Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

1 Kings 18 Study Notes: Elijah and the Prophets of Baal on Carmel

Elijah returns to Ahab as the drought enters its third year, meeting Obadiah, the palace steward who had hidden a hundred prophets. On Mount Carmel Baal stays silent, but fire from the LORD consumes Elijah's soaked offering, the people confess Him as God, and rain returns after Elijah prays.

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General

When Elijah rebuilt the LORD’s altar, why did he use twelve stones (1 Kings 18:30-31)?

Answer: To stand for the tribes descended from Jacob, renamed Israel

Elijah called the people near and repaired the LORD’s altar, which lay in ruins (18:30). He used twelve stones, matching the twelve tribes descended from Jacob, the man to whom God had said that his name would be Israel (18:31; Genesis 35:10). Though the kingdom was now divided, the twelve stones declared that all twelve tribes were one covenant people belonging to the LORD. A covenant is a binding agreement in which God commits Himself to His people and calls them to faithfulness. Moses had built an altar and set up twelve pillars to represent Israel’s tribes when Israel first entered covenant with God (Exodus 24:4), and Elijah’s altar calls Israel back to that same covenant.

  • 1 Kings 18:30-31 (BSB)
    “Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.””
    Elijah repairs the torn-down altar of the LORD using twelve stones, one for each tribe of Jacob’s sons.
  • Genesis 35:10 (BSB)
    “And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel.”
    God renamed Jacob Israel, the naming Elijah’s twelve stones recall.
  • Exodus 24:4 (BSB)
    “And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.”
    Moses built an altar with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes when Israel entered covenant with the LORD, the precedent behind Elijah’s twelve stones.

Theological

What is the significance of the twelve stones Elijah uses to rebuild the LORD’s altar (1 Kings 18:30-31)?

Answer: To stand for the tribes descended from Jacob, renamed Israel

Elijah restores the LORD’s demolished altar (18:30) with twelve stones corresponding to the tribes of Jacob’s sons, explicitly recalling God’s renaming of Jacob as Israel (18:31; Genesis 35:10). In a divided kingdom, the altar asserts the unity of the whole covenant people under the LORD. It recalls Moses’ altar with twelve pillars at the covenant ratification at Sinai (Exodus 24:4), so the rebuilt altar summons the northern tribes back to their covenant identity.

  • 1 Kings 18:30-31 (BSB)
    “Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.””
    Elijah repairs the torn-down altar of the LORD using twelve stones, one for each tribe of Jacob’s sons.
  • Genesis 35:10 (BSB)
    “And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel.”
    God renamed Jacob Israel, the naming Elijah’s twelve stones recall.
  • Exodus 24:4 (BSB)
    “And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.”
    Moses built an altar with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes when Israel entered covenant with the LORD, the precedent behind Elijah’s twelve stones.

General

What happened when Baal’s prophets cried out to their god all day long (1 Kings 18:26-29)?

Answer: Nothing at all happened, and their god never replied

The prophets of Baal prepared their bull and cried out to Baal all morning, dancing around their altar, yet heard nothing and received no reply (18:26). At noon Elijah mocked them, suggesting that their god might be busy, away, or asleep (18:27). They raised their voices and, following their custom, cut themselves until they bled (18:28). They kept up their frenzy into the late afternoon, when the evening offering was made, yet nothing happened; no one answered and nobody heeded them (18:29). Scripture describes idols as having mouths that cannot speak and ears that cannot hear (Psalm 115:4-8) and no breath in them (Habakkuk 2:18-19), while the LORD alone is the true, living God (Jeremiah 10:10).

  • 1 Kings 18:26 (BSB)
    “And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.”
    The prophets of Baal call on Baal from morning until noon, but no answer comes.
  • 1 Kings 18:29 (BSB)
    “Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.”
    Even after hours of frenzy until the evening sacrifice, no voice and no response came.
  • Psalm 115:4-8 (BSB)
    “Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”
    Idols have mouths but cannot speak and ears but cannot hear, exactly what Carmel showed of Baal.
  • Habakkuk 2:18-19 (BSB)
    “What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.””
    Calling on a lifeless image to wake up is useless because there is no breath in it.
  • Jeremiah 10:10 (BSB)
    “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.”
    In contrast with idols, the LORD is the true and living God.

Theological

What was the result of the Baal prophets’ day-long invocation (1 Kings 18:26-29)?

Answer: Nothing at all happened, and their god never replied

From morning to noon the prophets invoke Baal without any answer (18:26). Elijah’s noon taunt exposes the emptiness of a god who might be preoccupied, traveling or asleep (18:27), and their escalating ritual, including self-laceration according to their custom (18:28), continues until the evening sacrifice with no voice and no response at all (18:29). The scene enacts the prophetic and psalmic critique of idols as mute and lifeless (Psalm 115:4-8; Habakkuk 2:18-19), set against the LORD, the true and living God (Jeremiah 10:10).

  • 1 Kings 18:26 (BSB)
    “And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.”
    The prophets of Baal call on Baal from morning until noon, but no answer comes.
  • 1 Kings 18:29 (BSB)
    “Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.”
    Even after hours of frenzy until the evening sacrifice, no voice and no response came.
  • Psalm 115:4-8 (BSB)
    “Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”
    Idols have mouths but cannot speak and ears but cannot hear, exactly what Carmel showed of Baal.
  • Habakkuk 2:18-19 (BSB)
    “What use is an idol, that a craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.””
    Calling on a lifeless image to wake up is useless because there is no breath in it.
  • Jeremiah 10:10 (BSB)
    “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.”
    In contrast with idols, the LORD is the true and living God.

