1 Kings 18:20–39

Amazing, when we consider the relative position of the two men. Ahab was a powerful ruler. He had all the military resources of the kingdom at his disposal, and a determined and ruthless wife behind him. Yet now a weak and friendless man was in effect ordering him to call a meeting of the nation! We have already remarked on the moral dignity that communion with God gives. We see it again here in Elijah the Tishbite. The condition of things throughout the country was desperate. It could not go on forever. So the king agreed to Elijah's proposal for a meeting. He could not imagine how it would end, but he hoped there would soon be rain!

Ahab gave in and summoned Baal's prophets at Elijah's command. This shows how completely God's constraint had overpowered him. Against his will, God made him the instrument for carrying out His purpose. So the Lord made the wrath of man praise Him. The prophets of Baal were therefore gathered on Mount Carmel.

God wants it so; whether Ahab wants it or not, this must be done. But no doubt the thought would never cross the mind of this godless king. His religion, with its eight hundred and fifty prophets, would be absolutely nothing before one single prophet of the Lord!

Everyone who has shared in this great sin must be present. The leaders and the led are to gather at Carmel. No privilege anyone enjoys, and no position, however high, will count as a reason to stay away. Those who feast at the royal table, and those who serve Baal, must be present with all the people.

It is not quite certain that the prophets of Ashtaroth were present. Jezebel may have been able to protect her own favourites, though feeling among the people was too strong for her to stop the gathering altogether. Elijah wanted both groups of false leaders to attend, but the record names only Baal's four hundred and fifty.

It was a challenge — a fair and open challenge from the prophet. The question was between God and Baal. Elijah on one side and these prophets on the other would settle it. So Ahab sends to all, and all gather together.

Elijah's aim here is very clear. He stands for God, and wants the people's hearts for God. He wants the Lord to be known, and His name to be believed. Is the Lord God, or is Baal God? That was the serious question, and the great point to settle. Look at that man standing there all alone, while eight hundred and fifty haters of the truth surround Ahab. It is a grand thing to stand for God, whoever and wherever you may be.

We can only think of one gathering in the Holy Land more momentous in its results than that on Mount Carmel. All four Gospel writers record a crowd gathered outside Pilate's palace in Jerusalem. The highest religious leaders of the nation led them. A great decision had to be made. The people had to choose between Barabbas the robber and the blessed Son of God, Israel's Messiah. "Not this man, but Barabbas," was their united cry.

Elijah made this powerful appeal in front of a mixed audience: a degraded king, a corrupt company of prophets, and a fashionable crowd of undecided triflers. Passing by the king and the prophets, Elijah speaks directly to the people. The king led the nation's turning away from God, and he had already been charged with his sins. The prophets of Baal were the open opponents of God, and were about to be exposed and judged. But the vast mass of the people were undecided, halting between two opinions. By profession they were the people of Jehovah, by practice they were the worshippers of Baal.

The words "the Lord will pass over you" do not mean that He would pass by the door where the blood was. They mean that He would halt before it, and cover everyone inside from all judgment and harm. The use of the word here translated "pass over" in other Old Testament passages will prove this. In 1 Kings 18:21 it is given as "halt," the sense, as the context shows, being to stand still or hover.

Israel lived under the yoke of an idolatrous religion. She followed Baal without ever openly renouncing Jehovah. She was halting between two opinions. This is one of the marks of the world's religion. The number of those walking in open unbelief grows daily. But there are others who renounce neither faith nor godlessness. They find good reasons both for excusing the evil and for objecting to the good. They are the indifferent ones, who refuse to choose between the two sides and who do not answer a word when Elijah speaks to them.

There is another class — the vast mass of Christians in name only, who "halt between two opinions." Sadly, they have no personal faith in Christ, nothing but "opinions." With them, God and His word, Christ and His cross, time and eternity, heaven and hell, are merely matters of opinion. Such opinions produce no settled convictions. About these solemn realities they hold TWO opinions. They would not oppose Christ, but they will not confess Christ. They have no wish to fall out with God, but they would gladly stay on good terms with the world. They would like to escape the judgment of sin, but they are set on enjoying the pleasures of sin. They would like to die as saints, but they prefer to live as sinners.

The prophets of Baal could not contradict it or resist it. The prophet only asked for decision of character. Nothing could be gained on either side by wavering ways. "I wish you were either cold or hot." The Lord's own words to Elijah in the next chapter tell us that seven thousand in Israel had not bowed the knee to Baal. They were probably only waiting for some strong hand to raise the standard of truth, so that they could gather round it.

In Elijah's day men were silenced by this appeal. They "answered him not a word." Every mouth was stopped. They stood before the prophet a silent, conscience-stricken, self-condemned people.

To Elijah's appeal, "How long will you halt between two opinions?" they answered not a word; but the proposal to settle the great question by a trial by fire was so reasonable that "all the people answered and said, It is well spoken."

Things are brought to a point. And now, my friends, if Christ is not worth having, say so. If He is worth having and following, then throw in your lot with Him. How long will you halt? "Well," you say, "I am not in a hurry." God knows that, and the devil knows it too. And he will not let you be in a hurry if he can help it.

The fire from heaven at once confounded the prophets of Baal and confirmed the prophet's faith. It delivered the people from their sad condition of halting between two opinions.

