1 KINGS 18 - The Battle with Baal 

How long did Elijah wait in Zarephath, living on the good graces of the widow and her son?  Chapter 18 of 1 Kings opens with this time stamp: "After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah..."  God saw fit to keep His prophet hidden away from the heat King Ahab's anger until the time was right. During that season, I believe the Lord cared for Elijah's needs and strengthened him for the next steps of his ministry.  Not only did Elijah see God's hand at work to provide for himself, he witnessed God's miracles for the widow and her son.  God was equipping Elijah, establishing his faith even deeper and preparing him for the great contest on Mount Carmel.

The Lord told Elijah:  "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land."   This was the dreaded confrontation, the inevitable meeting of the evil king and the prophet of God.  Did Elijah know how God would exalt Himself and bring Ahab to his knees?  All we as the readers of the account in the book of 1 Kings are privy to is God promised to send the rain.  When?  Why this showdown of the prophets of Baal and Asherah against Elijah, the prophet of El Shaddai, Yahweh, the God of Israel?

When King Ahab and Elijah meet, the king's anger has not subsided over time.  "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" With Jezebel was killing off the Lord's prophets (1 Kings 18:4), the king's anger was constantly fed by his wife's wicked schemes.  The years of drought did not seem to soften their hearts nor cause them to recognize God's sovereign power over nature and the whole world! Therefore, God arranged this meeting on Mount Carmel to settle the issue.

The prophet's reply to Ahab's greeting: "I have not made trouble for Israel...But you and your father's family have.  You have abandoned the LORD's commands and followed the Baals." Ahab's blame-shift doesn't stand and Elijah declares the king's guilt for having abandoned the Lord and worshiping idols.  Then the stage is set for the greatest showdown in history:  Ahab is to assemble the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah.  Elijah appears alone.  The people of Israel are given the challenge: who are you going to follow? "'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." (verse 21)

As the idolatrous prophets bring the oxen and wood for the offering, Elijah gives the instructions.  "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." (verse 24)

Talk about faith!  Elijah, whose name means "Yahweh is God", demonstrates all-in trust in God to do a miracle and send down heavenly fire to light the burnt offering.  All the prophets agreed to this plan.  For hours, the prophets chant, pray, call on Baal and invoke all manner incantations, to no avail.  They shouted, danced and even slashed themselves to plead with their god.  While Elijah began taunting them, their frenzy grew! By evening, there had been no response from Baal or Asherah.  The meat laid upon the wood was dry and flameless.

With some theatrics, Elijah has some of the Israelites assist in repairing the altar, taking twelve stones symbolically representing the twelve tribes of Israel.  He has them haul up twelve jars of water to pour on the offering and on the wood, until a trench that had been dug around the altar was filled.  The odds were stacked against the God of Israel.  "At the time of the sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed:  'LORD, the 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.  Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that You, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.'" (verses 36 & 37)

Fire immediately feel from above and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, stones and soil as well as completely dried up the water in the trench.

And shortly after, Elijah's servant spotted a small cloud on the horizon.

Rain was coming.

*****

Even though Elijah was vindicated by the power of God, the battle wasn't over.  The people may have turned back to God in response to the mighty miracle on Mount Carmel, but the ruling king and queen needed to be dealt with. The battle wasn't over in Elijah's heart, either.  

Read the next blog to see how the LORD worked in the prophet in a very personal way.