Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38). People are still asking that question today.

The issue was the same in Elijah’s day—the people had rejected the God of truth for the lies of the gods of the land. Truth had been lost in a culture of idolatry.

In the time that had elapsed since the prophet had left Zarephath, the stage had been set for the ultimate showdown. The time had come for the lies of the false gods to be exposed to God’s truth—on the idolatrous high place of Mount Carmel. On Carmel, the priests of Baal and Asherah—850 in number (v.19)—stood in opposition to the God of Israel and His lone representative, Elijah.

 

THE ISSUE IS CLARIFIED

So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

Elijah opened with a direct question: “How long will you falter between two opinions?” (v.21). In behalf of the God of Israel, he confronted the people for their double-mindedness and told them they had to choose. “If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”

We can truly serve and worship only one God with our whole heart. It’s the basis for our eternity. Where will we place our trust?

Notice the crowd’s silence: “The people answered him not a word.” They didn’t know how to respond. It’s dangerous to waffle on eternal issues, so Elijah demanded that they decide whom they were going to follow.

 

THE CONDITIONS ARE SET

Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”

Elijah proposed bringing the matter to a test, and then he set the rules of engagement:

Select An Animal. Elijah allowed the priests of Baal to choose one of the two available bulls. He would use the other.

Prepare A Sacrifice. The priests would ceremonially prepare the animal and place it on the altar. But they were not to put fire under it. This was the key. Fire was needed for a burnt offering, but this was the test. It had already been proven that Elijah’s God controlled the rain (1 Ki. 17:1)—now the priests would see that He could also rain fire.

Pray. Elijah told the priests to call on Baal, and he would call on the Lord. The God who answered by fire would be the God who would be worshiped by all. Elijah seemed to give them the advantage by making it a test of fire, for Baal was the sun-god, the god of fire and weather.

The people responded that it was a reasonable proposal, and the test began.

 

THE PROPHETS ARE HUMILIATED

So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made
(v.26).

Their Desperation. The prophets of Baal prepared their sacrifice and called out to their god for fire. Their efforts were divided into two segments:

• “From morning even till noon” (v.26), they pleaded for divine fire. “Then they leaped about the altar.” What a scene! Still there was no answer, causing Elijah to mock them (v.27). They continued…
• When midday was passed… until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice” (v.29), dancing about, cutting themselves with knives, praying, and acting in bizarre ways. Since Baal was the sun god, they perhaps hoped that at noon, as the sun was at its zenith, the fire would fall on their sacrifice. But their hope turned to despair, and they began to act like lunatics. The result? “No one answered.”

Elijah’s Mocking. In the meantime, Elijah began to build his case for the true and living God by mocking the priests’ feeble attempts at getting Baal to respond. Notice how he exposed Baal’s limitations in verse 27:

• “Cry aloud”—yell and make more noise. He can’t hear you.
• “For he is a god”—you worship him, but he isn’t listening to you.
• “He is meditating”—he may be so deep in thought that you need to get his attention.
• “He is busy”—he may be occupied with someone else’s problem or even “relieving himself” (NLT).
• “He is on a journey”—he may have left his house. Call him and bring him back.
• “He is sleeping and must be awakened”—Baal is too weary to help you. No voice was heard,

 

ELIJAH’S PREPARATIONS ARE MADE

In verses 30-35, Elijah took charge:

He Summoned The People (v.30a). Elijah wanted the people to see what God was going to do. So they left the prophets of Baal and watched him closely.

He Repaired The Broken Down Altar Of God (vv.30b-31). There had previously been an altar to Jehovah on that location, probably built during the time of the judges.

He Dug A Trench Around The Altar (v.32). The ditch was made broad and deep.

He Had The People Drench The Altar With Water (vv.33-35). This was done to prevent any suspicion that there was fire hidden under the altar. The altar was repeatedly soaked with water to put the miracle beyond question.

So with all the preparations made, Elijah began to pray.

 

ELIJAH’S PRAYER IS GIVEN

Elijah’s prayer in verses 36-37 was brief. It included statements of:

Identification (v.36a). “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.” The Lord was still their God, even though they had left Him and gone after idols.

Vindication (v.36b). “Let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.” His actions were for God’s glory, not Elijah’s validation.

Explanation (v.37). “Hear me, O Lord, hear me.” The repetition expresses the burden in his soul.

Notice that Elijah didn’t say, “Send fire.” This was truly a prayer of faith. He was trusting God for the outcome so completely that the actual request went unspoken. He didn’t ask for fire, but he did ask for God to be honored.

 

GOD’S POWER IS DISPLAYED

Fire Fell (v.38). “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.” The fire didn’t come from the altar. It fell down from heaven, consuming the sacrifice, wood, stones, water, dust—all of it.

People Fell (v.39). “Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!’” The people “fell on their faces” at the sight of God’s power and acknowledged that Jehovah alone is the God of Israel—not Baal. In reverence for God and in astonishment at the heavenly fire, they turned from their idols and worshiped their God.

Prophets Of Baal Fell (v.40). “And Elijah said to them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!’ So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.”

Rain Fell (vv.41-45). “Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain” (v.45). God’s chastening had done its work, and the people had returned to the Lord. The drought was over.

 

Applying It

What lessons can we draw from this amazing event?

• Matters of truth are not settled by majority vote but by God’s Word.
• Sincere and even passionate commitment to the wrong things can be self-destructive.
• Matters of truth and error need powerful, and often uncomfortable, moments of confrontation.
• Discovering the truth about God requires us to make decisions about our faith and the gods of our own culture.