Satanic power counterfeits everything that is of God and therefore good. In old times the Holy Spirit moved holy men to give us words from God. The great adversary also moved, and he brought false prophets in among the people. We have many examples of this in Scripture… Even after the destruction of the prophets of Baal, about four hundred prophets lured Ahab to his death. Against them stood one prophet, Micaiah the son of Imlah, who told him the truth.

Having convicted the people of their sin, the prophet makes his second appeal… How evil the time when there is only one true prophet to stand against four hundred and fifty false ones. Seven thousand had indeed not bowed the knee to Baal. Still, only one man was left to witness for the Lord. It is good to refuse to acknowledge Baal. But there is a vast difference between not bowing down in worship to Baal and standing up to witness for the Lord. Obadiah may fear the Lord deeply, but his ungodly connections have closed his mouth. We hear no word of him on Carmel. The fear of God may lead seven thousand to mourn before God in secret. But the fear of man holds them back from witnessing for God in public.

Who is the God of Israel? That is the great question. Elijah boldly proposes to settle it by the test of fire. The appeal is to God. The decision shall not rest with the solitary prophet of the Lord or the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. It shall be no question of man's reasonings or of the opinion of one man against four hundred and fifty. God shall decide.

What calmness the sense of competence gives! He can wait while the pretenders make full trial of all their powers. When they have worn themselves out and proved their powerlessness, he comes forward to repair the altar of the Lord, in the order God had appointed… He had learned God so well at Cherith and Sarepta that he is ready for these public demonstrations. He can enter on them with calmness and dignity.

Nothing but the mighty power of God could have kept Elijah in his extraordinary position on Mount Carmel. He was a man with the same nature as ours. He was the only one of his day with enough moral courage and spiritual power to make a public stand for God against the power of idolatry. So the enemy could easily suggest to his poor heart, "What a great man you are to stand out as the solitary champion of Israel's ancient faith!" But God held up His dear servant so far. He carried him through this very trying scene, because he was His witness and His servant.

Elijah had seen the terrible evils that covered the land. But somehow he had overlooked the good that was there. Had he known that the LORD still had thousands of true hearts in Ahab's kingdom, he would hardly have said, "I, even I only, am left!" Being taken up with yourself ruins you spiritually, whatever form it takes. It is especially wrong when it leads any servant of God to imagine that he is the last true man on earth. The testimony of God has never yet depended on the slender thread of a human life, and it never will.

Elijah boldly proposes settling this great question by the test of fire. "The God who answers by fire, He is God." The appeal is to God. The decision will not rest with the solitary prophet of the Lord or the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. It will be no question of man's reasonings or of the opinion of one man against four hundred and fifty. God shall decide.

Two religions meet face to face: Elijah's and Baal's, for the third, Israel's, is party to both. In public, these two religions look like they have the same sacrifice. How can anyone tell them apart? Fire from heaven must consume one of the bulls, but not the other. That is how a person can recognise the true God. That is also how the people will learn what they are, so that they may be turned to repentance.

It was important to stress that last clause when dealing with men who had no principles. Priestly "miracles" have a bad name for fraud. In the calm of faith, Elijah could afford to let Satan's agents move first. He knew quite well that the god they served had no power.

The people knew well that Baal was supposed to be the god of fire, so they said, "It is well spoken." When Elijah appealed to them, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions?", they did not answer a word. But the proposal to settle the great question by a trial by fire was so reasonable that "all the people answered, 'It is well spoken.'"

It was a challenge given — a fair and open challenge by the prophet. The question lay between God and Baal, and Elijah on the one hand and these prophets on the other would settle it.

Here is a holy God who must deal with all evil by the consuming fire of judgment. Here is a guilty nation sunk deep in the very evil that the holy God must judge. Surely the fire of the Lord must fall, and equally surely, the nation must be consumed. How can they escape? If the guilty nation is to be spared, the altar must be built and a sacrifice provided. That sacrifice will stand for the guilty nation before God, and the judgment they have deserved can fall on it. The judgment falls upon the victim, the nation goes free.

On Carmel the fire of judgment consumed the burnt sacrifice. At Calvary, may we not say, the sacrifice consumed the fire of judgment. There the storm of judgment that hung over our heads burst on His head and spent itself. The judgment He bore, He exhausted. Resurrection is the everlasting proof of this.

Alone though he is, Elijah does not hesitate to challenge the crowd of false prophets. He has rebuked the king; he has convicted the nation for its half-hearted wavering. Now he will expose the folly of these false prophets and the emptiness of their gods. Who is the God of Israel? is the momentous question. Elijah boldly proposes that this great question go to the trial by fire. The appeal is to God. The decision shall not rest with the one lonely prophet of the Lord, or with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. God shall decide.

The people of Israel were there too, and they had to be made to understand the conflict and the question to be decided. Whatever their secret thoughts, they stayed silent when the prophet called them to declare for the LORD or for Baal. Then Elijah proposed a test. No one could refuse a test so easy to check, and so the people answered, "It is well spoken."

Two religions meet face to face: Elijah's and Baal's, for the third, Israel's, is party to both. Publicly these two religions appear to have the same sacrifice. How are they to be distinguished? One of the bullocks must be consumed by fire from heaven, but not the other. In this way people will be able to recognise the true God. In this way too they will learn to know themselves, so that they may be turned to repentance.

