THE PROPHETS OF BAAL,THE PROPHETS OF ASHERAH,AND THE LATTER RAIN. 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. Elijah now came to bring blessings to Israel, tidings of the return of the rain; yet he was thus affronted. The priests of Baal would pray to their god, and Elijah would pray to his God. How senseless, how brutish, were they in their addresses to Baal! Name one of the Old Testament prophets present at the Transfiguration.. rh. (1.) 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; 1 Kings 18:12. 45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. 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. No one answered; no one paid attention (v. 29 ESV). God and Elijah were honoured, 1 Kings 18:21-39. Prophets should be called seers, and shepherds, and watchmen, and ministers, rather than lords, as those that mind duty more than dominion. Compare Mark 9:38; Mark 9:39; Matthew 21:30. The execution he did upon the prophets of Baal, 1 Kings 18:40. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. 2 And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. In fact, the New Testament teaches that money and greed are often the loudest and most appealing idols seeking to steal our attention. Giving is what we do best; the air into which we were born. Giving signals and solidifies our allegiance to and dependence on God and his kingdom. God's cause is so incontestably just that it needs not fear to have the evidences of its equity searched into and weighed. But humans cannot serve two kings. 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. 21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? 31He took twelve stones, one stone for each of the twelve tribes, the number of Jacobs sons. 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. Deserters must not look for God's favour till they return to their allegiance. 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! He tells Elijah what great search Ahab had made for him and how much his heart was upon it to find him out, 1 Kings 18:10; 1 Kings 18:10. (28-29) The prophets of Baal work harder at their prayer. God will first prepare our heart, and then cause his ear to hear, will first turn us to him, and then turn to us,Psalms 10:17; Psalms 80:3. 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. 4When Jezebel was killing all the Lords prophets, Obadiah hid a hundred of them in two caves, fifty in one cave and fifty in another. Those few that escaped the sword were forced to abscond, and hide themselves in caves, where they were buried alive and cut off, though not from life, yet from usefulness, which is the end and comfort of life; and, when the prophets were persecuted and driven into corners, no doubt their friends, those few good people that were in the land, were treated in like manner. If Baal really is a god, maybe he is thinking, or busy, or traveling! Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Practicing the King's Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Through Elijah, God declared that Baal couldnt deliver the goods and his people couldnt have it both ways. We left the prophet Elijah wrapt up in obscurity. We become increasingly committed to a lifestyle of an abundance of possessions. 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. The God who answered by fire, igniting the sacrifice on the altar, was the true God. The Lord is God!. Hence we read of those that hide themselves in the top of Carmel,Amos 9:3. 28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. When they saw the fire consume both the burnt offering and the entire altar, they answered, " The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God " (1 Kings 18:39). Psalms 24:6, Thy face, O Jacob!Hosea 12:4. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull and kill it and cut it into pieces. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 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. When they called on their god, nothing happened. 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; 1 Kings 18:37. 10 As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. 43Then Elijah said to his servant, Go and look toward the sea.. The managers of Baal's cause were 450 men, fat and well fed (1 Kings 18:22; 1 Kings 18:22), besides 400 more, their supporters or seconds, 1 Kings 18:19; 1 Kings 18:19. Choose a bull and prepare it. 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. 44The seventh time, the servant said, I see a small cloud, the size of a human fist, coming from the sea., Elijah told the servant, Go to Ahab and tell him to get his chariot ready and go home now. Baal's prophets were so far from being convinced and put to shame by the just reproach Elijah cast upon them that it made them the more violent and led them to act more ridiculously. Start FREE. To demonstrate that he was neither ashamed of, nor afraid for, what he had done, though he knew how Jezebel would resent it, but durst venture himself in the midst of his enemies, as being confident of the Divine power and protection. (Poole), ii. But there was no voice. Pray to your god, but dont start the fire.. And now, 1. Now if, upon trial, it appears that Baal is that one infinite omnipotent Being, that one supreme Lord and all-sufficient benefactor, you ought to renounce Jehovah and cleave to Baal only: but, if Jehovah be that one God, Baal is a cheat, and you must have no more to do with him." (1.) Ahab, like himself, basely accused Elijah. Obadiah begs to be excused from carrying this message to Ahab, for it might prove as much as his life was worth. Those that fear God need not go out of the world, bad as it is. 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. V. The return of the mercy of rain, at the word of Elijah, 1 Kings 18:41-46. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. They thought to trim the matter, and play on both sides, as the Samaritans, 2 Kings 17:33. 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. Did they tithe to themselves? 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. The Bible states that during the encounter with Elijah the prophets of Baal, "And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them." ( 1 Kings 18:28 ) Where Do We See God's Power over Baal? But God made them know the contrary, for the famine continued till Baal's prophets were sacrificed, and so great a scarcity of water there was that the king himself and Obadiah went in person throughout the land to seek for grass for the cattle, 1 Kings 18:5; 1 Kings 18:6. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. 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; 1 Kings 18:5. It is an instance of the courage of Elijah that he durst stand alone in the cause of God against such powers and numbers; and the issue encourages all God's witnesses and advocates never to fear the face of man. He cast himself down on his knees upon the earth, in token of humility, reverence, and importunity, and put his face between his knees (that is, bowed his head so low that it touched his knees), thus abasing himself in the sense of his own meanness now that God had thus honoured him. 15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to day. 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. God has his remnant among all sorts, high and low; there were saints in Nero's household, and in Ahab's. A deceived heart had turned them aside, they could not deliver their souls by saying, Is there not a lie in our right hand? Elijah sought not his own glory but in subserviency to God's, and for his own necessary vindication. 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. Ahab and the people expected that Elijah would, in this solemn assembly, bless the land, and pray for rain; but he had other work to do first. Go tell your master that I am here., 9Then Obadiah said, What wrong have I done for you to hand me over to Ahab like this? It was a very coarse compliment with which he accosted him at the first word: Art thou he that troubleth Israel?1 Kings 18:17; 1 Kings 18:17. Such living falls far short of the life Jesus invites us to experience. (Obadiah was a true follower of the Lord. 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word | . Indeed, giving back to God and to his people is part of our DNA, a sign of our family resemblance to our generous Creator. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. 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. Their greedy hearts created other gods out of every coin in their coffers. Why did Elijah kill the prophets of Baal? They allow the proposal to be fair and unexceptionable "God has often answered by fire; if Baal cannot do so, let him be cast out for a usurper." Elijah ran on foot before him. Elijah's Trial of the False Prophets; the Destruction of Baal's Prophets. The purpose of the prophet's request was to demonstrate who was the true God that deserved the people's dedicated worship. He writes that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil that has led some to wander from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs (v. 10). In a truly horrific passage, Jeremiah writes that our worship of idols consumes not only our flocks and herds but also our sons and daughters (Jer. He insists upon it that we mortify our lusts and corruptions; but corporeal penances and severities, such as the Papists use, which have no tendency to that, are no pleasure to him. Surely you think he is talking or meditating (as the word is) or he is pursuing some deep thoughts, (in a brown study, as we say), thinking of somewhat else and not minding his own matter, when not your credit only, but all his honour lies at stake, and his interest in Israel. (Mark 6:20). b. While Baal worshipers went hungry during the drought, God fed Elijah meat and bread delivered to him daily by carrier ravens (see v. 6). 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. Baal and his prophets were confounded. II. 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 Numbers 16:34. 26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. Let us see if he speed better. 2. We dont know exactly why it was important to God for Elijah to reach Jezreel first; perhaps it was so that he would be the first to tell Queen Jezebel. 4. 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