One prophet stood against four hundred and fifty. The entire nation had gathered below him on the side of a foreign idol, having rejected the Lord their God. The test he proposed was as big as the faith of any Old Testament hero: two altars, two sacrifices, and no fire lit by human hands. The challenge was fair. A fire from heaven would authenticate the gods. The winner would carry off the nation. Fire from heaven would decide the issue.
The hero was Elijah, and the drama unfolded on Mount Carmel in one of Scripture's most thrilling confrontations. Elijah, a fiery young prophet, defied a corrupt king, an idolatrous queen, and four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. He invited the false prophets and all Israel to a test that would leave no one in doubt about the true identity of the God of Israel. It was a test of power and will, and Elijah did not face his adversaries alone. Heavenly fire authenticated the word of the Lord.
A Nation Gone Astray
The northern kingdom of Israel was sinking into a moral decline under the corrupt reign of King Ahab. He had married Jezebel, an idolatrous princess from a foreign land who had brought the worship of Baal to Israel. Jezebel persecuted the prophets of the Lord, and her influence drove the nation to outright paganism. Elijah was one prophet who stood against the corrupt royal house and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal who had led the children of Israel into sin. Elijah had already warned the nation of its impending doom by bringing a three-year drought upon the land. The people blamed him for the withering heat, and when Ahab confronted him, Elijah pointed the blame back at the king. "It is you who have made Israel stray," he accused.
Elijah demanded a public showdown with the prophets of Baal to prove which deity had power over the physical realm. He summoned all the people to Mount Carmel, where he asked them to declare their loyalty. Was the Lord their God, or was Baal their god? The indecisive nation kept its silence. Elijah proposed the contest but declared that the people's choice was evident by their actions. The people agreed to the test, and Elijah, standing among the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the king himself, let his adversaries have first try at summoning fire from heaven.
The Prophets and the Prophet
The prophets of Baal took their turn first, preparing their sacrifice and begging their god to send down fire from heaven to consume the offering. The sun climbed high in the sky as they cried out to Baal, but their persistent hollering produced no results. Elijah mocked them and said that perhaps Baal was napping or away on a journey. The prophets shrieked even louder in an attempt to attract divine attention. They grew so frustrated that they began to cut themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. All their efforts failed to produce even a whisper of response from heaven. The god of Baal did not exist, for he had no power to answer the prayers or demands of his prophets. Their impotent god could neither hear nor help them.
Four hundred and fifty prophets called on Baal from morning to midday. Elijah mocked them. They cried louder, cut themselves with swords, and bled — and still nothing came from heaven.
The prophet of the Lord then stepped forward and prepared a sacrifice. Elijah rebuilt the altar of the Lord and piled wood upon it. Then he invited the people to a strange spectacle. He told them to soak the offering, the wood, and even the stones of the altar with water. He did this three times until the trench had been filled. Elijah made sure that no natural source of fire could possibly be responsible for what was about to happen. If the sacrifice was consumed, it would be a sure sign that the fire had come from heaven. Elijah called upon the Lord to accept his offering and prove to the nation that he was the true God. Then the skies opened, and fire from heaven devoured the offering, consuming even the stones of the altar and the water in the trench. The entire nation was overwhelmed with awe and proclaimed, "The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God."
Elijah prayed. Fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering, the wood, the stones of the altar, and the water in the trench — and a nation that had kept silence fell on its face.
The Waters of Rain
The glory of the Lord had been revealed on Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal had been unmasked as frauds. The national repentance followed, and Elijah declared that the long-awaited rains would come. He climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and sent his servant to watch for the first sign of rain. There was no rain, and the servant returned to tell Elijah. He sent him again. Then a third time. The servant came back to report that he had seen nothing but a small, thin cloud — as short as a man's hand when they appeared over the edge of the horizon. Elijah knew the long period of drought was nearly over. He waited until the clouds had grown thick and dark before he told the servant to return to the king and tell him that his horses and chariots were about to be washed in rain. Elijah was so elated that he even outran Ahab's chariot as the storm broke over the thirsty land with a sound like thunder. The rain brought much-needed relief, and Elijah had seen the power of fire and water as instruments of divine will.
Seven times Elijah sent his servant to look toward the sea. The seventh time, a cloud the size of a man's hand appeared. Elijah told the king to get his chariot moving — the drought was over.
Before Mount Carmel: A Prophet Preserved by Miracles
The confrontation on Mount Carmel was only one miraculous episode in the life of this fiery young prophet. He faced incredible odds before ever setting foot on the mountain. When he announced the drought, he was forced to take shelter by a stream where the ravens brought him food. When the stream ran dry, he took up residence in the home of a widow who had little to spare. She had just enough flour and oil to last until the next harvest, but she gave him food first. Even better, the Lord provided in miraculous fashion to supply the needs of all those present. The miracle was not over, for the widow's son grew ill and soon died. Elijah cried out to the Lord, and the miracle was complete when the child was restored to life. Elijah was a man of faith, and these miracles strengthened his boldness on the day of the contest on Mount Carmel.
Why Elijah's Showdown Still Inspires Believers Today
The scriptural account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is one of the most inspirational stories of unshakable faith and divine courage in all of Scripture. Elijah stood alone against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and a nation lost in sin and superstition. His faith was not in his numbers, for he was vastly outnumbered. He had the assurance of a heart that knew the power of prayer and had already witnessed the miracle-working power of God. Elijah demonstrated remarkable faith and courage by demanding that the false prophets of Baal try their hand at calling down fire from heaven. He knew that their efforts would be in vain because they served a god who had no power to answer their prayers. But he made it even harder on himself by soaking the offering, the wood, and the altar stones with water — an act of unshakable faith that produced a most remarkable display of divine power.
The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal provides a powerful contrast between a genuine God and an invented one. The false prophets screamed and shouted until they were hoarse, then cut themselves with knives until they were bleeding profusely, all in an attempt to gain the attention of their uncaring god. Elijah simply prayed, and heaven opened. Elijah's question still rings true today: "How long will you waver between two opinions?" His challenge to the false prophets of his day still resounds in the hearts of God's people. The nation of Israel needed to know that it had only one choice when it came to worshipping the true God — a lesson that echoes down through the centuries to every believer who must make a stand for faith, even when greatly outnumbered and opposed.