He proposes to the people a sign that the Lord alone could produce, and it had a deep significance. This is not fire from heaven falling on men in judgment, as would happen later at the prophet's call. It is fire falling on the burnt offering.

The blood of the false prophets flows. But neither their blood nor the blood of any man can atone for Israel's sin or open heaven to this poor people!

There was no natural link between fire from heaven and a water-soaked victim. There was no natural link between the judgment of God and the holy Saviour — nothing in Him to invite wrath. But He took the sinner's place. The fire came down and He bore the judgment, just as the fire came down on Elijah's sacrifice. It consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the water and the very dust — levelling all to the ground.

The highest evidence of our God and of His truth is the acceptance He certifies to each soul who knows Him in atonement. That is, to each soul He has received. God answers by fire. In this answer, pictured by fire, the accepted soul senses that God receives him, and does so in all the strength and terribleness of holiness.

Among other marvels, he will be permitted to use the very miracle that Elijah used on Mount Carmel to call Israel back to Jehovah. Compare Revelation 13:13 with 1 Kings 18:24. His works are called "powers," because they are clearly superhuman. They are called "signs," because they have meaning and teaching. They are called "wonders," because they are meant to attract attention and admiration.

It was important to stress that last clause when dealing with unprincipled villains. Priestly "miracles" have a bad reputation for fraud. In the calmness of faith, Elijah could afford to let Satan's agents move first. He knew well that the god they served had no power.

At the start the cause of Baal appeared at its best. Baal had his choice of the sacrifice and the sympathy of the court. He also had a large priesthood, zealous for his interests — that is, for their own.

Two religions meet face to face: Elijah's and Baal's — for the third, Israel's, takes part in both. Publicly these two religions appear to offer the same sacrifice. How are they to be told apart? One of the bulls must be consumed by fire from heaven, and not the other. By this means people will be able to recognise the true God. By this means the people too will learn to know themselves, and so be turned to repentance.

Elijah boldly proposes to put this great question to the trial by fire. "The God who answers by fire, He is God." The appeal is to God. The decision will not rest with the lone prophet of the Lord, nor with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. It will be no question of human reasoning, or of the opinion of one man against four hundred and fifty. God shall decide.

Let us go back to Carmel and see how Elijah deals with the prophets. He gives them the first chance, and they prepare their sacrifice. What comes next? They cry, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. He knew the whole thing was false, just as today everything that is not Christ is false. What you and I want is the truth. And Christ is the Truth.

All day long they tore their throats, if not the heavens, with their cries. But the sheer scale of their effort only showed how useless it all was. There was no reply. The mountain of zeal did not bring forth even a mouse.

They used up the day in useless cries and in cutting themselves, and there was no response. Ashamed and silent, they had to wait for the voice of God. Then the prophet took those special precautions to make clear that it was indeed God, and He alone, who was dealing with His people. Water is poured again and again over the sacrifice and over the altar, until it fills the ditch around it. Now no possibility of fire is left, and all of nature's heat is quenched. Then, in a few simple words, the prophet asks the Lord to show Himself. He cannot show Himself where the smouldering embers of nature's efforts are still glowing. It is good for the sinner to realise this.

The people knew well that Baal was the reputed god of fire, and said, "It is well spoken." Elijah then turned to the prophets of Baal and said, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it" (1 Kings 18:25). It was important to stress that last clause when dealing with unprincipled villains. Priestly "miracles" have a bad name for fraud. In the calmness of faith, Elijah could afford to let Satan's agents move first. He knew very well that the god they served had no power.

What a day it was! From morning until noon the prophets cried, "O Baal, answer us!" — knowing that for them everything was at stake. Their god's silence threw them into a frenzy, and they leaped about the altar they had made. "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them" (Ps. 135:15-18).

Having taken their bull and dressed it, they called on Baal from morning to noon to step in and prove his claims. "But there was no voice, and no one answered." They thought, as in all false worship, that more energy was needed from them. So they leaped on the altar they had made.

At the start, Baal's cause seemed to have everything in its favour. He had his choice of the sacrifice, the sympathy of the court, and a large priesthood, eager for his interests — that is, their own. All day they tore their throats, if not the heavens, with their cries, "O Baal, answer us." They waved their arms like madmen. They leaped in a frenzy on the altar and cut themselves with knives until the blood gushed out on them. But the sheer excess of what they did only showed how useless their efforts were. There was no reply. A mountain of zeal produced not even the smallest result.

Baal does not answer (vv. 25-29). See the irony in how the prophet treats this lifeless object! Through it Satan was working his terrible influence on the hearts of men. The blood of the false prophets flows (v. 28), but neither their blood nor the blood of any man can atone for Israel's sin or open heaven to this poor people!

If the Lord had to charge the Jews with hypocrisy, He had to judge the nations for their empty repetitions and many words in prayer (see 1 Kings 18:26-29). Beyond that, He also warns His disciples against thoughtless prayers. He knew in advance what would develop in Christianity. Pagan religions are not the only home of empty repetition of pre-written prayers. Christian churches practise it too.

