Jehovah or Baal: The Test by Fire.It is only as we put ourselves in the place of Elijah, to whom the long drought in accordance with his prediction was the direct act of Jehovah in fulfilment of the word of his prophet, that we can even imagine the strength of a belief which would induce Elijah to propose to Ahab the test by fire which the following story relates.2

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So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, "Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?" And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's 5 house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed the Baalim. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel,3 and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah4 four hundred, that eat at Jezebel's table."

So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said "How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah 15 unto the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of Jehovah; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, 20 and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God." And all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken."

And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, "Choose you one 25 bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under." And they took

1 *Fire and water: considered the most wonderful manifestations of the gods, in all ancient religions. We must remember that there was no knowledge of science in those days.

2 I Kings 18:7-15, 16-40 (Am. Standard Rev. Ver., by permission).

3 *Mount Carmel: Locate on the map.

had existed there.

Probably an old sanctuary of Jehovah

4 *Asherah: A nature goddess worshiped throughout the ancient world.

the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called 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 30 they leaped about the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, “Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked." And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with 35 knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied3 until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

And Elijah said unto all the people, "Come near unto me," and 40 all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah that was thrown down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and 45 he made a trench about the altar, as great as would be sown with two seahs.4 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood." And he said, "Do it the second time," and they did it the second time. 50 And he said, "Do it the third time," and they did it the third time.

And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, "O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let 55 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. Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou,

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*Note the irony of Elijah in his scorn of Baal, and his security in his belief that Jehovah would demonstrate not only his own superiority, but the fact that Baal was no god at all, or at least had no power in the land of Palestine.

2 *Cut themselves: in accordance with custom, in their attempts to secure the favor

of the god.

3 *Prophesied: remained in the state of frenzy in which Baal was expected to

speak through their persons.

4 *Two seahs: 1 pecks of seed.

5 *Evening oblation: the customary sunset sacrifice.

Jehovah, art God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again." Then the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt60 offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, "Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God." And Elijah said unto them, "Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape." And they took them; 65 and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Jehovah, the God of the Rain.'-In the test by fire, Jehovah had triumphed. Now would the rain come and add its testimony to the superior power of Jehovah, in the land where for three years prayers to Baal for relief had been unavailing? The faith of Elijah did not quail. Boldly he bade Ahab break his fast, because rain was about to come. Then we see the prophet retiring again to Mount Carmel, the scene of his recent victory, and bowing himself to the earth, with his head between his knees, addressing himself in an agony of appeal to Jehovah. Once and again, and many times, his messenger is sent to scan the sky, and at last the cloud appears. Quickly the word went to Ahab, "Make ready thy chariot and get thee down to Jezreel,' that the rain stop thee not." The storm came-rain in abundance, with thunder and lightning, the special manifestations of Jehovah's power. Elijah, out-distancing Ahab in his race to Jezreel, meets him in triumph at the city gate. Jehovah is vindicated. What is this to mean to Israel? is the unspoken demand of the prophets.

Elijah Strong in Defeat.-Jezebel, infuriated by the death of the priests of Baal, but fearing to kill Elijah, drove him from the land. Straight to the traditional home of Jehovah, Mount Horeb3

I The water supply of Palestine depended entirely upon the rainfalls. The streams became dry for a large portion of the year if the rainy seasons were too short or if the amount of the rainfall was too scant. In ancient times famines were therefore

common.

2 Jezreel: Locate on map; at the head of a rich valley and commanding territory of great strategic value. It was the site of Ahab's summer palace.

3 Mount Horeb: another designation of Mount Sinai where Israel camped on the first stage of the journey from Egypt, and where Jehovah was supposed to have had his original dwelling-place.