The Showdown at Mount Carmel

They have ears but cannot hear;

indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. (Ps 135:15-17)

It reminds me of the cell phone commercial, “Can you hear me now?” In this case they never had a connection in the first place. Baal was not on the line because he doesn’t exist! They were like kids playing with a banana pretending it’s a phone. Folly.

Not only did they call on Baal to no avail, but also they cried out from “morning until noon” (v. 26). Let us be reminded that a long worship service doesn’t necessarily imply a powerful worship service. These prophets went on for hours but were wasting their breath and their time. The same is true for prayer. A long prayer doesn’t mean a better prayer, especially if you are praying to the wrong god! You can pray nine times a day facing any direction you want, be dressed with religious garb, and have incense and candles and more, but if you aren’t praying to the God of Elijah, you are engaging in spiritual futility.

Second, they danced, but they were only burning calories. The writer says, “They danced, hobbling around the altar they had made” (v. 26). While dancing and celebration are fitting in response to the grace of Jesus, the type of cultic ritual going on here is once again empty. Leaping around this altar may have provided an entertaining show, but it accomplished nothing spiritually.

Elijah responds to their lengthy prayers and ritual dances with some holy sarcasm. He mocks them in order to draw attention to the folly of following Baal. He wants everyone to know that Yahweh has no rivals. So he says, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!” (v. 27). In pagan mythology gods actually performed many human activities, so Elijah uses such silliness to show the vanity of their religion. He says, maybe your “god” had to wander to the restroom! Maybe he went on a journey. Elijah was actually referring to common beliefs. Some believed Baal made journeys, went to sleep, and performed other human activities, including dying. One ancient document says his sister could not find him one day because he had gone hunting (Davis, 1 Kings, 236)! The prophetic sarcasm is meant to expose the uselessness of Baal worship.

Elijah’s sarcasm draws attention to the opposite of these remarks. Yahweh “is God.” Yahweh never sleeps (Ps 121:3-4). He needs no air or food, and He is never “away.” God’s people can always reach their Father. Elijah exposes Baal’s impotence by allowing them to go first and attempt to get an answer from Baal. Soon, Elijah will display the omnipotence of Yahweh.

Third, they cut themselves and raved, but their frenzy produced no fire. The prophets “cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them” (v. 28). Then he adds, “They kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice” (v. 29). House states, “Baalists cut themselves and practice frenzied prophesying, not unlike self-hypnosis” (1, 2 Kings, 220).

Here’s an illustration of some common activities in false religions. Some religions engage in activities that bring bodily harm. They may slap themselves with whips while walking through the streets, cut their flesh during a ritual, or abstain from certain pleasures, adopting an ascetic lifestyle. All of these actions are intended to get their god’s attention and rid themselves of guilt and shame. It was useless for these worshipers, and it’s still useless. Masochism has no place in Christian worship.

While many Americans are more civil than this, the thought is present. People still try to perform religious activities to merit God’s approval and blessing. They want to do something to absolve the guilt. Praise God, we don’t have to cut ourselves, beat ourselves, or deny ourselves food and drink and marriage in order to get God’s attention. Blood has already been spilled: Jesus’ blood. His blood and His activity alone allow us to come into God’s presence. By His work, not our work, we’re able to commune with God and be free from condemnation. That news should make you dance and sing and pray!

Regarding “raving,” the Baalists remind us that we don’t need to “check our brains at the door” in worship. While emotion definitely is important in worship, mindless emotionalism isn’t part of true Christian worship. We bring our minds with us when we become Christians. True worship involves mind and heart, “light and heat.” We must respond to God’s revealed truth in worship. We must be earnest, but we don’t need to be frantic, and we must not substitute actions for spiritual life.

Clearly in these four short verses we see the emptiness of false religion. In contrast to this emptiness, in the verses that follow we will see the power of the living God.

The Power of the Living God (vv. 30-46)

In this section we find Elijah, “a man like us,” teaching us about our “prayer-answering God.”

Elijah’s preparation (vv. 30-35). Now it’s Elijah’s turn. He calls all the people to him. He then repairs the altar, which actually signified Israel’s spiritual condition (vv. 30-32). He built the altar properly (cf. Exod 20:25; Lev 1:6-8) with 12 stones. He was reminding them of the faith of their fathers and saying he isn’t proposing something new. Elijah was calling them to return in repentance to the covenant God. He then prepared the altar with the wood and the bull.

