It was a battle for the ages: the prophet Elijah the Tishbite versus 450 Baal prophets on Mt. Carmel, each side seeking to prove their god was more powerful. To the pagan, it looked like a spiritual slaughter in which Baal would be the victor. But Elijah (whose name meant “Yahweh is my God”) was undaunted. He believed that at the end of the day, Yahweh would be glorified, showing power that no false god could overcome.
What Does Elijah Challenge the Baal Prophets to Do?
King Ahab of Israel came to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel, and Elijah called him out for his sin. “You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals,” said Elijah. “Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table” (1 Kings 18:18-19).
While Ahab sent word for his prophets, Elijah spoke to the people and told them to choose sides: either follow Baal or follow Yahweh. They said nothing.
When the Baal prophets arrived, the challenge began. Elijah reminded everyone that he was the only prophet of Yahweh left, while there were 450 Baal prophets. “Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.” Elijah did the same with the second bull. “Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God” (1 Kings 18:22-24).
Why Did Elijah Challenge the Baal Prophets?
To get the full picture of this mighty contest, we must look backward momentarily.
By Ahab’s time, Israel had split into two kingdoms—the northern part was still called Israel, and the southern part was called Judah. Ahab became king of the northern kingdom, Israel, after his father, Omri, died.
Ahab did not “walk with the Lord.” He was infamous for how much evil he brought into his kingdom. We learn in 1 Kings that “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him” and that he particularly sinned when he “married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians and began to serve Baal and worship him . . . [Ahab] did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him” (1 Kings 16:30-33). Ahab set up Baal worship alongside the worship of Yahweh, as well as worship for another pagan god, a “consort” of Baal named Asherah.
God called Elijah to be His prophet and challenge the country’s Baal worship and other abominations. God sent him to tell Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain the next few years except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). This is an interesting judgment since Baal was known as a rain god.
Elijah could have been killed right then and there just to challenge the king. Jezebel had a penchant for killing off God’s prophets. But God protected him and sent Elijah away.
For the next three years, no rain fell. God provided for Elijah in this hard time, though not in ways Elijah would have expected. First, he brought him to a place with a brook, and ravens brought him his food. When the book dried up, God sent Elijah to a poor widow’s home for food and drink. The widow told him that she only had enough to make one more meal for her and her son before they died. Elijah told her that God would not let her food run out until there was rain again. God fulfilled this promise. Later, the woman’s son fell ill and died. Elijah cried out to the Lord for mercy, and the Lord heard his cry and let the boy live.
After three years, Elijah headed home, where the famine was severe. Jezebel had killed many of the Lord’s prophets in anger. Fortunately, Obadiah oversaw the palace and was a devout believer who hid and fed hundreds of prophets. Elijah encountered Obadiah while following Ahab’s orders to look for grass to feed the remaining animals. Obadiah was afraid when Elijah asked him to arrange a meeting with Ahab. “Elijah said, ‘As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.” (1 Kings 18:15).
Once Elijah met Ahab and presented the challenge, the meeting with the Baal prophets was underway.
How Did the Baal Prophets Respond to Elijah’s Challenge?
The Baal prophets did their best for hours to call down their god, but there was no answer. Elijah taunted them. “‘Shout louder,’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened’” (1 Kings 18:27).
The Baal prophets were in a frenzy. One can imagine what it sounded like to hear 450 men hollering out to their false god and what “frantic prophesying” (1 Kings 18:29) looked like. They would not be put to shame by the single prophet of Yahweh and thought Baal was looking for more from them in worship.
Why Do the Baal Prophets Cut Themselves While Asking Baal for Fire?
One of the more shocking details is that the Baal prophets cut themselves as they called for Baal to send fire from the sky.
Several theories have been put forward. In Matthew Henry’s commentary, he supposed, “Like madmen they cut themselves in pieces with knives and lancets for vexation that they were not answered, or in a sort of prophetic fury, hoping to obtain the favour of their god by offering to him their own blood, when they could not obtain it with the blood of their bullock.”
