Biblical Prophets - Bible Study Online
We now find ourselves within the third year of the three-and-a-half drought that the Lord had released on Samaria, because Ahab and Jezebel had caused Israel to sin. God tells Elijah that the rain will soon come, and now is the time to go and show himself to king Ahab. Elijah does this by telling God's faithful servant Obadiah, who was the governor of Ahab house at the time: to go and tell his master that the prophet is here and wants to meet him face to face. Obadiah goes and delivers the message to Ahab. After the king had heard what Obadiah had to say, he immediately sets out to go and meet with the prophet Elijah. Upon arrival, Ahab immediately blames Elijah for the problems and hardship that Israel had been going through for the last three years: "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" Ahab calls out. Elijah responds by saying: "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals." Note: Ahab's father was king Omri and his account can be found at (1 Kings 16:21-28), the Scriptures states that he did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. Omri had built the city of Samaria and reign for twelve years. Now we find his son Ahab following in his father footsteps and doing more evil than all before him including his father. Elijah tells Ahab to go and summon the people from throughout the land of Israel and meet him at Mount Carmel. The prophet made sure to specify that the king was to bring the four hundred and fifty prophets that served under the storm god Baal; and the four hundred prophets that served under the goddess Asherah. Soon after hearing Elijah's demands, king Ahab had sent word throughout all the lands and assemble the prophets at Mount Carmel. Now we believe that Ahab had fulfilled Elijah's demands because maybe he felt that the prophet would be able to bring an end to the drought that was devastating the land of Samaria for so long.
Now at this time Elijah goes before the people that had been gathered and spoke out to them saying: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." Elijah also points out that he is the only prophet that was their representing the one true God and that Baal had four hundred and fifty prophets representing him. Now after hearing this, the people said nothing.
Then Elijah sends out a request for two bulls that would be used for sacrifices, one would be offered to God and the other would be offered to Baal. These offerings would be cut into pieces and set on the wood altars that were dedicated between the two deities. Then the two parties would call on their deities and the one that answers by setting the offering on fire would be considered the true God. Note: Understand that the people believed that Baal was the god of rain and fertility of the field. Now this is very interesting being that for the last three years they were in a very serious drought, there was no rain and the fields had dried up. So where was their god Baal? Here you have God coming on his territory and causing havoc and yet Baal was nowhere to be found. Now Elijah told the prophets to call upon their god to set fire to the offering that was on the wood altar before him. So they proceeded to call on the storm god Baal. These four hundred and fifty prophets did this by calling out to Baal in one great voice. They kept calling out his name over and over again and yet there was no answer. Then the prophets proceeded to dance around the altar, leaping and jumping all over the place and yet, Baal was nowhere to be found. After seeing this Elijah begins to taunt 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." After hearing Elijah's taunts, the prophets of Baal began to shout louder and started slashing themselves with their swords until blood began to flow from their bodies. They did these things from the morning and through the evening and yet, there was still no answer from their god. Now Elijah called the people that were watching over to his area. He began by repairing an old altar to the Lord which was in ruins: he did this by using twelve stones. Each stone would represent one of the twelve tribes of Israel. After doing that, he proceeded to dig a three foot wide trench around the altar. This trench would be able to hold twelve barrels of sea water. Next he would arrange the wood and the offering and had the people pour four large jars of water onto the wood and the offering. He would have the people pour four more large jars of water onto the wood and offering another two more times causing the water to flow down around the altar filling the trench in the process. Then Elijah begins to pray: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all of these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." Then immediately the fire had fell from the heavens and brunt up the offering and the wood along with the twelve stones and water that had surrounded the altar. After seeing this, the people fell on their knees and proclaimed that Elijah's God is the one true God! Then Elijah told the people to have every prophet of Baal seized. He then had them taken down to the Kishon Valley so they could be executed. Note: With Elijah executing the prophets of Baal may seem cruel to some. But remember that Jezebel had already slaughter many of God's very own prophets to which only one hundred were spared, thanks to Obadiah. Also keep in mind, that Elijah was not acting own his own, he was lead by the Spirit of the Lord with everything he did.
**YOUR CURRENT SERIES WOULD BE HERE** 02) Obadiah and the Caves of Refuge 03) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 04) The Gift of Rain That Came From The Heavens 05) Elisha The Prophet Apprentice 06) The Thirty Two Kings of Mass Destruction 07) Ben-Hadad The Drunken King 09) The Prophets of the Groves 10) Micaiah The One True Prophet 13) Elijah and the Chariot of Fire 14) Elisha the Miracle Prophet  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites!
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