ELIJAH AND OBADIAH ELIJAH ON MOUNT CARMEL 1 KINGS 18:1-46

1 ELIJAH AND OBADIAH ELIJAH ON MOUNT CARMEL 1 KINGS 18:1-46

2 Elijah and Obadiah Elijah on Mount Carmel Text: 1 Kings 18:1-46, 1. After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land. 2. So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3. and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. 4. While Jezebel was killing off the LORD s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) 5. Ahab had said to Obadiah, Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals. 6. So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. 7. As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, Is it really you, my lord Elijah? 8. Yes, he replied. Go tell your master, Elijah is here. 9. What have I done wrong, asked Obadiah, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10. As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for

3 you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, Elijah is here. 12. I don t know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth. 13. Haven t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. 14. And now you tell me to go to my master and say, Elijah is here. He will kill me! 15. Elijah said, As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today. 16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, Is that you, you troubler of Israel? 18. I have not made trouble for Israel, Elijah replied. But you and your father s family have. You have abandoned the LORD s commands and have followed the Baals. 19. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel s table. 20. So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21. Elijah went before the people and said, How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. But the people said nothing. 22. Then Elijah said to them, I am the only one of the LORD s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.

4 23. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire he is God. Then all the people said, What you say is good. 25. 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. 26. 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. 27. 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. 28. So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29. 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. 30. 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. 31. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, Your name shall be Israel. 32. 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. 33. 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.

5 34. Do it again, he said, and they did it again. Do it a third time, he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36. 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. 37. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. 38. Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, The LORD he is God! The LORD he is God! 40. Then Elijah commanded them, Seize the prophets of Baal. Don t let anyone get away! They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. 41. And Elijah said to Ahab, Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain. 42. So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 43. Go and look toward the sea, he told his servant. And he went up and looked. There is nothing there, he said. Seven times Elijah said, Go back. 44. The seventh time the servant reported, A cloud as small as a man s hand is rising from the sea. So Elijah said, Go and tell Ahab, Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you. 45. Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.

6 46. The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. (NIV) Introduction: I. In 1 Kings 17 we were introduced to wicked King Ahab who, along with his idolatrous wife Jezebel, led the people into the worship of Baal and a departure from the right moral ways of Jehovah. A. This lesson teaches us that we must either be for or against God; there is no middle way of faith. II. From nowhere there appeared before King Ahab s court a prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead who announced, As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word. A. This was a direct assault on Baal who was thought to be a god in control of the land and the weather. B. If Jehovah for whom Elijah spoke could demonstrate his power over the land and weather he would demonstrate his superiority over Baal. C. The contest was on! III. Having made the announcement to Ahab s court Elijah fled for his life to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, where ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening. He drank from the brook until it dried up.

7 IV. God then told Elijah to go to Zarephath in Phoenicia located on the Mediterranean coast between Tyre and Sidon where he would be fed by a widow. A. The final provisions the widow possessed were shared with Elijah. 1. God rewarded her faith by causing the provisions to remain constant and not be diminished from use. B. While staying in the widow s house Elijah raised her son from the dead proving he was indeed a man of God. V. From the announcement before Ahab s court that it would not rain until Elijah gave orders for it to rain, this being done at God s decree, three years, six months had passed to the time of this lesson. A. Luke 4:25, But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; (KJV) B. James 5:17, Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. (KJV) C. At this point Elijah returned to finalize the battle between Jehovah and Baal. 1. This is one of the most dramatic and far reaching conflicts in Scripture. 2. It is about this contest that our lesson for today deals.

