1 Kings 18

Chap. XVIII. Ver. 1—20. Elijah meets Obadiah, and afterwards Ahab, and challenges the priests of Baal.—Elijah seems to have spent the first year of his retirement with the rooks or ravens; the second year he spent with the widow, and lived with her on the miraculous supply of food which he had been the instrument of procuring; after which her son died, and was restored to life. It was probably about the close of the third year of the famine, that Elijah received orders to seek and show himself to Ahab. He meets Obadiah in search after grass to keep alive the cattle, and finds that Ahab was gone to the opposite part of the kingdom. His return must require some time, and when Elijah meets him, and gives the challenge to Baal’s priests, it would require some time to collect four hundred and fifty of them, and to collect all Israel to be witnesses of this important contest.

The prophets of Baal being defeated, are imprisoned, and afterwards slain, all which events might well occupy six months, and make out the full period of three years and six months, as mentioned by our Lord, and by St. James. But et al see amet A > It seems not a little remarkable, that so wicked a prince as Ahab should employ so pious a man as Obadiah; yet he was not the only man who feared the Lord in this degenerate age and country: the Lord had registered in the book of his remembrance “seven thousand, who had not bowed the knee to Baal.” ((1 Kings 19:18).) He had served the Lord from his youth up, probably in consequence of a religious education, and so happily was he impressed by it, that neither the smiles of Ahab nor the frowns of Jezebel could tempt him to idolatry, or deter him from the service of Jehovah.

Elijah, according to the divine command, appoints to meet, and, under the divine protection, meets him fearless. “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” said the king. The prophet replies, and it should be remembered, replies in the name of his divine master, “I have not troubled Israel; but thou and thy father’s house, (i.e. the house of Jeroboam,) ye have troubled Israel, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed Baalim. Now therefore (adds the prophet) 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.” On this, one would expect to see the prophet seized, and suffer immediately military execution; but no: He who hath in his hand the hearts of kings, bows the haughty monarch to submission; and, instead of hurling at him the royal javelin, he sends forth his decree, for all the tribes of Israel, and for all the prophets of Baal, to meet Elijah at an But in this, what could be Ahab’s motive?

Did he indeed dare to set his idol in opposition to Jehovah, and accept in his name a challenge from the God of Israel? The probability seems, that his mind was tortured with hot passions and distracting fears. The prayers of the prophet had closed the doors of heaven, and there was no prospect before them, but of absolute starvation. If Baal could do any thing for them, now was the time to show it; if not, who can tell but that if the prophet were to see the starving multitude before him his compassion might be moved to pray for rain for them It was a sort of forlorn hope; a last resource; and nothing but a miracle could now save the country. Ver. 21—46. The grand contest between Elijah and Baal’s prophets decided by fire from heaven.—The tribes are now assembled; the king and all Baal’s prophets on the one hand and Elijah on the other, supported only by “the hand unseen.” Elijah now addresses Israel, in language at once simple, sublime, and energetic, on the great importance of decision in religion.

How long halt ye between two opinions? “If Jehovah be (the true) God, follow him; but if Baal, follow him.” And the people answered him not a word. What could they answer? They knew that they were apostates; and they felt that they were starving for their life. They would fain serve two masters, the God of Israel, and the idol Baal: they loved the latter, because he was whatever they were pleased to suppose him, “such an one as themselves;” but he could save them not. They were willing also to serve JEHOVAH; but then he was a jealous God; and with a divided heart, as theirs was, they could not serve him. Decision is requisite in all cases of great importance, and most of all in religion: and not less so to Christians than to Jews.

It is said of the late Emperor of France, when he was overrunning Europe, that some of the minor powers requested to be neutral; but he answered in the emphatic language of our Saviour, “He that is not with me, is against me.” ((Matthew 12:30).) Elijah proposes to put the matter to issue, by offering to each sect of worship, his God and theirs, a bullock in sacrifice. The animal was to be prepared, and laid upon the altar, with wood under it, but no fire, “and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God!” This proposal was the more reasonable, if Baal, whose name signifies Lord, was the representative of the sun, “Lord of this lower world,” and therefore the god of fire. It is agreed. The people answer, “It is well;”

and the prophets of Baal dare not gainsay it. They first prepare their sacrifice; the wood is laid on the altar, and the animal on the wood: but where is the fire to consume it? Nothing seems wanting in point of zeal or energy on the part of Baal’s prophets, who are evidently in an agony of anxiety and distress, not only Sota round and leaping on the altar, which they were accustomed to do, but cutting themselves with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. We have in Scripture several other instances of the extravagant conduct of idolaters, in cutting themselves, as expressions of attachment or lamentation, particularly in the prophecy of Jeremiah. (See (1 Kings 16:6).; xl. 5.; xlvii.

