1 Kings 18 -- God Puts Baal In His Place

I love this Bible story!  The man whom God had hidden and cared for and fed over three years is now taken off the bench and put into the game!  He'd had his meals delivered by what the Jews would claim were unclean birds sent by God and miraculously the widow's supply of flour and olive oil never ran out, and now it was time to humiliate the Jews who actually worshiped a carved idol.

Ahab and 450 prophets of Baal met Elijah at Mount Carmel where Elijah proposed a contest.  All the Baal worshipers had to do was prepare a sacrifice and wait for Baal to light it.  It makes one wonder if those prophets weren't worried from the start of the contest, for they had to know that their god never was able to do anything!  After a full day of pleading and cutting themselves in an effort to get Baal to respond, they were beside themselves.

Elijah then offered them an advantage by thoroughly soaking his sacrifice, the wood under the meat, the stones under that, and even the ground with water.  Remembering how it hadn't rained in 3 years, it must have been quite a chore to make that much water available at the mountain site!

Elijah prayed and God answered!  Even the stones were consumed and the dirt was dried up!  Then Elijah commanded the death sentence for the apostate prophets, required by the law.  He then told Ahab to hurry and eat and head back to his palace, because he might just risk getting stuck in the mud.  The ground was thirsty after three years of drought, but God could cause it to absorb enough to have this problem!  Then Elijah, empowered by God, pulled his robes up and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot in the rain for seventeen miles!

My commentary finished the chapter with a word of caution about the next chapter:  "You would think that Elijah would be at his very best spiritually and able to face anything, but the next chapter records just the opposite.  As great a man as Elijah was, he still failed the Lord and himself."

Father, please help me to have the belief and the strength not to fail You.  Guard my thoughts and direct my actions.  I need discernment, wisdom, and knowledge to represent You well.  Please provide all that I need to be able to do so. 

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford