FIRE Based on I Kings 18:20-40

By Pastor Glenn Pease

Elijah was the Luther of the Old Testament. He was God's man of the hour to begin a

reformation and lead the children of Israel back to God. For about 50 years devotion to God had

been decreasing. Ahab was now king in Israel, and he was more wicked than all who had gone

before him. He married Jezebel, who was the daughter of the king of Tyre, and he let her erect

altars to Baal all over the hills of Israel. She was a heathen to the core, and she tired to wipe out

all worship of Jehovah by persecuting the people and killing the prophets of Jehovah.

With Jezebel promoting it, and Ahab protecting it, Baal worship became popular among the

people. There was a real danger that the people of God would be swallowed up in idolatry. Baal

was a non-existent god, but he was having a great influence in the lives of people. Everywhere

the people would go they would see altars to Baal. Jezebel put a great deal of wealth into these

altars. Their beauty and the elaborate ceremony of the 850 false prophets appealed to the people.

Certainly all of this worship must please God is what they thought, and almost unconsciously

they began to think of Baal as their god.

It was time for God again to act in history and reveal Himself as the only true God.

This He did, and as always, it was through a man of God with courage and conviction. Elijah

broke into the atmosphere of human history like a comet. We have no story of his birth or

background. His coming was as sudden and mysterious as was his going in the flaming chariot.

Out of the blue he appears before Ahab. He said to him that there would be no reign for 3 years,

and then he disappears. �ow after 3 years of famine, during which Ahab searched the land for

him, Elijah comes again and calls for a showdown that will settle the issue once and for all as to

who is God. Will it be Jehovah or Baal? Ahab accepts the challenge, and so all the people and

the false prophets gather on Mt. Carmel. We want to examine this great incident in the light of

three characteristics of Elijah that qualified him for this great battle.

I. HE WAS A MA� OF CO�VICTIO�. v. 21

As soon as the people are gathered Elijah comes and does two things. He charges them with

compromise, and then he calls them to commitment. He says, "How long will you halt between

two opinions? How long are you going to go limping back and forth between Jehovah and Baal?

How long are you going to try and lean both ways?" This lack of conviction that leads to

compromise is one of man's greatest curses. To halt between two opinions is to have no opinion.

It is to decide for nothing. It is a position of folly when it comes to choosing one's loyalty to God.

D. L. Moody said, "I firmly believe that more men are lost by indecision than by anything else."

G. Campbell Morgan said, "I have a great deal more hope of winning that man who serves the

devil well then the man who stays half-way between God and the devil, and does not know which

to serve."

You can be a Democrat one year and a Republican the next. You can golf one year and bowl

the next. You can work in an office one year and a factory the next. In politics, sports, and

business, and many other facets of life, you can change your tastes, opinions and convictions, but

when it comes to faith it is either Jehovah or Baal. It is either the God and Father of the Lord

Jesus Christ, or the Baal of money, power, pleasure, or some other idol. It cannot be both, for

you cannot serve God and mammon. To be undecided is the worst decision of all. Dante in his

Devine Comedy has a place outside of hell, which he calls the Inferno of Contempt. It is for those

"without blame and without praise." To be neither good or bad, nor hot or cold is the most

dangerous thing in the world.

Elijah was no Mr. Facing Both Ways, but he was a man of deep convictions. His name fits him

perfectly for it means "Jehovah is my God." He is a man of conviction and he calls the people to

stop being undecided and make a commitment. If the Lord is God then follow him, and if Baal is

God then follow him, but make a choice and stop trying to play both sides. It will not work in

religion any more than it will work in sports. You have to choose sides. You have to make a choice

and follow it. That is the message of the whole Bible. Decide who is God and then commit your

life to Him.

There are always furniture stores that are going out of business and their signs scream at you

that this is the last chance to get their bargains. If you wait until tomorrow it will be too late, and

so act today and buy. They know that the hardest thing to do is to get people to make a decision.

Their advertising is designed to get people off the fence and decide. The Bible uses this same

psychology and says that today is the day of salvation. The time is now, for it may be too late if

you wait. People have to make up their mind and make a decision and a commitment. The

Prodigal decided to go home and committed himself to face his father rather than stay with the

pigs. Elijah made his choice and he calls all of God's people to do the same. Choose God and

make a commitment to Him. �ext we see-

II. HE WAS A MA� OF COURAGE. v. 22-29

Elijah explained to the people what he had in mind. The 450 prophets of Baal were to take a

bullocks, cut it up, place it on the altar with no fire under it. He was to do the same with another

bullocks, and then call on the name of Baal, and he would pray to Jehovah. The one who

answered by fire would be the true God. The people thought this would be a fair test, and so

Elijah turns to the prophets of Baal, and tells them to choose first, for they were many. It was as

if he was saying, "You are the majority, and who am I all alone to go first?"

Elijah, of course, cared nothing about numbers. It made no difference to him, for God's

reality and nature are not determined by the majority. Charles Churchill wrote,

Can numbers then change nature's stated laws?

Can numbers make the worse the better cause?

Vice must be vice, virtue be virtue still,

Though thousands rail at good and practice ill.

Elijah let the majority go first because he wanted to show just how wrong the majority can

be. He gave them every possible advantage. Baal was the sun god, and so he let them start off in

the brightness of the sunlight when their god would supposedly be strong and refreshed. He let

them continue at noon when the sun was directly overhead with all of its scorching heat. If Baal

was god, he could certainly spare a little fire at that time, but there was no answer.

