The Contest On Mount Carmel: YHWH Versus Baal (1 Kings 18:21-40).
In this vivid description of the contest on Mount Carmel Ahab is deliberately not mentioned. This was because it was not a contest between Elijah and Ahab, but between YHWH, represented by Elijah, and Baal, represented by his four hundred and fifty prophets. All eyes were to be on the combatants. And it was carried out before all the people so that they could come to their own conclusions. It would end in a complete victory for YHWH by a knockout.
Mount Carmel was probably chosen because it was a high eminence (600 metres, 2000 feet) which was on the borders of Israel and Phoenicia, and thus a very suitable place for a contest between the God of Israel and the Tyrian Baal, while also being chosen because it was a site revered by both where there were recognised sanctuaries.
The contest was dramatic. Each side would prepare an offering for sacrifice, but no fire would be lit under it. Then each side would call on their respective deity to consume the offering by fire from Heaven. Elijah gave the false prophets every opportunity. They had the choice of which bullock they would sacrifice, and as they had the largest number of prophets, they were given as much time as they wanted. They could hardly complain that they had had a raw deal. Then the God Who answered by fire (that is, by lightning that consumed the sacrifice, which was the supposed forte of Baal as the god of storm and lightning) would be established as the true God. The idea of fire coming down from Heaven to consume the sacrifice was taken by Elijah from Leviticus 9:24, where again it was before an assembled crowd. It was thus seen by him as a sign typical of the God of Israel.
It should be noted that Elijah linked the sacrifice that he was about to offer with the period of drought by drenching the sacrifice with water so that the offering would also be a plea for rain, in order that the crowds may know where the coming rain came from. Such a pouring out of water, especially at the feast of Tabernacles (although not there on the offerings) represented a plea for rain. Compare how Samuel poured out water before YHWH, something which resulted in a great storm (1 Samuel 7:6; 1 Samuel 7:10). By this water offering the crowds would recognise that Elijah was including in his sacrifice an appeal for rain.
Analysis.
a And Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping between the two sides? If YHWH is God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of YHWH, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men” (1 Kings 18:21-22).
b “Let them therefore give us two bullocks, and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under, and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under” (1 Kings 18:23).
c “And you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of YHWH, and the God who answers by fire, let him be God.” And all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken” (1 Kings 18:24).
d And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You choose one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first, for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.” 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 who answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made (1 Kings 18:25-26).
e And it came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened” (1 Kings 18:27).
f And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them (1 Kings 18:28).
g And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation, but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any who regarded (1 Kings 18:29).
h And Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me,” and all the people came near to him (1 Kings 18:30 a).
i And he repaired the altar of YHWH that was thrown down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of YHWH came, saying, “Israel shall be your name” (1 Kings 18:30-31).
h And with the stones he built an altar in the name of YHWH, and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood” (1 Kings 18:32-33).
g And he said, “Do it the second time,” and they did it the second time. And he said, “Do it the third time,” and they did it the third time (1 Kings 18:34).
f And the water ran round about the altar, and he filled the trench also with water (1 Kings 18:35).
e And it came about at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, “O YHWH, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of 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” (1 Kings 18:36).
d “Hear me, O YHWH, hear me, that this people may know that you, YHWH, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again”. Then the fire of YHWH fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench (1 Kings 18:37-38).
c And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, “YHWH, he is God, YHWH, he is God” (1 Kings 18:39).
b And Elijah said to them, “Take the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape” (1 Kings 18:40 a).
a And they took them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there (1 Kings 18:40 b).
