1 Kings 18:17-40

1 Kings 18:17-40

[17] And it came to pass, when Ahab  saw  Elijah,  that Ahab  said  unto him, Art thou he that troubleth  Israel?  [18] And he answered,  I have not troubled  Israel;  but thou, and thy father's  house,  in that ye have forsaken  the commandments  of the LORD,  Baalim.  [19] Now therefore send,  and gather  to me all Israel  unto mount  Carmel,  and the prophets  of Baal  four  hundred  and fifty,  and the prophets  of the groves  four  hundred,  which eat  at Jezebel's  table.  [20] So Ahab  sent  unto all the children  of Israel,  the prophets  together  unto mount  Carmel.  [21] And Elijah  came  unto all the people,  and said,  How long  halt  ye between two  opinions?  if the LORD  be God,  follow him: but if Baal,  him. And the people  answered  him not a word.  [22] Then said  Elijah  unto the people,  I, even I only, remain  a prophet  of the LORD;  but Baal's  prophets  are four  hundred  and fifty  men.  [23] Let them therefore give  us two  bullocks;  and let them choose  one  bullock  for themselves, and cut it in pieces,  and lay  it on wood,  and put  no fire  under: and I will dress  the other  bullock,  and lay  it on wood,  and put  no fire  under: [24] And call  ye on the name  of your gods,  and I will call  on the name  of the LORD:  and the God  that answereth  by fire,  let him be God.  And all the people  answered  and said,  It is well  spoken.  [25] And Elijah  said  unto the prophets  of Baal,  Choose  you one  bullock  for yourselves, and dress  it first;  for ye are many;  and call  on the name  of your gods,  but put  no fire  under. [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. But there was no  voice,  nor any that answered.  And they leaped  upon the altar  which was made.  [27] And it came to pass at noon,  that Elijah  mocked  them, and said,  Cry  aloud:  for he is a god;  either he is talking,  or he is pursuing,  or he is in a journey,  or peradventure  he sleepeth,  and must be awaked.  [28] And they cried  aloud,  and cut  themselves after their manner  with knives  and lancets,  till the blood  gushed out  [29] And it came to pass, when midday  was past,  and they prophesied  until the time of the offering  of the evening sacrifice,  that there was neither voice,  nor any to answer,  nor any that regarded.  [30] And Elijah  said  unto all the people,  Come near  unto me. And all the people  came near  unto 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,  unto whom the word  of the LORD  came, saying,  Israel  shall be thy name:  [32] And with the stones  he built  an altar  in the name  of the LORD:  and he made  a trench  about  the altar,  as great as would contain  two measures  of seed.  [33] the wood  in order,  and cut  the bullock  in pieces, and laid  him on the wood,  [34] And he said,  Do it the second time.  And he said,  Do it the third time.  [35] And the water  round about  the altar;  and he filled  the trench  also 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 of Israel,  let it be known  this day  that thou art God  in Israel,  and that I am thy servant,  and that I have done  all these things at thy word.  [37] Hear  me, O LORD,  hear  me, that this people  may know  that thou art the LORD  God,  their heart  back  again.  [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.  [39] And when all the people  saw  it, they fell  on their faces:  and they said,  The LORD,  he is the God;  the LORD,  he is the God.  [40] And Elijah  said  unto them, Take  the prophets  of Baal;  let not one  of them escape.  And they took  them: and Elijah  brought them down  to the brook  Kishon,  and slew  them there.

