The Holy Spirit – Day 9

As we look at Elijah’s prayer in 1 Kings 18:36, we see why he was one of Israel’s greatest prophets: he was reverent: “O LORD God … you are God in Israel”; he was humble: “I am your servant”; he was obedient: “have done all these things at your command”; and he was selfless: “that these people will know you”. Elijah had responded unequivocally to God’s call on his life and the LORD spoke to him and worked powerfully through him by His Spirit. Yet in spite of Elijah’s close relationship with God, his life in Israel was very harrowing because King Ahab considered him his enemy. Ahab just saw Elijah as the bearer of bad news and, just like many people today, didn’t believe that it was his own incessant sin and idol worship that brought the prophecies of judgement from God upon him and Israel, through Elijah. God still does not tolerate sin.

Ahab was answerable to God and Elijah, but as he was married to Jezebel, a pagan, he kept following her advice and worshipped idols with her, and rejected God’s word through Elijah. As she was steeped in idolatry and controlled 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah, she constantly led him astray. This is a very clear example of why, centuries later, Paul told believers, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). This is equally valid today.

It is little wonder that Elijah’s most important and most amazing miracle was to defeat the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and so convince the people that the LORD was the true God. The day dawned when Ahab assembled together the false prophets and the people on Mount Carmel, as Elijah had instructed, and Elijah asked the people: “ ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him’ ” (1 Kings 18:21). He instructed the prophets of Baal to build an altar first and to prepare a bull to sacrifice to Baal on it; he too prepared one to sacrifice to the LORD after them. They were not permitted to light the fire themselves as the challenge was to see which god had the power to light it, and prove him God.

All day the false prophets cried out to Baal, and slashed themselves, waiting in vain for him to answer them, to no avail; but when Elijah prayed for God to consume the sacrifice that he had prepared, God sent fire from heaven immediately and did so: “When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The LORD — he is God! The LORD — he is God!’ ” (1 Kings 18:39).