He told the people to choose two bulls for the sacrifices and he stated that the prophets of Baal would be allowed to select which of the two bulls they wanted. This way they couldn't claim Elijah tampered with the sacrifices. Now they lay out their offering to Baal and wait for their god to do something. "Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, 'Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.' So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. 'Baal, answer us!' they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made." (1 Kings 18:25-26)
A great deal of noise thunders from Mount Carmel as the 450 prophets of Baal shout to their god. The 400 prophets of Asherah must have been present as well and must have added their voices to this racket, for Elijah had commanded King Ahab to bring both the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah to the mountain. Imagine 850 people shouting at the top of their voices from early in the morning until noon. By the time noon arrives, they add dancing to their shouting in hopes Baal will be pleased enough with their performance to answer them. But still nothing happens.
I think this scene is desperately sad. They are expending all this energy for nothing. The one true God has His hands outstretched to them---pleading with them to repent of idolatry and turn back to Him---but they are ignoring Him in favor of following a false god who never did anything for anyone. I believe Elijah finds this scene desperately sad too. But it also makes him angry. He's angry that these prophets, who have so much power and influence over the people during the reign of King Ahab, have enticed people into idolatry who might not have fallen into it otherwise. He begins to sarcastically make sport of the foolishness of the prophets. "At noon Elijah began to taunt them. 'Shout louder!' he said. 'Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.'" (1 Kings 18:27)
Let's take a moment to contrast Elijah's description of Baal with the Bible's description of God. Elijah says something like, "Maybe Baal has his mind on something else and hasn't yet noticed you're calling out to him. Shout louder to get his attention! Or maybe he's busy with somebody else's prayer request and can't get to you right now. Keep shouting and maybe he'll make time for you. Or maybe he's gone on a journey and will call you back when he returns. Leave a message for him. Or maybe he's fallen asleep and you'll have to shout even louder to awaken him." But does the God of Israel ever turn a deaf ear to those who cry out to Him? No, because, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry." (Psalm 34:15) Does the God of Israel ever sleep? No, the Bible says, "He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:3b-4) Who wants a god who is just like man---a god who must sleep, a god who gets distracted by other things, a god who takes time off and goes on a journey? Instead they could have a God like this: "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." (Psalm 9:9) Has Baal ever been a refuge and a stronghold for his followers? No, and Elijah wants them to face up to that and admit it.
But they refuse to face up to that and admit it. Instead they add a gruesome element to their appeals to Baal: their own blood. "So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention." (1 Kings 18:28-29) They think Baal will be pleased if they shed blood for him. This scene ought to break our hearts. These people are cutting themselves, at great risk of infection, anemia, or even loss of life, for a god who does not exist. And at the same time they are rejecting the one true God who created them and loves them and who will someday come to the earth in the form of a man to shed His blood for them.
I think the prophets of Baal have cried out to him for at least six hours to no avail. They began sometime in the morning, perhaps around 9:00 which was the time of the morning sacrifice at the temple of the Lord, and continued until the time of the evening sacrifice which was 3:00. (The new day began at evening for the Israelites, around sundown, which is why the 3:00 sacrifice is known as the "evening sacrifice".) Baal's prophets have accomplished nothing except to exhaust and bloody themselves. I think by 3:00 their energy is completely spent. Now it's Elijah's turn to call on his God.
"Then Elijah said to all the people, 'Come here to me.' They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, of whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, 'Your name shall be Israel.' With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, 'Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.' 'Do it again,' he said, and they did it again. 'Do it a third time,' he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench." (1 Kings 18:3-35) The trench is deep enough to contain about twenty-four pounds of seed. The people pour so much water on the sacrifice that it and the wood and the stones are dripping and the trench is full. Elijah doesn't pour the water on the sacrifice himself; this way no one can claim he used any flammable liquids or incendiary devices in or around the sacrifice.
"At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: 'Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that these people will know that You, Lord, are God, and that You are turning their hearts back again.'" (1 Kings 18:36-37) In using the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), Elijah is reminding them that their fathers did not worship Baal. Their fathers served the living God! If they would think back and consider the lives of the patriarchs they would clearly see how far they've gone astray. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wouldn't recognize these people as their descendants because they are behaving like heathen idolaters. Elijah asks the Lord to prove He is God and, in doing so, to prove that Elijah really is His prophet so the people will heed the words of Elijah and repent.
The Lord answers. "Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the fire in the trench." (1 Kings 18:38) Hallelujah to the one and only God for whom nothing is impossible! He not only burns up the wood and the sacrifice but also burns up the stones, the dirt, and the water! Surely all the people, including King Ahab and the prophets of Baal, will repent at the sight of such power and majesty. Surely they will be ashamed for forsaking their Creator and Redeemer. Surely they will turn back to Him and give Him their hearts fully for the rest of their lives. Right?
I wish that were so! Tomorrow's passage begins with a statement they make that initially appears to be a statement of faith. But it is not. It's a declaration made almost involuntarily due to their sudden shock and fear. Permanent restoration of every person in the kingdom will not be the result of the showdown on Mount Carmel. Some who witnessed this event probably changed their ways. Some of the people in the land who heard of the event probably changed their ways. But, sadly, we won't find a nationwide revival breaking out. Elijah will soon find himself running for his life due to religious persecution against him as a prophet of the Lord.
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