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Chapter 11
Carmel
STANDING before Ahab, Elijah demanded that all Israel be assembled to meet him and the
prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth on Mount Carmel. "Send," he commanded, "and
gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and
fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table."
The command was issued by one who seemed to stand in the very presence of Jehovah; and
Ahab obeyed at once, as if the prophet were monarch, and the king a subject. Swift
messengers were sent throughout the kingdom with the summons to meet Elijah and the
prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth. In every town and village the people prepared to assemble
at the appointed time. As they journeyed toward the place, the hearts of many were filled
with strange forebodings. Something unusual was about to happen; else why this summons to
gather at Carmel? What new calamity was about to fall upon the people and the land?
Before the drought, Mount Carmel had been a place of beauty, its streams fed from
never-failing springs, and its fertile slopes covered with fair flowers and flourishing
groves. But now its beauty languished under a withering curse. The altars erected to the
worship of Baal and Ashtoreth stood now in leafless groves. On the summit of one of the
highest ridges, in sharp contrast with these was the broken-down altar of Jehovah.
Carmel overlooked a wide expanse of country; its heights were visible from many parts of
the kingdom of Israel. At the foot of the mount there were vantage points from which could
be seen much of what took place above. God had been signally dishonored by the idolatrous
worship carried on under cover of its wooded slopes; and Elijah chose this elevation as
the most conspicuous place for the display of God's power and for the vindication of the
honor of His name.
Early on the morning of the day appointed, the hosts of apostate Israel, in eager
expectancy, gather near the top of the mountain. Jezebel's prophets march up in imposing
array. In regal pomp the king appears and takes his position at the head of the priests,
and the idolaters shout his welcome. But there is apprehension in the hearts of the
priests as they remember that at the word of the prophet the land of Israel for three
years and a half has been destitute of dew and rain. Some fearful crisis is at hand, they
feel sure. The gods in whom they have trusted have been unable to prove Elijah a false
prophet. To their frantic cries, their prayers, their tears, their humiliation, their revolting ceremonies, their costly and
ceaseless sacrifices, the objects of their worship have been strangely indifferent.
Facing King Ahab and the false prophets, and surrounded by the assembled hosts of Israel,
Elijah stands, the only one who has appeared to vindicate the honor of Jehovah. He whom
the whole kingdom has charged with its weight of woe is now before them, apparently
defenseless in the presence of the monarch of Israel, the prophets of Baal, the men of
war, and the surrounding thousands. But Elijah is not alone. Above and around him are the
protecting hosts of heaven, angels that excel in strength.
Unashamed, unterrified, the prophet stands before the multitude, fully aware of his
commission to execute the divine command. His countenance is lighted with an awful
solemnity. In anxious expectancy the people wait for him to speak. Looking first upon the
broken-down altar of Jehovah, and then upon the multitude, Elijah cries out in clear,
trumpetlike tones, "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow
Him: but if Baal, then follow him."
The people answer him not a word. Not one in that vast assembly dare reveal loyalty to
Jehovah. Like a dark cloud, deception and blindness had overspread Israel. Not all at once
had this fatal apostasy closed about them, but gradually, as from time to time they had
failed to heed the words of warning and reproof that the Lord sent them. Each departure
from rightdoing, each refusal to repent, had deepened their guilt and driven them farther
from Heaven. And now, in this crisis, they persisted in refusing to take their stand for
God.
The Lord abhors indifference and disloyalty in a time of crisis in His work. The whole
universe is watching with inexpressible interest the closing scenes of the great
controversy between good and evil. The people of God are nearing the borders of the
eternal world; what can be of more importance to them than that they be loyal to the God
of heaven? All through the ages, God has had moral heroes, and He has them now--those who,
like Joseph and Elijah and Daniel, are not ashamed to acknowledge themselves His peculiar
people. His special blessing accompanies the labors of men of action, men who will not be
swerved from the straight line of duty, but who with divine energy will inquire, "Who
is on the Lord's side?" (Exodus 32:26), men who will not stop merely with the
inquiry, but who will demand that those who choose to identify themselves with the people
of God shall step forward and reveal unmistakably their allegiance to the King of kings
and Lord of lords. Such men make their wills and plans subordinate to the law of God. For
love of Him they count not their lives dear unto themselves. Their work is to catch the
light from the Word and let it shine forth to the world in clear, steady rays. Fidelity to
God is their motto.
While Israel on Carmel doubt and hesitate, the voice of Elijah again breaks the silence:
"I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred
and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock
for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I
will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and call ye on
the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be
God."
The proposal of Elijah is so reasonable that the people cannot well evade it, so they find
courage to answer, "It is well spoken." The prophets of Baal dare not lift their
voices in dissent; and, addressing them, Elijah directs, "Choose you one bullock for
yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but
put no fire under."
Outwardly bold and defiant, but with terror in their guilty hearts, the false priests
prepare their altar, laying on the wood and the victim; and then they begin their
incantations. Their shrill cries echo and re-echo through the forests and the surrounding
heights, as they call on the name of their god, saying, "O Baal, hear us." The
priests gather about their altar, and with leaping and writhing and screaming, with
tearing of hair and cutting of flesh, they beseech their god to help them.
The morning passes, noon comes, and yet there is no evidence that Baal hears the cries of
his deluded followers. There is no voice, no reply to their frantic prayers. The sacrifice
remains unconsumed.
