Elijah on Mount Carmel

Title Ideas:Elijah against Ba’al’s prophets [sorcerers].Elijah tests Ba’al’s prophets. Who is greater? The Lord or Ba’al?Who will you trust and serve?

The Lord commanded [the prophet] Elijah to announce [tell] a message to King Ahab. So Elijah said to Ahab, “It will not rain again in Israel [this country] until [I Elijah] I say so [until I pray for rain]!” And that is what happened: it did not rain for three and a half years! During that time, Ahab’s evil wife Jezebel was hunting down [for] and killing the Lord’s prophets.

Another day, the Lord sent Elijah to see King Ahab again. Ahab said, “You Elijah! You never stop causing trouble!” Elijah replied, “But No! It is you Ahab who make [cause] trouble, because you are worshiping Baal and you lie against [about] the Lord [by saying that the god Ba’al gives rain]!”

Elijah said to Ahab, “Let us have [make] a contest! Bring [lead] to Carmel Mountain many people [a large crowd] including the 450 prophets [sorcerers] that serve Ba’al. Also bring the 400 prophets that serve your queen’s wife’s [Jezebel’s] god [female idol called Asherah]!”

Shortly thereafter, Ahab, many people, and the prophets that served idols, gathered atop [on top] Carmel Mountain [and stood there gathered together]. Elijah shouted to them, “You must decide [choose] today who is God. If Ba’al is God, then serve Ba’al. If the Lord is God, then serve the Lord!” However, nobody dared [tried] to answer [reply to] Elijah.

Elijah said, “You prophets who serve Ba’al, cut up an animal sacrifice and lay its [meat] pieces on a wood altar, but do not set it on fire. I shall do the same. Next, we shall pray, each one to his god to see which god will send down fire and burn up the sacrifice one has offered him.”

The Ba’al prophets shouted and danced round their sacrifice all morning, praying to their god [Ba’al]. They begged him and pleaded, saying, “O Ba’al! Answer us!” But Ba’al did not reply to them. Ba’al did nothing.

Elijah laughed at Ba’al’s prophets, and said, “Shout louder! Maybe your god [Ba’al] is taking a nap [sleep]?! Maybe he has gone away [to the toilet or to the loo]?!” Although Ba’al’s prophets kept on shouting and dancing till afternoon, Ba’al did nothing.

Then, Elijah also made a stone altar and put wood and [animal sacrifice] meat pieces on it. He also dug a shallow trench around his altar. Then he had men pour water on the meat pieces and on the wood, [so that these could not burn], so much that the trench filled up with water.

Then Elijah prayed aloud so all could hear, saying, “O Lord! You are the God who spoke to our ancestors [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob]! Please show [prove] now that you are God who reigns over Israel [our tribes], and that I, I am your servant [prophet]!”

While Elijah prayed, suddenly, fire fell out of the sky [heaven] from the Lord. The fire burned up [consumed] the meat, the wood, the stones, the ground and the water [from the altar that Elijah had erected]!

The people who were listening and watching began to shout, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!” Elijah ordered the people, “Seize [capture] Ba’al’s prophets [sorcerers]!” After they seized Ba’al’s prophets, Elijah ordered, “Kill them [Ba’al’s prophets /sorcerers]!” And they [the people] did so [cut their throats].

Elijah said to King Ahab, “Hurry home now, for it will soon start to rain!” Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel Mountain, and there he prayed, ‘O Lord, please, make it now rain.”

As Elijah prayed [and waited], dark clouds formed overhead, and the wind blew. Shortly thereafter, the rain began to fall. Much rain! [The three and a half year drought / dry time was over.]However [But], neither Ahab nor his wife Jezebel [repented or] worshiped the Lord.