Culturally rendered, Ahab greets Elijah by saying, “Do I at last see you again? Have you ventured into my presence?” After three-and-a-half long, drought-strickened years, Ahab meets his enigmatic enemy for just the second time. The first meeting was likely a short, abrupt time, where Ahab no doubt dismissed Elijah as a wild-speaking fool from the rough hills of Gilead. This time, Elijah has Ahab’s full attention, and Ahab was sure to have felt a whirlwind of conflicting emotions at this encounter. He accuses Elijah as “you troubler of Israel,” clearly pinning the drought and famine on him. The term here is ‘ākar (aw-KAR): “roil water, stir up, disturb, trouble.” This word reflects the social dimension of an individual's action. A person's negative action (this word always has a negative concept) has a harmful influence not only on himself, but also upon others. A person can “trouble” another person or the entire nation, bringing either man's or God's judgment upon others.
In Ahab’s mind Elijah was the one who was responsible for all the distress and suffering which filled the land. There was no discernment or acknowledgement of God's hand in the drought, nor any conviction or comprehension of his own sinful conduct. If the drought was a divine judgment, no doubt it was due to Elijah’s resistance to the worship of Baal, the storm god. Elijah had led the revolt against Ahab's desire for uniting Israel and effecting a peaceful settlement of the worship of Baal in the nation. No matter how Ahab look at the situation, Elijah clearly was responsible for the calamity that had fallen on Israel.
The fact Ahab didn’t have Elijah killed on the spot, shows how uncertain he was relative to what do with this prophet of Yahweh. In a polytheistic environment, you wouldn’t want to potentially anger a god by killing their prophet, particularly one who seemed as powerful as Elijah. Ahab certainly had to have had some knowledge of the miracles Yahweh had performed in and for Israel, and his worship of Baal didn’t necessarily mean he had rejected Yahweh, which we’ll address in a few verses, it meant more his belief that Baal was the superior god. Furthermore, if Elijah really did hold the key to bringing rain back upon the land, Ahab wouldn’t want to destroy his only source of relief from the drought. However, he clearly couldn’t be seen as being weak or intimidated by this unruly renegade, so he affects a brave front. However, for all his bluster and harsh words, he was on the horns of a dilemma, completely at a loss as to how to deal with Elijah.
For the servant of Yahweh, Ahab’s accusation and harsh words were actually a compliment. “There is no higher testimony to the consistency of our life than the hearty hatred of the Ahabs around us” (F. B. Meyer). Considering both Jesus and Paul were later referred to as troublemakers, Elijah is in good company: “He stirs up the people” (Luke 23:5); “These men are seriously disturbing our city” (Acts 16:20); “These men who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).
18:18 “‘I have not made trouble for Israel,’ Elijah replied. ‘But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals’.” (NIV)
Ahab’s words are flung right back at him, as the unimpressed prophet boldly and fearlessly lays out the indictment against him. This is reminiscent of how the prophet Nathan just as boldly said to another king, David, “You are that man” (2 Sam 12:7). Ahab accused the wrong person, but Elijah put the finger on the sore spot and arraigned the right person. The national scourge was not a function of Elijah’s actions, rather the calamity was traceable directly to Ahab and his family’s patronage and practice of idolatry.
In setting the record straight, Elijah notes both in the plural and singular, the history of acceptance of idolatry in Ahab’s family, as well as adoption and national patronage of idolatry by Ahab. Note the order here, first the God’s words were abandoned and forsaken, then the worship of Baal followed. Idolatry was the end destination, not the departure point. Preceding kings and the people had started down the path of idol worship by forsaking God’s word and commandments, and now the entire nation was engaged in licentious and vile idolatry. This was the real issue and the root cause of all the trouble in Israel, spiritual as well as physical.
This is also the real issue and root cause for Christians and churches alike today. The path to sin is gradual and deceptively gentle, the shift in direction initiated by the neglect of God’s word. When we abide in His words and therefore in Him, our path is straight and our footsteps sure. But the moment we begin to depart from constancy in His word, we start veering, ever so unnoticeably and naturally, that we may not even realize how far off-course we are.
C. S. Lewis in his book, The Screwtape Letters, describes a letter from an elder demon to his nephew, a junior demon. The veteran is explaining to the novice how to keep a human in sin, and consequently drive the human away from the enemy (in this case God) with the final result that the human arrives at “our father’s house,” or hell:
“Thoroughly reliable people; steady…worldlings who without any spectacular
crimes are progressing quietly and comfortably towards our father’s house…You
will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters,
you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember,
the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate man from the
enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative
effect is to edge the man away from the light and out into the nothing. Murder
is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to
hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without any sudden
turnings, without milestones, without sign posts.”
