1 Kings 18

Beginning

When trials arise from God

There must be a show of who God truly is and His power.

God will make it known who He is.

Dryness of the Land

Apart from God, We cannot do anything.

God will dry up the land apart from Him. We are helpless apart from Him.

Ahab

Cannot find Elijah - He cannot find water & grass for his livestock

He is wandering aimlessly throughout the land

Obadiah:

Servant of Elijah, but Ahab was his master

Cannot serve two masters (indicative of the people)

vs 16 - 18: The problem lies in himself and not in the other person

Mount Carmel is almost 1800 feet high and is 17 miles northwest of Jezreel

Is a mountain range 4 by 5 miles wide and long

The Jezreel Valley is one of the most fertile valley on earth.

Is a holy site for the Bahai Faith. Where there is a shrine and worldwide administrative offices for the religion.

Is said to be where Baal resided.

Renewed excavations began in the summer of 2012 under the new directorship of Dr. Norma Franklin of the University of Haifa Zinman Institute of Archaeology, and Dr. Jennie Ebeling of the University of Evansville.[11] The excavations uncovered a casemate wall and four projecting towers surrounding the fortress, built with a combination of well-cut ashlars, boulders and smaller stones, and an upper level of mud-brick. The fortress enclosed an area of almost 11 acres (45,000 m2). It was 860' long and 470' wide, and defended by a steep slope to the north and a moat 20' deep and rampart on the other three sides.

Obadiah fear God

Fear of God - to reverend, Is to realize God’s power, righteousness, and holiness of God. They then follow Him.

Proverbs 9:10 CSB

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

vs 19-21 - Halt

1 Kings 18:19–21 CSB

Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

Word Waver gives the sense of hoping from one foot to the other. or shifting on two legs

James 1:7–8 CSB

That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.

James 1:8 CSB

being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.

1 Kings 18:25 CSB

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”

The Baal profits “commotion”

Commotion plus emotion is a sign of a lack of devotion. Have you noticed that those who are loudest about their devotion to God seem to be the most unstable.

Dont let the energy of doing replace the solitude of faith and prayer.

Repair the altar as you seek the Lord’s blessing.

There was no water in the land, they would have had to go to the mediteranean sea to get this, over 4 miles away.

Would he have begun this early in the day to be ready? 12 barrels of water

It would have been salt water

Salt was needed for the sacrifice

Flesh deteriorates and sacrifices are no different

Mark 9:49 CSB

For everyone will be salted with fire.

Salt was needed as a preservative and a purifying power.

Mark 9:49–50 CSB

For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Leviticus 2:13 CSB

You are to season each of your grain offerings with salt; you must not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant with your God. You are to present salt with each of your offerings.

Numbers 18:19 CSB

“I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the Lord as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt before the Lord for you as well as your offspring.”

Numbers 18:

We are the salt of the earth, the preservative.

Public prayer was short (evening sacrifice)

Private prayer was longer and another story.