Take your Bibles with me and turn to 1 Kings 18. 1 Kings 18.
We are talking this week again about one of the coolest figures in the whole Bible - Elijah. In a time when Israel is as wicked as can be, when Ahab and Jezebel are killing prophets and setting up Baal worship as the default religion in the Northern Kingdom. Elijah comes out of nowhere to be God's man.
His first assignment is to go to Ahab and tell him one simple thing - it's not going to rain again until I say so.
As soon as Elijah gave that message, God gave him his second assignment. He was to go to a wilderness place called the brook Cherith where God would feed him. So during a time of famine, when it wasn't raining, God fed Elijah with food by raven's mouths and water from the brook.
Then God gave him his third assignment. He was to go north, to Jezebel's home country of Sidon, and there God was going to take care of him by the hand of a poor widow woman. This woman was down to a single handful of flour and a little bit of oil, but she took care of Elijah and God ensured that her oil and flour never ran out.
But then her son got sick and died, and Elijah prayed over her son and stretched himself out on him three times, and he came back to life. The first recorded resurrection in the Bible.
All of that stuff happened last week. This week, Elijah is going to get another assignment. Go home. Go back to Ahab, and deliver him a message - and it turns out to be one of the most thrilling stories in the whole Bible.
So are you in chapter 18? Let's start reading.
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:1-7 - KJV
- And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
- And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
- And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
- For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
- And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
- So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
- And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?
So get this, it hasn't rained for 3 and a half years. No rain. Elijah said it wouldn't rain and it didn't rain. And because of that, the land was in an extreme famine - people are dying of hunger and thirst.
I'm sure that when Ahab first heard Elijah say it wouldn't rain, he scoffed at it. He probably mocked him and said "we'll see." But when it didn't rain, and then didn't rain, and then still didn't rain Ahab started looking for Elijah. We need to get this guy to turn off this curse.
When it went on for years Ahab got desperate. He started sending envoys to other countries looking for Elijah. He started making them swear an oath that they weren't harboring Elijah. Elijah became public enemy number one.
But for three years he was hidden. First by the brook in the wilderness, then up in Sidon with the widow woman. Now Elijah is going to come back in and speak to Ahab.
We find Ahab and his governor out scouting for food for their animals. He should have been scouting food for his people. But he seems to care more about his personal wealth than his people.
His servant is a godly man named Obadiah. He's probably not the Obadiah from the book of Obadiah (though he could be) there are many Obadiahs in the Old Testament.
So Elijah comes to Obadiah and Obadiah recognizes him and falls on his face and says "are you my lord Elijah?"
Let's keep reading...
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:8 - KJV 8. And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
Elijah gets right to the point. Go tell Ahab Elijah is here to see him.
Now, it's interesting how Obadiah reacts to that.
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:9-14 - KJV 9. And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 10. As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. 11. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 12. And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth. 13. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14. And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
Obadiah is terrified by this request. You see Ahab REALLY REALLY wants to get his hands on Elijah - so much so he's scoured the earth looking for him.
And Elijah has a reputation for disappearing. So Obadiah says "you are giving me a death sentence here. Ahab will kill me." Then he explains how it was him who hid the prophets in the caves and kept them alive. He's saying "take it easy on me here."
I love Elijah's answer:
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:15 - KJV 15. And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
"Listen, I'm going to see Ahab today." I think he was saying "You have nothing to worry about, I'm not going to disappear" but I also think he was saying "I'm going to do this with or without your help."
Elijah was on a mission.
Look at verses 16-17:
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:16-17 - KJV 16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
Notice the difference here. When Obadiah met Elijah, he fell down and called him his "lord." When Ahab meets Elijah, he says "are you the one who is troubling Israel?"
One met the prophet with admiration and acceptance, the other with hostility. What was the difference? Well, Ahab had given himself over to idolatry. Ahab was against God - so of course he was going to be against God's messenger and God's message.
I love how Elijah answers him though.
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:18-19 - KJV 18. And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. 19. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.
Elijah says "I'm not the one troubling Israel - that is you buddy. You are the one bringing in Baal worship."
Then he issues this challenge. Go gather up 850 prophets of Baal and meet me at Mount Carmel. Elijah was setting up one of the greatest showdowns in human history.
Now, I want to show you something interesting about Baal. Baal was the Canaanite god of rain, storms and fertility. It was believed that if you gave Baal what he wanted, you would have good harvests.
Well, what has God done through Elijah? He's turned off the rain. No rain.