I think Elijah was right in the way he treated them. He knew the whole thing was false, just as today everything that is not Christ is false. What you and I want is the truth. And Christ is the Truth.

They prepare their altar, dress their bull, and call on their god. From morning until noon they cry to Baal. It was useless — there was no voice, and no one answered. Until midday Elijah is a silent witness of their futile efforts. Then at last, for the first and only time, he speaks to these false prophets. And it is only to mock them.

Elijah gave the prophets of Baal plenty of time to call on their mystical god... When there was no answer, they jumped around the altar they had made. They acted as though their movements could influence their idol! After a few hours of useless energy, Elijah mocked them. He told them to cry louder. Perhaps Baal was preoccupied, or busy, or on a journey, or asleep and needed waking. They had no idea of a God who knows everything and is present everywhere.

See the irony in the way the prophet treats this lifeless object! Through it Satan was exercising his terrible influence over the hearts of men. The blood of the false prophets flows. But neither their blood nor any man's can atone for Israel's sin or open heaven to this poor people!

They thought more energy was needed from them, as in all false worship... Elijah mocked them, for he knew that gods made by human hands were only emptiness. By his taunts and irony he provoked them to desperation, so that they cut themselves with knives and lances "until the blood gushed out upon them." It was all useless. They kept up their "prophesying" until the time of the evening sacrifice, but "there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention."

Now let me ask whether you know what prayer is. What use is prayer if you have no sense that God has heard you? Look at the priests of Baal. Elijah said to them, "Cry aloud" — cry louder still, until he does hear. "Either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." He said it mockingly. He himself knew what it was to be heard, to be joined in his own soul to a God who always hears. So it is with us now.

And now the prophet turns a little sarcastic as he says, "Cry aloud! for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." I think Elijah was right in the way he treated them. He knew the whole thing was false, just as today everything that is not Christ is false. What you and I want is the truth. And Christ is the Truth.

romach. A spear used by warriors, with a metal point. 1 Kings 18:28. The word is often translated 'spear.' The priests of Baal, in their desperation, wounded themselves with this weapon.

With the crowds looking on, when noon came Elijah mocked the unhappy prophets. He suggested that they were not crying loudly enough. Perhaps their god was busy with something else and could not attend to them. Perhaps he was away from home. Or perhaps he was asleep! Stung by these taunts, the false prophets gashed themselves with swords and spears until their bodies streamed with blood! This unholy farce, carried on by men made in the image of God, was allowed to continue three hours longer.

When there was no answer, they jumped around the altar they had made, as though to influence their idol with their physical movements! They had no conception of an all-knowing, ever-present God.

They thought that more energy was demanded on their part, as in all false worship. So they leaped upon the altar that was made. Elijah mocked them, for he knew that gods made with men's hands were only vanity. His taunts and irony drove them to desperation, so that they cut themselves with knives and lances "until the blood gushed out upon them." It was all in vain.

Baal does not answer (vv. 25-29). See the irony the prophet uses against this lifeless object! Through it Satan was working his terrible influence on the hearts of men. The blood of the false prophets flows (v. 28). But neither their blood nor any man's blood can atone for Israel's sin or open heaven to this poor people!

"Beware of evil workers, beware of the concision" — a play upon the word "circumcision." We know how the idolatrous priests cut themselves with knives and lances (1 Kings 18:28). This may refer to that practice. It is astonishing how far the flesh may go in its religious energy, entirely opposed to the mind of God.

Long ago, the priests of the heathen nations required their people to do works of penance and self-punishment. They even cut their flesh with knives, like the priests of Baal in 1 Kings 18:28. So Rome teaches that God is not satisfied without bodily tortures and endless penances. But this denies the value of the FINISHED WORK of the Lord Jesus Christ. It denies the PRECIOUS BLOOD that alone cleanses from ALL sin.

These poor, deluded Baal worshippers did not notice Elijah's sarcasm. So they took his advice: they cried out more loudly to Baal, and they also cut themselves with knives and lances. In this way idolaters injure the body literally. They think this is the self-denial that will influence their false god. How different is the true self-denial of a believer! True self-denial makes no show, but involves a sober self-judgment in spiritual reality.

From morning until noon they cried to Baal. It was in vain. There was no voice and no one answered. Until midday Elijah watches their useless efforts in silence. Then at last he speaks to these false prophets, for the first and only time — and only to mock them. Stung by the scorn of Elijah they redouble their efforts. For three hours more, from noon until the evening sacrifice, they cry aloud and cut themselves with knives until their blood gushes out. Still it is all in vain: "there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention."

The prophets of Baal call upon their false god. No fire leaps from a cloudless sky. They become frenzied in their call upon Baal. But Baal did not respond. He was only something the devil had imagined.

Baal does not answer (vv. 25-29). See with what irony the prophet treats this lifeless object! Satan was using it to exercise his terrible influence on the hearts of men. The blood of the false prophets flows (v. 28). But neither their blood nor any man's blood can atone for Israel's sin or open heaven to this poor people!

They took Elijah's advice and cried out more loudly to Baal, also cutting themselves with knives and lances. So idolaters really do injure their own bodies, thinking this is the self-denial that will influence their false god. How different is the true self-denial of a believer! True self-denial makes no show, but involves a sober self-judgment in spiritual reality. The prophets of Baal continued this useless noise all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice (v. 29).