The spark that had been ignited by the earlier kings of Israel, Ahab had fanned into a raging wildfire. That can happen only too easily in our lives as well.
The plural “Baals” may either refer to the various names and forms under which Baal was worshipped, or more probably to the various images or statues of this god set up in the land (Gesenius).
18:19 “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.” (HCSB)
Elijah did not stop with an arraignment of Ahab, he wasn’t there to bandy words or argue with him. Instead, the fugitive prophet issues the king an order, an assignment Ahab was to carry out. Consider Elijah was alone; Ahab was surrounded by a retinue. Ahab was indeed experiencing an unusual day. He was not used to being talked down by anyone (except perhaps Jezebel), he’s bluntly confronted as being the one responsible for the drought and famine on the land, and now he’s being issued orders. “There is no passage of Scripture which exhibits more forcibly the ascendancy that a Prophet of the Lord, armed with His spiritual powers, could, if he were firm and brave, exercise even over the most powerful and most unscrupulous of monarchs” (F. C. Cook). “This boldness, this high tone, this absence of the slightest indication of alarm, seems to have completely discomfited Ahab, who ventured on no reply” (Rawlinson). It would seem that, though Ahab initially put on a bold front, he was from the very first, thoroughly cowed. Such was “the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17).
Elijah very flatly orders Ahab to gather “all Israel.” This is a common Hebrew idiom referring to the heads of the tribes and families, who were considered to represent all the people. They were to meet him at Mount Carmel, and Ahab was to also bring with him the prophets of Baal and Ashtaroth (Asherah, Astarte, Venus), the female consort of Baal. The extent of the Baal worship in Israel can be estimated by the number of priests that were fed at Jezebel’s table, a total of 850 vs. Elijah. The expression that they were “fed at Jezebel’s table” refers to her as their benefactor and patroness, even to the extent of feeding them from her bounty.
There is some debate as to whether the prophets of Baal reported to Ahab and the prophets of Asherah belonged to Jezebel. The text leaves open the door that the king and queen had different religious establishments; the king and his servants worshipped Baal, the supreme lord and master of the world. For this establishment four hundred and fifty priests were maintained. The queen and her women worshipped Astarte; and for this establishment four hundred priests were maintained. It appears that these eight hundred and fifty priests were the domestic chaplains of the king and queen, and likely not all the priests that belonged to the rites of Baal and Asherah in the land. Also, the language in the narrative to follow allows for debate as to whether or not Jezebel’s Asherah priests made their way to Mount Carmel, as we’ll see in the verses later in this chapter.
Notwithstanding, it was logical for Ahab to undertake this task. As the king, not only had the means to do the task; but he also had the advantage of government power to command the task be done and to order the people to assemble. “The king had the means for effecting the invitations. He would not have to visit all personally, as would Elijah, but by means of official posts would contact everyone efficiently and quickly” (Leon Wood). Additionally, Ahab's close connection with the vile prophets of Baal would ensure they were all assembled at Mount Carmel. While they no doubt would have been altogether thrilled to get their hands on Elijah, they may have needed the prodding from Ahab to show up at Carmel. Their failure to produce rain and crops may have lessened their appeal to the people, let alone the heads and rulers of the tribes/families.
18:20 “So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.”
Interestingly, there is nothing in the text to indicate anything beyond Elijah simply issued his orders to Ahab without offering any reason or explanation as to what was his real object in summoning all the people and the false prophets together. He just commanded without explanation, and Ahab obeyed, adding to the strong element of discombobulation on his part. Additionally, the Hebrew text allows for no significant time lapse between Elijah's command and Ahab's obedience. “A king’s heart is like streams of water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever He chooses” (Pro 21:1).
Ahab sent through all Israel and gathered together representatives from all ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom, along with the prophets of Baal, upon Mount Carmel, just as Elijah had instructed. According to the verses to follow, it would appear more than just the leaders were present, that a large number of the people were there as well. Given the severity of the drought and famine, no doubt people were anxious to see what was transpiring, if it would somehow result in the return of the rains. On the other hand, not only is there no further reference in what follows to the 400 prophets of Asherah, it would seem apparent that the presence of the 450 prophets of Baal alone is supposed. This has lend some to conclude that the Asherah prophets, perhaps foreboding nothing good would come of this encounter with the fearsome Elijah, may have been able to circumvent Ahab’s orders because of their protection under Jezebel.