Don't you think all those Baal priests and prophets were doing everything in the book to get their little Baal - the god of the rain - to send rain? Of course they were.
Baal was the god of the harvest, and they have been in this terrible famine. Don't you think the prophets of Baal had been trying all this time to get Baal to give them a good harvest?
You see, God was directly exposing Baal and Baal worship for the hollow farce that it was. God was showing that Baal is powerless.
All that has been going on for three and half years, and now in a final showdown, God is going to use Elijah to show the world how Baal is powerless in an unmistakable and public way.
Let's keep reading...
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:20-24 - KJV 20. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. 21. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 22. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24. And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
So all the people show up for this contest. 850 of Baal's prophets verses Elijah. On the mountain. This is a show no one wants to miss so the people of Israel go there too.
And Elijah stands before them and preaches to them, asking a simple question:
How long are you going to sit on the fence? You have to choose if you are going to serve God or not. You have to choose who God really is. Get off the fence.
Can I tell you that if you are on the fence, you've already made your decision. You are in rebellion against God. God wants you to get off of the fence and boldly follow Him and identify with Him.
There are no neutral parties when it come to God. You are either for Him or against Him. You are either following Him or rejecting His rule and lead in your life.
That's Elijah's message for Israel. But he is going to illustrate that message with one of the greatest object lessons of all time.
He sets the rules. You 850 Baal prophets, you go get a bull and you setup an altar but don't start any fire. I'm going to do the same. You call on your gods and I'll call on my God and whoever sends fire - that's the real God.
The people said "Ok. Sounds good."
Now remember Baal was the god of rain - they are in a drought. He was the god of fertility - they are in a famine. He's also supposed to be the god of storms. He's the god of lightning.
This should be an easy win for Baal. Just get the storm god to send lightning. This should be a slam dunk for Baal. Let's see what happens.
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:25-26 - KJV 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.
So Elijah lets the Baal guys go first. They gather around this altar and they prepare the offering and they start crying out to Baal, "Baal! Baal! Do you hear us?" They do this all morning. Nothing.
In desperation they start leaping on the altar. I'm not so sure if that is a prayer or a pity party, but it's a public embarrassment for them.
And while they are doing that, what is Elijah doing?
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:27 - KJV 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.
Elijah is mocking them. He's making fun of them. He's making fun of Baal. He's saying "cry louder! Maybe he's talking to someone else." "Cry louder! Maybe he's in the bathroom (that's what pursuing means there.)" "Cry louder, maybe he is sleeping and you need to wake him up."
Can't you just see Elijah looking at these guys with a smile on his face and mocking the futility of their god?
Listen, sometimes we are too nice. We should be nice to people, but I don't think we need to be nice about the false gods and false ideas that enslave them. I think sometimes its ok to mock.
We need people who can stand up to the idols of this age with the same boldness that Elijah had and who are willing to do it alone if they have to.
We live in an age with its own false gods. The god of self. The god of money. The god of pleasure. The god of public opinion. And just like Baal, these gods promise everything and deliver nothing.
And too often, Christians are timid about calling out the emptiness of these false gods. We're afraid of being labeled intolerant or judgmental. But Elijah wasn't concerned about what the crowd thought - he was concerned about truth.
Now I'm not saying we should be mean to people. But we don't have to treat lies with respect. We don't have to pretend that false ideologies that are destroying lives deserve our reverence.
Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is boldly proclaim that the emperor has no clothes. That the god they're serving is powerless. That there's a better way.
But it takes courage to stand alone. Look at the odds here - 850 to 1. And yet Elijah wasn't intimidated because he knew something they didn't - his God was real.
Let's keep reading...
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:28-29 - KJV 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.
Now these guys are going crazy. They are hurting themselves. They stay in that state for several more hours. Trying all day to get Baal to send fire. But there was no voice and no answer. It was all in vain.
And now it's Elijah's turn. Look at verse 30:
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:30-32 - KJV 30. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: 32. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
Elijah starts by repairing the altar. He just builds a simple altar with twelve stones. God doesn't need something fancy.
Then he digs a trench around the altar. A big trench. Big enough to hold several gallons of water. All those watching people must have thought "What is Elijah doing?"
Look at verse 33:
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:33-35 - KJV 33. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34. 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. 35. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
Remember, water is scarce. But Elijah has them pour it on this offering three times.
What is Elijah doing? He wants it to be absolutely clear to everyone that this isn't some parlor trick. This is God. This offering is sopping wet. The whole altar is gushing with water.
This isn't some dry tinder pile you can set off with a stray spark from two rocks. This is soaked.