Driven on by these taunts, the false prophets cut themselves with swords and spears until blood ran down their bodies! This unholy farce on the part of men made in the image of God was allowed to continue three hours longer.

At "the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice" Elijah judged that his opportunity had come. It was 3 p.m. In Jerusalem the evening lamb was being laid on the altar of the LORD, together with its grain offering and drink offering. All of it spoke to God of Christ, whose death at Calvary took place at that hour (Ex. 29:41; Matt. 27:46). It was the hour of divine blessing: compare Ezra 9:5; Dan. 9:21. The hour had struck for Elijah's sacrifice to be offered, and for the blessing which followed.

How solemn, and how true for all time, are those words of Jeremiah: "Cursed is the man whose heart turns away from the LORD"! It does not matter who or what we put our confidence in — a religious system, a religious ritual, or anything else. It is a departure of the heart from God. A curse follows it. When the final struggle comes, people will call on their Baal in vain: "there will be no voice, no one to answer, no one to pay attention."

It is always good to wait patiently and let evil and error find their own level. Time will surely bring the truth to light. Error may dress itself ever so carefully in the respectable robes of age. But time will strip those robes off and show it in all its ugliness. Elijah felt this. So he could stand quietly by and let all the sand in Baal's hourglass run out before he began to show the pattern of a better way. It takes a very real grasp of divine principles to take this patient course. Had our prophet been shallow-minded or badly taught, he would have been in much greater haste. He would have rushed to display his system and stir up a storm of opposition against his opponents.

With the false prophets completely defeated, Elijah makes his third appeal to the people. He has spoken to their conscience, he has appealed to their reason, now he will speak to their hearts. He gathers them around him with the gracious invitation, "Come near to me." In response, all the people come near to him. In silence they watch the prophet repair the altar of the Lord. Having thrown down the altar of Baal, he sets up the altar of the Lord. It is not enough to expose what is false; the truth must be upheld.

First of all he called the people to him. He wanted them to examine his actions for themselves, and to make it impossible for them to doubt that the Lord had really acted.

Now it was Elijah's turn. He stood alone as the public witness — alone in front of timid people-pleasers, waverers between two opinions, and open, wicked rebels against God. His first act was to repair the altar of the Lord that was broken down. The state of the altar was proof of the state of the people.

"Come near to me," said Elijah to the people, who had been led astray so long like foolish sheep. There is a sound of tenderness in the prophet's words, like Joseph's invitation to his guilty and trembling brothers in Genesis 45:4. Elijah would soon lead the poor misguided people back to their patient and faithful God. In front of them he repaired the long-dishonoured altar of the Lord. He would teach them the true way of approach to God. If blessing was ever to be enjoyed in Israel again, it must be on the ground of the sacrifice God accepts.

The first thing he does is to "repair the altar of the Lord that was broken down." This was Israel's centre, and every true reformer turned his attention to it. Those who try a one-sided reformation may be content with merely throwing down what is false. They stop short of laying a sound base on which to build something new. But such a reformation will never last; it carries too much of the old leaven with it to be a testimony. The altar of Baal must not only be thrown down — the altar of the Lord must be set up.

Elijah says, "Come near to me" (v. 30). At that time he was God's representative on earth, which Christ was in perfection. If they stayed far off, Israel would not be able to witness what God was about to do... Outwardly the altar was broken down; that is to say, Israel as a whole no longer existed. But it was enough that one man should bear witness with his altar of twelve stones that what God established in the beginning would remain forever.

In their presence he repaired the long-dishonoured altar of the Lord. He would teach them the true way of approach to God. If blessing was ever again to be enjoyed in Israel, it must be in virtue of the divinely accepted sacrifice.

People who attempt a one-sided reform may be content with tearing down what is false. They never go on to lay a solid foundation and build something new on it. But that kind of reform will never last... The altar of Baal must be thrown down, but the altar of the Lord must also be set up.

Elijah was standing on ten tribe ground. But his twelve stones tell us that he entered into God's thoughts about His people. The people were still one in His mind. Only two tribes still recognised the temple in Jerusalem. Yet the High Priest went on carrying the names of all the children of Israel on his breastplate before the Lord, and twelve loaves were still placed on the table in the holy place. Two centuries after the great gathering on Mount Carmel, Hezekiah, king of Judah, commanded at the Passover he held in Jerusalem that atonement should be made for all Israel. Yet only two tribes accepted his rule, and the deportation of the northern tribes had already begun!

What a reproof to the separated 10 tribes! God was concerned for all Israel, and Elijah showed this impartial consideration for all twelve tribes.

Jacob ("the supplanter") must have his name changed if he is to receive proper blessing from God. Only when the flesh is touched and shriveled does Jacob receive the name Israel ("a prince with God"). By nature he was Jacob, but by the grace of God he becomes Israel.

Now the question is this. How long was Israel to be the name, and how long was Israel's unity to last? Always, without a break, forever. This is where Elijah took his stand.

If he had looked at what he could see — if Israel's moral condition had ruled him... he would never have dared to build an altar of twelve stones. Unbelieving human nature might argue like this: "This is not the time for an altar of twelve stones. That day is gone... How much better, how much more fitting, to lower the standard to match your true condition."

