Part 17) Mount Carmel

1 Kings 18:19-46

Now is the time, what God has been preparing Elijah for, why He stopped the rain and brought the drought. It was the time to reveal once and for all who the true god is. To show that Baal is powerless and Yahweh is all powerful. To show that location didn’t matter and the number of worshippers didn’t matter. That Yahweh is all powerful in any circumstance and any situation.

Elijah calls everyone to Mt. Carmel. This is the perfect place to have a showdown. Mt. Carmel marked the northern boundary of Israel and the southern most reaches of Phoenicia, where Baal worship and Jezebel was from. It was also the highest point in the region making it a desirable place to worship. This mountain looks down on the most contested piece of real estate in history. At the base of the mountain is a mountain pass which the ancient highway ran through onto a plain in the Jezreel valley. Here Deborah, Joshua, David, Solomon, Josiah, the Philistines, the pharaohs of Egypt, the kings of Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, Alexander the Great, the Roman legions, the armies of Islam, the Crusaders, Napoleon, the Turks, the British, and the Israelis have all fought over control of this strategic highway through the plain of Jezreel. This is the same plain that hosts the mountain of Megiddo; rendered in Greek as Armageddon. This battle with Elijah and the prophets of Baal where God intervene’s to prove that He is the one true God could almost be seen as a prelude to a battle still yet to come where the God of heaven’s armies will once again intervene to rid the world of idol worship and evil.

Once everyone was gathered on the mountain. It was time for the battle to begin. First in v.21 Elijah gave the people an ultimatum. One that their ancestors had heard before from Joshua. “Choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15).” Yahweh does not share credit with Baal or any other “god.” Either serve only Yahweh or don’t serve Him at all. Just as Jesus would teach later, “No one can serve two masters (Matt 6:24).” After the ultimatum Elijah explains the game…the living god will answer by fire. Remember it hasn’t rained in 3 and a half years, Baal is the god of the storm often depicted with a lightning bolt in his hand. It should be very easy for him to send lightning and ignite the sacrifice. Like wise Yahweh used fire as a sign of His presence. Exodus 19:18 He descends on Mount Sinai in fire. Exodus 3:2, He speaks to Moses out of a burning bush. Leviticus 9:24 He consumes a offering with fire in front of Moses and Aaron. Whichever god is the living one, is fully capable of starting the fire.

Elijah, one prophet against 850 had the disadvantage, in human terms. He gave the false prophets of Baal a head start by hours, clearly not concerned knowing Baal was false and couldn’t answer. At the time of the offering of the oblation which was around 3 p.m. Elijah goes and repairs the alter, because the alter to Yahweh had been torn down so He wouldn’t be worshiped. After the alter had be built, the bull laid out and enough water poured onto the sacrifice to saturate it, the alter and fill the trench around the alter with around 2 1/2 gallons of water. Elijah prayed a simple prayer (v.37) asking that God would answer him so that they would know He is God, and that He has turned their hearts back. With this, God answers with fire. The sign that He hears His people. The sign that He is turning their hearts back. The showdown on mount Carmel wasn’t as much about the defeat of Baal as it was about the reclaiming of Israel. God did defeat Baal, but He did it to draw His people back.

It may seem harsh that afterward all of the false prophets were taken down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered there. We need to remember that in Deuteronomy 13:1-5 if there is a false prophet, Israel was called to put them to death. In Deuteronomy 13:13-18 and 17:2-7 if there are people who try to lead them into idolatry they were to be put to death. God hates idolatry, Israels greatest enemy was’t waiting to attack them on the outside of the walls but was their idolatry and God wanted them to get rid of any hint of it.

Why was Mount Carmel significant for this showdown to occur?

Time and time again God shows how much He despises Idol worship. Idols like Baal were idols that were looked to for provision. What are the idols that we can tend to look to for provision?

God makes it clear that He shares credit with no one. How does the handicap that Elijah gives demonstrate that all honor belongs to God?

How does the alter to Yahweh show the truth that Jesus spoke in Matthew 6:24?

Why would Elijah choose to use fire as the sign of the living God?

What does v.37 show us about the grace and love of God?

v.40 seems to be a very brutal part of the narrative. When we look at this what do we learn about the holiness of God?

What should this encourage us to do about the idols in our lives?