1 Kings 18:17-46 “Worship God Alone”
17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 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. 22 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. 23 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. 24 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.”
25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”
26 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.
27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, 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. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
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. 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!”
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.
41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”
So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’”
45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 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.
Introduction: There are lots of “wimpy” Christians out there. Oh, they go to church, they read the Bible, they pray, but, if you asked anyone they know, “Are they a Christian?” that person might not know how to answer. Such people have a private Christianity, but they don’t like to cause problems by speaking out.
Well, Elijah wasn’t like that. He spoke the word of the Lord, nothing more, nothing less, and for it, he had become a fugitive, sought by Ahab in all of Israel and the neighboring nations. Now God had sent him to this man who wanted to kill him, and Elijah went without hesitation.
So we read in verse 17, “Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” Ahab accused Elijah of being the cause of all of Israel’s problems, because he had pointed out the sins of Israel, and especially, Ahab’s sins. Sometimes people treat Christians that way, when we declare God’s word, they react by getting angry at us for telling what God has said, because it makes them feel uncomfortable.
But listen to Elijah’s answer in verse 18, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.” You see, the real cause of trouble and conflict is that people have rejected the Lord, and his words, and that is exactly what Ahab had done.
So Elijah doesn’t back down or apologize for being a “troublemaker.” Instead, in verse 19 he says, “Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” He is willing for God to be put to the test, because he knows that God has sent him, and that no matter what may happen, even if he should die, that God will emerge victorious.
So we read in verse 20 that Ahab acceded to his demand, and “sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.”
As the people are gathered together, we read in verse 21, “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.” Elijah challenges the people, and declares that they must choose. He is declaring that you must follow the true God with all of your heart, or not follow him at all. There are indeed many people who falter or waver between two gods, sometimes visibly, and sometimes only in their hearts. They may go to church, but never speak of the Lord. Or, sometimes, it’s more visible. More than once I have visited Chinese homes where they have a home altar, and I have seen Taoist symbols and a little Buddha and a Bible, with other symbols I didn’t recognize. I understand that they want to be spiritual, and honor the gods, whoever they might be, but the truth is that there is only one true God, and he doesn’t share his glory or honor with anyone. So, Elijah tells the people not to waver, but to serve God, or not.
And the answer of the people is very interesting. We read at the end of verse 21, “But the people answered him not a word.”
They fear God, and so they don’t want to reject him, but, they fear the king, and they don’t want to die. So no one says anything.
So we read in verse 22, “Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD.” Later on, we learn that this is not actually the truth, but, sometimes it seems that way, that we are along. Even if we were, so what? If God is for us, who can be against us? [Romans 8:31] And, Elijah points out that he is greatly outnumbered, for “Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.”
So he challenges them. In verses 23 and 24 he says, “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.” This is not something that Elijah does on his own, but something God has instructed him to do, so he commits himself to the Lord, and offers them this test. He even gives them the advantage, in that he lets them choose the bull, so there can be no tricks.
So they proceed with the test. “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.” [verse 26] They called upon the name of their God for hours, without success. And the answer was deafening. Nothing. Not a sound. They worshipped a God who was silent.
Then Elijah does something which I am not sure is good. He makes fun of them. He says, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” [verse 27] Actually, when it says “he is busy”, the word here means “maybe he’s going to the bathroom.” We can laugh, but there really are people who think that God has his limitations, and might be too busy for them. So they go to great lengths to try to convince their “god” to hear them. “They cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. [verses 28-29] I like the phrase “no one paid attention.” If you make up a religion, you can have ceremonies and customs and traditions, but if they are not true, they are meaningless, because no one is listening.
So “Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” Elijah is not afraid for the people to see and hear the work of God. We read that he carefully “repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.” It was the altar of the Lord, and Elijah was determined to see it reestablished. We read in verse 31, “And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, ‘Israel shall be your name.’” Jacob had been named Israel, the one who struggles with God, but the people of Israel had betrayed their God, and Elijah was calling them back to faithfulness to their God. So we read that “he built an altar in the name of the LORD.” [verse 32] It is not Elijah’s altar, it is God’s, the Lord’s. He put wood on the altar and cut up the bull, but just to make it more difficult to light, Elijah said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.” [verses 33-34] Elijah did not want anyone to think that by some trick or sleight of hand he caused the fire to start, so we read in verse 35, “So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.” At this point, I say to myself, “Why make it so hard?” But our God is not the God of the difficult, he is the God of the impossible, the one who raises the dead to life, and so that the people might understand this, Elijah makes it “impossible” to pass the test.
But then, of course, he’s not trusting in himself. Elijah speaks to God and not the people, and says, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, 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. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” [verses 36 and 37] He does not claim to have any power in himself, nor asked to be personally vindicated, but that the people might know that the Lord is God.
So we read in verse 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.” God did not just send fire from heaven to set fire to the sacrifice. He sent fire from heaven, and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water itself, for our God is the God of the impossible.
Now of course, the people get all excited, and perhaps out of fear of God “they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” A lot of people, with great emotion, call upon the Lord in times of trouble, and say they will follow him, and these people have seen fire come from the Lord, so they proclaim their faith in the Lord. But, as we read later on, it’s just emotion. So it is with many people. They have a wonderful religious experience, perhaps even a fearful one, and for that day, they honor the Lord, and serve him. But it doesn’t last, because it is not based on trusting in God.
Elijah takes advantage of the opportunity this presents, and he says to the people, “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.” Some may think that this is a rather harsh punishment. But, truthfully, it is what we all deserve. These people, for selfish motives, had betrayed the God who loved them, and worse, had deceived the people, and in doing so, had led to their condemnation. So, it is truly a worthy punishment. No, it is not something we should do today, for God has not given us this authority. But we should take the sin of idolotry no less lightly. The prophets of Baal had earned their punishment manyfold, and even on that very day, Elijah had called upon them to serve the true God, but they failed to turn from their evil ways.
It had not rained for three years, and now God was going to send rain upon the land. We read in verse 41, “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
Truthfully, Elijah couldn’t see or hear the rain, but he knew it was coming, because God said it was. He sent his servant to look for it, but he didn’t see a cloud in the sky. He went again and again, seven times, until finally, he saw a small cloud way off in the distance. So Elijah says to his servant, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’” Elijah’s trust in the Lord is so great, that he does not doubt that the rain will come, in great abundance, before Ahab can get to the city, and so it does.
As exciting as this story is, we need to remember what happened. Oh, yes, the people cried out “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” But, that was temporary. Ahab had seen the hand of God the Lord, but it didn’t change his heart. The people had seen it, and yet, most of them still remained enemies of God. So it is today. Everyone sees the work of God in creation, and they explain away by their myth of evolution. Almost everyone has heard the story of Jesus, of his miraculous birth to the virgin Mary, of his sinless life, of his death, and of his resurrection. But what do they do with this information. Some people just ignore it, and suffer the consequences of paying for it upon their death. Others try to cover themselves by going to church, or calling themselves followers of Jesus Christ, but they try to serve both themselves and God, and so fail to commit their whole hearts to the Lord Christ Jesus. But the Lord says to us, through Elijah, ““How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” We must follow the Lord, with all our hearts, or suffer the same fate as the prophets of Baal. Now, if I have upset you with this sermon, good. Because my job is not to make you feel good about everything, or to think that everything is going to be O.K. Like Elijah, my job is to tell you what God says. It is my hope that you will listen to him, and “turn from idols to serve the living and true God.” [1 Thessalonians 1:9] Amen.