What does 1 Kings 18:17-40 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Ahab had a problem of perception similar to Obadiah"s ( 1 Kings 18:17; cf. 1 Kings 18:7). The real source of Israel"s troubles was Ahab and Omri"s disregard of the Mosaic Covenant and their preference for idolatry ( Deuteronomy 6:5).
"This was a crime against the state worthy of death (like that of Achan, Joshua 6:18; Joshua 7:25; and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14:24-29)." [1]
Probably hundreds, if not thousands of people, gathered since Elijah summoned all Israel to Mount Carmel. Elijah probably chose this mountain, as God led him, because it stood between Israel and Phoenicia geographically, neutral ground between Yahweh"s land and Baal"s. Furthermore the Phoenicians regarded Carmel as a sacred dwelling place of Baal. Storms with lightning and thunder were common on Mount Carmel, and Baal worshippers viewed them as manifestations of their deity. The name "Carmel" means "the garden land," and it was famous for its fertility. In the minds of many, Baal had the advantage in this contest. Elijah ordered Ahab around ( 1 Kings 18:19), as was appropriate, since the prophet was the representative of the true King of Israel. Surprisingly Ahab obeyed. His weak will becomes even more obvious later in1Kings.
"To eat at the table of the king or queen was to be subsidized by the state (cf. 2 Samuel 9:9-11; 1 Kings 2:7). So aggressive is Jezebel that she promotes at state expense the worship of Baal and Asherah." [2]
Interestingly, this was a contest of prophets, not priests. The priests had less influence for Yahweh in Israel than the prophets. Apparently the prophets in Phoenicia were more powerful too. Perhaps God accepted Elijah"s offering, by a non-priest, because there were no faithful priests in the Northern Kingdom at this time (cf. Numbers 18; Deuteronomy 18). The Israelites had been straddling the spiritual fence just as Obadiah had ( 1 Kings 18:21).
"The issue is not that Israel wanted to reject Yahweh and choose Baal, but rather to serve them both. Elijah called for an either/or decision." [3]
"Here is the Martin Luther of old-time Israel, who singlehanded challenged the whole priesthood of the state religion, and all the people of the realm, to the decisive test on Mount Carmel." [2]0
Elijah realized that he was not the only prophet of Yahweh who remained in Israel ( 1 Kings 18:22; cf. 1 Kings 18:13), but in this situation the odds were one against450. There are several similarities between Judges 4 , 7,1Kings18. All three encounters with Israel"s enemies took place on the south side of the Jezreel Valley. The Kishon figured in both Barak and Elijah"s victories over the Canaanites. Gideon faced odds of450 to one as Elijah did, and both men experienced miraculous deliverances. In the future Israel"s enemies will again assemble against her in this valley at Armageddon. Then Jesus Christ will be the hero and will bring an even more spectacular victory to His chosen people (cf. Revelation 16:16; Revelation 19:11-21).
Elijah felt alone. His victory would require a supernatural act of God. The oxen as symbols of service may have represented the people of Israel (cf. Numbers 7:3). Elijah would sacrifice them as a burnt offering of worship ( 1 Kings 18:23). Which "people" would their respective deities accept, those the pagan priests symbolically offered to Baal or those Elijah offered to Yahweh? Aaron had previously conducted a similar test ( Leviticus 9). The deity who brought fire down would be the true God. By coming in fire, God illustrated His power to judge ( Leviticus 10:1-2).
Even though Baal worshippers thought the thunder represented Baal"s voice, they did not hear his voice on this occasion ( 1 Kings 18:26). This was not a rainmaking dance but a wild dance in worship of Baal. [5] Elijah did something that must have shocked everyone present: he mocked Baal. In the ancient East, even if a person did not worship an idol, he at least took its status as a god for granted. [6] However, Elijah refused to acknowledge that Baal was a god at all. He suggested that Baal might be "occupied" ( 1 Kings 18:27; lit. relieving himself). [7] His devotees also thought Baal accompanied the Phoenician sailors, so Elijah suggested he might be on a journey ( 1 Kings 18:27). All of these possibilities exposed Baal"s limited powers. Pagan worship has always proved destructive to humanity, as the priests" cutting themselves illustrated ( 1 Kings 18:28). For six hours the priests of Baal ranted and raved to no avail ( 1 Kings 18:29).
Yahweh"s altar at that site (one of the high places?) had fallen into disrepair ( 1 Kings 18:30). Elijah rebuilt it, as the Mosaic Covenant specified, with12uncut stones symbolic of Israel"s12tribes. There was still only one Lord, one covenant, and one nation with one destiny in the plans and purposes of God, even though the nation had split into two parts.
"As Moses built an altar at Sinai and set up twelve stones for the twelve tribes ( Exodus 24:4), and Joshua erected the twelve stones at Gilgal in the Gilgal covenant festival ( Joshua 4:3), so Elijah built an altar of twelve stones "according to the number of the tribes" of Israel ( 1 Kings 17 [8]:31)." [9]
The12pitchers of water ( 1 Kings 18:33-34) likewise represented Israel, probably as God"s instrument of refreshment to the world. Elijah may have obtained the water from a spring or perhaps from the Great (Mediterranean) Sea that is not far from some parts of Mount Carmel. The traditional site of this confrontation, however, is at the east end of the Carmel range of mountains, far from the sea.
Elijah prayed a simple prayer for God"s glory at3:00 p.m, the time of Israel"s sacrifice that illustrated its daily commitment to Yahweh ( 1 Kings 18:36-37). [2]5 Emphasizing the fact that Yahweh had been Israel"s God since patriarchal times, Elijah prayed that the Lord would reveal Himself as Israel"s God. He also asked that the people would perceive that He had accepted His servant Elijah"s offering that he had presented in harmony with God"s Law. The heart of the people needed turning back to God, and Elijah prayed for evidence of that as well ( 1 Kings 18:37).
God revealed Himself as He had earlier in Israel"s history ( Leviticus 10:1-2). He accepted the sacrifice of the nation symbolized by the12stones, the dust out of which He had created the people, and the12pitchers of water ( 1 Kings 18:38). The Israelites did turn back to God. They demonstrated their repentance with obedience to the Mosaic Law, and God"s prophet, by slaying the false prophets as the Law prescribed ( 1 Kings 18:40; cf. Exodus 22:20; Deuteronomy 13:1-18; Deuteronomy 17:2-7; Deuteronomy 18:20). The Kishon Wadi lay just north of Mount Carmel in the Jezreel Valley below.
Elijah"s actions on Mount Carmel were a strong polemic against Canaanite religion. [11]
"The contest on Carmel is not, as often billed, between Elijah and the prophets of Baal: it is between his Lord Yahweh himself and Lord Baal." [12]
". . . the whole chapter . . . is seen to have a single motive from beginning to end: the bringing of rain, that Yahweh"s supremacy may be established in Israel, not by a barren Pyrrhic victory through a supernatural fire-bolt, but by meeting the crying need of His people for water ..." [13]
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