There was one very good man, who was a great man at court, Obadiah, who answered his name--a servant of the Lord, one who feared God and was faithful to him, and yet was steward of the household to Ahab. 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. It does not appear that either the increase of the provision or the raising of the child had caused him to be taken notice of at Zarephath, for then Ahab would have discovered him; he would rather do good than be known to do it. But God would not suffer the devil to do it now, because the trial of his title was put on that issue by consent of parties. Should the explanation in Genesis on how God created plants before the sun affect the understanding of creation? Their perishing thus is the using, as the apostle speaks of them (Colossians 3:22), was to intimate the utter abolition of them after a little while, Hebrews 8:13. We may be sure it was not made necessary to qualify him for preferment that he should be of the king's religion, that he should conform to the statues of Omri, or the law of the house of Ahab. 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. 35So the water ran off the altar and filled the ditch. And they did it the second time. Those that procure God's judgments do the mischief, not he that merely foretels them and gives warning of them, that the nation may repent and prevent them. But his corruptions got the better of his convictions, and he was glad to get clear of him, as Felix of Paul, when he dismissed him, and adjourned his conference with him to a more convenient season. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull and kill it and cut it into pieces. Click on the different category headings to find out more. But the primary attraction to Baal wasnt a pretty statue; it was an economic promise. The battle for their hearts took place in part on the battlefield of their bank accounts. 6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. No, he waives the prescription, and enters upon the merits of the cause:--"There can be but one God, but one infinite and but one supreme: there needs but one God, one omnipotent, one all-sufficient. 2. ESV - Elijah first surrendered, or rather discovered, himself to Obadiah. Above two years he had lain hid with the widow at Zarephath, after he had been concealed one year by the brook Cherith; so that the third year of his sojourning there, here spoken of (1 Kings 18:1; 1 Kings 18:1), was the fourth of the famine, which lasted in all three years and six months, as we find, Luke 4:25; James 5:17. Why did Elijah kill the prophets of Baal? 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. 4. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. At the end of the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit had . Micah 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? But it was utterly false concerning Elijah; so far was he from being an enemy to Israel's welfare that he as the stay of it, the chariots and horsemen of Israel. See how wonderfully God raises up friends for his ministers and people, for their shelter in difficult times, even where one would least expect them. He would have the king know before, that it might not be a surprise to him and that he might be sure it was the prophet's own act to present himself to him. 24You prophets of Baal, pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. Obadiah therefore could with a good conscience enjoy the place, and therefore would not decline it, nor give it up, though he foresaw he could not do the good he desired to do in it. [3.] Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. 17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? There was a heavy rain: Gods word through Elijah was proved true. (4.) Ahab's care was not to lose all the beasts, many being already lost; but he took no care about his soul, not to lose that; he took a deal of pains to seek grass, but none to seek the favour of God, fencing against the effect, but not enquiring how to remove the cause. He would not make use of theirs, which had been polluted with their prayers to Baal, but, finding the ruins of an altar there, which had formerly been used in the service of the Lord, he chose to repair that (1 Kings 18:30; 1 Kings 18:30), to intimate to them that he was not about to introduce any new religion, but to revive the faith and worship of their fathers' God, and reduce them to their first love, their first works. The king and court were all for Baal; so was the body of the people. 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Of course, most Israelites probably didnt totally reject Yahweh, the God of Israel. He will put me to death. 25:3146). Rain is the river of God,Psalms 65:9. [3.] (The Lord changed Jacobs name to Israel.) Those that slighted and hated his counsels would gladly be beholden to him for his prayers. Then Ahab went to meet Elijah. We find that the beast which deceived the world does it. Now if, upon trial, it appears that Baal is that one infinite omnipotent Being, that one supreme Lord and all-sufficient benefactor, you ought to renounce Jehovah and cleave to Baal only: but, if Jehovah be that one God, Baal is a cheat, and you must have no more to do with him." While Baal worshipers went hungry during the drought, God fed Elijah meat and bread delivered to him daily by carrier ravens (see v. 6). From Pretty Statues to Silver and Gold: Jesus or Mammon? But it is strange to find such an eminently good man governor of Ahab's house, an office of great honour, power, and trust. