The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. It is said that Baal was the son of a god called el. 17When he saw Elijah, he asked, Is it youthe biggest troublemaker in Israel?, 18Elijah answered, I have not made trouble in Israel. I have followed the Lord since I was a boy. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, "Shout louder, for he is a god! 2. How unlike was this to that with which his servant Obadiah saluted him (1 Kings 18:7; 1 Kings 18:7): Art thou that my lord Elijah? 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.". And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. He proposed to bring the matter to a fair trial; and it was so much the fairer because Baal had all the external advantages on his side. 11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. Baal and his prophets were confounded. This writing has come about a few days after The Test - 2002 and the Latter Rain, and adds greater clarity to what can be expected in the latter rain. One true prophet against 450 false prophets. No one who was present that day missed the point. But, since Ahab invites him not to ride with him, he will run before him (1 Kings 18:46; 1 Kings 18:46) as one of his footmen, that he may not seem to be lifted up with the great honour God had put upon him or to abate in his civil respect to his prince, though he reproved him faithfully. That word occurs again in verse 26b when the prophets of Baal are desperate trying to get their god to answer them: "'O Baal, answer us!' But there was no voice, and no one answered. Start FREE. [1.] They could say nothing to justify themselves, and they would say nothing to condemn themselves, but, as people confounded, let him say what he would. Practicing the King's Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. They prayed to Baal from morning until noon, shouting Baal, answer us! But there was no sound, and no one answered. 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. (2.) 21Elijah approached the people and said, How long will you not decide between two choices? All the people agreed that this was a good idea. He is there in the presence of Ahab, the 450 prophets of Baal, 400 prophets of the groves and a company of people from all Israel. You can check these in your browser security settings. If we can find one that has more right to us, or will be a better master to us, than God, we may take him at our peril. He pleads that he did not deserve to be thus exposed, and put in peril of his life: What have I said amiss?1 Kings 18:9; 1 Kings 18:9. 45After a short time the sky was covered with dark clouds. 1. They danced around the altar they had built. Show these people that you commanded me to do all these things. When we cannot carry a reformation so far as we would we must do what we can, and rather comply with some corruptions than not do our utmost towards the extirpation of Baal. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. 33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. hear us, O Baal! And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. [4.] 28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. Share 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, There are many of you, so you go first. God's cause is so incontestably just that it needs not fear to have the evidences of its equity searched into and weighed. There he set himself, as it were, upon his watch-tower, like the prophet, Habakkuk 2:1. Of course, most Israelites probably didnt totally reject Yahweh, the God of Israel. Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab: This was an obviously supernaturally empowered 14-mile cross-country run. He sent the rain in torrents. These were the 450 prophets of Baal; the 400 prophets of the groves (who, some think, were Sidonians), though summoned (1 Kings 18:19; 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; 1 Kings 22:6. It was great condescension in God that he would suffer so plain a case to be disputed, and would permit Baal to be a competitor with him; but thus God would have every mouth to be stopped and all flesh to become silent before him. He himself retired to pray (for though God had promised rain, he must ask it, Zechariah 10:1), and to give thanks for God's answer by fire, now hoping for an answer by water. 2. And now, 1. [2.] How did the prophets tithe and to whom? To this fair proposal of the case, which Elijah here makes, the people knew not what to say: They answered him not a word. Once we remember that the Jews saw idolatry as the ultimate sin that put one outside the community of faith, we can hear the full force of Pauls words. Tyrants and persecutors, in their passion, are often unreasonably outrageous, even towards their friends and confidants. During all that time some of them prayed, while others of them prophesied, sang hymns, perhaps to the praise of Baal, or rather encouraged those that were praying to proceed, telling them that Baal would answer them at last; but there was no answer, nor any that regarded. 9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? He stood by them, and patiently heard them for so many hours praying to an idol, yet with secret indignation and disdain; and at noon, when the sun was at the hottest, and they too expecting fire (then if ever), he upbraided them with their folly; and notwithstanding the gravity of his office, and the seriousness of the work he had before him, bantered them: "Cry aloud, for he is a god, a goodly god that cannot be made to hear without all this clamour. The Lord is God!. Elijah did not interrupt them, but let them go on till they were tired, and quite despaired of success, which was not till the time of the evening sacrifice,1 Kings 18:29; 1 Kings 18:29. These Jezebel aimed to extirpate, and put many of them to death, which was as much a public calamity as a public iniquity, and threatened the utter ruin of religion's poor remains in Israel. That man that is true to his God will be faithful to his prince. All these parables point in the same direction: money wants our worship. But no voice was heard; Baal did not answer, and no one paid attention. While Baal worshipers went hungry during the drought, God fed Elijah meat and bread delivered to him daily by carrier ravens (see v. 6). Elijah's God was neither talking nor pursuing, needed not to be either awakened or quickened; while he was yet speaking, the fire of the Lord fell, and not only, as at other times (Leviticus 9:24; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:1) consumed the sacrifice and the wood, in token of God's acceptance of the offering, but licked up all the water in the trench, exhaling that, and drawing it up as a vapour, in order to the intended rain, which was to be the fruit of this sacrifice and prayer, more than the product of natural causes. 16So Obadiah went to Ahab and told him where Elijah was. The Holy Bible, New Century Version. 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. Elijah Kills the Prophets of Baal - During the third year without rain, the LORD spoke his word to Elijah: "Go and meet King Ahab, and I will soon send rain." So Elijah went to meet Ahab. Idols had always threatened to steal the love, trust, and service God deserves and demands.By equating greed with idolatry, Paul provocatively told the church they didnt have to go into a rival temple to worship another god. And they did it the third time. We are made in the image of this generous King, wired to reflect his generosity to the rest of creation. 