The prophets began to get worried, and they began to go wild as they cut themselves, were

screaming and leaping on the altar. People who serve false gods can be very sincere. These men

were as earnest as men could be. They were serious and they were risking their life to defend

Baal. They would rather die than admit that their god was worthless and powerless. Men will

cling to their false gods with all of their energy. They are dedicated to gods who don't even exist.

There have been men of every age that have died for their false gods.

There is a tendency in our day to think that God is just called by different names, and if

people are sincere all can be equally accepted. This is not biblical, for the Jehovah of the Old

Testament and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in the �ew Testament is the only God, and

there is no salvation in any other name under heaven than that of Jesus Christ. God had to

constantly warn the Jews that should not have any other gods but Him, but they were continually

going after the idols of the heathen nations around them.

The prophets were not very polite in dealing with these false gods, and neither was Elijah.

Elijah was not just having fun when he mocked the prophets of Baal, and told them to cry louder

because maybe their god was sleeping or on a journey. He was very seriously trying to show the

people the folly of worshipping anyone but the one true God who never slumbers nor sleeps, but

who is ever in control of His universe. God laughs at the folly of the wicked 3 times in the

Psalms, and Isaiah mocks the folly of the heathen over and over again. The literature of Judaism

is filled with such mockery. Jeremiah says that the gods of heathen are like scarecrows in a

cucumber garden. They cannot speak or march or do anything either good or evil. The prophets

thought it was better to be impolite and mock the idolatry of the pagans then to let people take

them seriously.

The point of all this is that it is not sincerity and dedication in worship that counts, but the

reality of the one whom you worship. Elijah let the false prophets go on praying until evening to

show to the people that all the ceremony, dancing and shouting in the world will not make a

religion true if the god of that religion is not real. The challenge of the Christian church to the

rest of the world is not our claim that we have the most beautiful ceremonies or the greatest

dedication, though that ought to be true, but that we alone worship the only true God. He is the

God who made all creation, acts in history, and who gave His Son for our redemption. God needs

men of every generation and every land with the courage of Elijah to keep this truth ever before

the people. �ext we see,

III. HE WAS A MA� OF CO�FIDE�CE. v. 31-39

After the utter failure of the prophets of Baal Elijah calls the people to himself, and he builds

an altar of 12 stones to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. By it he calls attention to the fact that

Jehovah was the God of history who had worked in miraculous events in the past. Then he asked

them to pour 4 barrels of water on the offering and the wood. He asked them to do this 3 times

and so there were 12 barrels to match the 12 stones. There was so much water that it filled the

trench around the altar. All of this was to make sure that no one could charge him with a trick of

some kind. Tricks were a common practice of the heathen.

John Chrysostom speaking of later heathenism said, "I speak as an eye witness. In the altars

of the idols, there are beneath the altars channels, and underneath a concealed pit. The deceivers

enter these, and blow up a fire from beneath upon the altar, by which many are deceived, and

believed that the fire comes from heaven. Elijah wanted to make sure that no one could doubt

that what was about to happen was the direct work of God. But how could he have the

confidence that God would answer? There he stood alone against all the false prophets of the

land. �ow it was his turn to pray down fire. He knows that if he fails he is a doomed man. They

will rush upon him and crush him with the stones of his own altar if fire does not fall. How can

he be so calm and confident in such a situation?

The source of his confidence is found in verse 36 where he says, "I have done all these things

at thy word." He was simply obeying the Word of God. That is the only way a man can hold his

convictions when the majority goes the opposite way. That is the only way a man can have the

courage to say, "Where he leads me I will follow." That is the only way a man can have the

confidence to face great odds with a calm spirit. Elijah was doing what God told him, and he let

God worry about the consequences. Deitrach Bonhoffer, who was killed by the Germans wrote,

"When Christ calls us to follow Him He bids us come and die." This is the secret of the courage

and confidence of men of God through the ages. They simply obey the Word of God and let the

chips fall where they may.

When Martin Luther was summoned by the Emperor Charles V to come to the city of

Worms, and be tried before a counsel, his friends tried to persuade him not to go for fear he

would be put to death. But Luther was perfectly confident that he had the Word of God to back

him up. He said, "If there were as many devils in Worms as there are tiles on the roofs of its

houses, I would still go there." You see why Elijah is called the Luther of the Old Testament.

They both were leaders in great reformations against great odds, but they were both confident

because they both based their actions on the Word of God. Their confidence was not in

themselves but in God. They expected God to do what His Word promised.

Elijah expected fire to fall, and so it was no surprise to him when he finished his simple

prayer of faith that flames fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and

even licked up all the water in the trench. The God who made the sun did not need it for fire. He

can send fire in the cool of the evening as well as at noon. It was a sight that left no doubt in the

minds of the people as to who God was. There was a revival and the God of Israel was glorified.

God went on working in history from Mt. Carmel to Mr. Calvary where His own Son became the

sacrifice. Fifty days later on the day of Pentecost the fire of God fell again in the person of the

Holy Spirit, and every since all the revivals of the people of God are due to this fire which falls

from heaven on all who truly present themselves as living sacrifices unto God. May God help us

all be people like Elijah with conviction, courage, and confidence based on the Word of God.