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. He hid 100 of them in two caves, when the persecution was hot, and fed them with bread and water,1 Kings 18:4; 1 Kings 18:4. You can check these in your browser security settings. So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. God's cause is so incontestably just that it needs not fear to have the evidences of its equity searched into and weighed. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. When we read about the Israelites worshiping the god Baal in 1 Kings 18, we tend to think of them developing a preference for wooden idol images. What he said we are not told; but, 1. The manager of God's cause was but one man, lately a poor exile, hardly kept from starving; so that God's cause has nothing to support it but its own right. If I go tell King Ahab you are here, and he comes and doesnt find you, he will kill me! Let but Obadiah know that he spoke seriously and really intended it, and he will make no scruple to carry the message to Ahab. The particular Levitical institutions were so often dispensed with (as in the time of the Judges, Samuel's time, and now) that one would be tempted to think they were more designed for types to be fulfilled in the evangelical anti-types than for laws to be fulfilled in the strict observance of them. 1416). It is an instance of the courage of Elijah that he durst stand alone in the cause of God against such powers and numbers; and the issue encourages all God's witnesses and advocates never to fear the face of man. (2.) Such living falls far short of the life Jesus invites us to experience. 40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. Dont let any of them run away! The people captured all the prophets. But, since Ahab invites him not to ride with him, he will run before him (1 Kings 18:46; 1 Kings 18:46) as one of his footmen, that he may not seem to be lifted up with the great honour God had put upon him or to abate in his civil respect to his prince, though he reproved him faithfully. 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? One may guess how people stand affected to God by observing how they stand affected to his people and ministers. Then let them put the meat on the wood, but they are not to set fire to it. Idolatry is an economic issue. Baal promised the rains, so God sent a drought at the word of his prophet (see 1 Kings 17:1). 1621), of rich men sent to hell for their failure to let go of their wealth for the sake of their neighbor (see Luke 16:1931), and of eternal judgment declared on the basis of ones willingness to share with those in need (Matt. Obadiah would not have accepted the place if he could not have had it without bowing the knee to Baal, nor was Ahab so impolitic as to exclude those from offices that were fit to serve him, merely because they would not join with him in his devotions. III. They prayed to Baal from morning until noon, shouting Baal, answer us! But there was no sound, and no one answered. Prove that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant. shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 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. Though he expected an answer by fire, yet he came near to the altar with boldness, and feared not that fire. It was great condescension in God that he would suffer so plain a case to be disputed, and would permit Baal to be a competitor with him; but thus God would have every mouth to be stopped and all flesh to become silent before him. Nothing creates more trouble to a land than the impiety and profaneness of princes and their families. Great blessings often arise from small beginnings, and showers of plenty from a cloud of a span long. God will first prepare our heart, and then cause his ear to hear, will first turn us to him, and then turn to us,Psalms 10:17; Psalms 80:3. If Jehovah be the true God, Baal is a false God, to whom these Israelites had revolted, and seduced others to the worship of him; and therefore, by the express law of God, they were to be put to death, Deuteronomy 13:1-11. And now, 1. to please their deity, as Herodias did Herod, and so to obtain their request. I will prepare the other bull, putting the meat on the wood but not setting fire to it. He that can give fire can give rain; see Matthew 9:2; Matthew 9:6. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, "Shout louder, for he is a god! To demonstrate that he was neither ashamed of, nor afraid for, what he had done, though he knew how Jezebel would resent it, but durst venture himself in the midst of his enemies, as being confident of the Divine power and protection. (Poole), ii. Stop for a moment. They cut themselves and cried out to Baal for hours, but 1 Kings 18:26 says, "There was no voice; no one answered." Their god was a non-entity, a nothing. The prophets may have hoped that their actions would bring rain and end the drought. I incline to this because we find, when they came together, Elijah, knowing what Ahab wanted him for, appointed him to meet him on Mount Carmel, and Ahab complied with the appointment, though Elijah took such a way to revoke the sentence and bless the land as perhaps he little thought of. 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