8 Commentary: 1 Kings 18:1-2, After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land. So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, (NIV) I. God told Elijah to make contact with Ahab after which the Lord would send rain upon the earth. A. Without hesitation Elijah immediately embarked on this dangerous mission and went in search of Ahab. B. The capital of the northern kingdom, Samaria, was having a most difficult time because of the famine resulting from the draught. 1 Kings 18:3-6, and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. While Jezebel was killing off the LORD s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) Ahab had said to Obadiah, Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals. So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. (NIV) I. Ahab s servant, Obadiah, who was in charge of his household was sent by the king through the land to all the known fountains (springs) of water and to all the brooks looking for sources of

9 water around which grass could be found to feed the king s horses and mules. A. Obadiah went in one direction in search of water and green grass and Ahab went in another direction. B. Obadiah, even though he worked for evil king Ahab, was a man who feared Jehovah greatly and, when Jezebel set out to kill the prophets of Jehovah, hid one hundred of Jehovah s prophets and fed them bread and water keeping them alive. C. Almost a dozen men in the Old Testament are named Obadiah. 1. The author of our Old Testament book Obadiah may have been this Obadiah, servant to King Ahab. D. There are many caves under the western cliffs of Mt. Carmel and it may have been in two of these that Obadiah hid the prophets of God, fifty prophets per cave. 1 Kings 18:7-15, As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, Is it really you, my lord Elijah? Yes, he replied. Go tell your master, Elijah is here. What have I done wrong, asked Obadiah, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, Elijah is here. I don t know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth. Haven t you heard,

10 my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. And now you tell me to go to my master and say, Elijah is here. He will kill me! Elijah said, As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today. (NIV) I. As Obadiah was going about his official duty searching for green grass and water Elijah met him. A. Obadiah recognized Elijah, and fell on his face in respect for Elijah. B. Elijah told Obadiah, Go tell Ahab that Elijah is here and wants to see him. C. Obadiah was greatly concerned about this thinking, if he delivered this message to Ahab and then could not find Elijah, that Ahab would kill him. D. Ahab had sought for Elijah in every nation and kingdom. Obadiah was afraid that Elijah would again vanish and leave him facing execution. E. Obadiah reminded Elijah that he had feared Jehovah from his youth and that he had saved one hundred of Jehovah s prophets from death when Jezebel set about to slay the prophets of God. F. Elijah assured Obadiah that he would be present and would meet with Ahab.

11 1. Obadiah was not to worry that Elijah would fail to keep his appointment with Ahab. 2. Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah and she most certainly wanted to add Elijah to the list of slain. 3. Three years (3) and six (6) months had passed since Ahab s last meeting with Elijah. a. The famine had taken its toll on Ahab and his kingdom. 4. It may be assumed that Jezebel s rain god, Baal, had also suffered in the popularity polls. 1 Kings 18:16-19, So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, Is that you, you troubler of Israel? I have not made trouble for Israel, Elijah replied. But you and your father s family have. You have abandoned the LORD s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel s table. (NIV) I. Asherah was the Syrian and Phoenician god of the moon, sexuality, and fertility. II. Obadiah did as Elijah had directed and delivered the message to Ahab, Elijah is here and wants to see you. III. Ahab immediately went to meet with Elijah. A. His initial remark was, Is it really you, you troubler of Israel?

12 B. Ahab was the troubler of Israel! People were plentiful in that day and in this who fail to assume responsibility for their own actions and blame others for all troubles which befall them. C. Elijah replied pointedly, I have not troubled Israel. You and your father s (Omri s) house have troubled Israel. You have both done this by forsaking the commandments of God and worshiping Baal. D. Elijah, who was clearly in control of this conversation, told the king to gather all Israel in a mass assembly to Mount Carmel and to be sure to bring the four hundred fifty (450) prophets of Baal and the four hundred (400) prophets of the Asherah who ate at Jezebel s table. E. Ahab did not object to this and set about to convene the assembly perhaps because he was willing to do anything to end the draught and save his remaining people and livestock. F. Ahab surely by this point should have been greatly humbled. 1 Kings 18:20-24, So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. But the people said nothing. Then Elijah said to them, I am the only one of the LORD s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the