Then Elijah shocks everyone. Three times he has them pour four jars of water on the offering and on the wood. It was enough water that it “ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water” (v. 35). Elijah wants everyone to know for sure that what is about to happen can only be explained by the power of God. He wants them to know that this handicap is no problem to the living God.

Elijah’s petition (vv. 36-37). Elijah prays that God would burn the wet wood and the sacrifice. In contrast to the lengthy prayers of Baal’s prophets, consider how short Elijah’s prayer is! Take out your watch, and time it. Ready? Here it is:

Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.

It takes less than 30 seconds! The prophets of Baal had ranted and raved from morning to noon. Here is another lesson from the “mighty master of the art of prayer.” Prayer isn’t about the length, volume, or eloquence. It’s about praying to the right God with sincerity.

Later the greater Prophet-Mediator, Jesus, teaches us the same truth about prayer:

When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. (Matt 6:7-8)

Jesus goes on to describe in the model prayer how one might pray God-centered, comprehensive prayers to the Father.

The differences in Elijah’s prayer and those of the false prophets are obvious. “Baal’s boys” had home-field advantage, but that didn’t matter, for God isn’t bound to a place. They prayed longer prayers, but that was of no consequence either. God responded instead to a 30-second, heartfelt prayer. They “worked themselves into a feverish pitch in a cacophony of noise and a trail of blood” (House, 1, 2 Kings, 237), but God was not impressed by this bedlam. You cannot manipulate God with gimmicks. He was drawn instead to the humble, heartfelt prayer of Elijah. Don’t buy into the practices of Baal’s boys. Believe that God really does hear the prayers of His children when they pray in sincere faith.

Let me summarize some application points from Elijah’s prayer. First, have a relationship with the living God. Elijah prays to the God of the covenant, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel/Jacob. God had a relationship with these individuals. He called Abraham “God’s friend” (Jas 2:23). We can call on God and even call him “Father” (Mark 14:36) if we know Him by grace through faith in Christ. If you have a relationship with the Father, you can be sure He hears you.

Second, seek the Glory of God. Elijah’s prayer is blatantly God centered. He wants people to recognize the glory of God. Pray like this! Jesus taught us this type of praying in the model prayer, saying, “Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10). Before He taught us to pray for things like bread, holiness, and forgiveness, He taught us to long for God’s name to be glorified and God’s kingdom to cover the earth. Are you praying for God’s glory to be made known?

Third, pray for rebels to turn to God. Elijah prayed that God would turn the people’s hearts back to the living God. He prayed that they would know truth (that “I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things,” v. 36), and respond to it with repentance and faith. Are you praying for conversions? C. S. Lewis said,

I have two lists of names in my prayers, those for whose conversions I pray and those for whose conversions I give thanks. The little trickle of transferences from List A to List B is a great comfort. (Collected Letters, 2:948, quoted in Ryken, 1 Kings 513)

Let us pray for God to turn idol worshipers into Christ worshipers (1 Thess 1:9-10).

Elijah’s brief, God-centered prayer stands in great contrast to the empty prayers of Baal’s boys. Let us follow Elijah’s example.

God’s power and grace (vv. 38-40). In verse 38 we read of how God answered Elijah’s prayer: “Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench” (v. 38). The fire fell. Despite the soggy wood, God consumed everything. It was no problem for the God who is “a consuming fire” (Deut 4:24; Heb 12:29). God can light wet wood!

Previously in Israel’s history, God sent fire at the inauguration of the tabernacle worship (Lev 9:24). It signified Yahweh’s acceptance of the sacrificial system. Later, David sacrificed as ordered by God at Ornan’s threshing floor, and Yahweh answered with fire, signifying His acceptance of the offering (1 Chr 21:26). David then said that this particular spot would be the place for the future temple (1 Chr 22:1). Finally, when Solomon completed and dedicated the temple, fire again fell, showing God’s acceptance of their worship.