Note that in ‘a' Elijah points to the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal about whom a decision has to be made, and in the parallel he arranges for their deaths at the Brook Kishon. In ‘b' the test by which the prophets will be judged is described, and in the parallel, having failed it, not one of them is to be allowed to escape. In ‘c' the contest will determine Who is truly God, and in the parallel the people declare that YHWH is truly God. In ‘d' the vain efforts of the prophets of Baal are described, and in the parallel the successful prayer of Elijah. In ‘e' Elijah mocks the prophets because they pray unavailingly all day and receive no answer from Baal, and in the parallel he prays once at the time of the evening sacrifice with a confident prayer that will produce the required result. In ‘f' they cried aloud and gashed themselves so that their blood flowed like water, and in the parallel Elijah drenches the sacrifice with water. In ‘g' repeated efforts to obtain an answer are made by the false prophets, and in the parallel Elijah deliberately makes it repeatedly more difficult for him to obtain an answer. In ‘h' Elijah calls on the crowd to come near, and in the parallel he calls on them to drench his sacrifice with water. Centrally in ‘i' Elijah repaired the altar of YHWH which was broken down which represented the word of YHWH to Israel.
‘ And Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping between the two sides? If YHWH is God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.'
Elijah commenced the contest by a direct challenge to the people, vividly depicting them as limping along spiritually as they looked in indecision first to one side and then to the other. Now, he proclaimed, it was time for them to make a final choice between YHWH and Baal. “If YHWH is God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him.” The people hung their heads and had nothing to say.
‘ Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of YHWH, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.” '
Elijah then summed up the two sets of contestants. On one side stood Elijah, alone. Jezebel had got rid of the other prophets of YHWH (or thought that she had) and he alone was left as a result of God's mercy. On the other side were four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. It appeared to be no contest. But that is to forget that one with God is a majority.
“ Let them therefore give us two bullocks, and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under, and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. And you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of YHWH, and the God who answers by fire, let him be God.” And all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”
He then laid down the terms of the contest. Each side would have a bullock, and the prophets of Baal could even choose which bullock they had. Then they were to cut it in pieces and lay the pieces on the wood which was on their altar. But no fire was to come near it. And he would do the same. After that they were to call on the name of ‘their god' and he would call on the Name of YHWH. And the God Who answered by fire would be seen as the true God. In the eyes of the watchers it would appear that all the odds were on the side of the prophets of Baal, for Baal was the god of storm and lightning. If YHWH won therefore it would be conclusive. It would prove that the God of Sinai and of Moses was truly among them (Leviticus 9:24). The people heartily agreed with the idea and said that it was well spoken.
‘ And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You choose one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first, for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.”
Elijah then turned to the prophets of Baal and called on them to go first because they were many. He wanted them to have as much time as they wanted. He knew perfectly well that what he was asking of them was impossible, for there was no one who would hear their cries. Then they were to prepare their sacrifice, but without putting fire under it, and pray as much as they liked. The more they prayed, the more futile their prayers would appear.
‘ 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 who answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.'
So the prophets of Baal took the bullock that had been given to them and dressed it, and called on Baal from morning until noon. Hour by hour they called, but in spite of the hot sun there was no response. And they performed ceremonial dances around the altar as they waited for Baal to answer.
‘ And it came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” '
When noon came with no response Elijah began to jeer. He wanted the crowds to recognise how helpless these prophets were. So he called on them, if they really thought that Baal was a god, to shout louder. Perhaps he was musing, or relieving himself, or on a journey, or sleeping. The crowds would be aware that these things were never true of YHWH. He neither slumbered nor slept.
‘ And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.'
So the prophets of Baal got even more worked up. They were getting desperate. They cried out aloud, and they gashed themselves so that the blood would run out and as a result of their obvious suffering on his behalf stir Baal into action (a practise witnessed to at Ugarit). But none of it worked. There was no response.
‘ And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied frantically (or ‘ranted and raved') until the time of the offering of the evening oblation, but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any who regarded.'
Having reached midday they ‘prophesied' on until the time of the evening sacrifice, hoping to stir Baal into action. That was the time when, as the people were aware, the second daily offering would be made in he Temple of YHWH at Jerusalem. But no voice came, no answer came, and no fire came. There was no one who took any notice.
1 Kings 18:30 a ‘And Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me,” and all the people came near to him.'
Then, feeling that he had waited long enough Elijah called on the people to gather round him, and they did so, eager to see what would happen.
1 Kings 18:30-31 ‘And he repaired the altar of YHWH that was thrown down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of YHWH came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”.
