BEN F. VICK, JR.
“Mount Carmel rises from the [Mediterranean] sea as a promontory about 500 feet high, with a narrow beach at its foot. Thence, it stretches away to the southwest about twelve miles. It rises to a height of 1800 feet about eight miles from the shore, and then descends to 1600 feet at its farther extremity” (McGarvey, Lands of the Bible, p. 511). In 1978, I stood upon Mount Carmel and considered what had happened there centuries before.
The event that came to my mind was the confrontation the prophet Elijah had with Ahab and the prophets of Baal. King Ahab was the wicked king of Israel at the time. He had married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. The sacred historian wrote:
And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him (1 Kings 16:30–33.)
The wickedness of Ahab caused Elijah to pray that it would not rain. The rain ceased for three and a half years. Then, the prophet prayed for it to rain, and God sent it. However, before the rain, Elijah challenged Ahab and the 450 prophets of Baal, plus the prophets of the groves, to a match on Mount Carmel. The people of Israel gathered there as well. Elijah said to the people, “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” (1 Kings 18:21).
Elijah made this proposal to the people: “Let them [the 450 prophets of Baal] 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: 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” (1 Kings 18:23–24). All the people agreed.
Elijah allowed the Baal prophets to go first because they were many. So the false prophets dressed their sacrifice, put it on the altar, and began calling upon Baal from morning until noon. They prayed, “O Baal, hear us.” But there was no voice nor answer. They leaped (marginal note says they “limped about”) upon the altar. We are told, “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” (1 Kings 18:27). So, they “cried aloud, cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.” This went on till the evening sacrifice. Nothing came from Baal.
Then, Elijah took twelve stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and he built an altar in the name of the Lord. He had a trench dug around the altar that would hold approximately three gallons of water. He put the wood on the altar, cut the bullock, and placed it on the altar. He said to fill four barrels with water and pour it on the sacrifice and the wood. This was done three times. The water soaked the sacrifice, and the wood, even filling the trench. At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed, “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. 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” (1 Kings 18:36–37).
God answered his prayer: “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” (1 Kings 18:38). When all the people saw this, they fell on their faces and cried, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” Elijah then commanded all the prophets of Baal to be taken down to the river Kishon; there, they were slain.
Then Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel and fell on the ground with his face between his knees and began to pray. He sent his servant to go up and see if he saw the sign of rain. The servant came back and said, “There is nothing.” Elijah told him to go seven times. On the seventh trip, the servant saw a small cloud of the sea like a man’s hand. He told Elijah, who commanded him to tell Ahab to prepare his chariot and go lest the rain stop him. The heaven “was black with clouds and the wind, and there was a great rain.” Ahab rode, but the hand of the Lord was with Elijah, who girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel, twenty-five miles from Mount Carmel.
So, what lessons can we derive from this Old Testament story (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11)? First, God is a jealous God who demands our love, loyalty, and lives. He wants us to worship and serve him only (Ex. 20:3-6; Deut. 6:13; Matt. 22:37). Second, and closely kin, one cannot serve two masters. “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” (1 Kings 18:21). The New King James Version says, “How long will you falter between two opinions?” Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24). How many today try to serve at the same time God and the world? God and pleasure? God and sports? God and money? It is impossible. As Joshua said, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” Third, the value of prayer (James 5:13-17). Fourth, one can see the clear contrast between the impotence of the gods as opposed to the omnipotence of God.
So, whom will you serve?