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:36-38 - KJV 36. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
Now watch Elijah's prayer. After these prophets have been screaming and cutting themselves all day long, after all their frantic desperation - watch how simple and calm Elijah's prayer is.
He doesn't work himself into a frenzy. He doesn't cut himself. He doesn't leap around. He doesn't scream for hours.
He just prays. One simple prayer.
"LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again."
That's it. One prayer. Maybe thirty seconds long.
Notice what Elijah is praying for - he's not asking God to make him look good. He's not asking God to vindicate him personally. He's asking God to reveal Himself. "Let it be known that YOU are God. Let this people know that YOU are the LORD."
Elijah's concern is for God's glory and for the people's hearts to be turned back to God.
And then watch what happens:
Then the fire of the LORD fell.
Not a little spark. Not a small flame that slowly caught. The FIRE OF THE LORD FELL.
And it consumed the sacrifice - the wet, soaked sacrifice.
And it consumed the wood - the drenched wood.
And it consumed the stones - the actual stones of the altar.
And it consumed the dust.
And it licked up the water in the trench - gallons and gallons of water, just evaporated.
Can you imagine watching this? This wasn't some natural phenomenon. This was supernatural power on full display. This was God showing up in an undeniable way.
The prophets of Baal cried all day and got nothing. Elijah prayed one simple prayer and fire fell from heaven.
Wow. Just wow.
Those people saw God's power in a mighty way. Baal couldn't do it. God did it.
Verse 39
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:39 - KJV 39. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
It's interesting - do you know what Elijah's name means in Hebrew? It is what they were shouting.
It's possible (and I can't prove this) that this is why they call him Elijah. Because God used him to get the people to shout "Elijah - The Lord He is the God."
But that wasn't enough. It wasn't enough for the people to acknowledge the Lord. They also had to take care of the false prophets.
[!bible] 1 Kings 18:40 - KJV 40. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
That might seem harsh to you. But it is perfectly logical and biblical. God had commanded that false prophets and idolaters be put to death in Israel - and the people couldn't make a half-way declaration. They had to get rid of these prophets if they were going to really serve God.
And listen, do you know what God wants to do in your life? He wants to show that He is real and that the gods of this world are fake. That they are powerless. And He wants to bring you to the point where you say "The Lord is THE God" and then you get rid of the influences of the false prophets in your life.
Some of you tonight are "halting between two opinions." Some of you are trying to have it both ways. But that is rejecting God. God is THE God. He is not one option in a buffet of Gods. It is God and all God or nothing.
He wants to show Himself real in your life. He will show you how empty and fake the gods of this world are. And he wants you to make a full commitment to him.
We aren't called to kill anyone. We are called to love our neighbors today. But as believers, we are called to kill sin.
[!bible] Colossians 3:5 - KJV 5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
If you have fornication in your life -or some other sexual sin. Kill it. That is a Baal, that is an idol. Put it to death. It is powerless to satisfy you.
If you have covetousness in your life - if you are living to get something. Some new house. Some new promotion. Some new clothes. You have to mortify that. You have to kill it. It cannot satisfy you.
Whatever idol you've been serving - whatever you've been hoping will give you satisfaction, meaning, purpose - God wants you to kill it. Put it to death. Because it's powerless. It's as fake as Baal.
Only God can truly satisfy. Only God is real. Only God has the power to transform your life.
But here's the thing - you have to make the choice. You have to get off the fence. You can't halt between two opinions forever.
So tonight, I want to ask you the same question Elijah asked Israel on Mount Carmel:
How long are you going to halt between two opinions?
If the LORD is God, follow Him. Completely. Wholly. Without reservation.
Stop trying to serve God on Sunday and serve yourself the rest of the week. Stop trying to keep one foot in the world and one foot in the church. Stop trying to have it both ways.
God proved Himself real on Mount Carmel. He's proven Himself real in history. He's proven Himself real in the lives of millions of believers. And He wants to prove Himself real in YOUR life.
But you have to choose. You have to get off the fence.
Maybe tonight you need to make that decision for the first time - to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. To say "The LORD, He is God" and give your life to Him.
Or maybe you're already saved, but you've been halting. You've been holding back. You've been serving some idol alongside God. And tonight God is calling you to put that idol to death. To mortify that sin. To make a full commitment.
The choice is yours. But understand this - sitting on the fence IS a choice. And it's the wrong one.
Get off the fence. Choose God. Choose life. Choose the One who can truly satisfy.
Let's pray.
