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Elijah's Mount Carmel Victory: When Fire Falls from Heaven
The Verse:
I Kings 18: 8-39 Then fire from the Lord came down. It burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the ground around the altar. It also dried up the water in the ditch. When all the people saw this, they fell down to the ground. They cried, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!”
The Story:
Elijah the Tishbite was a prophet sent by God to deliver a message to Ahab, the King of Israel. The Lord was not pleased with Ahab. He did more evil than all the kings before him. Ahab worshipped and served the false god, Baal. He and his wife, Jezabel, led the people of Israel away from the true living God.
Elijah told King Ahab, “The Lord God of Israel lives.” Ahab provoked the Lord God to anger. And so there would not be dew nor rain on the land for three years. Then the Lord God sent Elijah into hiding by the Brook Cherith. But the brook dried up. So God sent Elijah to lodge with a widow and her son at Zarephath. God took care of Elijah during those three years of drought on the land.
King Ahab hunted Elijah. For he wanted to kill him and all the prophets of the living God. Now it was time for Elijah to face Ahab again. Elijah approached Ahab with bravery. He knew he had nothing to fear. The God of Israel was on his side. So Elijah gathered King Ahab, all the children of Israel, and their false prophets together on Mount Carmel.
He told the four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal to bring a sacrifice to their altar. Elijah also brought a sacrifice to the Lord God’s altar. He told the false prophets to call on their god. Elijah would also call on the Lord God. And the God who answered by fire was the true God.
When the prophets called on Baal, there was no answer. Now when Elijah called on the Lord God of Israel, fire rained down from heaven. The children of Israel fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” Then rain fell on the land again.
That day, on Mount Carmel, the living God gave Elijah the victory.
Elijah stood alone against Ahab and his four hundred and fifty false prophets of Baal. God won the battle. He gave Elijah the victory. Sometimes doing what is right means standing alone. What are you facing right now? A bully like Ahab? Don’t give up. Call on the name of the living God. This battle belongs to the Lord. Others will see God fight for you. Then they will say, “The Lord, He is God!”
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