Here in our story, the fire from heaven is a sure sign that God accepted Elijah’s sacrifice. God proved to everyone that He alone answers prayer, and He must be approached in a particular way. Yahweh provided a way for the people to approach Him, but the people abandoned “the old rugged altar” (Davis, 1 Kings, 240). Therefore, this story shows us not only God’s power in answering prayer but also God’s grace for inviting us to approach Him through blood. Praise God, today we get to approach Him through a better means, through the “old rugged cross,” by the perfect sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. God reconciles sinful rebels to Himself, forgives their sin, and invites them to call on Him by the blood of Jesus. Let’s never stop thanking God for the cross.

In verse 39 we read of the proper response to God’s power and grace: “When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, ‘Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!’” True worship isn’t about doing religious aerobics and slicing an artery; it looks more like this: prostration. The people bow before this awesome God, confessing their belief in Him. To be clear, many postures are appropriate for worship, but this is certainly an appropriate posture for those in awe of God.

Those who limp between two opinions never fall on their knees in humble adoration of Yahweh. Uncertainty will never lead you to deep intimacy. Divided affections will never lead you into devoted worship to God. Who is God? If Yahweh is God, then worship Him.

Based on the next action, it seems that Israel finally decided they would follow Yahweh. Their action seems severe to some readers. Then Elijah ordered them,

“Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let even one of them escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon and slaughtered them there. (v. 40)

Some think Elijah acted wrongly here. Was this an act of vicious revenge? No. The reason we don’t understand it is because we forget that Israel was a theocracy. Elijah was calling the people to act in accordance with Deuteronomy 13:12-15. God said that if someone led Israel into idolatry, then that person should be put to death with the sword. Don’t forget how seriously God took idolatry. It was the great danger to Israel. God was preserving Israel, through whom God would ultimately bring forth the Messiah. When you understand this, then you can see how this judgment on the false prophets was actually an act of God’s love for the world that shows us both the severity and grace of God. Because God wouldn’t allow idolatry to persist, Messiah came, and we who are believers will be raised from the dead.

The church today is not a theocracy, and God doesn’t call us to kill others who worship false gods. Instead, we are called to put to death idolatry in our own hearts. Don’t waver between two opinions! “Put to death the deeds of the body,” Paul says (Rom 8:13). Don’t allow functional saviors to rule your heart—money, success, pleasure, peer approval, beauty, politics, control, or sex. These counterfeit gods cannot satisfy your heart, and they cannot answer prayer. Let your heart say, “Yahweh, He is God!” in humble, heartfelt adoration, and live your life out of the overflow of that confession.

True and vibrant worship is possible because there was another showdown on another hillside. Jesus Christ crushed the enemies—Satan, sin, and death—through His cross and resurrection. He was the ultimate Prophet, Mediator, and Victor, showing us once and for all who the real God is. We marvel at Elijah and learn from his prayer and faith, but we realize that what save us and sustain us are the power and grace of Jesus. One greater than Elijah has come.

God’s provision and grace (vv. 41-46). Following the fire, God graciously provides the rain. Elijah tells Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm.” This command to go up and eat is probably an exhortation to celebrate the passing of the drought. Elijah confidently expects the rain to fall. Then Ahab actually does something positive when he listens to Elijah and “went to eat and drink.”

Prior to reading of the ensuing rain, we find Elijah praying again. He gets alone on the mountain and bows down. What was Elijah doing on his knees? The posture suggests intense prayer. Remember when James said Elijah prayed that first it would not rain, and then he prayed that it would rain (Jas 5:17-18). Here we seem to find the second part of that verse: Elijah praying for God to end the drought with rain. We’re reminded that Elijah wasn’t a superhero or a magician; he was a helpless man like us, who desperately sought the living God.

Elijah prayed in line with the living God’s promises, for God promised to send rain on the earth (see the specific promise in 18:1 and a general promise in 8:35-36). Elijah realized that God’s promises are invitations to prayer (see the previous section). Elijah could hear the rain: “Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a rainstorm’” (v. 41), but he didn’t stop praying until the promise was fulfilled.

God still works through the prayers of His people. And He invites us to pray according to His Word, for He delights to answer such prayers (John 15:7). However, God doesn’t always act immediately when we pray. Elijah’s prayer for fire was answered immediately, but his prayer for rain required persistent prayer. Elijah told his servant to go look for the rain seven times, until a cloud was visible. Then the heavens grew black, and a “downpour” came on the earth. Ahab went down to Jezreel as Elijah had ordered, which seemed like a step in the right direction for this wicked king.

