You can also change some of your preferences. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD 's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD , all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD . But this was not all; to complete the miracle, the fire consumed the stones of the altar, and the very dust, to show that it was no ordinary fire, and perhaps to intimate that, though God accepted this occasional sacrifice from this altar, yet for the future they ought to demolish all the altars on their high places, and, for their constant sacrifices, make use of that at Jerusalem only. Ahab and the people expected that Elijah would, in this solemn assembly, bless the land, and pray for rain; but he had other work to do first. Pray to your god, but dont start the fire.. With their experiences as a pastor, urban community development expert, and bestselling author of "When Helping Hurts" and president of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, Michael Rhodes, Robby Holt, and Brian Fikkert offer eye-opening true stories of economic discipleship in action. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. But there was no voice. to please their deity, as Herodias did Herod, and so to obtain their request. 3. When Jezebel was killing all the LORD's . Why did the prophets of Baal cut themselves (1 Kings 18:28) Context: 1 Kings 18:27-28 New International Version (NIV) 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. He repaired this altar with twelve stones, according to the number of the twelve tribes,1 Kings 18:31; 1 Kings 18:31. (28-29) The prophets of Baal work harder at their prayer. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab: This was an obviously supernaturally empowered 14-mile cross-country run. Not only some Israelites worshipped God and others Baal, but the same Israelites sometimes worshipped one and sometimes the other. Idols had always threatened to steal the love, trust, and service God deserves and demands.By equating greed with idolatry, Paul provocatively told the church they didnt have to go into a rival temple to worship another god. Let but Obadiah know that he spoke seriously and really intended it, and he will make no scruple to carry the message to Ahab. No one who was present that day missed the point. Christianos ad leones--Away with Christians to the lions. 1. Idols could do neither good nor evil. Like madmen they cut themselves in pieces with knives and lancets (1 Kings 18:28; 1 Kings 18:28) for vexation that they were not answered, or in a sort of prophetic fury, hoping to obtain the favour of their god by offering to him their own blood, when they could not obtain it with the blood of their bullock. II. Jack Gutknecht. He himself retired to pray (for though God had promised rain, he must ask it, Zechariah 10:1), and to give thanks for God's answer by fire, now hoping for an answer by water. 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. 4. When Jezebel was killing the Lords prophets, I hid a hundred of them, fifty in one cave and fifty in another. Answer The account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is recorded in 1 Kings 18. Start FREE. This happened seven times. Psalms 24:6, Thy face, O Jacob!Hosea 12:4. Why did king Ahab have to die? 1 Kings 18:40. See 2 Kings 2:16. Note, Early piety, it is to be hoped, will be eminent piety; those that are good betimes are likely to be very good; he that feared God from his youth came to fear him greatly. 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, There are many of you, so you go first. 14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me. The Lord preserved Elijah's life for a reason. 13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. Should the explanation in Genesis on how God created plants before the sun affect the understanding of creation? Ahab issued out writs accordingly, for the convening of this great assembly (1 Kings 18:20; 1 Kings 18:20), either because he feared Elijah and durst not oppose him (Saul stood in awe of Samuel more than of God), or because he hoped Elijah would bless the land, and speak the word that they might have rain, and upon those terms they would be all at his beck. God immediately answered him by fire, 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Kings 18:38. He is sure Ahab would be so enraged at the disappointment that he would put him to death for making a fool of him, or for not laying hands on Elijah himself, when he had him in his reach, 1 Kings 18:12; 1 Kings 18:12. 2. 41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. 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. "I love Jesus and it is the honor of my life to get to portray him," he said. Having built his altar in the name of the Lord (1 Kings 18:32; 1 Kings 18:32), by direction from him and with an eye to him, and not for his own honour, he prepared his sacrifice, 1 Kings 18:33; 1 Kings 18:33. He proposed to bring the matter to a fair trial; and it was so much the fairer because Baal had all the external advantages on his side. 34 And he said, Do it the second time. As such he tries to counterfeit the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us therefore never despise the day of small things, but hope and wait for great things from it. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. He is there in the presence of Ahab, the 450 prophets of Baal, 400 prophets of the groves and a company of people from all Israel. 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. This writing has come about a few days after The Test - 2002 and the Latter Rain, and adds greater clarity to what can be expected in the latter rain. Note, It has been the lot of the best and most useful men to be called and counted the troublers of the land, and to be run down as public grievances. If I go tell King Ahab you are here, and he comes and doesnt find you, he will kill me! He will put me to death. How sharp Elijah was upon them, 1 Kings 18:27; 1 Kings 18:27. Let it go on therefore to a trial. By this time there was no food in Samaria. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. Ahab, like himself, basely accused Elijah. Elijah swears by the Lord of hosts, who has all power in his hands, and is therefore able to protect his servants against all the powers of hell and earth. The people must be brought to repent and reform, and then they may look for the removal of the judgment, but not till then. 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. 32Elijah used these stones to rebuild the altar in honor of the Lord. That man that is true to his God will be faithful to his prince. [3.] 0 responses 33Elijah put the wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. The central story in the Torah portion is that of the Golden Calf, and thus the story of the haftarah serves as an obvious sequel to this unfortunate episode. The Holy Bible, New Century Version. He stood by them, and patiently heard them for so many hours praying to an idol, yet with secret indignation and disdain; and at noon, when the sun was at the hottest, and they too expecting fire (then if ever), he upbraided them with their folly; and notwithstanding the gravity of his office, and the seriousness of the work he had before him, bantered them: "Cry aloud, for he is a god, a goodly god that cannot be made to hear without all this clamour. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out on them. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, "Shout louder, for he is a god! God demands no more from us than he can make out a title to. God will provide himself fire. 31He took twelve stones, one stone for each of the twelve tribes, the number of Jacobs sons. He mentions this, not in pride or ostentation, but to convince Elijah that though he was Ahab's servant he was not in his interest, and therefore deserved not to be bantered as one of the tools of his persecution. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. That word occurs again in verse 26b when the prophets of Baal are desperate trying to get their god to answer them: "'O Baal, answer us!' But there was no voice, and no one answered. They covet the precedency, not only for the honour of it, but that, if they can but in the least seem to gain their point, Elijah may not be admitted to make the trial. Nay (1 Kings 18:13; 1 Kings 18:13), Was it not told my lord how I hid the prophets? 34Then he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the meat and on the wood. Then Elijah said, Do it again, and they did it again. 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. (3.) He addressed himself to God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, acting faith on God's ancient covenant, and reminding people too (for prayer may prevail) of their relation both to God and to the patriarchs. The Character of Obadiah; Elijah's Interview with Obadiah. You can check these in your browser security settings. God's ministers should make it appear that, how great soever they look when they deliver God's message, yet they are far from affecting worldly grandeur: let them leave that to the kings of the earth. Go tell your master that I am here., 9Then Obadiah said, What wrong have I done for you to hand me over to Ahab like this? 5:3). hear us, O Baal! I. Elijah satisfied him that he might with safety deliver this message to Ahab, by assuring him, with an oath, that he would, this very day, present himself to Ahab, 1 Kings 18:15; 1 Kings 18:15. You have gone after the Baals. How senseless, how brutish, were they in their addresses to Baal! 23Bring two bulls. Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. 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. Such living falls far short of the life Jesus invites us to experience. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient. He thought Elijah was not in good earnest when he bade him tell Ahab where he was, but intended only to expose the impotency of his malice; for he knew Ahab was not worthy to receive any kindness from the prophet and it was not fit that the prophet should receive any mischief from him. New Century Version (NCV). 44The seventh time, the servant said, I see a small cloud, the size of a human fist, coming from the sea., Elijah told the servant, Go to Ahab and tell him to get his chariot ready and go home now. Baal's prophets were so far from being convinced and put to shame by the just reproach Elijah cast upon them that it made them the more violent and led them to act more ridiculously. And they did it the second time. Those that were firm for God doubted not but it would end to his honour; those that were indifferent were willing to be determined; and Ahab and the prophets of Baal durst not oppose for fear of the people, and hoped that either they could obtain fire from heaven (though they never had yet), and the rather because, as some think, they worshipped the sun in Baal, or that Elijah could not, because not at the temple, where God was wont thus to manifest his glory. Their heart is divided (Hosea 10:2), whereas God will have all or none. That Elijah could have made such a run is assured in the Arab runners could easily cover one hundred miles in two days. (Patterson and Austel), 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission. "In reconcilable differences (says bishop Hall) nothing more safe than indifferency both of practice and opinion; but, in cases of such necessary hostility as betwixt God and Baal, he that is not with God is against him." The prophets of Baal try first, but in vain, with their god. What is the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal? He writes that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil that has led some to wander from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs (v. 10). if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. I. Elijah reproved the people for mixing the worship of God and the worship of Baal together. This great good man used his power for the protection of God's prophets. When we worship money, it mauls us. [3.] His prayer was not long, for he used no vain repetitions, nor thought he should be heard for his much speaking; but it was very grave and composed, and showed his mind to be calm and sedate, and far from the heats and disorders that Baal's prophets were in, 1 Kings 18:36; 1 Kings 18:37. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. He put himself into a strange posture. 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