5.3; xlviii. 37.) But the Israelites were forbidden to do this, ((Leviticus 19:28). (Deuteronomy 14:1).) and we cannot believe these acts of self-mutilation and will-worship less abhorrent to the God of Christians than the God of Israel. Bishop Hall says, “I do not find that the true God ever required or accepted the self-tortures of his servants: he loves true inward mortification of our corruptions; he loves the subduing of our spiritual insurrections, by due exercises of severe restraint; but he takes no pleasure in our blood.” The prophet, seeing to what length of superstition their zeal led them, ridicules their folly in a vein of the keenest irony, especially if we take the several words in reference to acts of mind: “He is meditating, perhaps, and lost in reverie; or he has studied himself into a sleep, and must be awakened.”

But was it not cruel to ridicule these weak enthusiasts, thus bleeding with their devotion? It must be confessed, that there are follies too absurd for serious argument; and the idolatry of Baal was surely one of these. Besides, though the irony might be painful to these devotees, it might be salutary, and even necessary, to expose the system before the assembled tribes, who had been so grossly deceived by it. If it appears cruel to a few hundreds, it might be mercy to as many. We object, however, to considering these false prophets as innocent enthusiasts. Deception was their trade; and there can be little doubt but that they had laid some scheme in the present instance to delude the multitude; but the solemnity and decision with which the prophet acted, defeated their design; and the fire from heaven, which descended in their presence, convinced the assembled multitude that Jehovah alone was God.

But what shall be said to justify the command given to seize and execute these prophets, or priests of Baal? To those who had witnessed the extraordinary scene here described, no justification could be needed. We shall only remark, 1. That Jehovah was the original and supreme authority in Israel. 2. That even excitement to idolatry was death by the law. ((Deuteronomy 13:1), &c. and note.) 3. That there had evidently been a previous massacre of the prophets of Jehovah, (see ver. *) and it is not improbable that these men had been principal agents in that transaction: but this supposition, however likely, is not necessary to justify their execution, their lives having been forfeited as idolaters and false prophets.

Whether or not Ahab sanctioned this execution, he does not appear to have either resisted or remonstrated; and as to the people, they seem to have been so thoroughly convinced that the men were impostors, that they readily apprehended them, and gave them into the hands of Elijah, and most probably assisted in their execution. Elijah now perceiving evident symptoms of approaching rain, advised Ahab to hasten to his palace, lest the floods should intercept him. Ahab went; but whether his servants loitered with his carriage, or he stopped too long to eat and fire seems not wholly to have escaped the rain; while Elijah, being miraculously refreshed, tucked up his outer garment, and got there on foot before Ahab.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XVIII. Ver. 1. In the third year.—[This form of expression, both in Hebrew and Latin, means “after the third year,” i.e. sometime between the third and fourth year. Hence this statement agrees with that of our Lord, ((Luke 4:25).) and St. James, (ch. v. 17.) who say that the drought lasted three years six months; and the fact itself is attested by Menander, who, as cited by Josephus, says it happened in the time of Ithobalus, the father of Je- Ver. 4. When Jezebel cut off the prophets.—it appears that the schools of the prophets, instituted by Samuel, were not wholly broken up by the time of Elisha, the successor of Elijah; it seems, however, from this passage, that they had been greatly persecuted by the wicked Jezebel, and that a massacre of them had taken place not long before. Ver.

10. No nation or kingdom.—It should seem Ahab must have obtained considerable influence with the surrounding nations, to have exacted this oath from them; but it is highly probable that they hated Elijah as much as he did. 435 Ver. 15. To day.—That is, without delay. See (Psalms 95:7). Ver. 19. Mount Carmel.—[Mount Carmel is situated north of Dora and south of Ptolemais or Acre, from which it is distant, according to Josephus, 120 stadia, or, according to Thevenot 9 miles, one of its principal points advancing considerably into the Mediterranean, and forming an elevated promontory. It is described by Volney as a flattened cone, about 2000 feet (some say 1500) in height, very rocky, its sides steep and rugged and the soil neither deep nor rich.

