Senior Class Notes – August 15, 2021

Summer 2021 Unit 2 Session 4 – Serve with Loyalty – 1 Kings 18:20-26, 31-39 (16 verses) PSG p. 132 – 141

August 15, 2021

The Point: God deserves our loyalty and service.

Inspirational verses: It-tá-i’s Loyalty to David: “And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.” (2 Samuel 15:21).

1 Kings 18:19 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. (1 Kings 18:19 added for clarification)

1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. It seems strange to see an evil king taking orders from a holy prophet, especially a prophet who had been a fugitive in hiding for years. But this king had ignored the prophet before – much to his detriment – and so he called the meeting that Elijah had requested (KJVTSB). After three and one-half years of famine, those of Israel who had given themselves to Baalism should have had serious doubts about the abilities of Baal, the fertility god, to answer prayer and send the necessary rain so badly needed for good crops. Three different mountains are prominent in Elijah’s life: Mount Carmel, Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8), and in the New Testament, Mount Tabor, the presumed Mount of Transfiguration (NIVJSB). Now Ahab was invited with all Israel to Mount Carmel, where Elijah would publicly demonstrate the inability of Baal and the futility of worshiping him. Mount Carmel was chosen for Baal’s contest with Jehovah. If Baal were truly a god, he should have a decided advantage on this coastal site near Phoenicia. Also invited were Baal’s four hundred fifty [450] prophets and Asherah’s four hundred [400] prophets, all of which were supported by Jezebel. With all these prophets nearby, Baal had no excuse for failure. Moreover, there would be eight hundred fifty [850] official witnesses if Baal failed. The prophets of Asherah, however, failed to appear (cf. vs. 22) (KJBC).

1 Kings 18:21 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. From the course of events, we can see that some of the worshippers of Baal really believed in the power of their deity and that many who should have followed the Lord did not have much faith. Therefore, for many of the observers, this was a genuine open-ended power encounter to discover which deity was stronger (KJV). The appeal of Elijah makes it clear that there is a difference between the service of Baal and the service of Yahweh. The people of Israel want to give some devotion to both Yahweh and Baal. But the God of Israel is not interested in such divided devotion. Yet Elijah knows it can never be this way; you either serve Baal or serve Yahweh. Confronting and eliminating these prophets of Baal before God sends rain to the land of Israel is crucial so that everyone understands that the rain comes from Yahweh, not from Baal. The people do not answer Elijah’s appeal. They lack the courage either to defend their position or to change it (KJVCRSB). Elijah’s call to choose sides rings into our hearts today. No place in the Word of God is there room for a middle-of-the-road position (Matt. 6:24) (NIVJSB). Two opinions? We are confronted today with a choice no less momentous than the Israelites’ choice between the Lord and Baal. Here is a broad road that leads down to destruction; there, a way narrow and difficult that leads upward to life (Matthew 7:13-14). God doesn’t share devotion with anything or anyone. We have to make the choice to be on God’s side – we cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). We will either gratify self, conforming to the corrupt pattern of this age, or glorify Him who alone is worthy of worship (KJVFSB). “How long halt ye between two opinions?” is reminiscent of Joshua’s challenge, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). Baalism would accommodate other gods, but Jehovah demanded total and uncompromising loyalty and worship (KJBC). At some point, we have to make up our minds. Will we serve God or not? Do we believe that He is who He claims to be or not? We have to take a stand and move on from there. No one can waver between two opinions forever (CFSLPB).

1 Kings 18:22 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. Also was added “and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.” (1 Kings 18:19). Elijah feels all alone but later God tells him “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). For all practical purposes, Elijah stood alone as God’s spokesman because the hundred prophets hidden away by Obadiah (1 Kings 18:4) were inactive (KJBC).

1 Kings 18:23 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: An agreement was made that the deity that responded in sending fire upon a slaughtered bullock would be unequivocally declared the true God. to prevent any complaints or excuses of an unfair advantage, Elijah allowed the prophets of Baal to select the bullock of their choice (KJBC). As was common in the ancient Near East, the animals were slaughtered and prepared prior to being placed on the altar. In effect the altar was a table on which the deity consumed the animal (NIVCBSB).

1 Kings 18:24 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. Elijah then proposed the terms of the test: Whichever god miraculously ignited and burned his sacrifice would prove to be the true deity who was worthy of the people’s allegiance. Since Baal was the storm god, his followers believed he could answer by fire (lightning). But this encounter would show which deity really controlled the weather and provided what the people needed. At the same time, it would show who was a destroyer of Israel, rebellious Ahab or the Lord’s prophet Elijah (KJV).

