Showdown on Mount Carmel

Context

If you have been with us for this series on the life and ministry of Elijah, you know that over the past few weeks we have seen the confrontation between Elijah and King Ahab unfold. We know from chapter 16 that Ahab did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him (v. 30). This evil was seen, in part, in the fact that he married Jezebel, who was a worshipper of Baal. Baal worship included various forms of debauchery and the horrific practice of child sacrifice. King Ahab adopted this as his religion and promoted the worship of Baal among the people of Israel. He built a temple for Baal. He built an altar in the temple of Baal.

As we moved into chapter 17, we are introduced to the prophet Elijah. God called him to confront King Ahab and pronounce judgement against him for his wickedness. Elijah prophesies to Ahab that there shall be neither dew nor rain in these years except by his (Elijah’s) word. Three years pass, and God directed Elijah to show himself to Ahab to inform him that rain will fall upon the earth again.

But before the rain would come, a showdown of sorts would take place. Elijah and Ahab would finally meet face to face again in 1 Kings 18:17. Elijah dorects Ahab to gather all Israel to Mt. Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Ashera. After the people assembled, we’re told in v. 21:

1 Kings 18:21 ESV

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.

As I believe Pastor Steve pointed out last week, Elijah was calling the people of Israel to get off the fence. And this exhortation was met with the people’s silence. It appears they wanted to remain on the fence, but Elijah had a plan that would expose what had already been made clear to God’s people. God, that is YAHWEH, is the only living and true God. There is no other. All other gods are false. They are not real. To drive this point home, Elijah proposes a showdown. The one prophet of YAHWEH against the 450 prophets of Baal. The God of Israel’s forefathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) against the god of Jezebel and now King Ahab.

So let’s continue with this confrontation, and consider this well-known showdown together.

1 Kings 18:22–40 ESV

Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 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 seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And 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. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water. And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

Introduction

John Calvin famously wrote, “man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.” To be sure, idolatry can show up in many forms in our lives. We can idolize connivence. We idolize comfort. We idolize our families. Our kids. We idolize physical pleasure, possessions, position, means, success of all kinds. Here’s something else that John Calvin wrote in his Institutes. This sentence occurs just a few sentences after that famous one describing the hearts of men as factories of idols.

Man’s mind, full as it is of pride and boldness, dares to imagine a god according to its own capacity; as it sluggishly plods, indeed is overwhelmed with the crassest ignorance, it conceives an unreality and an empty appearance as God. (Institutes 1:108)

Because of pride, people presume to craft a god according to their own ideals, desires, pleasures and priorities. People, in other words are inclined to idolatry. This has been the case since the fall of Adam and Eve. And while many of us in this room this morning profess faith in the one, true living God, that is we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, we contend with idolatry. There may be false gods in our lives, that we have created, that war for our allegiance.

FCF

We often have a misplaced confidence in false gods. We may depend on our children to behave a certain way and progress in life on a particular path in order to be at peace. We may require that we reach a standard of physical fitness… certain weight, certain waist line, dress size… to be content. Perhaps it’s control. Maybe we need to feel like we’re in control of the events of our lives to have solace. We need these things to be present in our lives in order to be a rest. Misplaced confidence in false gods.

But what this showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal makes clear is that we have hope. We can overcome our idolatrous inclinations. There is true contentment, true peace, true solace, true rest.

Main Idea

Only the fear of God will free us from our misplaced confidence in false gods.

Main Question

How does a fear of God provide freedom of confidence in false gods?

I ask this because this idolatrous people have a change of heart later on in our text:

1 Kings 18:39 ESV

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

They saw God for who He is. They fell on their faces before Him. They feared Him. They worshipped Him.

It makes the world smaller (22-24)

1 vs. 450

Elijah makes it clear that he is not just a prophet, but a prophet of the LORD (YAHWEH)

Elijah displays tremendous boldness here. Elijah feared the Lord. He partnered with people who feared the Lord like Obadiah.

And out of this fear of God came a confidence. Confidence, not in himself. Elijah would soon display his weakness. He’ll soon express to God that he’s had enough of this life and ask that God would put him out of his misery. But he had clarity on who God was and what God called him to do, and this because God granted a fear of Him to Elijah. This would be the promise from God to His people:

Jeremiah 32:40 (ESV)

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.

The more intimate our relationship with God, the deeper our understanding of Him as He revealed Himself in His word.... the greater our fear (reverence) of Him, the less the appeal of the world and the false gods we create will be.

So when it comes to standing up for Christ. Pointing people to Christ. Possessing joy in Christ that is evident to people around us, the odds are in our favor not because of numbers, but because God is for us. This is why Elijah didn’t hesitate to propose what he did to the 450 prophets of Baal.

And he took charge didn’t he. He set the terms of this challenge. He didn’t attempt to give himself an advantage. I imagine this was an intense moment for him, but he was certain that YAHWEH was the one true God and that Baal was a fake god.

At the end of v. 24, the people agree to the terms Elijah lays out: It is well spoken.

Before we move on, I should briefly describe this god that som much of Israel had begun to worship.