13 name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire he is God. Then all the people said, What you say is good. (NIV) I. Ahab ordered all the children of Israel to Mount Carmel. This must have been a tense and monumental occasion. A. Elijah presented himself to the people and said, You cannot serve Jehovah and Baal. You must decide whether Jehovah is God or if Baal is God. This is the day of decision! B. The people remained silent. In this case silence was certainly not golden. They answered him not a word. C. Elijah told the people that he alone was left a prophet of Jehovah, but that Baal had four hundred fifty (450) prophets present on that occasion. 1. By this Elijah meant that he was the only representative of Jehovah present on this occasion. 2. Some of the prophets of God spared by Obadiah were certainly still alive. 3. We might well ask, Why did not some of those prophets of God come to this assembly? D. Elijah proposed that Baal s prophets take two (2) bullocks, one for themselves and one for himself. 1. The prophets of Baal would go first. 2. They would dress the bull and place it on an altar, but put no fire under it.

14 3. They were to pray to their God and Elijah would pray to Jehovah. 4. The God that sent fire to consume the offering would be recognized as the true God. F. All the people agreed saying that this was a very good idea, a way to resolve the question as to the identity of the true God. 1. There was no way that either the prophets of Baal or Elijah could now back out. II. The traditional site of this event is El Numrake (the place of burning) just below the summit of Mount Carmel on the southern edge some 1600 feet above sea level. 1 Kings 18:25-29, 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. 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. 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. (NIV) I. The prophets of Baal were given first opportunity to prove that their god was the true God. Elijah awaited his turn.

15 A. The prophets of Baal prayed to their idol from morning until noon. 1. No answer was given to their cry. 2. Obviously, Baal was no god at all. B. They then leaped upon the altar and cut themselves with knives and lances until the blood gushed out. 1. The superstition existed in that day that the blood of priests was especially virtuous in constraining deities to action. C. Especially in the afternoon, as their frantic efforts continued until the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah mocked them saying that Baal may have been meditating, on a journey, or asleep. D. The prophets of Baal had utterly failed! Their ravings had accomplished nothing. II. It was now Elijah s turn. 1 Kings 18:30-40, 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, to 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 (1/3 of ephah, 7 1/3 liters, ephah is 1/10 of homer, 22 liters. Homer is 6 ¼ bushels/220 liters.) of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then

16 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. 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 these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, The LORD he is God! The LORD he is God! Then Elijah commanded them, Seize the prophets of Baal. Don t let anyone get away! They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. (NIV) I. In that land Baal had been popular, Jehovah unpopular. A. Elijah had to repair the altar of Jehovah that was thrown down. B. Twelve (12) stones representing the twelve (12) tribes of Israel were used in this construction. C. After the altar was put in order, a trench was dug about the altar. 1. Wood was placed under the sacrifice, four (4) jars of water were poured on the burnt offering and on the wood.

17 2. This soaking of the bullock and the wood was repeated a second (2nd) and third (3rd) time until the water ran into the trench and filled it! C. Elijah, at the time of the evening sacrifice, 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 these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. (NIV) D. The fire of Jehovah fell, consumed the burnt offering, the wood, and even the stones, dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. II. All the people saw it and knew that Jehovah was God! A. They fell on their faces and acknowledged their belief in Jehovah God. B. Elijah then commanded them to take the prophets of Baal, every last one of them, to the Brook Kishon and to slay them there. C. This action was just and necessary. 1. It eliminated the return of these prophets to the service of Baal and opposition to Jehovah. D. It was just in regard to Jezebel s slaughter of the prophets of Jehovah. E. It was in obedience to the Mosaic law that false prophets should be executed.

