Elijah’s Message to Ahab
1After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of Yahweh came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”
2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria, 3and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace.
(Now Obadiah greatly feared Yahweh, 4for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of Yahweh, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
5Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to destroy any livestock.”
6So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
7Now as Obadiah went on his way, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”
8“It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here!’”
9But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? 10As surely as Yahweh your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you. 11And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’
12I do not know where the Spirit of Yahweh may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared Yahweh from my youth. 13Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of Yahweh? I hid a hundred prophets of Yahweh, fifty men per cave, and I provided them with food and water. 14And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”
15Then Elijah said, “As surely as Yahweh of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.”
Elijah on Mount Carmel
16So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah. 17When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
18“I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of Yahweh and have followed the Baals. 19Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
- 1KI 18:18[DEMONIC]Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel
- 1KI 18:19[NOTE]MOUNT CARMEL is a ridge by the sea in northern Israel. See the Big Question pages Elijah on Mount Carmel.
20So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people did not answer a word.
- 1KI 18:21[NOTABLE]Elijah's challenge still lands today. You cannot keep one foot in each camp. Pick a side. The people did not answer a word.
22Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of Yahweh, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers by fire, He is God.”
And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”
25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”
26And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!”
But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.
27At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”
- 1KI 18:27[NOTE]OCCUPIED. The Hebrew word may be a polite way of saying Baal had gone off to relieve himself. Elijah was mocking them.
28So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.
29Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of Yahweh that had been torn down.
31And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Yahweh had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.” 32And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of Yahweh. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons of seed.
33Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, 34and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.”
“Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time.
“Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time.
35So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
Elijah’s Prayer
36At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. 37Answer me, O Yahweh! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”
- 1KI 18:36[MIRACLE]Fire from heaven burns up Elijah's soaked sacrifice on Mount Carmel
- 1KI 18:37[HEART]Elijah prayed that the people would know God was turning their hearts back to Him. The fire was for their hearts.
38Then the fire of Yahweh fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.
39When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!”
- 1KI 18:39[DEMONIC]The people cry that God is God and Baal's prophets die
- 1KI 18:39[NOTABLE]Elijah's name means my God is Yahweh, and here the whole crowd shouts his name back as a confession. The fire settled the question.
40Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
Yahweh Sends Rain
41And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
- 1KI 18:41[MIRACLE]The drought ends when Elijah prays, and Elijah outruns Ahab's chariot by the power of Yahweh
42So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees. 43“Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant.
- 1KI 18:42[ALLUDED TO]The New Testament refers to this → JAS 5:17-18
So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.”
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
44On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”
And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
45Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
- 1KI 18:45[FULFILLS]Elijah said there would be no dew or rain until he said so ← 1KI 17:1
46And the hand of Yahweh came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.