God sends the fire, bringing people to faith in Him, and now God sends the rain, providing food and drink. God alone stands as Creator and Redeemer. Stop and thank Him for His amazing provisions of grace.

Verse 46 reminds us of the secret to Elijah’s ministry: “The power of the Lord was on Elijah.” This phrase also describes God’s rescuing Israel from the clutches of Egypt (Deut 4:34; 5:15; Ps 136:12) and Ezekiel’s being transported from place to place (Ezek 3:22; 33:22; 37:1). While recognizing that there are differences between us and these prophets, my heart still longs for God’s hand on my life. We need His grace and favor as we labor!

Elijah was a man of great passion, power, and faith-filled prayer, but verse 46 also illustrates his humility. Elijah “tucked his mantle under his belt and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” What should we make of this verse? It seems strange to the modern reader, though we find it interesting that Elijah was the Vince Coleman of the prophets (super fast)! He runs some 17 miles to Jezreel out in front of Ahab’s chariot. Why? Ralph Davis puts it this way:

We should consider Elijah and Ahab here primarily in terms of their respective offices, i.e., as prophet and king. . . . The fact that Elijah runs before Ahab suggests that Yahweh’s prophet may be a servant rather than an opponent to the king. The kings and the prophet could work together in ongoing reform. . . . The king could have the prophet as his willing servant instead of his glowering adversary. (1 Kings, 250)

Ryken agrees, saying that Elijah ran ahead of the king to “identify himself as one of Ahab’s servants . . . one of the king’s footmen, or heralds” (1 Kings, 518). Such a practice was common. Near Eastern kings had heralds go before them to announce their approach (Esth 6:11; 2 Sam 15:1; 1 Kgs 1:5). Elijah’s joining of the royal escort demonstrates remarkable humility. He submitted to the authority of the king by going before him.

But such an act of humility on Elijah’s part was also an invitation to king Ahab. Would Ahab submit to God’s word? Would he repent and lead the nation back to repentance? It seems Elijah thought the king and the people were turning their hearts back (v. 37), but his hopes were soon crushed (see ch. 19). Nevertheless, one stands amazed at God’s grace to Ahab. God still hasn’t destroyed him but has instead given him a gospel opportunity. Davis says, “Ahab has an offer of grace in his hand, but his feet will soon stand in the devil’s bedroom” (1 Kings, 252).

A Mighty Master of the Art of Prayer

Before concluding, let’s collect some application from this prayer warrior, Elijah. We have already noted some from his “fire prayer.” We need to (1) have a relationship with the living God, (2) seek the glory of God, and (3) pray for rebels to turn to God. Now, in verses 41-46, we may add the need to (4) get alone with God, (5) pray with the promises of God, and (6) keep on asking to receive from God.

Elijah gets alone on Mount Carmel with no one except his servant. When he prayed for the fire to fall, he prayed in the presence of many others, but here Elijah illustrates for us Jesus’ words: “When you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt 6:6). Do you have a place where you can get alone with the Father and cry out to him?

His specific prayer for rain once again is tied to the promise of God. Fill your prayers with Scripture as you ask God to meet specific needs.

Finally, he persists in prayer until the rain falls, reminding us of Jesus’ words, “Keep asking” (Matt 7:7-10). Pray persistently! Paul says to pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17). Don’t stop praying for your lost friend or family member. Don’t stop praying for the fire of revival to fall on your city. Don’t stop praying for God to grant you wisdom, boldness, and faith. Sometimes God answers immediately, but often we must persist in prayer until we see the clouds forming.

How this chapter should encourage our souls! God answers prayer! We see the living God responding to the prayers of His people throughout the Bible until the very end. In Revelation we see a final example of this “promise-prayer” dynamic. Jesus makes this promise: “Yes, I am coming quickly.” And then John writes the following prayer based on that promise: “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20; emphasis added).

John then concludes with a final note, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen” (Rev 22:21). Yes! May the One greater than Elijah come quickly, and may He give us grace to live faithfully until we see this promise fulfilled.

Reflect and Discuss