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The Book of 1 Kings is replete with kings who ruled over Israel after King Solomon, son of King David. David’s son. The Book notes the kings who did good in the sight of the Lord and those who did evil. One of the kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord, at first anyway, was Ahab. In fact, 1 Kings 16:30 tells us that Ahab did more evil in the sight of the Lord than those who reigned before him. That is hardly a blessed achievement!
Part of the problem may have been that Ahab allowed himself to be henpecked by his wife Jezebel who according to Verse 31 worshiped Baal instead of God, so Ahab follows suit. Seems that even in those days, the people would allow someone to rule over them, who doesn’t answer to God’s calling!
Anyway, Jezebel kills many who were prophets of the Lord, as told in 1 Kings 18:4. And Obadiah takes the remaining prophets of the Lord and hides them, so they don’t meet the same fate. A few passages later, in Verse 18, an issue arises as to which god is stronger...is it Baal, whom Ahab worships, or is it God? Elijah the prophet tells Ahab to bring all the people of Israel and the 450 prophets of Baal to Mt. Carmel.
We find in verses 21-24 that a contest is to take place between God and Baal. Elijah says to all the people of Israel, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions [as to which god to follow]? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him... 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.”
So, the Baal worshippers in among the verses that follow spend the day calling on Baal to put a fire to their bull, but they got no response. They then went so far as to cut themselves to draw Baal’s attention, but they still got no response.
Then in Verses 36-38 it becomes Elijah’s turn to show the power of the one true God. What does he do? He just says a prayer to god as follows: , “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.” In Verse 38 “...the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the [bull that Elijah laid out],” along with “the wood and the stones and the dust...” The people of Israel who worshipped Baal see what took place and they humble themselves before God. And the prophets of Baal were seized and slaughtered.
Apparently, King Ahab wasn’t humbled by the event since after all this happens, Elijah tells him in 1 Kings 21:21-22, “Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin.” Safe to say that God told Elijah what to tell Ahab.
But Ahab repents in Verse 27 after hearing this, and God in verses 28-29 relents from the disaster that would fall on Ahab and says to Elijah that such disaster will not happen. And apparently, unlike Jonah who feels sorry for himself for telling the Ninevens that God will destroy them, only to see that God changes his mind, Elijah apparently takes God’s reversal in stride.
In any event, in the contest between God and Baal as to who would burn the offerings, the outcome as you can see is God 1, Baal 0.
Part of the problem may have been that Ahab allowed himself to be henpecked by his wife Jezebel who according to Verse 31 worshiped Baal instead of God, so Ahab follows suit. Seems that even in those days, the people would allow someone to rule over them, who doesn’t answer to God’s calling!
Anyway, Jezebel kills many who were prophets of the Lord, as told in 1 Kings 18:4. And Obadiah takes the remaining prophets of the Lord and hides them, so they don’t meet the same fate. A few passages later, in Verse 18, an issue arises as to which god is stronger...is it Baal, whom Ahab worships, or is it God? Elijah the prophet tells Ahab to bring all the people of Israel and the 450 prophets of Baal to Mt. Carmel.
We find in verses 21-24 that a contest is to take place between God and Baal. Elijah says to all the people of Israel, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions [as to which god to follow]? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him... 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.”
So, the Baal worshippers in among the verses that follow spend the day calling on Baal to put a fire to their bull, but they got no response. They then went so far as to cut themselves to draw Baal’s attention, but they still got no response.
Then in Verses 36-38 it becomes Elijah’s turn to show the power of the one true God. What does he do? He just says a prayer to god as follows: , “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.” In Verse 38 “...the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the [bull that Elijah laid out],” along with “the wood and the stones and the dust...” The people of Israel who worshipped Baal see what took place and they humble themselves before God. And the prophets of Baal were seized and slaughtered.
Apparently, King Ahab wasn’t humbled by the event since after all this happens, Elijah tells him in 1 Kings 21:21-22, “Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin.” Safe to say that God told Elijah what to tell Ahab.
But Ahab repents in Verse 27 after hearing this, and God in verses 28-29 relents from the disaster that would fall on Ahab and says to Elijah that such disaster will not happen. And apparently, unlike Jonah who feels sorry for himself for telling the Ninevens that God will destroy them, only to see that God changes his mind, Elijah apparently takes God’s reversal in stride.
In any event, in the contest between God and Baal as to who would burn the offerings, the outcome as you can see is God 1, Baal 0.