Baal was considered the storm god… also the sun god.

He was understood to bring rain, sustain crops and really all of life (animals, people)

The storm god was also thought of as the bringer of lightening, so it was probably the case that the prophets of Baal considered Elijah’s proposal an easy win.

misplaced confidence

Another way the fear of God provides freedom from confidence in false Gods is that

It exposes the foolishness of Idolatry (25-29)

Duration of the worship of the prophets of Baal

v. 26: from morning till noon (3 hrs)

v. 29: as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation (evening sacrifice just before sundown). Probably another 3 hours.

Let’s consider the foolishness of idolatry or of confidence in false gods

Futility (25-26)

They took the bull, as Elijah directed them to do, prepared it and then called upon Baal to respond.

Consider what it meant to prepare the bull

Leviticus 1:4–9 ESV

He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. And Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Now I realize that the prophets of Baal were not concerned about adhering to God’s instruction, even when it came to preparing animals for sacrifices… But they prepared the bull somehow. And what we see in Lev. 1 would have been familiar to the people of Israel. A great deal of effort. This took time.

They sacrificed the bull to please a god that does not exist, to gain a benefit for themselves that would never come because their god does not exist.

Their confidence in Baal lead to a life of futility

Absurdity (27)

So here it is everyone. If you ever wondered if sarcasm is in the Bible, here it is.

Elijah begins to mock the prophets and Baal.

We have to be careful with sarcasm, but Elijah is pointing out the foolishness of the prophets’ actions by using sarcasm.

This also, perhaps would have had an impact on all those who had gathered around to witness this contest. They would see that Baal was no god at all.

And what Elijah is doing here is displaying confidence in the one true God. Baal is no threat. This is not actually a contest. It was over before it began. You want to know what God was doing when all this was taking place?

Psalm 2:4 ESV

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

God laughs. He laughs because it is absurd to think that there is anything or anyone that poses a challenge to Him.

Perhaps we need to dwell on the absurdity of what we consider a threat. Perhaps we need to preach to ourselves that if God be for us who can be against us?

Be encouraged Christian. Be bold child of God. There is no threat to God. There is no threat to His rule. We are never in danger from being separated from the love God has for us in Christ Jesus.

Destructive (28-29)

In response to Elijah’s mocking, the prophets double down.

1 Kings 18:28 ESV

And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.

They cried aloud and mutilated themselves. It became not only a pathetic scene, but a gruesome one.

But here’s the saddest part of all this. second half of verse 29

1 Kings 18:29 (ESV)

but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

Just as the evening sacrifice was to be, the prophets of Baal, for all their efforts, energy and self-mutilation, heard nothing from their god.

Idols can be very appealing… very alluring. But as we place our confidence in them, as we hope in them, as we appeal to them for peace and relief from this burdened world, we do not hear their voice. No one answers. No one pays attention.

Perhaps you don’t recognize Christ as the one, true living God. Perhaps you don’t consider yourself a worshipper at all. But we all trust in something or someone.... even if it’s ourselves. There is a voice that does answer. The voice that spoke the universe into existence is the voice that answers the pleas of repentant sinners for forgiveness. For life. Oh friend, I urge you to dispense with this foolishness. Repent and believe in Jesus.

Confidence in false gods is foolish… only a fear of the the true God makes that clear.

We’re talking about gaining freedom from confidence in false gods

It defines the faith of God’s servants (30-37)

What does true faith impact?

The pattern of our worship (30-33a)

In verse 30, Elijah repairs the altar of the Lord. In reality, Mosaic law makes clear that there was only 1 altar upon which sacrifices could be made. This altar on Mt. Carmel is a reminder of how far the people of God had fallen from Him. But Elijah did not approach this haphazardly. The fact that this was a deity duel did not cause him to loose sight of the fact that he was about to worship God. So repairing the altar was part of this. His fear of God at work.

The he took 12 stones in v. 31. We are told these 12 stones are according to the number of tribes in Israel to whom the word of the Lord came saying, Israel shall be your name.

How many tribes of Israel were represented in that crowd? 10. The two tribes of Judah were not there.

What’s the significance here. Elijah was recognizing the people of God from God’s perspective. He ignored their division. This, in-and-of-itself was a display of faith. Despite the division among God’s people, Elijah trusted that God would restore His people to Himself.

I don’t think its too far of a jump to urge us all to dwell on the importance of unity in the church. For us to have unity, we mus see ourselves - the people of God - from God’s perspective.

We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession (1 Pet. 2:9). We belong to God. This fact is the substance of our unity. So church, let’s strive to see ourselves through the lense of our Creator.

Elijah put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces and laid the bull on the wood. All according to God’s pattern of worship.

true faith leads to true worship

true faith also strengthens

The resilience of our conviction that God’s word is true (33b-35)

In other words, Elijah was confident in the promises of God. He knew that God wold honor His word.

He also had a concern that there would be no room for doubt among this rebellious people. They had come near. They could see with their own eyes. No trickery. No efforts to manipulate.

