1 Kings 18:26
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.
On Mount Carmel the prophets of Baal dressed their bullock and spent the morning until noon in frantic pagan rites, shouting until hoarse, leaping upon and around their altar, cutting themselves until blood flowed, yet with no voice and no answer. Their sacrifice remained unconsumed not by chance but because Baal was impotent to help, and Satan who would gladly have kindled it for his devoted servants was held back by Jehovah who set bounds to his power. Their noisy, exhausted fanaticism stands in contrast with Elijah's calm, brief, reverent prayer to the living God of heaven, which was answered at once with fire and proved by faith that Jehovah Creator of heaven and earth is God. The contest was chosen for a conspicuous place to vindicate the honor of God's name during the dark idolatrous reign of Ahab and Jezebel, when Elijah stood alone as God's witness before the king, the nation, and the 450 prophets of Baal in a struggle between life and death. That same Baal worship continues when men deify nature, false doctrines, riches, fame and pleasure, enthroning a false character of God in place of Jehovah, so the verse calls those upon whom the ends of the world are come to stand for the right amid apostasy.
Setting on Carmel
The verse belongs to the contest on Mount Carmel, a conspicuous place chosen so that God's power could be displayed and the honor of His name vindicated after idolatrous worship had dishonored Him there.
The contest took place during the dark, idolatrous reign of Ahab and the heathen Jezebel, whose supported idolatry had seduced the nation. Elijah was chosen and commissioned by God as a preacher of righteousness, guided by the Holy Spirit to confront wickedness and serve as His instrument for the overthrow of gigantic evils. On that day he stood before the people as the sole witness to the true God, before the whole nation of Israel, undaunted before King Ahab, with the 450 prophets of Baal at their head.
It was a contest between life and death in which Elijah showed undaunted courage and, enabled by God, triumphed over the king, the priests, and the people. It was a wonderful exhibition proving that Jehovah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, is God. The false prophets were slain, the people declared their allegiance to God, and the whole nation was deeply stirred with many returning to the worship of God.
The Carmel triumph led to Elijah's intercession for rain on the top of Carmel, where he cast himself down upon the earth with his face between his knees in a painful, humiliating position of strong, earnest prayer. His faith was sorely tried yet he continued until rewarded by tokens of rain followed by heaven black with clouds and wind and great rain, which testified to blessings awaiting Israel.
That signal triumph opened the way for still greater victories, with wonderful opportunities opening before Elijah. Yet it did not bring the reformation he had hoped for. After the slaying and the people's declaration, Elijah fled for his life before the threats of idolatrous Jezebel. His course shows long and valiant standing for the right while strength lasted, followed by failure of will, faith, and confidence in God when strength failed, giving Satan advantage in human weakness. Before he could complete his work he had to learn to trust wholly in God and to understand the weakness of his present position as compared with the vantage-ground the Lord would have him occupy.
Baal Cannot Answer
From morning until noon the prophets called on Baal and there was no voice and no answer, and their sacrifice remained unconsumed. This was because Jehovah had set Satan's bounds and restrained his power, so that though Satan gladly would have sent lightning to kindle the sacrifice for those he had deceived who were devoted to his service, not one spark could be conveyed to Baal's altar by any device of the enemy. Their attempts to deceive the people by secretly kindling the altar showed their fraud, while their failed, unanswered prayers exposed Baal's inability to help, his impotence, and the weakness of their god in contrast with Elijah's calm demeanor.
They dressed the bullock given them and performed frantic, theatrical rites of pagan worship around the altar made for them, with calling, chanting, and shouting until voices grew hoarse. Their leaping upon the altar was wild leaping upon and round it as if to grasp the burning rays from the sun to serve their purpose, with unnatural gestures displaying apparent sincerity. Desperate pleadings were mingled with terrible cursings of their sun-god, and when he did not answer they shouted and cursed him, cutting themselves until blood flowed and garments were stained. They continued in confused, incoherent, frenzied efforts from morning onward until evening, when weary, faint, despairing, and exhausted they retired from the contest.
Elijah watched intently because he knew that if by any device they succeeded in kindling their altar-fire he would instantly be torn in pieces. All day the people witnessed the baffled priests and looked with horror on the frightful mutilations and self-inflicted wounds. They had opportunity to reflect on the follies of idol-worship, saw the display as demonism and pagan idolatry, grew weary of it, and awaited Elijah's movements with deepest interest, eager to hear him.
Their noisy, prolonged, fanatical effort stands in contrast with Elijah's calm, brief, reverent, simple, earnest, and fervent prayer to the living God of heaven. He heard him and answered at once with fire from heaven. Through faith Elijah stood alone for God, idolatry was cast down, and the contest was a victory of faith.
Idolatry Then and Now
Baal was the sun-god of Phenicia, whose worship in ancient Israel called on his name from morning until noon with no voice nor any answer. That same Baal worship continues in different forms when people replace the true God with a false picture of Him or deify nature. It is as easy to make an idol of false doctrines and theories as to fashion an idol of wood or stone. In rejecting truth men reject its Author, and in trampling on the law of God they deny the authority of the Lawgiver.
Satan leads men to conceive of God in a false character with attributes He does not possess, a philosophical idol is enthroned in the place of Jehovah, and thousands deify nature while they deny the God of nature. The god of many professedly wise men, of philosophers, poets, politicians, journalists, of polished fashionable circles, of many colleges and universities, even of some theological institutions, is little better than Baal, while the true God as revealed in His Word, in Christ, and in the works of creation is worshiped by but few. The idolatry confronted on Carmel was rooted in a wrong conception of God and His attributes, and the present age with its Ahabs and Jezebels is as verily idolatrous as that day.
Modern Baal worship needs no outward shrine or visible image, yet thousands follow the gods of riches, fame, pleasure, and pleasing fables that permit men to follow the inclinations of the unregenerate heart. Multitudes serve a false god just as the worshipers of Baal did, and many who claim to be Christians ally with influences unalterably opposed to God and His truth, turning away from the divine to exalt the human. The calling from morning until noon with extreme bodily actions is an example of religious activity that afflicts the body, becomes loud and disorderly, and ends in exhaustion, which God does not require His people to imitate. For those upon whom the ends of the world are come, the unanswered cry brings inspiration and courage to stand for the right in the midst of apostasy, with special significance for the last days.