18:21 “Elijah stepped out in front of all the people. ‘How long,’ he said, ‘do you mean to hobble first on one leg then on the other? If Yahweh is God, follow Him; if Baal, follow him.’ But the people had nothing to say.” (NJB)
Consider the scene: the crowd which gathered at Carmel for the contest would have been considerable, with estimates running as high as 20,000. Given the royal summons, the great duress of the people, the later slaughter of the 450 false prophets, and the crowds that followed Jesus (5,000 men, besides women and children, Matt 14:21), no matter the estimation, the crowd would have been sizeable. The location of Mount Carmel would have not only accommodate a vast multitude, it would have been a tremendous stage onto which thousands more could have watched, as we’ll discuss later.
King Ahab was present, though Jezebel was not (19:1), and he would have likely been accompanied by his courtiers and guard, most likely including Obadiah. In stark contrast to the harsh appearance of the sole, black camel hair-clad Elijah (2 Kgs 1:8), stood the richly garbed and pampered 450-strong force of the vile priests of Baal, in their gaudy uniforms of white linen garments and high-pointed bonnets (2 Kgs 10:22).
The stage was now set. The huge audience was likely hushed, awed by the trio of king and retinue, the prophets of Baal, and the lone figure of the fearsome Elijah, at whose word the heavens had been as brass for the last three-and-a-half years. The prophet of Yahweh at once took the initiative and center stage, being completely in command of the situation, though ridiculously outnumbered. Yet he shows no fear, as he had been prepared these past three-and-a-half years to know the presence of “the Lord of hosts” (vs. 15), who was very real and present at that momentous occasion, at the head of vast legions of angels, who filled that mountainside, though they were invisible to the eyes of the idolatrous people.
He seemingly has no regard whatsoever for the king’s court or the false prophets, who no doubt were watching his every move with hatred and anger: As one commentator wrote, “No tiger ever watched its victim more fiercely! If they may have their way, he will never touch yonder plain again.”
When he speaks, note how he only addresses the people. Because the Divine judgment had been inflicted on account of the apostasy of the nation and especially as a testimony against its idolatry, the people must turn their backs on Baal and returned to Yahweh, before the judgment could be removed. However, the lengthy drought and famine seemingly had brought no change. So far as can be gathered from the text, the people appeared to be as much wedded to their idols as ever; and whatever may have been either the convictions or the practices of the remnant who bowed not their knee to Baal, they were so afraid to publicly express themselves (lest they be put to death) that Elijah was unaware of their very existence.
Elijah challenged the people, “Till when are ye leaping on the two branches?” (YLT). The term used here is pāsah (paw-SAKH), which means “to hop” or “limp.” Only found three times in the OT, it was first used to refer to Mephibosheth’s limp due to being lame in one foot (2 Sam 9:13), and is used again later in this chapter in verse 26, when Elijah derides and mocks the “hopping” ritual dances of the prophets of Baal. Referring metaphorically to birds who hop from branch to branch, seemingly not able to make up their minds where they should settle. In other words, these lame people were hobbling around spiritually, unable to determine who they should follow. Elijah’s challenge is reminiscent of the one issued by Joshua: “choose for yourselves today whom you will serve” (Josh 24:15).
This challenge paints the picture of a people trying to live spiritually in monotheism and polytheism. They wanted to combine the worship of Yahweh and Baal. They knew Yahweh demanded they worship Him with a whole and undivided heart (Deut 6:4-5), yet the sensual and licentious religion of Baalism had its lustful pull, something they had been unable and unwilling to ignore. Furthermore, embracement of the polytheism of the pagan lands around them meant they didn’t have to completely reject Yahweh, even though it was contrary to His covenant. Elijah and the false prophets were the only ones who had conviction. They had made their choice. The people had not. “They wished to unite the worship of Jehovah with that of Baal—to avoid breaking with the past and completely rejecting the old national worship, yet at the same time to have the enjoyment of the new rites, which were certainly sensuous” (F. C. Cook).
The basic problem of the Israelites was not that they had totally rejected the Lord and followed Baal, but that they wanted both the Lord and Baal. As written by Solomon, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl 1:9). This desire to combine “the best” of religions to fit one’s purpose is called syncretism, though it has been packaged and marketed under many labels throughout history. Syncretism has always had a deadening effect on the work of God, and it still does yet today. A missionary in Japan noted how he had watched Buddhists in that country receive Jesus and simply add Him to the god shelf in their homes. In other words, Jesus was then worshipped along with the other gods of the Buddhist pantheon.