Elijah’s conviction that the word of God is true was not based upon the amount of water used or the reasonableness of the people who were looking on or in himself. It was in God.

true faith also

Shapes our prayer life (36-37)

Elijah appeals to God as the God who keeps His promises. The God who honors His covenant He made with His people. This is what we are meant to understand from Elijah addressing God as the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Israel.

Elijah prayer is comprised of several petitions (36)

let it be known this day that you are God in Israel

that I am your servant

that I have done all these things at your word

all of these petitions display a concern that God be recognized for who He is and that the people would gain this understanding. A desire for God to be glorified and for the mercy of God to be shown to the people by giving them understanding of the truth.

And Elijah is recognizing that only God can do this. He cannot pull this off through soaking an altar with water. By enduring hours of non-sensical displays of seeking a false god. God and only God can intervene in this way. Only God can reveal Himself to people. This is Elijah’s prayer.

But the petitions continue (37)

answer me, O Lord, answer me

desperation here. Urgency here. Why? What is Elijah concern? Continue in v. 37

that this people may know you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back

This is Elijah’s concern for this people. He hasn’t given up on them. I have to admit, this people seems so far gone. Worshipping a god that demands child sacrifice? That calls for expressions of worship through sexually illicit activity? Whose prophets mutilate themselves as they cry out to him?

But Elijah pleads with God that God would reveal Himself to them. That he would transform their minds so that they would seem Him as the one true living God. And that they would also know that it was God who did this work of transformation in them. Not Elijah. that you have turned their hearts back.

You and I need to recognize God this way. He does this work. We pray to this end. We plead His promises to Him.

Tonight we have a prayer meeting at 6. I e courage you to come if you can. We will spend some time praying this way. That God wold intervene in the lives of people we know that need to see God as their God.

Main Idea

Only the fear of God will free us from our misplaced confidence in false gods.

Main Question

How does a fear of God provide freedom of confidence in false gods?

it makes the world smaller

it exposes the foolishness of idolatry

it defines the faith of God’s servants

and finally

It recognizes the connection between the fearsomeness and mercy of God (38-40)

what is this connection?

So here’s the climax of the contest. Elijah prayed and God responded. I’m sure we’re all finding it had to imagine what this sight would have been like. Fire from heaven consuming a sacrifice and the altar. Amazing. But the climax is not in that alone. It’s not the fire coming from heaven, consuming a wet sacrifice, on a wet altar which is in the middle of a trench filled with water.

It’s what the fire points to. It’s the significance of the sacrifice. This is where we find the climax. So let’s look at this connection between the mercy and fearsomeness of God.

Frightful mercy

Fire in the OT

represented the presence of God

Exodus 3:2 ESV

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.

Exodus 13:21 ESV

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

So part of what is made clear here is that the God to whom Elijah was praying is the same God of their forefathers, and He just as He was present with them (forefathers), He was present with them.

But fire is also a sign of God’s judgement against the ungodly. We see this in several places in Scripture.

Leviticus 10:1–2 ESV

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

2 Peter 3:7 ESV

But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

God was there, but atonement needed to be made. God’s judgement would come in the form of fire. His wrath would be poured. The prophets of Baal deserved God’s wrath. The people who worshipped Baal and rejected their God deserved God’s wrath. Where is the hope? The sacrifice.

Something that A.W. Pink said in his commentary I found helpful:

There can be no reconciliation between a holy God and sinners save on the ground of atonement, and there can be no atonement or remission of sins except by the shedding of blood

The people of Israel had sinned. You and I have sinned. The sobering words of Paul in Ephesians 2 is important to help us understand the gravity of our need:

Ephesians 2:3 ESV

among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

By nature we are children of wrath.

So the fire of God’s wrath is coming as 2 Peter 3 makes clear. It will be poured out upon those who reject God. But remember the sacrifice.

Elijah offered a bull and the bull received the fire. The judgement. The wrath. This is what the people deserved, but the bull was their substitute. The bulls blood was shed, and it was shed in recognition that atonement was needed.

The bull was a temporary sacrifice. Many of us are familiar with what the author of Hebrews wrote:

Hebrews 10:4–10 ESV

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

In this magnificent display of God’s power, justice and mercy, the people responded in faith… v. 39

1 Kings 18:39 ESV

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

The mercy of God and the fearsomeness of God on display here. That such a rebellious people would now say the Lord, He is God is mercy. That God’s wrath was appeased through a substitute sacrifice is mercy. That God’s wrath was poured out is such a graphic way and that the atonement required the shedding of blood displays some of the fearsomeness of God.

Sometimes the question comes up, why did Jesus have to die in order for our sins to be forgiven?. Why couldn ‘t God just forgive sins?

Romans 3:25–26 ESV

whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The righteousness of God is precious. It is priceless. And when it is treated with contempt. When people fail to recognize its value… the only demand that comes close to reflecting how grievous this infraction is, is the demand of blood.

After all this took place, and the people of Israel fell on their faces and worshipped God, Elijah wanted it to be known that the righteousness of God must be treated with reverence and fear.

1 Kings 18:40 ESV

And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

Conclusion