ELIJAH PRAYS FOR THE FIRE OF THE LORD
[1 Kings:18:17-46 [17] And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? [18] And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. [19] Now therefore send, 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. [20] So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. [21] And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. [22] Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. [23] 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: [24] 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. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. [25] And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, 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. [26] And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. [27] And 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. [28] And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. [29] 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. [30] And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. [31] And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: [32] And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. [33] And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. [34] 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. [35] And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. [36] And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, 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. [37] 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. [38] Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. [39] And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God. [40] And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. [41] And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. [42] So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, [43] And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. [44] And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not. [45] And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. [46] And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. ].
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
When Elijah Prayed
Elijah was a man who did much praying, and we know that God answered his prayers. If his prayers were not answered right away he continued praying until they were answered. Elijah was displeased with King Ahab because he and his followers were worshiping idols instead of worshiping God. So Elijah told the king that there would be no dew or rain in the land for a long time. He, no doubt, wanted the wicked people to be punished for their sin, and wanted to prove to them that God in Heaven was the true God.
A Famine
We all know that without rain we cannot raise grain, fruit, vegetables, or food of any kind. The country of Samaria was becoming dry, and food was scarce. The king sent men to the fountains and brooks - perhaps there they could find grass to feed the animals.
However, God was taking care of the good people who loved Him. We learned in a recent lesson that He sent food to the Prophet Elijah. We also read about the widow who had plenty of flour and oil for herself and her son. God always takes care of those who love and trust in Him.
The wicked king blamed Elijah for the famine that had come upon the land. But Elijah told him that all the trouble had come because the king had forsaken the commandments of the Lord and worshiped an idol named Baal, instead of worshiping God.
At Mount Carmel
Elijah told the king to bring all the people to a mountain named Carmel. When they were all there together, Elijah said to them, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. He wanted the people to make up their mind as to who was God. But the people did not answer Elijah.
Elijah said that he was the only prophet of the Lord; but that Baal, the idol, had four hundred and fifty men. Then Elijah suggested that the followers of Baal take an animal and cut it in pieces and lay it on wood and put no fire under it. Elijah would also take an animal and do the same. That was the way that people offered sacrifices in those days. Then they should call on their god and he would call on his God. The one who answered by fire would be the true God. All the people said, It is well spoken.
So the prophets of Baal did as Elijah had said. They prayed to Baal from morning until noon. But nothing happened - there was no voice to be heard, and no fire came down upon their altar. So Elijah began mocking them. He said that they should cry louder; their god might be on a journey, or he might be sleeping and needed to be awakened. They cried louder and even cut themselves; but no fire came down from Heaven.
About evening time Elijah built an altar in the name of the Lord, and made a trench or ditch around it. He put everything in proper order - the altar, the wood - and then cut the animal in pieces and laid it on the wood. He had the men pour 12 barrels of water on the altar, and the water ran into the trench until it was filled. Then Elijah prayed to his God - the God of Heaven and earth. He said, Let it be known this day that thou art God.
The Fire of the Lord
Right away the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. Then all the people fell on their faces and said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
So Elijah had proved to the wicked king and all his followers that their god was not the true god, but that the God that he served was the true and living God.
Praying for Rain
Next we find Elijah going to the top of the mountain and praying to God for rain. He sent his servant to look toward the sea. But the servant said there was no sign of rain. Elijah prayed again and again, till he had prayed seven times. Then the servant said to him that there was a little cloud like a man's hand rising out of the sea. That was enough for Elijah. He told the servant to go and tell King Ahab to get down before the rain overtook him. Soon the sky was black with clouds and there was a great rain. The three and a half years of famine were over.
Elijah had proved to the people that the God of Heaven and earth had power to answer by fire. He had power to stop the rain from falling, and power to send the rain again upon the earth. There is nothing too hard for God to do. It is a wonderful thing to have a Friend so kind and so powerful.
1. What did Elijah say to the people when they gathered at Mount Carmel? [1 Kings:18:21And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
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2. Was there an answer to the prayers of the Baal worshipers? [1 Kings:18:29And 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.
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3. Did the Lord answer Elijah's prayer? [1 Kings:18:38Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
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4. How many times did Elijah send the servant out to look for rain? [1 Kings:18:43And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
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5. What did the servant see the seventh time? [1 Kings:18:44And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.
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