18 1. Deuteronomy 7:2, 5, and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. (NIV) 2. Deuteronomy 13:13-15, that troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, Let us go and worship other gods (gods you have not known), then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. (NIV) 1 Kings 18:41-46, And Elijah said to Ahab, Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain. So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. Go and look toward the sea, he told his servant. And he went up and looked. There is nothing there, he said. Seven times Elijah said, Go back. The seventh time the servant reported, A cloud as small as a man s hand is rising from the sea. So Elijah said, Go and tell Ahab, Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you. Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. (NIV)

19 I. Elijah then ordered Ahab to get up, eat and drink, for rain was on the way! Ahab obeyed Elijah, ate and drank. A. Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel, bowed himself down to the earth, put his face between his knees, and prayed. B. He told his servant, Go look toward the sea. 1. The servant returned saying he saw nothing. 2. This was repeated seven (7) times. 3. When the servant had looked the seventh time, he reported back to Elijah that a cloud as small as a man s hand was seen over the Mediterranean Sea. C. Elijah told his servant to tell Ahab, Make ready your chariot, get down from the mountain. Otherwise, the rain would cause great trouble with his chariot causing it to be mired in the mud. D. Shortly the heavens were black with clouds and wind and a great rain fell. 1. The draught was broken! II. Jehovah strengthened Elijah enabling him to run before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. Jezreel was approximately seventeen (17) miles from Mount Carmel. A. Perhaps Elijah had hoped that this monumental miracle would cause Ahab to be faithful to Jehovah.

20 B. Regrettably, this was not to be. One word with Jezebel kept Ahab in the service of heathen gods. Conclusion: I. Elijah was a great prophet of God who served the Lord at risk of life and limb and is numbered today among God s finest servants. II. Ahab and Jezebel are remembered as two (2) of the worst of all Israel s royalty. III. We have before us a choice: Are we going to be like Elijah or Ahab and Jezebel or are we going to try to compromise and step on no one s toes? IV. We cannot ignore evil and please God. A. We cannot compromise with evil and please God. B. We must choose this day whom we will serve. C. We cannot serve both. D. To limp between good and evil is simply to serve the devil. Questions on 1 Kings 18:1-46

21 1. What did God command Elijah to do? What was Elijah s response? How long had the land been without rain at this time? How severe had the famine become? 2. Who was Obadiah? Provide all the information you can. 3. What did Obadiah and Ahab do? Why did they do this? 4. What did Elijah ask Obadiah to do? What was Obadiah s response to this directive? 5. How thoroughly and why had Ahab searched for Elijah?

22 6. What assurance did Elijah give Obadiah? 7. Ahab charged Elijah with being the troubler of Israel. Give other Bible examples of the wicked blaming the righteous. 8. Elijah placed the blame on Ahab where it belonged. Ahab had the s and have followed the. 9. Elijah directed Ahab to the from all over to meet him on and to bring the and of and the of, who at s. 10. Give as much information as possible about Baal and Asherah.

23 11. Elijah asked all Israel,. The people said. 12. What did Elijah propose as a way to identify the true God? All the people answered,. 13. What was step one in the contest? What resulted from this activity? (See verses 25-26.) 14. Beginning at noon what did Elijah begin to do? What was the adversaries response? Why did they cut themselves? What resulted from this activity?

24 15. What then did Elijah do by way of preparation? Give details as contained in verses 30-35. What exactly is a seah? What is the significance of the twelve stones, four jars and three drenchings of the sacrifice and altar? 16. Elijah prayed. What did he ask God? 17. What happened then? See verse 38.

25 18. What was the response of the people? Are people fickle? Give examples. 19. What happened to Baal s prophets? Did Elijah believe in religious freedom? 20. What did Elijah say to Ahab? What did Ahab do? What did Elijah do? (See verse 42.) 21. What directives did Elijah give his servant? What reports did the servant give Elijah? (See verses 43-44a.) 22. What did Elijah direct his servant to tell Ahab? What was Ahab s response?

26 23. How far was it from Mount Carmel to Jezreel? How did Elijah get to Jezreel? 24. was a great of who the at of and. and are remembered as two of the of all s. We have before us a : Are we going to be like or and. 25. This lesson teaches us that we must either be or ; There is no of.

27