1 Kings 18:25 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. At first it looked as though the odds were in favor of Baal. And if that weren’t enough, Elijah gave the prophets of Baal first choice in everything. He must have looked as though he were setting himself up for failure! (KJVTSB).

1 Kings 18:26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and call 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 alter which was made. The priest of Baal entered into the contest with great zeal. The description “they leaped” uses the same Hebrew word as when Mephibosheth “became lame” (2 Sam. 4:4). Perhaps they danced in a hobbling manner as a result of their self-inflicted injuries (1 Kings 18:28). The prophets of Baal take up the challenge and pray for fire from their god. They pray long and with great passion. Yet because they do not pray to a real God, their prayer means nothing. Elijah mocks the prophets of Baal for their foolish faith, and the prophets work even harder. They cry louder and cut themselves, a common practice to arouse the deity’s pity (KJVCRSB). When their prayers went unanswered, at noon Elijah began to taunt Baal’s prophets in sarcastic terms that fit only man, not deity. Cry aloud, i.e. speak up so he can hear you, for you say he is a god. perhaps he is talking, or musing, i.e., thinking the matter over, or he is pursuing, or gone aside, a euphemism for relieving himself, or he is on a journey (contrast our God whose presence we cannot escape, Ps. 139:7-10), or he sleepeth, … (the God that kept Israel neither slumbered nor slept, Ps. 121:3-4) (KJBC). The prophets of Baal had by evening literally worked themselves into a frenzy (cf. Jer. 29:26) (KJSB). The frenzied dance most likely included music and chanting. Depictions of ritual dancers using instruments such as tambourines, flutes and lyres are found on seals, pottery, paintings and frescoes in late Bronze age and iron age Phoenicia and Palestine. The variety of poses, configurations and artistic media of the artwork indicate that this was a common practice. The dancing, music and chanting no doubt were intended to get the attention of the deity (NIVCBSB).

1 Kings 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: These verses draw on powerful symbols and names from the past – 12 stones for the 12 tribes, and Israel, the name that Jehovah, the God of their covenant, had given them (KJV). The twelve stones was a reminder that God was the covenant God of all Israel, north and south. Although Baalism was a great problem in the northern kingdom. It was also a constant temptation for Judah (2 Kings 17:15-19) (KJSB). The united monarchy of David and Solomon was broken, and the worship of Jehovah had been broken by the infiltration of idolatry; so Elijah’s action to repair the broken alter with twelve stones was symbolic. But it was also an implicit condemnation of the existence of a separate northern nation and her idolatry (KJBC).

1 Kings 18:32 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. Elijah repairs a broken altar with twelve stones – one for each tribe of the twelve tribes of Israel. In this way, Elijah is reviving something that once was (KJVCRSB). This was an earlier alter that had been used by the true people of God. Elijah avoided all contact with the altar that was associated with Baal (KJVFSB). It was common practice in the ancient Near East to destroy or desecrate the alters and divine statues of rival peoples. Given the cultural background and archaeological parallels, Jezebel’s religious persecution is the most likely explanation for the ruined alter of Yahweh (NIVCBSB).

1 Kings 18:33 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. Elijah then doused the entire alter in water. Suffering from drought, the people must have agonized to see water “wasted” that way. Besides, how was wet wood supposed to burn? (KJVTSB). The source for filling these jars (or barrels) is not known, though several springs at the foot of Mount Carmel’s eastern slopes are known to this day. Since the text does not specify “fresh” water, the Mediterranean is also a possible source. It is possible that one of Elijah’s purposes in pouring out the water at the altar was to make a libation offering to Yahweh (cf. 1 Sam. 7:6) (NIVCBSB). This libation offering or drink offering would leave out the use of sea water, which could not be drank (IMO).

1 Kings 18:34 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. Elijah wanted there to be no doubt about the power of the true God! (KJVTSB). The water was applied three times (KJSB). The number three is significant throughout Scripture as a symbol of divine completeness (Num. 6:24-26; Isa. 6:3). The symbolic number three is further proof of God’s power. Elijah soaked the altar, the offering, and the wood with water in order to remove any chance of spontaneous combustion or any claim that he cheated once the offering was consumed with fire (NIVJSB). Again, Elijah calls on the full power of the thrice-holy God (cf. 17:21). The special blessing of the Lord upon His people was pronounced by Aaron, the high priest, and by subsequent priest of the Lord. The form of the blessing consists of three sentences of two parts each: (Numbers 6:22-27)

1. The Lord bless you, and keep you. The first part the work of the Father.
2. The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. the second part the work of the Son.
3. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. the third part the work of the Holy Spirit.

The early church fathers viewed the blessing as a reflection of the Trinity. The first part the work of the father, the second part the work of the Son, and the third part the work of the Holy Spirit (KJSB).

