CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
1 Kings 18
Chapter 18 of 22
Chapter Overview
What happens in 1 Kings 18
In one of the most dramatic scenes in the Bible, Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel. God answers with fire from heaven, proving he alone is the true God. Then God ends the three-year drought.
Scripture
1 Kings 18
Elijah Meets Obadiah
Study note
After three years of drought, God told Elijah to go to Ahab. Ahab's palace manager Obadiah was a devout believer who had hidden one hundred of God's prophets in caves when Jezebel was killing them. Elijah told Obadiah to bring Ahab to him. Obadiah was afraid Elijah would disappear and Ahab would kill him, but Elijah promised to stay.
1 A long time passed. In the third year of the drought, the Lord told Elijah, "Go show yourself to Ahab. I am going to send rain." 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.
2 Elijah set out to find Ahab. The famine in Samaria had become extremely severe. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
3 Ahab called for Obadiah, who ran the royal palace. Obadiah was deeply loyal to the Lord. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
4 Jezebel was hunting down the Lord's prophets. She was killing them. But Obadiah had hidden 100 of them in two caves. He put 50 in each. He gave them bread and water. 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.)
5 Ahab told Obadiah, "We need to search every spring and stream in the land. If we can find enough grass, maybe we can keep our horses and mules from dying." 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.
6 They split up the territory. Ahab searched one area while Obadiah searched another. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 While Obadiah was on his way, Elijah suddenly appeared in front of him. Obadiah knew who he was right away. He dropped to the ground and said, "Is it truly you, my lord Elijah?" 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?
8 "It is," Elijah confirmed. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'" And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
9 Obadiah protested, "What did I ever do to you? Sending me to Ahab is a death sentence!" And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
10 "I swear by the Lord your God, Ahab has searched every nation and kingdom looking for you. Whenever a country said they had not seen you, Ahab made them take an oath." 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 you want me to go tell him, 'Elijah is here'?" And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
12 "The moment I leave, the Lord's Spirit might whisk you away somewhere unknown. When I tell Ahab where you are and he cannot find you, he will kill me! And I have faithfully followed the Lord since I was a boy." 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 "Has no one told you what I did when Jezebel was slaughtering the Lord's prophets? I hid 100 of them in caves, 50 each, and kept them fed with bread and water." 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 you want me to tell Ahab, 'Elijah is here'? He will kill me!" And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
15 Elijah assured him, "I swear by the Lord of Heaven's Armies, whom I serve: I will show myself to Ahab today." And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
16 Obadiah went and found Ahab and delivered the message. Ahab went to meet Elijah. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
The Contest on Mount Carmel
Study note
Ahab accused Elijah of causing trouble for Israel, but Elijah said the real troublemaker was Ahab, who had abandoned God and followed Baal. Elijah proposed a contest: both sides would prepare a sacrifice, and the god who answered with fire would be proven as the true God. The 450 prophets of Baal called on their god from morning until noon with no answer. Elijah mocked them. Then Elijah rebuilt the Lord's altar with twelve stones, drenched everything with water three times, and prayed. Fire fell from heaven and consumed not only the sacrifice but the wood, stones, soil, and water in the trench. The people fell on their faces and cried, 'The Lord, he is God!'
17 Ahab saw Elijah and blamed him. "So here you are. You caused all of Israel's problems!" And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 Elijah fired back, "I am not the troublemaker here -- you and your family are! You have abandoned the Lord's commands and run after the Baals instead." 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 send messengers to gather all of Israel at Mount Carmel. And bring along the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table." 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.
20 Ahab sent the summons throughout Israel and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 Elijah stood before the crowd and challenged them: "How long are you going to go back and forth between two opinions? If the Lord is the real God, follow him! If Baal is, then follow Baal!" The people did not say a word. 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 Elijah continued, "I am the only prophet of the Lord still standing. Meanwhile, Baal has 450 prophets." 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 "Bring us two bulls. Let the prophets of Baal pick one, butcher it, and arrange it on their wood -- but do not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull on wood, also without lighting it." 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 "Then you call on your god, and I will call on the Lord. Whichever one answers with fire from the sky -- he is the true God." Everyone agreed, "That sounds fair!" 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.
