(25) And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. (26) And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. (27) And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. (28) And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. (29) And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
Had Baal answered there would have been no opportunity for Elijah's trial. But this the Lord overruled, so that among 450 of their artful priests there should be no deception. And had Elijah first appealed to the Lord before the trial of Baal's priests, many of the deluded followers of Baal would not have been convinced, perhaps, but that Baal could have done the same. But by this plan of letting Baal's priests make their experiment first, the man of God took effectual means to make his triumph complete. The mockery of Baal's priests exactly corresponded to the ridiculous nature of their idol worship.