Elijah recognized the twelve tribes of Israel at a time when they were divided, weakened, and brought low. That showed true communion with the mind of God about His people.

Why twelve stones? It was the expression of the unity of Israel. Instead of being a divided, broken-up people, Elijah knew that before God they were one. In the same way, the servant of God today who knows the truth knows that there is one Body, one Spirit, and one Head in heaven. And of course he will try to maintain this glorious truth.

Despite the nation's divided state, faith recognizes the unity of the twelve tribes. Every tribe must be represented in the altar of the Lord. Faith sees that the day is coming when idolatry will be judged and the nation will be one, with God in the midst.

Some people carry out a one-sided reform. They are content just to throw down what is false. They never go on to set up a sound basis for building something new. But such reform will never stand. It keeps too much of the old evil in it to be a testimony. The altar of Baal must not only be thrown down, but the altar of the Lord must be set up.

This act is proof of the prophet's spiritual perception. The twelve tribes were no longer walking in unity. Their unity has still not returned to this day, and it will not return until the kingdom of the Lord Jesus. Elijah was standing on ten-tribe ground. But his twelve stones tell us that he entered into God's thoughts about His people. The people were still one in His mind. Only two tribes still recognised the temple in Jerusalem. Yet the high priest still carried the names of all Israel's sons on his breastplate before the Lord. Twelve loaves still lay on the table in the holy place.

There must always be the testimony of the full people of God. In the whole Old Testament there is no clearer sign of what the Spirit of God marks out as fitting to Himself. No man ever felt more isolated than Elijah. Yet that man's heart was with the whole people of God. Faith can never do less. It can never be content with a part; it must have all God's people for God.

Some would sacrifice to the Lord on the altar of Baal. In other words, they would keep an evil system and be content to give it a right name. But no; the only centre of unity God can recognise is the name of Jesus — simply and only that. The people of God must not be looked at as members of a system, but as members of Christ.

There had to be the fullest proof here. The trial of the poor widow who was not an Israelite lost none of its force. Still less would this trial be softened, where God's own honour was at stake and Baal's false claims had to be exposed. So what Elijah poured on was nothing that would feed a fire. Water puts a fire out, if the fire comes from man.

Fire from heaven and a water-soaked sacrifice had nothing in common. The judgment of God and the holy Saviour had nothing in common either, and there was nothing in Him to invite wrath. But He took the sinner's place. The fire came down and He bore the judgment, just as the fire fell on Elijah's sacrifice. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, the water and the very dust, levelling it all to the ground.

Outwardly the altar lay in ruins; that is to say, Israel as a whole no longer existed. But it was enough that one man bore witness with his altar of twelve stones. What God had established in the beginning would remain forever. Those who proclaim this truth will always be few in number. Perhaps they will remain alone like Elijah. But this testimony has been entrusted to us, just as it was to Elijah, in a time when everyone is falling away. So what does their number matter?

There had to be the fullest proof here. If the trial of the poor Gentile widow was not weakened at all, then it could be weakened even less where God's own honour was at stake, and where Baal's claims were to be disproved. Therefore it was not anything that would feed the fire, but rather put it out if it were fire from man.

Then, to show there was no trick in what he did, he says, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood" (1 Kings 18:33). He is determined to let them see that there is no fire there. The truth of God is very simple. There is no underhand work about it.

Water is poured again and again over the sacrifice and over the altar, until it fills the ditch around the altar. Every possibility of fire is now gone, and all nature's heat quenched. Only then, in a few simple words, does the prophet ask the Lord to show Himself. Ah, yes, He can do so now. He cannot show Himself where there are still smouldering embers of nature's efforts; and it is well for the sinner to realise this.

How wonderful is this scene. A holy God who must deal with all evil by the consuming fire of judgment, and a guilty nation steeped in the evil which the holy God must judge. Surely the fire of the Lord must fall, and equally surely, the nation must be consumed. How can they escape? … If God is to spare the guilty nation, then the altar must be built and a sacrifice provided. That sacrifice will stand for the guilty nation before God, and the judgment they have earned can fall on it.

It was the time of the evening sacrifice. This fact showed where Elijah rested for the sign he asked for. It was not in his own service or prayers, but in the value of the burnt offering, which stands for the sacrifice of Christ.

He built his sacrificial altar, laid the wood in order, and placed the bull in its pieces on it. He dug the trench and poured out twelve jars of water, more precious than wine after the years of drought. In all this he pictured the death of Christ in a most striking way. Fire from heaven and a water-soaked victim had nothing in common. The judgment of God and the holy Saviour had nothing in common either. There was nothing in Him to invite wrath. But He took the sinner's place, the fire came down, and He bore the judgment.

There must be the fullest proof here. God did not weaken the trial when He tested the poor Gentile widow. He would weaken it even less where His own honour was at stake, and where He had to disprove Baal's claims. So what they poured on was not anything that would feed the fire. It was something that would put the fire out, if the fire came from man.

First of all he called the people to him. He wanted them to examine his acts for themselves. He wanted to make it impossible for them to doubt that the Lord had stepped in. Next he repaired and built the altar of the Lord. With twelve stones he set all the tribes of Israel before God. Then he made a trench round the altar and prepared the sacrifice. He told the people to drench it three times with water. They poured so much that the water ran round the altar, and he filled the trench with water too. Who that saw what was done could doubt for a moment that only divine power could make that sacrifice burn?