However, it doesn’t need to be a physical idol or a named god, our syncretism today allows for anything to capture our worship, despite God’s call for “choose you this day.” The issue in Israel in Elijah’s time is the same issue that every age faces. The issue is who is your God? Who is going to rule your life? Will it be the god of the lust of the flesh, or will it be the God of holiness? Elijah made it clear, then, just as it is true today, that the Lord is a jealous God who brooks no rivals to His worship. The people had to make up their minds. They could not worship both the Lord and Baal. The Bible is unequivocal on this:
“no man can serve two masters” (Matt 6:24)
“they profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him” (Titus 1:15)
“a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" (Jam 1:8)
“because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev 3:16)
In Hosea the people of Israel are likened to “a half-baked cake” or “a cake not turned” (Hos 7:8)
Elijah called for a definite decision on their part, instructing them to choose and follow only Yahweh or only Baal. The term used here is hālak (haw-LOCK), meaning “”to go, walk, behave.” Literally “walk straight after him and behave accordingly.”
The response of the people? Silence. Not even one word. It’s doubtful they even look into his eyes. Were they weak, lacking conviction? Perhaps they were frightened, unwilling to take a public stand? After all, there was King Ahab, and there were 450 prophets of Baal, and there was frightful Elijah. If three-and-a-half years of drought and famine hadn’t jarred them out of their spiritual stupor, what possibly could? They would have an answer yet that day!
18:22-24 “Then Elijah said to the people, ‘I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, He is God.’ And all the people said, ‘That is a good idea’.”
Elijah continues speaking directly to the people. The royal audience and the prophets of Baal continue to be of secondary importance. He was not trying to connect with them or to appeal to them. They had made their stand and their allegiance was well known. The people, however, were lacking in conviction, and they had no firm allegiance. Whether out of fear or indecision, they had thus far remained silent.
Consider how he pointedly says to them, “you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.” By not fully following after Yahweh, the people had to understand they were following after Baal. There could be no middle ground or compromise, it was either all Yahweh or not at all. Since they chose compromise, he views them bluntly as Baal followers only. Their lack of a firm stand was a firm stand in the eyes of Yahweh and His prophet.
There was also great strategic wisdom in Elijah presenting the plan to the people and not just to the prophets of Baal. For “when the appeal of Elijah to the people had gained their applause, he had the prophets of Baal at his command . . . the voice of the people rendered it impossible for them to evade the trial” (MacDonald). Considering Elijah was supremely outnumbered by the prophets of Baal and Ahab’s court, the people would likely have agreed to any proposals or ideas they would have suggested, no matter how devious or under-handed. But by giving the plan to the people and having them approve it so enthusiastically, the prophets of Baal had no recourse but to go along with it. The proposal was so reasonable that the people at once assented to it, which forced their false prophets out into the open: they must either comply with the challenge or acknowledge that Baal was an impostor.
Elijah starts out by emphasizing the odds – 450:1, though everyone present would have also counted Ahab’s court on the side of the prophets of Baal as well. Baal had the full backing of the royal court, an overwhelming majority of prophets, and according to Elijah, the people were in Baal’s camp as well. In terms of odds, Elijah was in a humanly impossible situation to win. Though Obadiah had shared with Elijah how he had been feeding 100 prophets of Yahweh, they weren’t present at this time and as far as this contest was concerned, Elijah was the only prophet of Yahweh, and it appeared the odds were against him.
That clearly doesn’t concern Elijah. After what he had learned and experienced by the Wadi Cherith and with the widow and her son in Zarephath, Elijah was supremely confident that there is no god but Yahweh. He knew it because he had experienced and lived it. While to the entire audience in front of him and all of Israel for the most part, this was a clash between Yahweh and Baal, a power struggle between rival deities. However, Elijah's lofty conception and understanding of Yahweh utterly excludes all other objects of worship and makes all the gods idols (1 Chr 16:26; Psa 96:5). Elijah had already proven that he believed the Yahweh of Israel was not limited sole to the territory of Israel, and he had demonstrated that Yahweh can perform miracles in Phoenicia as well, thus showing his belief in a universal, supreme and sole Deity. This therefore was not a contest between rival gods. Elijah’s goal is to completely eliminate Baal from consideration whenever Israel decides theological matters. Baal, and any other pagan god, was a non-entity, not simply lesser entities.
To achieve this goal Elijah suggests a contest. Each side would be given a bull and would prepare to sacrifice it as a burnt offering to their god, with the caveat that neither would place any fire under the wood. We see that Elijah emphasizes that point here and again in verse 25. Why the double emphasis? Because fraud abounds in false religions. Deceit is one of their most common trademarks. Why the extra emphasis? Because of the practice of Baalism. They secretly added fire to their altars to make it look like Baal was answering them with supernatural fire. Some of the altars of paganism had little dugouts under the altar where a priest could hide and covertly set the sacrifice on fire. But here on Mount Carmel it would be different. “For the first time in their history, these false priests were unable to inset the secret spark of fire among the wood which lay on the altar” (Pink). Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44); and we must not be so naïve as to think that just because something is religious it is honest.
