1 Kings 18 | Understand Your Bible

Introduction

Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.

Verses

¹After many days, the LORD’s word came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain on the earth.”

²Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.

³Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly;

⁴for when Jezebel cut off the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

⁵Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals.”

⁶So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

⁷As Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. He recognised him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

⁸He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here!’ ”

⁹He said, “How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?

¹⁰As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they didn’t find you.

¹¹Now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.” ’

¹²It will happen, as soon as I leave you, that the LORD’s Spirit will carry you I don’t know where; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he can’t find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.

¹³Wasn’t it told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the LORD’s prophets, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD’s prophets with fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

¹⁴Now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here”.’ He will kill me.”

¹⁵Elijah said, “As the LORD of Armies lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”

¹⁶So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

¹⁸He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the LORD’s commandments, and you have followed the Baals.

¹⁹Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred and fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

²⁰So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel.

²¹Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you waver between the two sides? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”
The people didn’t say a word.

²²Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left as a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

²³Let them therefore give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under it.

²⁴You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the LORD’s name. The God who answers by fire, let him be God.”
All the people answered, “What you say is good.”

²⁵Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first; for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

²⁶They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, “Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice, and nobody answered. They leapt about the altar which was made.

²⁷At noon, Elijah mocked them, and said, “Cry aloud; for he is a god. Either he is deep in thought, or he has gone somewhere, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened.”

²⁸They cried aloud, and cut themselves in their way with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.

²⁹When midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the evening offering; but there was no voice, no answer, and nobody paid attention.

³⁰Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me!”; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the LORD’s altar that had been thrown down.

³¹Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD’s word came, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”

³²With the stones he built an altar in the LORD’s name. He made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two seahs of seed.

³³He put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood.”

³⁴He said, “Do it a second time;” and they did it the second time. He said, “Do it a third time;” and they did it the third time.

³⁵The water ran around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.

³⁶At the time of the evening offering, Elijah the prophet came near, and said, “LORD, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.

³⁷Hear me, LORD, hear me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again.”

³⁸Then the LORD’s fire fell, and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

³⁹When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said, “The LORD, he is God! the LORD, he is God!”

⁴⁰Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let one of them escape!”
They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.

⁴¹Elijah said to Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”

⁴²So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down on the earth, and put his face between his knees.

⁴³He said to his servant, “Go up now, and look towards the sea.”
He went up, and looked, and said, “There is nothing.”
He said, “Go again” seven times.

⁴⁴On the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a small cloud, like a man’s hand, is rising out of the sea.”
He said, “Go up, tell Ahab, ‘Get ready and go down, so that the rain doesn’t stop you.’ ”

⁴⁵In a little while, the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

⁴⁶The LORD’s hand was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Questions

v 18 He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the LORD’s commandments, and you have followed the Baals.

v 24 You call on the name of your god, and I will call on the LORD’s name. The God who answers by fire, let him be God.”
All the people answered, “What you say is good.”

v 39 and 40 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces. They said, “The LORD, he is God! the LORD, he is God!”
Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let one of them escape!” ...

Summary Points

v 1 to 15 The LORD tells Elijah to see king Ahab and promises rain. Elijah meets Obadiah and asks him to tell Ahab that he is here
v 16 to 29 Ahab comes to meet Elijah who tells him to gather the prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel. He challenges Baal’s prophets to call for fire from heaven. Their frenzied pleas and self-mutilation go unanswered all day
v 30 to 39 Elijah repairs the LORD's altar and carefully prepares his sacrifice. The LORD sends fire in response to Elijah's prayer which convinces the people that he is the only true God
v 4O to 46 Elijah commands the people to seize all the prophets of Baal, and he kills them. Elijah gets his servant to look for signs of rain coming. He then warns Ahab to go back to Jezreel before the rain storm

Timeline 850 BC

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