Besides this he guarded carefully against anyone suspecting trickery in what he was doing. He told them to fill four waterpots with water and pour it on the sacrifice. They did this, and he told them to repeat this a second and third time, so that the water ran all around the altar and filled the trench.

Elijah's faith had given God room to act. He had made a trench and filled it with water. In other words, he had made the difficulty as great as possible, so that the divine triumph might be complete. And so it was.

Water is poured again and again over the sacrifice and over the altar, until it fills the ditch around the altar. Every possibility of fire is gone. All nature's heat is out. Then, in a few simple words, the prophet asks the Lord to show Himself. Ah yes, He can do so now. He cannot show Himself where the embers of nature's efforts are still smouldering. The sinner does well to grasp this. The fire that divine love kindles comes from God. Man does not find it in his own heart. To look for it there would only deny man's need of God. And the believer must not forget the same truth.

He built his sacrificial altar and laid the wood in order. He placed the bull in pieces on it. He built the trench and poured out twelve barrels of water — water more precious than wine after the years of drought. In all this he pictured the death of Christ in a most striking way. There was no natural fit between fire from heaven and a water-soaked victim. There was no natural fit between the judgment of God and the holy Saviour; there was nothing in Him to invite wrath. But He took the sinner's place. The fire came down, and He bore the judgment. It fell on Elijah's sacrifice in the same way, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the water and the very dust, levelling everything to the ground.

There had to be the fullest proof here. In testing the poor Gentile widow, the trial was not weakened at all. Still less would it be weakened where God's own honour was at stake and Baal's claims had to be disproved. So what he poured on was nothing that would feed a fire; it would rather put one out, if the fire came from man... His witness was as full as it could be.

Elijah's faith had given God room to act. He had made a trench and filled it with water. In other words, he made the difficulty as great as possible, so that the divine triumph might be complete. And that is exactly what happened.

First of all he called the people to him. He wanted them to examine his acts for themselves, so that they could not doubt that the Lord had really stepped in. Next he repaired and built the altar of the Lord, and with twelve stones he represented all the tribes of Israel before God. Then he made a trench around the altar, prepared the sacrifice, and told the people to drench it three times with water. They did it so thoroughly that "the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water." Could anyone who watched this doubt for a moment that only divine power could set that sacrifice on fire?

Water is poured again and again over the sacrifice and over the altar, until it fills the ditch around the altar. Every possibility of fire is now gone, and all nature's heat is quenched. Only then, in a few simple words, does the prophet ask the Lord to show Himself. Ah, yes, He can do so now. He cannot show Himself where the embers of nature's efforts are still smouldering. It is well for the sinner to realise this.

There was nothing in a water-soaked victim to draw fire from heaven. There was nothing in the holy Saviour to draw the judgment of God, nothing in Him to invite wrath. But He took the sinner's place, and the fire came down, and He bore the judgment. It fell just as the fire fell on Elijah's sacrifice, consuming it, the wood, the stones, the water, the very dust — levelling all to the ground.

At "the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice" Elijah judged that his opportunity had come. It was 3 p.m. In Jerusalem, priests were laying the evening lamb on the altar of the Lord, along with its grain offering and drink offering. All of it spoke to God of Christ, whose death at Calvary took place at that hour (Ex. 29:41; Matt. 27:46). It was the hour of divine blessing: compare Ezra 9:5; Dan. 9:21. The hour had struck for Elijah's sacrifice, and for the blessing that followed.

Notice the time when the prophet drew near. It was the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. That fact declared where Elijah rested for the sign he asked for. He rested not in his own services or prayers, but in the value of the burnt offering, which signifies the sacrifice of Christ.

"At the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near" — not merely the people to him, but the prophet to the Lord. He drew near to that which was to be the witness of His power, of His testimony, of His own name and glory... How blessed! It was a secret between God and His prophet. But now Elijah told it out, before any answer came. So all the profit of the answer would belong to the people, and the word of the Lord would be lifted higher and glorified in their eyes.

The twelve stones represented the twelve tribes, the people in their entirety before God. At a time of ruin, the prophet bears testimony to the unity of the people, just as witnesses today bear testimony to the oneness of the body of Christ. Outwardly the altar was broken down; that is to say, Israel as a whole no longer existed. But it was enough that one man, with his altar of twelve stones, should bear witness to this: what God established in the beginning would remain forever... Those who proclaim this truth will always be few in number. They may remain alone, like Elijah. But what does their number matter, if God has entrusted this testimony to us, as He did to Elijah?

In his prayer, Elijah makes nothing of himself but everything of God. He seeks no place for himself. He has no desire to lift himself up before the people. He wants to be known only as a servant carrying out the commands of the Lord. His one desire is that God may be glorified. To this end he would have all the people know that the Lord is God. He would have them know that the Lord is doing "all these things". He would have them know that the Lord is speaking to their heart, to turn the people back to Himself.

Yet we must not think that the power was in his prayer. His prayer was subject to the Word of God, and the power lies there. Elijah himself says, "I have done all these things at Your word" (1 Kings 18:36). Prayer that depends on God leads us to understand His Word, and to want His will done.