Captain Mangles says it is now quite barren, though at the north eastern foot of it there are some pretty olive-grounds.]—Bagster.—The prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty.—These belonged to Ahab’s establishment; but Jezebel his queen appears to have had a separate establishment of four hundred prophets (or priests) of the groves: or, as some render the Heb. (Ashera) Astarte, which was another name for Venus. These all lived in the house of Jezebel, and boarded at her table, but do not appear to have been present on this occasion, perhaps because they were not prophets of Baal, but Ashtaroth. Ver. 21. How long halt ye between two opinions.—Literally, “branches,” which some explain of sects, parties, &c.

in religion. Gesenius, Julius Bate, Parkhurst, and others, suppose here an allusion to birds hopping between two branches, without fixing on either; so Israel vacillated between the worship of Jehovah and of Baal.—If the Lord be God.—Heb. (with the article) the God; i.e. the true God. See ver. 39. Ver. 26. Answered.—The same Heb. word signifies both to hear and answer, and is translated both ways in this verse, which seems unnecessary; we should rather read, “Nor any that heard.”—And they leaped.—The same word is here used as above for halting, perhaps in ridicule; “they hopped about the altar” like birds. It is generally thought that Baal represented the sun, and was worshipped with the same rites as Apollo, whose priests were accustomed to run round his altars with many antics.

Baal is generally represented on Medals, with a human face, embellished with the horns and ears of a bull or cow. See Fragments to Calmet. Ver. 27. Cry aloud, he is a god, &c.—“Vishnoo sleeps four months in the year; and to each of the gods some particular business is assigned. Vayoo manages the winds, Varoonu, the waters, &c. According to a number of fables in the Puranas, the gods are often out on journeys, or expeditions.” Ward’s Hindoos.—He is talking.—Is in a profound reverie; or, is pursuing; i.e. the chase, perhaps, for the heathen heaven admitted of all the carnal pleasures of the present world: or, the words (Sig lo) may be rendered in connexion with the preceding, “He has lost himself;”

i.e. in reverie. The LXX. however, render the words, “delivering oracles;” all these referring to acts of the mind. Ver. 28. Cut themselves.—If we look into antiquity, we shall find, that nothing was more common in the religious rites of several nations than this barbarous custom. To this purpose we say observe, that the priests of Bellona, when they sacrificed to that goddess, besmeared the victim with their own blood. Ver. 30. He repaired the altar of the Lord.—[This altar of Jehovah was probably built in the time of the judges; and it was even known among the heathen by the name of the altar of Carmel. Both Tacitus and Minus mention an altar on mount Carmel, which Vespasian went to consult, there was no temple nor statue, but simply an altar, venerable for its antiquity. A priest, named Basilides, officiated at this altar, and assured him that all his projects would be crowned with success. These various circumstances prove that it was originally the altar of Jehovah, though in the time of Vespasian occupied by a heathen priest, and devoted to lying vanities.]—Bagster. Ver. 38. The fire of the Lord fell.—This was the usual token of divine acceptance among the Hebrews; see note on (Genesis 4:4). The heathen also considered the consummation of a sacrifice by lightning in the same point of view. Ver. 41. A sound of abundance.—See Margin. Probably a remarkable whistling of the wind. See Taylor’s Script. Index.—Between his knees.—This, according to M. Chardin, is a common posture of meditation in the East.

Ver. 44. A little cloud out of the sea.—(Kekaph ish, “like the hollow of a man’s hand;” in the form of a hand bent, the concave side downmost. A similar phenomenon is noticed by Homer, and was observed by Bruce in Abyssinia, as attending the inundation of the Nile. Every morning, about nine, a small cloud, not above four feet broad, appears in the east, whirling violently round, as if upon an axis; but arrived near the zenith, it first abates its motion, then loses its form, and extends itself greatly, and seems to call up vapours from all opposite quarters. These clouds having attained nearly the same height, strike against each other with great violence, and put me always in mind of Elijah foretelling rain on Mount Carmel.)

—Bagster. Ver. 46. Girded up his loins.—That is, tucked up his upper garment into his girdle, that he might not be incommoded, as is common in running. Chap. XIX. Ver. 4. A juniper tree. So Rab. Kimchi and Jarchi: but Rab. Ben Gerson says, “the Spanish broom.” Celsius contends strongly for this; so Parkhurst; but the juniper, in some countries, grows to a considerable height. See (Job 30:4). and Taylor’s Script. Index.