As they continue their frenzied devotions, the crafty priests are continually trying to
devise some means by which they may kindle a fire upon the altar and lead the people to
believe that the fire has come direct from Baal. But Elijah watches every movement; and
the priests, hoping against hope for some opportunity to deceive, continue to carry on
their senseless ceremonies.
"It came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a
journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut
themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon
them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the
offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor
any that regarded."
Gladly would Satan have come to the help of those whom he had deceived, and who were
devoted to his service. Gladly would he have sent the lightning to kindle their sacrifice.
But Jehovah has set Satan's bounds, restrained his power, and not all the enemy's devices
can convey one spark to Baal's altar.
At last, their voices hoarse with shouting, their garments stained with blood from
self-inflicted wounds, the priests become desperate. With unabated frenzy they now mingle
with their pleading terrible cursings of their sun-god, and Elijah continues to watch
intently; for he knows that if by any device the priests should succeed in kindling their
altar fire, he would instantly be torn in pieces.
Evening draws on. The prophets of Baal are weary, faint, confused. One suggests one thing,
and another something else, until finally they cease their efforts. Their shrieks and
curses no longer resound over Carmel. In despair they retire from the contest.
All day long the people have witnessed the demonstrations of the baffled priests. They
have beheld their wild leaping round the altar, as if they would grasp the burning rays of
the sun to serve their purpose. They have looked with horror on the frightful, self-inflicted mutilations of the priests, and have had
opportunity to reflect on the follies of idol worship. Many in the throng are weary of the
exhibitions of demonism, and they now await with deepest interest the movements of Elijah.
It is the hour of the evening sacrifice, and Elijah bids the people, "Come near unto
me." As they tremblingly draw near, he turns to the broken-down altar where once men
worshiped the God of heaven, and repairs it. To him this heap of ruins is more precious
than all the magnificent altars of heathendom.
In the reconstruction of this ancient altar, Elijah revealed his respect for the covenant
that the Lord made with Israel when they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land.
Choosing "twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob,
. . . he built an altar in the name of the Lord."
The disappointed priests of Baal, exhausted by their vain efforts, wait to see what Elijah
will do. They hate the prophet for proposing a test that has exposed the weakness and
inefficiency of their gods; yet they fear his power. The people, fearful also, and almost
breathless with expectancy, watch while Elijah continues his preparations. The calm
demeanor of the prophet stands out in sharp contrast with the fanatical, senseless frenzy
of the followers of Baal.
The altar completed, the prophet makes a trench about it, and, having put the wood in
order and prepared the bullock, he lays the victim on the altar and commands the people to
flood the sacrifice and the altar with water. "Fill four barrels," he directed,
"and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And
he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round
about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water."
Reminding the people of the long-continued apostasy that has awakened the wrath of
Jehovah, Elijah calls upon them to humble their hearts and turn to the God of their
fathers, that the curse upon the land of Israel may be removed. Then, bowing reverently
before the unseen God, he raises his hands toward heaven and offers a simple prayer.
Baal's priests have screamed and foamed and leaped, from early morning until late in the
afternoon; but as Elijah prays, no senseless shrieks resound over Carmel's height. He
prays as if he knows Jehovah is there, a witness to the scene, a listener to his appeal.
The prophets of Baal have prayed wildly, incoherently. Elijah prays simply and fervently,
asking God to show His superiority over Baal, that Israel may be led to turn to Him.
"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel," the prophet pleads, "let it be
known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have
done all these things at Thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know
that Thou art the Lord God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again."
A silence, oppressive in its solemnity, rests upon all. The priests of Baal tremble with
terror. Conscious of their guilt, they look for swift retribution.
No sooner is the prayer of Elijah ended than flames of fire, like brilliant flashes of lightning, descend from heaven upon the upreared altar,
consuming the sacrifice, licking up the water in the trench, and consuming even the stones
of the altar. The brilliancy of the blaze illumines the mountain and dazzles the eyes of
the multitude. In the valleys below, where many are watching in anxious suspense the
movements of those above, the descent of fire is clearly seen, and all are amazed at the
sight. It resembles the pillar of fire which at the Red Sea separated the children of
Israel from the Egyptian host.
The people on the mount prostrate themselves in awe before the unseen God. They dare not
continue to look upon the Heaven-sent fire. They fear that they themselves will be
consumed; and, convicted of their duty to acknowledge the God of Elijah as the God of
their fathers, to whom they owe allegiance, they cry out together as with one voice,
"The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God." With startling distinctness
the cry resounds over the mountain and echoes in the plain below. At last Israel is
aroused, undeceived, penitent. At last the people see how greatly they have dishonored
God. The character of Baal worship, in contrast with the reasonable service required by
the true God, stands fully revealed. The people recognize God's justice and mercy in
withholding the dew and the rain until they have been brought to confess His name. They
are ready now to admit that the God of Elijah is above every idol.
The priests of Baal witness with consternation the wonderful revelation of Jehovah's
power. Yet even in their discomfiture and in the presence of divine glory, they refuse to repent of their
evil-doing. They would still remain the prophets of Baal. Thus they showed themselves ripe
for destruction. That repentant Israel may be protected from the allurements of those who
have taught them to worship Baal, Elijah is directed by the Lord to destroy these false
teachers. The anger of the people has already been aroused against the leaders in
transgression; and when Elijah gives the command, "Take the prophets of Baal; let not
one of them escape," they are ready to obey. They seize the priests, and take them to
the brook Kishon, and there, before the close of the day that marked the beginning of
decided reform, the ministers of Baal are slain. Not one is permitted to live.
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