“O Baal, reply us!” … Then they cried aloud… “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let or not it’s recognized today that you’re God in Israel, that I’m your servant, and that I’ve executed all these items at your bidding. Reply me, O LORD, reply me, in order that this individuals could know that you simply, O LORD, are God, and that you’ve turned their hearts again.”
Background
After three years of drought, God instructed Elijah to return residence and converse to King Ahab once more. The King was worshiping overseas gods, and the assembly didn’t go properly. So Elijah challenged Ahab to assemble all of his Ba’al clergymen for a showdown on Mount Carmel. Not solely do the clergymen of Ba’al assemble, however a big crowd of Israelites joined them, too. Who can resist a great struggle?
Elijah addressed the gang. He doesn’t berate them for his or her unfaithfulness, however tells them it’s time to choose. If God is actually the god, worship Him alone. If not, give up straddling the fence and worship the overseas gods alone. (It was frequent apply amongst pagans to worship as many gods as attainable, to “cowl all of the bases” and ensure to not go away any god out. That’s not religion—it’s self-protection.)
Elijah proposes a “contest.” Each he and the clergymen of Ba’al will each put together and current an providing—an animal sacrifice—for every of their respective gods. However as a substitute of setting the sacrifice ablaze, they’d “name on the identify” of their respective gods to deliver down hearth upon the sacrifice. The true god can be the one who listened and introduced down hearth. The onlookers thought this was a good take a look at.
Since there have been extra of them, Elijah invited the priest of Ba’al to go first. They tried for half a day, however to no avail. Ba’al didn’t reply. Elijah constructed an altar, utilizing twelve stones which signify Israel. To ensure it was not a trick nor phantasm, he soaked the wooden, sacrifice, and altar in water. God’s response is to rain down hearth directly. Not solely is the sacrifice consumed with hearth, however the wooden, stone, mud and each little bit of water surrounding it.
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