Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

For three and a half years, no rain had fallen on the land of Israel. The drought that the prophet Elijah had proclaimed in the name of the Lord had brought the kingdom to its knees. Crops had failed, streams had dried up, and the people were suffering greatly. This judgment had come because King Ahab and his wicked wife Jezebel had led Israel into the worship of Baal, a false god supposedly in charge of rain and fertility.

Jezebel, a Phoenician princess who had brought her foreign gods to Israel, had killed many of the Lord’s prophets and established hundreds of prophets of Baal and Asherah throughout the land. The worship of the true God had been pushed aside in favor of these pagan deities, and the spiritual life of Israel had reached its lowest point since the conquest of the Promised Land.

But now the time had come for a dramatic confrontation that would demonstrate once and for all who was the true God of Israel. The Lord spoke to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.”

Elijah left his place of hiding and sought out Obadiah, the administrator of Ahab’s palace, who secretly feared the Lord and had hidden a hundred prophets of the Lord in caves during Jezebel’s persecution. When Obadiah saw Elijah, he fell prostrate and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”

“Yes,” Elijah replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”

Obadiah was terrified at the thought of delivering this message, fearing that Ahab would kill him, for the king had searched everywhere for Elijah during the drought. But Elijah assured him that he would present himself to Ahab that very day.

When Ahab saw Elijah, his greeting was hostile and accusatory: “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

Elijah’s response was bold and direct: “I have not made trouble for Israel. 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.”

Mount Carmel was chosen as the perfect location for this confrontation—a high place that had traditionally been associated with the worship of the Lord, but which had also become a center for Baal worship. From its heights, the people could see both the Mediterranean Sea and the land of Israel stretching out below.

Ahab did as Elijah commanded, and soon a great crowd had gathered on Mount Carmel. All Israel was represented, along with the vast number of false prophets who served Baal and Asherah. The atmosphere was tense with anticipation as the people wondered what this lone prophet of the Lord had in mind.

Elijah stood before the assembled multitude and issued a challenge that cut to the heart of Israel’s spiritual crisis: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

The people said nothing. They had been so confused by the competing claims and mixed worship that they didn’t know what to believe anymore. They needed a clear demonstration of which God was real and powerful.

Seeing their confusion, Elijah proposed a test that would settle the matter decisively: “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 name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”

The people approved of this proposal: “What you say is good.”

The prophets of Baal were given the first opportunity. They chose their bull, prepared it, and placed it on their altar. Then began one of the most pathetic displays of false religion ever recorded. From morning until noon, they called on the name of Baal: “Baal, answer us!” They danced around the altar they had made, shouting and pleading with increasing desperation, but there was no response—no voice, no fire, no sign that their god even existed.

At noon, Elijah began to taunt them with biting sarcasm: “Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”

Stung by this mockery, the prophets of Baal became even more frantic. They shouted louder and, following their custom, slashed themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed. This self-mutilation was part of their religious practice, believing that their suffering would motivate their god to respond.

For hours they continued their frenzied efforts. They prophesied frantically until the time for the evening sacrifice, but still there was no response—no voice, no one answering, no one paying attention. Their god remained silent because their god did not exist.

Finally, as evening approached, Elijah called the people to come closer to him. The contrast between his calm confidence and the frantic desperation of Baal’s prophets was striking. While they had worked themselves into exhaustion trying to get their god’s attention, Elijah displayed the quiet assurance of someone who knew he served the living God.

First, Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been broken down during the years of Baal worship. He took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, and built an altar in the name of the Lord. Around the altar he dug a trench large enough to hold about four gallons of water.

Then Elijah arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces, and laid it on the wood. What he did next seemed to make his task impossible rather than easier. He said to the people, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”

The people did as he commanded, soaking the sacrifice and the wood thoroughly. But Elijah wasn’t finished. “Do it again,” he said, and they poured more water. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did so. By now the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench he had dug.

This was not the action of someone trying to make fire-starting easier—it was the confident act of someone who served a God so powerful that even water could not hinder His response. The drenched altar stood as a challenge to the Almighty: show Your power in such a way that no one can claim it was accomplished by natural means.

As the time of the evening sacrifice arrived, Elijah stepped forward to pray. His prayer was remarkable for its simplicity and directness, so different from the frantic pleading of Baal’s prophets:

“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.”

Immediately, the fire of the Lord fell from heaven. It consumed not only the bull and the wood, but also the stones and the soil, and it licked up the water in the trench. The demonstration was so complete and overwhelming that no one could doubt its divine origin.

When all the people saw this miraculous display of God’s power, they fell prostrate and cried out: “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

The contest was over, and the result was unambiguous. The God of Israel had demonstrated His reality and power in a way that left no room for doubt or argument. Baal had been exposed as a powerless false god, while the Lord had proven Himself to be the one true God who controls the forces of nature.

Elijah then commanded the people to seize the prophets of Baal, and they were executed in the Kishon Valley according to the law of Moses concerning false prophets who led Israel astray. This was not personal revenge, but the necessary judgment against those who had corrupted Israel’s worship and led the people away from the true God.

After this great victory, Elijah told Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” Even though the sky was still clear, Elijah’s faith in God’s promise was so strong that he could already hear the coming storm.

Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground, and put his face between his knees in prayer. He sent his servant to look toward the sea, but the servant reported, “There is nothing there.” Seven times Elijah sent him, and on the seventh time, the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”

Elijah immediately told his servant to warn Ahab to hurry home before the rain stopped him. Soon the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, and a heavy rain began to fall. The drought that had lasted three and a half years was finally broken, and the land would be refreshed and restored.

The confrontation on Mount Carmel became one of the most famous demonstrations of God’s power in all of Scripture. It showed that the Lord is the only true God, that He controls the forces of nature, and that He responds to the faith and prayers of His servants.

The story teaches us several important truths. First, it demonstrates that there comes a time when we must choose between the true God and false alternatives. Elijah’s challenge—“How long will you waver between two opinions?"—is still relevant today when people try to serve both God and other priorities.

Second, the contest shows us the difference between true faith and empty religion. The frantic efforts of Baal’s prophets, including their self-harm and endless repetition, accomplished nothing. Elijah’s simple, confident prayer brought immediate and overwhelming results.

Third, the story illustrates God’s power over nature. The same God who sent the drought also sent the fire and the rain. No aspect of creation is beyond His control.

Finally, the account reminds us that God is patient with His people but will ultimately vindicate His name and call them back to faithful worship. The dramatic events on Mount Carmel were designed not just to defeat false religion, but to turn the hearts of the people back to their true God.

The fire that fell from heaven that day was more than a spectacular miracle—it was a declaration that the Lord alone is God, and beside Him there is no other.