1 Kings 18:35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. Elijah took steps to avoid any appearance of trickery or fraud. If his God could get a drenching wet sacrifice to burn, his God was God indeed (KJV). Elijah requires more of Yahweh than he does of Baal. Elijah does not even suggest to the prophets of Baal that they wet down their sacrifice once or twice, much less three times. He believes it is no harder for God to ignite a wet sacrifice than it is for Him to set a dry one ablaze (KJVCRSB). Elijah’s preparation of his sacrifice was most unusual, but it made God’s answer to prayer even more spectacular and convincing (KJBC).

1 Kings 18:36 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. Elijah’s prayer was a powerful statement of the theology of God’s great works (KJV). Elijah was doing everything properly. He had prepared the sacrifice according to the law (v. 33). This was a special sacrifice – a bull, not a lamb – presented at the proper hour for evening sacrifice. Elijah wanted everyone to know exactly whom he was praying to (KJVTSB). LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel (or Jacob) was the identifying phrase of God’s relationship to the Abrahamic covenant. The faithful One is yet Israel’s God, the only God, and the God with whom they must deal (KJSB). This phrase – Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel – so characteristic of worship in the early period (Gen. 50:24; Ex. 3:6), remind Elijah’s hearers that the God who made the covenant with Abraham was still the God of the northern kingdom, and the nation’s only hope of life, protection, and blessing (Deut. 30:20) (KJVFSB). In ancient times, each tribe or clan had a god, and each region had a god. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (or Jacob) was unique in that He was identified with multiple persons, not a shrine, local, or particular clan (NIVJSB).

1 Kings 18:37 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. Just as the temple singers declared God’s great works so the world could know God (Psalms 66:3-4), Elijah prayed for a miraculous sign so this people would know that thou art the LORD God. Elijah asked God to respond by sending fire to burn the sacrifice, a sign that would demonstrate to all Israel that Jehovah was the one true God (KJVTSB). Although Elijah performed many miracles from the beginning of his recorded ministry, many of the people still refused to believe in God. Miracles are great, but they do not always produce true faith (Luke 16:31). It is God who turns our hearts back to Him (John 6:44). By His grace He reaches out to us and invites us to return to Him. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22) (CFSLPB).

1 Kings 18:38 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. The simplicity of Elijah’s procedure is impressive. The prophet prayed, and the sacrifice was miraculously burned (KJV). In a flash, fire sent down by God vaporized everything, including the water that was in the trench and even the alter stones (KJVTSB). Within what appears to be minutes, God answers. When the fire falls, its work is beyond expectation. It would have been enough if only the cut-up pieces of the bull on the alter were ignited, but God wanted more than simple vindication – He wanted to glorify Himself among the people (KJVCRSB). In response to Elijah’s request for Jehovah to show Himself to be God, the fire of the Lord fell. Israel should have remembered from past history that Jehovah had an established reputation for responding with fire (cf. Gen. 19:24; Lev. 10:2; 2 Chr. 7:1). The manner in which the whole altar was consumed prohibits any notion that this fire was merely lightning that preceded an ensuing rainstorm (KJBC). Fire is the clearest possible indicator of the divine presence, an impressive theophany (a visible manifestation of a deity – (MWCD)). The irony of Yahweh’s victory is all the more potent when one considers the Canaanite religious tradition that Baal controlled lightning and rain. The lightning, however, is more than just an impressive show of power. The sacrifices were ostensibly offered along with petitions for rain, typically sent by storm-gods. The fire indicated that God was listening to and answering Elijah’s prayer, so that when the rain came in the following verses, it was clear that it was sent by Yahweh rather than by Baal. The lightning was also one of the weapons of the divine warrior; thus, here we see the warfare going on between Baal and Yahweh in the last couple of chapters brought to a climax. (NIVCBSB).

1 Kings 18:39 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. The demonstration of divine visitation was so overwhelming that the people could only exclaim in reverential awe, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God (KJBC). The demonstration was convincing. No longer “limping,” the people took a firm stand for Jehovah. Awed by what they had seen, they no longer feared Baal or the prophets, king, and queen who worshipped him. They bowed in worship to the true God (KJVTSB). The people fall on their faces. At this moment, the people are persuaded. Asked to choose between Baal and Yahweh, they have no choice to make. Obviously, the Lord is the one true God. Tragically, this is only a momentary persuasion. The people are decidedly persuaded but not lastingly changed (KJVCRSB).                                               

References: Summer 2021

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2. (CFSLPB) – The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible Copyright © 2017 by Thomas Nelson. Text from the Holy Bible, New International Version copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
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