Once the altars were prepared, each side would each call on their respective god and the god who answered by fire would be shown to be the true elohîm. This match would then prove two points: 1) it would put the powers of the rival deities to the test, and 2) it would also prove which of the rival and completely opposing systems of worship was acceptable to the Supreme Being. The people for the first time wholeheartedly agreed to something, and the text indicates the Baalists had no objections whatsoever. And why shouldn’t the people and the false prophets agree to this ridiculously lopsided contest that only Elijah failed to see was so obvious? He was clearly outnumbered, and by selecting fire, he stupidly played right into Baal’s strength. The three-and-a-half-year drought and famine would have been a great embarrassment to the worshipers of Baal. Elijah’s test to Baal’s followers seemed like a good opportunity to vindicate their god, so they readily agreed to it.
Elijah gave them every advantage when he granted that the god who answered by fire should be acknowledged as the true God Recall that Baal was believed to be the Sun-god and Lord of the elements and forces of nature. As the storm god, Baal was depicted with lightning bolts in his hand and writings refer to his flashing forth with fire or lightning. In one text fire was even used by Baal as a means of constructing his house. To the worshippers of Baal, he was the lord of fire. Baal was the Greek equivalent of Apollo, or the sun, with reference more to the fire and searing heat, than of the light. Fire would be just fine with the prophets of Baal, for it fit their god – he only to work in his own element. As an aside, the English term “bonfire” likely was derived from the Saxon word “Bael-fyr” which is related to Baal and fire, further underscoring the beliefs surrounding Baal.
Why the god who answers with fire? What the people and the land needed was rain, not more heat. Why not the god who answers with rain? In most, if not all, of the early religions, burnt offerings of this sort typically accompanied a petition. Either a burnt offering was made and the petition voiced, or a petition was requested with the promise of a burnt offering if the desired outcome was granted. In this case the petition on everyone's mind was for the drought to end. If both parties had been praying all along for the drought to end, the resulting rain could be attributed by either group to its own god. As a result, the contest was set up to demonstrate which deity was clearly and solely responding to the petition of his follower(s). If fire is sent, the petition has been granted, and the rain that follows can be attributed to the correct deity. It is therefore important to recognize the close connection between the sending of the fire and the sending of the rain. We must remember that all through the triennium prayers and sacrifices had, no doubt, been constantly offered with a view to procure rain. According to Menander, as written by Josephus (8:13, 2), even in Phoenicia supplication had been made for rain by Ethbaal, the king, Jezebel’s father, and the high priest of Astarte, Baal’s consort.
While Elijah had clearly prophesied there would be no rain or dew, was that a direct result of Yahweh’s intervention in Israel, or Baal’s anger at his sabotage of the spread of Baalism over all of Israel? Baal was the god of the storms and his blessing to the peoples was the rain and dew. Yahweh likewise made that claim, but He wasn’t specifically known as a storm god. Was there a drought because of Elijah’s intervention on Yahweh’s behalf, or because of his interference of Baal’s plans? This contest would settle the matter conclusively.
Furthermore, the drought was a Divine judgment upon the idolatrous country and God's wrath must be appeased before His judgment could be averted. The land needed water, but rain was not the sign, though it would seem to be the logical sign at this moment of who was God. Instead, fire was the sign. Why? Because fire spoke of judgment, and judgment must first come before blessing. Though circumstances did call for rain, they first called for judgment upon Israel's sin. Before God's blessings come upon mankind, the principle is that judgment must fall upon the sin of man. So there is great wisdom on many fronts in having fire, the symbol of judgment, be the test in this contest instead of rain.
Finally, we see the continued and purposeful intent to prove Yahweh’s superiority in every area of Baal's domain and strength, even in his homeland and in his core attribute. That being said, let us not forget that Yahweh sending fire from heaven was not without precedent. In the sacrifices of Moses, David and Solomon, Yahweh responded with fire from heaven (Lev 9:24; 1 Chr 21:26, 2 Chr 7:1).
The people finally took a stand. They endorsed the plan unanimously. Literally in the Hebrew, “Good the word.” Elijah’s proposal would provide undeniable proof that Yahweh or Baal was the one true Elohîm. Let Him therefore be accounted and acknowledged as the true God, and let Him be followed and worshipped as such. The people would serve as jury in the case between Yahweh and Baal.
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