Up to this point he had moved at the word of the Lord. On Mount Carmel he could say, "I have done all these things at Your word." On this journey, no directing word from the Lord moved him. A threatening word from a woman did.

All day they tore their throats, if not the heavens, with their cry, "O Baal, answer us." They waved their arms like madmen. They leaped about on the altar and cut themselves with knives till the blood gushed out on them. But the sheer excess of their efforts showed how useless they were. There was no reply. Elijah was different. Though he stood alone, he was fully confident in Jehovah. He even took elaborate precautions to rule out every suspicion of human help. The altar and the sacrifice were repeatedly drenched with water. Then, in answer to his prayer, the sacred fire fell from the cloudless sky and consumed everything. Humanly speaking, God acted under the least favourable conditions for the glory of His name.

The time when the prophet drew near should be noted. It was the hour of the evening sacrifice. That fact declared where Elijah rested for the sign he asked for. He rested not in his own services or prayers, but in the value of the burnt offering, which pictures the sacrifice of Christ... The Lord heard and answered the prayer of His servant.

A holy God must deal with all evil by the consuming fire of judgment. This nation is steeped in that very evil. How can they escape? Here is an issue that no fervent prayer of a righteous man can meet. If the guilty nation is to be spared, an altar must be built and a sacrifice provided. That sacrifice will stand for the guilty nation under the eye of God, and the judgment they have deserved can fall on it. And so it happened, for we read, "The fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering." The judgment falls on the victim, the nation goes free.

The fire stands for the righteous judgement of God. It might well have fallen on the disobedient nation. Or, passing the nation by, it might have fallen on Ahab and his hundreds of idolatrous prophets, all servants of the Devil. But it did nothing of the kind. The fire fell on the innocent bull that Elijah had placed on the altar! What a picture of the great sacrifice of Calvary! There the righteous judgement of God fell — not on the wicked masses of men, and not even on the corrupt leaders who were mainly to blame for setting up that cross. The judgement of God in all its terrible severity fell on the Holy One who hung there. It forced from Him the cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

The fire fell on the victim as an atonement for the sins of the guilty people. Not one Israelite was touched by that fire... Years have passed since then. The grace of God provided a sacrifice and sheltered the guilty people from the fire of judgment, and that grace has been forgotten. The sacrifice has been despised, and now, once again, the fire falls on the hilltop. But this time there is no victim between a holy God and a sinful people. Instead of falling on the victim, the fire falls on the guilty people in overwhelming destruction.

In his day, God empowered Elijah to call down fire from heaven. That fire bore witness to the true God and exposed the worship of an idol. What Elijah did by the power of God, Antichrist will imitate by the power of the devil. His aim will be to turn people from the true God to worship an idol, or image of the beast.

Do not miss a word of this remarkable verse. The fire stands for the righteous judgment of God. It could well have fallen on the disobedient nation. Or it could have passed the nation by and fallen on Ahab and his hundreds of idol-worshipping prophets, all servants of the Devil. But it did nothing of the kind. The fire fell on the innocent bull that Elijah had placed on the altar! What a picture of the great sacrifice of Calvary! There the righteous judgment of God did not fall on the wicked masses of people. It did not even fall on the corrupt leaders who were mainly to blame for setting up that cross. The judgment of God in all its terrible severity fell on the Holy One who hung there.

At Carmel "the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the sacrifice." The fire fell on the sacrifice as an atonement for the sins of the guilty people, and the people go free — not one Israelite was touched by that fire. As a result God brought the people back to Himself... Years have passed since the fire fell on the sacrifice at Carmel. The grace of God that provided a sacrifice and sheltered the guilty people from the fire of judgment has been forgotten. The sacrifice has been despised, and now once again the fire falls on the hill top... this time no sacrifice stands between a holy God and a sinful people.

It was important, in a book addressed to Israel, to show that Jehovah, their God, was the one true supreme Elohim, the Creator, unlike the demon gods of the surrounding nations... "It was shown to you, so that you might know that Jehovah, He is Elohim; there is no one else besides Him." So the people, when Elijah brought down fire from heaven, cry out, "Jehovah, He is Elohim; Jehovah, He is Elohim."

This is intelligent prayer. The prophet is engaged solely about God and His people. He does not say, "Hear me, that this people may know that I am a true prophet." No; his only aim was to bring the people back to the God of their fathers, and to have the claims of God established in their consciences, in opposition to the claims of Baal. And God listened and heard.

The showers of blessing come after God's judgment has fallen on the burnt offering. They come only after Israel, faced with this event, has acknowledged the Lord and turned their hearts back to Him. Today people seek plenty of rain while the conscience is left untouched. That desire can end in only one result. The rain was not given to Israel until after the work of God had been done for them and in them.

The public confession of Jehovah's name — little as it might have been worth to those who joined in it, "Jehovah, He is the God; Jehovah, He is the God" — made it possible for God to bless them.

He had thought that these mighty displays of the power of God would turn the whole nation to God in deep repentance. For the moment they did indeed fall on their faces and own, "The Lord, He is the God." But no real revival had taken place. Elijah has to learn that wind, earthquake and fire may indeed be God's servants to wake people up. But unless a person hears the "still small voice," no one is truly won for God.