Elijah’s Challenge – Part 1, ‘There was no Voice’
2004 : Week 31 | Website Version
This is part one in a series about Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. We hope you take a moment to read the entire story found in 1 Kings 18:1-39. The story is set during King Ahab’s reign in Israel. Charles Ryrie indicates that, ‘Ahab’s reign from 874-853 BC is remembered for two things: his wickedness and his marriage to Jezebel, who advanced Baal worship in Israel. Ahab and Jezebel encouraged the worship of the false Canaanite god Baal.’
God selects and prepares Elijah, a prophet, to confront Ahab and his wicked ways. As Ryrie points out, Elijah’s name means, “Yahweh is God.” Yahweh is the Hebrew name of God, and it means Lord. Every time Ahab heard Elijah’s name mentioned, it reminded him of the Hebrew God. Ahab despised Elijah, since Elijah stood for a God he did not believe in, and Elijah persisted in preaching about the one true God.
As a result, the stage had been set for a confrontation, but this was not easy for Elijah, since Ahab could have had him killed. Elijah puts the danger aside and follows God’s orders. Elijah does what we all should do; without hesitation, he obeys God. He meets Ahab with great confidence: God inspired confidence. Elijah is an example of the Lord moving in a man and giving him direction and purpose. Elijah had given his life to God, so God was able to use him in a powerful way. What incredible faith shown by Elijah. Would we respond with the faith of Elijah, if God called us to be as bold?
The result of Elijah’s obedience is one of the most memorable stories in the Bible. Elijah looks Ahab in the face and challenges his god Baal to a battle with the true God. For the confrontation, Elijah tells Ahab he can gather 450 prophets of Baal and have them prepare a burnt offering to their god. Elijah would do the same for Yahweh. The catch was that the burnt offering could not be lit by a man; God would have to light the fire. Elijah would pray and ask Yahweh to do it, and the Baal worshipers would pray to their god for the same. Further, the event was to take place before the people of Israel, so that all could see which God had the true power. Ahab accepts the challenge and gathers the prophets of Baal.
Elijah allows the prophets of Baal to go first. He allows them to select the ox of their choice and prepare the alter for the sacrifice. The prophets of Baal prepare the sacrifice and begin to call on Baal to bring down the fire. They call on him from morning to noon, but no fire reigns down from heaven. They leapt around the alter and cried out, but there is no fire.
Ever confident in his God and disgusted by Baal, Elijah begins to mock the efforts of the false prophets. He tells them to call louder because Baal can’t hear them; he’s busy or he’s gone away. Elijah continues to taunt them suggesting that Baal is sleeping, so they need to yell louder and wake him. Incredibly, the prophets of Baal try to summon their god by screaming louder and dancing harder. They also begin to cut themselves in a sacrificial manner to try to get Baal’s attention.
Stop and think about this madness for a moment; hundreds of people screaming, dancing and cutting themselves to attract a false god, but their frenzied activity brings about no response. No fire reigns down from heaven, and there is no message from Baal. In fact, by using repetition here, the Bible is hammering home the point the prophets of Baal would never get an answer:
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29 ‘…there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.’ |
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| 1 Kings 18:29 (NASB) | |
How blessed we are that our God is alive and will always answer our prayers. We do not call out to silence and darkness; we call out to the One who spoke creation into being: the Light of the world. We will continue to look at this confrontation in next week’s devotion.
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always…