The ESV Study Bible noted that “According to one ancient Canaanite myth, the father of Baal slashes his chest, arms, and back upon learning of his son’s death. In the myth, Baal returns to life when the rains come. The prophets may have hoped their actions would bring rain and end the drought.”
Even the bloodletting brought no response.
What Happened When Elijah Called for God to Send Fire from Heaven?
While the Baal prophets entreated their pagan god for help, Elijah took 12 stones to represent the tribes of Israel. He built an altar from the stones, dug a trench around it, and laid wood and pieces of his bull on the wood. Elijah prayed to God to show the people “that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again” (1 Kings 18:37).
God sent down the fire, which burned not only the sacrifice but also the wood, stones, soil, and water in the trench. God never does anything halfway, like when He parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross, and they walked across on completely dry ground (Exodus 14:22). Or when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, their clothes and shoes never wore out (Deuteronomy 29:5).
The people turned back to God, and God sent the rain that he had promised.
The Baal prophets were not only humiliated, but suffered a harsh fate for their defiance.
Why Does Elijah Kill the Baal Prophets?
After the Baal prophets lose the battle against Elijah’s God, Elijah tells the people what to do:
“‘Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!’ They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there” (1 Kings 18:40).
We don’t get details about whether God directly ordered this massacre. Still, it would seem in keeping with the judgment God brought on Ahab and Jezebel, who “did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.” (1 Kings 16:33). The Baal prophets may also be seen as false prophets for proclaiming false signs and wonders, and Deuteronomy 13:1-5 mandated a death penalty for false prophets.
What Does Elijah’s Encounter with the Baal Prophets Teach Us?
There is much more about the life of the prophet Elijah. He’s an important Old Testament figure and talked about in the New Testament—most notably in the Transfiguration, where he and Moses speak with Jesus.
I think there is much we can glean from this specific encounter Elijah has with King Ahab, Jezebel, and the Baal prophets:
- Boldness: When we first hear of Elijah being called by God, he must give a very unpopular message to King Ahab. When he returns three years later, he challenges people to choose the One True God who miraculously provided for him and raised a boy from the dead. We don’t know if he was fearless in his faith before he saw God resurrect a boy from the dead, but Elijah certainly was when he went back to face King Ahab and the Baal prophets.
- Obedience: Elijah may have wondered why God allowed Elijah to go through experiences like hiding by the book, relying on a widow’s aid, and her son dying. Certainly, it would have given him a sense that God is completely sovereign over every circumstance. That may have helped Elijah take the next step the Lord wanted him to take. Regardless of God’s intention, Elijah obeyed. Stories like this inspire us to look for ways we may not be obeying God, set our flaws at the foot of the cross, and seek forgiveness.
- Concern for God’s People: Elijah knew many people were breaking God’s law. He wanted to shake them out of their complacency and stand up for what was right, even if it made their life more difficult. We should also be bold in our faith, especially when we see people willing to believe in anything, creating their standards. Knowing that these people are lost without Jesus as their Savior, we should open our mouths to speak the truth to those God puts in our path.
- Concern for Law-Breaking: Elijah would not condone how Ahab and Jezebel were breaking God’s law by introducing pagan false gods into Israelite culture. This made him fearless in the face of certain death. If we don’t get upset by seeing this irreverence around us, we should examine our hearts and see where we have been believing cultural lies contradicting true faith in Christ.
- Unshakeable Faith: The Word doesn’t tell us if God provided the details for building the altars in the contest of Yahweh vs. the Baals. Regardless, Elijah waged war against evil that day, knowing God was with him and would always be victorious. How often do we get caught in a trial or problem and take our eyes off God, even though He is the only One who can solve them?
- Remembering What God Has Done: As Moses had the 12 tribes of Israel choose a stone from the Red Sea’s seabed to remember what God had done for them there, Elijah chose 12 stones to surround his altar. Perhaps he was showing the Lord that he remembered God’s power in opening the Red Sea. Maybe he was reminding the people of their heritage. Maybe he was using the stones as a marker that the people would remember. In any case, we are called to remember what God has done in our lives and what He has done since He created the world for us. We can never run out of reasons to praise Him!
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/JonnyJim
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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