Elijah wanted it to be quite clear Whom they were dealing with, and the serious nature of what he was doing. He was involving the twelve tribes of Jacob/Israel as the people whom YHWH had chosen and named and he was about to offer a sacrifice on the altar of YHWH that had been allowed to fall into disrepair. Let the people learn the lesson well.
The first important lesson here was that there was a genuine and acceptable altar of YHWH which was available for sacrifice. Careless approaches to Scripture have overlooked the fact that sanctuaries at which YHWH ‘had recorded His Name', were allowed to be used, as well as the Central Sanctuary, even though feasts at the latter were always to be a part of their worship. Deuteronomy 12 had described the Central Sanctuary, which had originally been set up at Shechem and then Shiloh, but it had not excluded all other sanctuaries. And it was well that that was so, for true worshippers of YHWH had experienced times when they were cut off from Jerusalem. At such times the prophets in Israel must clearly have made provision for the people to worship at true sanctuaries rather than at false ones.
The second lesson is that to Elijah Israel/Judah was still seen as one, for he chose twelve stones symbolising the twelve tribes of Jacob, for it was they who had originally been chosen by YHWH. And all were involved in this contest against Baal. So what was about to happen was happening in the name of Israel, for and by a people who had been named by YHWH as His treasured possession (Exodus 19:5-6).
The use of Jacob rather than Israel is explained by the comment that followed. It had in mind the time when Jacob became Israel. In the same way the new Jacob were becoming renewed Israel.
(There is also a lesson here for us. Whenever we recognise that we have fallen away from God the first step back is again to set up the altar of God which has fallen down, in other words recognise our sanctification through the blood of Jesus and seek forgiveness through Him - Hebrews 13:10-14).
‘ And with the stones he built an altar in the name of YHWH, and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.”
So with the twelve stones he built an altar ‘in the Name of YHWH'. This was clearly in Elijah's eyes a place where His Name was recorded. And then he made a large trench about the altar because he intended to make an appeal to YHWH for rain by pouring water on the offering and on the altar (compare 1 Samuel 7:6; 1 Samuel 7:10). Then he put the wood in order, cut up the bullock and put the pieces on the wood on the altar. Then he called for four jars filled with water to be poured on the offering and the altar. He was wanting a good deal of rain.
There were clearly springs on mount Carmel where water was available, even in time of drought. Jutting out into the sea it attracted the moisture that arose from the sea. in the hot sun.
The initial ‘and he repaired the altar' may have been a summary, which was then filled in with the detail. This would be a typically Hebraic way of presenting information, first in summary, then in detail (compare Judges 6:24-26). But it may be that we are to differentiate the building up of the altar with earth, from the placing within it of stones to take the heat of the fire.
‘ And he said, “Do it the second time,” and they did it the second time. And he said, “Do it the third time,” and they did it the third time.'
Then he called for them to do it twice more, making twelve jars in all. He wanted the whole of Israel/Judah to benefit from the rain. There was nothing parochial about Elijah, he had wide vision, even at this crucial time. He did not forget the wider need.
‘ And the water ran round about the altar, and he filled the trench also with water.'
Inevitably there was so much water that it ran round the altar and filled the trench with water. Elijah really appeared to be making it difficult for himself. But he had no doubt about what God could do.
‘ And it came about at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, “O YHWH, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of 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.” '
Then Elijah approached God ‘at the time of the evening offering'. It would appear that in Israel the regular offering at the Temple was duplicated. The people would know that this was the accepted time for prayer to YHWH.
His prayer emphasised Israel's roots. It was to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Jacob), and he called on Him to make it known that day that it was He alone Who was God in Israel, and that Elijah was his servant, and had done all these things at YHWH's word.
The use of ‘of Israel' in the threefold phrase is unusual, emphasising again the transformation that was to take place as the people experienced a renewal. he was not just the God of Jacob, but of Israel. Compare Exodus 32:13 which is the nearest that we have to it. Compare also 1 Chronicles 29:18 where the same formula is used.