13Havent you been told what I did? 6:9). 34 And he said, Do it the second time. Elijah satisfied him that he might with safety deliver this message to Ahab, by assuring him, with an oath, that he would, this very day, present himself to Ahab, 1 Kings 18:15; 1 Kings 18:15. 732 views, 45 likes, 11 loves, 7 comments, 73 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from : 22 2023 . 19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. English Revised Version In the end, Those who make [idols] will end up like them, as will everyone who trusts in them (Ps. Who has required these things at your hands? 3. The prophets of Baal went first. The long drought was over, and it was demonstrated that the prayers of Elijah both withheld the rain and then subsequently brought the rain. 37Lord, answer my prayer so these people will know that you, Lord, are God and that you will change their minds., 38Then fire from the Lord came down and burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the ground around the altar. I. Elijah reproved the people for mixing the worship of God and the worship of Baal together. One may guess how people stand affected to God by observing how they stand affected to his people and ministers. Report Elijah swears by the Lord of hosts, who has all power in his hands, and is therefore able to protect his servants against all the powers of hell and earth. After all, if youre a farmer, its only practical to invest in getting the rider of the clouds to like you. Deserters must not look for God's favour till they return to their allegiance. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. Those that procure God's judgments do the mischief, not he that merely foretels them and gives warning of them, that the nation may repent and prevent them. Thou employest me; Lord, make it appear that thou dost so;" see Numbers 16:28; Numbers 16:29. Let us therefore never despise the day of small things, but hope and wait for great things from it. See Luke 1:16; Luke 1:17. Those that were firm for God doubted not but it would end to his honour; those that were indifferent were willing to be determined; and Ahab and the prophets of Baal durst not oppose for fear of the people, and hoped that either they could obtain fire from heaven (though they never had yet), and the rather because, as some think, they worshipped the sun in Baal, or that Elijah could not, because not at the temple, where God was wont thus to manifest his glory. a. Ahab had continued fasting all day, either religiously, it being a day of prayer, or for want of leisure, it being a day of great expectation; but now let him eat and rink for, though others perceive no sign of it, Elijah, by faith, hears the sound of abundance of rain,1 Kings 18:41; 1 Kings 18:41. V. The return of the mercy of rain, at the word of Elijah, 1 Kings . Wasnt killing too severe a punishment for the prophets of Baal? All rights reserved. Elijah sought not his own glory but in subserviency to God's, and for his own necessary vindication. 3King Ahab sent for Obadiah, who was in charge of the kings palace. Pray to your god, but dont start the fire.. Otherwise, the rain will stop him.. This happened seven times. 22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. Name one of the Old Testament prophets present at the Transfiguration.. rh. Little wonder, then, that when King Ahab chose to marry a woman from Baal territory, the farmers in Israel built a house for this new god and welcomed him to the neighborhood (see 1 Kings 16:31). 21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? God and Elijah were honoured, 1 Kings 18:21-39. Elijah, doubtless, had a special commission from God to put it to this test, otherwise he would have tempted God and affronted religion; but the case was extraordinary, and the judgment upon it would be of use, not only then, but in all ages. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. He that will thrive must rise betimes. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. What occasion for addition to that which is perfect? Obadiah saluted him with great respect, fell on his face, and humbly asked, Art thou that my lord Elijah?1 Kings 18:7; 1 Kings 18:7. 7While Obadiah was on his way, Elijah met him. 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. We may suppose it was a great surprise to Ahab to hear that Elijah, whom he had so long sought and not found, was now found without seeking. 3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. The God who answered by fire, igniting the sacrifice on the altar, was the true God. Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines. 7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD 's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD , all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD . But there was no voice. Elijah was no priest, nor were his attendants Levites. But humans cannot serve two kings. This great good man used his power for the protection of God's prophets. It is a chapter in which are many things very observable. Twelve barrels of water (probably sea-water, for the sea was near, and so much fresh water in this time of drought was too precious for him to be so prodigal of it), thrice four, he poured upon his sacrifice, to prevent the suspicion of any fire under (for, if there had been any, this would have put it out), and to make the expected miracle the more illustrious. But when we worship the idol of money, when our lives are oriented primarily toward earning, getting, and keeping, we become deformed, reflecting not the image of Yahweh, Lord of heaven and earth, but money, the god of me and mine. He would have the king know before, that it might not be a surprise to him and that he might be sure it was the prophet's own act to present himself to him. And there was a sore famine in Samaria. Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 18:4; 1 Kings 18:4), slew them,1 Kings 18:13; 1 Kings 18:13. First, the Lord was the true God and men were to worship Him. [1.] The time was that of Ahab, king of Israel. Their perishing thus is the using, as the apostle speaks of them (Colossians 3:22), was to intimate the utter abolition of them after a little while, Hebrews 8:13. Report. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural, Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine plural, Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword, Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural, A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style, Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed, Preposition | third person masculine plural, In the extremity of famine Elijah, sent to Ahab, meets good Obadiah, Elijah, reproving Ahab, by fire from heaven convinces Baal's prophets, Elijah, by prayer obtaining rain, follows Ahab to Jezreel, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT History: 1 Kings 18:28 They cried aloud and cut themselves after (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg). 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