The LORD, He is God! (Victory Over Idols and Drought)

1 Kings 18:20-46

    20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God."  So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken."
    25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."  26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
    27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.
    30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name." 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood." 34 Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
    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 Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
    38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"  40 And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.
    41 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea."  So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again."  44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.'"
    45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Elijah had gathered all God’s people together to challenge them to take a stand for their God; they had to definitively choose and follow either their false dead idol as a god, or the true and Living Lord over them and all creation.  Then those false prophets and deceived people promoting the false gods were challenged to engage in a trial to determine which god was real.  They would erect two altars with wood but no fire, one calling on their respective gods,  and the people of Israel upon the LORD God.  The one who answered with fire to accept the offering was the true God.  Of course, the idol worshippers jumped about and screamed all day to no avail, not even getting results by shedding their own blood as of such personal sacrifice could make an acceptable sacrifice to a diety.  There was no answering voice giving attention to them, for their gods did not exist.  Then Elijah's instructions were followed to repair the LORD’s altar with twelve stones for the tribes of God’s people, and they drenched the wood and bull with water to keep it from easily igniting.  At the prescribed time for an offering, Elijah spoke loud and clearly that there is bit one God and that he was His servant who was obeying orders for what the LORD was going to do next.  This is when the true God lot the fire from heaven and licked up both sacrifice and water, even out of the trench!  The fear of the LORD moved the people of God to acknowledge Him finally, crying out, “The LORD, He is God!”  They admitted His victory over idols and the three year drought, and over them as His.  The LORD had turned their hearts back to Him.  The false prophets were eliminated and then Elijah prayed for rain to return as he had predicted three years earlier at his word (1 Kings 17:1) as he came to Mount Carmel to do before Ahab (1 Kings 18:1).  The rain finally came, Ahab ran back to see Jezebel, and Elijah outran him back to Jezreel.  We see from this historical telling of God’s people and false prophets how in the end we must all bow before the true and living God in the person of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 45:23-24, Philippians 2:10) in true worship, and to serve Him only.  The Lord, He is God, our great God and Savior (Titus 2:13), Jesus Christ!