Note.—The time of the great event considered in this lesson was at the close of the three years and a half of drought which had come upon the land of Israel in answer to Elijah’s prayer that it might not rain. Elijah had returned from Zarephath, in Zidon, to meet Ahab. He had made an agreement with the wicked king to test on Mount Carmel whether the Lord or Baal was the true God. The people were gathered in great numbers, and there were 450 prophets and 400 priests of Baal. The God that should answer by fire was to be acknowledged as the true God. The priests of Baal had tried from morning until the time for the evening sacrifice to get an answer from their god, but had utterly failed. Then it was Elijah’s turn.
30 “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 thrown down. 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, 32 Israel shall be thy name. 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 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood. 34 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 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Lord, the God of Abraham, of 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 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou, Lord, art God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; 40 and they said, The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God. 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.”
Golden Text: “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.” Verse 39.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) When the failure of the priests of Baal was thoroughly manifest, what did Elijah say to the people? V. 30. (2) As the people came near to him, what did Elijah first do? Same verse. Note 1. (3) How did he proceed to repair the altar? Vs. 31, 32. Note 2. (4) When this was accomplished, what did he do? V. 33. (5) What command did he give? Same verse. (6) How often was this process repeated? Vs. 34. (7) What was the result of this profusion of water? V. 35. (8) What time of the day was this? V. 36. (9) What evening sacrifice is here referred to? See Numbers 28:2-4. (10) Then what prayer did Elijah offer? Verse 36. (11) What was the special object of this prayer? V. 37. (12) With what wonderful manifestation was this prayer answered? V. 38. Note 3. (13) How were the people affected by the scene? V. 39. (14) Then what command did Elijah give? V. 40. (15) What was the result of this command? Same verse. Note 4. (16) What important lesson may the disciples of Christ learn from Elijah’s example? Note 5.
NOTES.
1. The altar had been broken down either by the decree of Ahab and Jezebel, or by the voluntary act of the people, who gave themselves up to idolatry all over the land. See 1 Kings 19:10. But the famine had at last done its disciplinary work, and the object lesson of the failure of Baal’s prophets to procure relief from that source had brought the people to some sense of their terrible condition. They were now ready to give heed to the prophet of God.
2. The twelve stones were significant as representing the twelve tribes, recognizing their oneness in religion, tho politically divided. It showed that God was still the God of Israel, notwithstanding their departure from Him.
3. “The fire of the Lord fell.” It came like lightning from a clear sky. All could see for themselves that there was no deception, no hidden fire, but that the answer was indeed from the God of heaven. Thus God witnessed to the fidelity of His servant, who had remained steadfast through so much apostasy and persecution. And so He acknowledged the sacrifices of His servants in the past. Gen. 4:4; Lev. 9:24; Judges 6:21.
4. The slaying of the prophets of Baal was according to the Word of the Lord as expressed through Moses: “The prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” Deut. 18:20.
5. Elijah stands as a striking example to the disciples of Christ. He maintained throughout, against the king and the people, the principle announced by Peter, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29. To this principle he stood in opposition to the law of the land, in the presence of the masses of the people and the king himself. The majority was against him, thousands to one. The political-religionists of to-day would say, at least by the principles they advocate, that he ought to have yielded to the majority until the sentiment of the people was changed to the right. But God vindicated the minority who stood out for His law, as He has done on many other occasions, and as He will do in the final conflict. The encouragement that the true servant of God gains from this lesson is that Elijah triumphed in the end, and received a crown of life for his faithfulness.