25 Elijah told Baal's prophets, "Since there are so many of you, you go first. Pick your bull, prepare it, and call on your god's name. Do not light any fire." 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 They took the bull, prepared it, and called on Baal from morning until noon: "Baal, answer us!" Nothing happened. No voice, no response. They leaped around the altar they had built. 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.
27 Around noon, Elijah started mocking them: "Yell louder! He must be a god, right? Maybe he is lost in thought, or maybe he stepped away. Maybe he is on a trip. Or perhaps he fell asleep and needs a wake-up call." 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.
28 They screamed louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their practice, until blood streamed down their bodies. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 The afternoon dragged on. They kept up their frantic rituals until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was still no voice, no answer, no sign that anyone was listening. 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.
30 Elijah called out to all the people, "Gather around me." They drew close, and he rebuilt the Lord's altar that had been torn down. 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 Elijah picked twelve stones. Each one stood for one of the tribes that came from Jacob, the man God had renamed Israel. 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 He used these stones to rebuild the altar dedicated to the Lord. Then he dug a trench around it wide enough to hold about 13 quarts of grain. 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.
33 He stacked the wood, cut the bull into pieces, and arranged the meat on the wood. Then he ordered, "Fill four large jars with water and drench the offering and the wood." 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 "Do it a second time," he said, and they did. "Now a third time." They did it a third time. 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 Water streamed down and around the altar, completely filling the trench. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 At the evening offering time, Elijah stepped up and prayed. "Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove today you are God in Israel. Show that I am your servant. Show that I did all this at your word." 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 "Answer me, Lord! Answer me! Let these people know that you, Lord, are the true God and that you are winning their hearts back to yourself." 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 Fire from the Lord blazed down from the sky. It consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even licked up every drop of water in the trench. 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.
39 The instant the people saw it, they threw themselves face-down on the ground and cried out, "The Lord is God! The Lord is God!" 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.
40 Elijah ordered, "Seize every prophet of Baal! Do not let a single one escape!" They grabbed them all. Elijah marched them down to the Kishon Valley and executed them there. 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.
The Rain Returns
Study note
Elijah told Ahab to eat and drink because rain was coming. Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel and prayed with his face between his knees. He sent his servant to look toward the sea seven times. On the seventh look, a small cloud appeared. Soon the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain fell. The hand of the Lord came upon Elijah, and he ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to Jezreel, a distance of about 17 miles.
41 Elijah told Ahab, "Go eat and drink, because I can hear a massive rainstorm approaching." And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42 Ahab went off to eat. Elijah climbed to the peak of Mount Carmel, crouched down on the ground, and pressed his face between his knees. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
43 He told his servant, "Go look toward the sea." The servant went, looked, and came back: "There is nothing out there." Elijah sent him back seven times. And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
44 On the seventh trip, the servant reported, "I see a tiny cloud coming up from the sea, about the size of a person's fist." Elijah said, "Hurry! Tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and get moving before the rain traps you here!'" And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
45 Within moments, the sky was choked with black clouds and wind, and a torrential downpour began. Ahab drove his chariot toward Jezreel as fast as he could. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46 The Lord's power surged through Elijah. He tucked his robe into his belt and outran Ahab's chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Key Themes
Themes in 1 Kings 18
The ultimate contest between the true God and false godsThe futility of idol worshipBold faith that stands alone against the majorityGod answers by fire when His people stop wavering
Apply This Today
Living 1 Kings 18
Elijah challenged Israel with the question that still confronts us: 'How long will you waver between two opinions?' A divided heart produces a powerless life. When we fully commit to God and stop hedging our bets, we position ourselves to experience His power in ways that leave no doubt about who He is.
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