Picking up where we left Elijah, telling Obadiah he'd meet Ahab that day, we find Elijah keeping his word. And Ahab is
Ahab calls him the troubler of Israel. I can see where Ahab would feel that way, what with the king being so narcissistic and totally under the control of Jezebel. I mean, Ahab, who had turned his family and the whole nation away from God couldn't be the root of the problem, right?
Elijah calls him out, because Elijah isn't impressed with the king or his threats. Or the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. Who, by the way, apparently belong to some sort of Breakfast Club with Jezebel. Elijah calls for a Battle Royale- he'd stand up for Yahweh like Mickey to Rocky, and the 950 prophets of Baal and Asherah would play cornerman to their Ivan Drago. (Rocky 4 reference for the un-initiated).
Mt. Carmel is the place of showdown, a hilltop near the sea. The two sides will each prepare their altar, then call their deity, and the one who lights the fire is real. Elijah allows the other prophets to go first, they set up their sacrifice, and begin to call on the two deities of fertility. They call. But no one answers. So they begin to dance. Nothing. Like attention hungry kids begging for the parent's eyes to fall on them, they get more dramatic. They start cutting themselves. Silence.
Well, sort of. See, Elijah is off to the side mocking them. Yep, a prophet of God is saying things like "Yell louder- he may be sleeping!" and my personal favorite "Maybe he can't hear you because he's in the bathroom." Elijah does, in the original Hebrew, actually make a potty joke. Seriously.
Now, the crowd- aka the nation of Israel en masse- has lost interest in the Baal and Asherah prophets. Elijah makes his move. One line, "Come here to me." (1 Kings 18:30) Israel has run from God and all his ambassadors for years. They've tried to kill them, in fact. They have pursued a god(s) that was just called out and proven impotent. Now, a gentle, quiet call to repentance is offered. I like to think that God is speaking through Elijah here, and the call to come here is God calling his people back- not with show, not with the works of man, but with grace. And Elijah shows that as he repairs the altar of the Lord- 12 stones that had fallen into disrepair due to lack of use. I imagine a loving and gentle action of setting the stones right with care, and a sense of brokenness that this was even necessary.
With the altar set, he does something...odd. He orders the altar soaked with water. Gallons upon gallons of water. A) Three years of drought- I guess the water came from the ocean. B) He could have done this to discredit any allegations of an incendiary device -provided they knew what that was back then. C) This took guts. Faith of a mountain mover.
An altar set up and soaked. A nation watching with anticipation. And Elijah prays this:
“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.” (1 Kings 18:36-37)
It's beautiful. It's simple. It breaks my heart. God as the rescuer, God as the redeemer, God as the winner of our hearts. Elijah wants validation- not for his fame, but for God's. Don't we all want God to answer us sometimes? We've laid out our lives for people who refuse to believe time and time again. So we ask God to show up. No, we beg Him. We must want the restoration of others as much as we desire our own, and we need faith that He is true to His word.
Elijah doesn't have to wait. Fire falls from Heaven- consuming not just the wood and the sacrifice (soaked with a multitude of gallons of water), but also the stones and the soil. How passionate is God for His people?!?! (FYI Stone melts at 1500 degrees Celsius. That's 2732 degrees F. ) The people who had rejected God fall on their faces- out of fear, probably, but also with a reverence for the revealed God. They cry out, "The Lord, He is God!"
Then, because of the Law, Elijah orders the nation of Israel to kill the other 950 prophets. The people do, because, well, they saw the fire.
Elijah tells Ahab to grab a snack, and go, because heavy rain is coming. Remember, Elijah said it wouldn't rain for unless he said. And for around 3 years, it hadn't. Then Elijah goes to the peak of the hill, and looks out over the sea. He prays. Each time, he looks for rain clouds. Seven times. Finally, a tiny cloud appears on the horizon. He sprints down off the mountain, as rain begins to pummel the parched and dry earth beneath his feet. Ahab, who had lolly-gagged a bit, watches from a chariot as Elijah runs- and I imagine laughs and cheers- ahead of the king.
It is Elijah's crowning achievement. The nation is looking to Yahweh again. Ahab is humbled. The prophets of Baal and Asherah are dead. One man stood for God. All he did was seek the Lord with reverence, and trust in Him.
What if we were more like that?
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