General

What did Elijah’s servant finally report on his seventh trip to watch the sea (1 Kings 18:43-44)?

Answer: A tiny cloud, no bigger than a man’s hand, coming up

Elijah told Ahab to go eat and drink because heavy rain was coming (18:41). Then he climbed to the top of Carmel and bent low to the ground, his head down between his knees, praying (18:42). He sent his servant to watch the sea, and at first the servant saw nothing. Elijah kept sending him back, and on the seventh trip he saw a small cloud, like a man’s hand, coming up from the sea (18:43-44). Soon the sky darkened, the wind rose, and a downpour came (18:45), just as the LORD had promised (18:1). Elijah’s persistence matches Jesus’ teaching to keep praying without giving up (Luke 18:1), and it is the LORD who forms rain clouds and sends showers when His people ask (Zechariah 10:1).

  • 1 Kings 18:42-44 (BSB)
    “So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant. So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’””
    Elijah bows on Carmel’s summit while his servant looks toward the sea seven times until a small cloud appears.
  • 1 Kings 18:45 (BSB)
    “Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.”
    The sky darkens with clouds and wind, and heavy rain falls.
  • Luke 18:1 (BSB)
    “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:”
    Jesus taught that His people should always pray and not lose heart, the persistence Elijah showed.
  • Zechariah 10:1 (BSB)
    “Ask the LORD for rain in springtime; the LORD makes the storm clouds, and He will give everyone showers of rain and crops in the field.”
    God’s people are told to ask the LORD for rain, because He makes the storm clouds.

Theological

On his seventh look out over the sea, what did Elijah’s servant see (1 Kings 18:43-44)?

Answer: A tiny cloud, no bigger than a man’s hand, coming up

Having announced the sound of rain to Ahab (18:41), Elijah bows on Carmel’s summit in prayer (18:42) and sends his servant seven times to watch the sea; the seventh time a cloud the size of a man’s hand appears (18:43-44), followed by a heavy storm (18:45) in fulfillment of the LORD’s promise (18:1). Elijah’s persistence in prayer illustrates Luke 18:1, and the rain is the LORD’s answer, as Zechariah 10:1 teaches, not a product of the prophet’s own power.

  • 1 Kings 18:42-44 (BSB)
    “So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant. So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’””
    Elijah bows on Carmel’s summit while his servant looks toward the sea seven times until a small cloud appears.
  • 1 Kings 18:45 (BSB)
    “Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.”
    The sky darkens with clouds and wind, and heavy rain falls.
  • Luke 18:1 (BSB)
    “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:”
    Jesus taught that His people should always pray and not lose heart, the persistence Elijah showed.
  • Zechariah 10:1 (BSB)
    “Ask the LORD for rain in springtime; the LORD makes the storm clouds, and He will give everyone showers of rain and crops in the field.”
    God’s people are told to ask the LORD for rain, because He makes the storm clouds.

General

In his prayer at the evening sacrifice, what did Elijah ask the people to come to know (1 Kings 18:36-37)?

Answer: That the LORD was God and was turning their hearts back

Elijah’s prayer was short and focused on God’s glory. Calling on the God of the patriarchs, he asked Him to make plain that day that He is Israel’s God and that Elijah had acted as His servant at His command (18:36). Then he asked to be answered so that the people would recognize the LORD as the true God and see that He Himself was bringing their hearts back to Him (18:37). Elijah could rebuild the altar and pray, but only God could change the people’s hearts. Scripture consistently teaches that turning hearts is God’s work: He gives a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), He circumcises the heart so that His people love Him, meaning He removes their hardness from the inside (Deuteronomy 30:6), and His people pray that He would restore them so that they may return (Lamentations 5:21).

  • 1 Kings 18:36-37 (BSB)
    “At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.””
    Elijah prays that the LORD will show Himself God in Israel and that the people will know He has turned their hearts back.
  • Ezekiel 36:26 (BSB)
    “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
    God promises to give His people a new heart, showing that changing hearts is His work.
  • Deuteronomy 30:6 (BSB)
    “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”
    The LORD Himself circumcises His people’s hearts so that they will love Him, the inward turning Elijah prays for.
  • Lamentations 5:21 (BSB)
    “Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old,”
    God’s people pray that He would restore them to Himself so that they may return, the same dependence on God to turn hearts back.

Theological

What does Elijah pray the people will come to know when the LORD answers (1 Kings 18:36-37)?

Answer: That the LORD was God and was turning their hearts back

Elijah’s prayer seeks the vindication of the LORD’s name and word through His servant (18:36), and its goal is that the people acknowledge the LORD as God and recognize that He Himself is turning their hearts back (18:37). The prayer attributes the people’s return to God’s own sovereign action. That fits the wider biblical teaching on regeneration and effectual grace, that God Himself turns hearts: the LORD gives a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), circumcises the heart to love Him (Deuteronomy 30:6), and must turn His people if they are to return (Lamentations 5:21).

  • 1 Kings 18:36-37 (BSB)
    “At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.””
    Elijah prays that the LORD will show Himself God in Israel and that the people will know He has turned their hearts back.
  • Ezekiel 36:26 (BSB)
    “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
    God promises to give His people a new heart, showing that changing hearts is His work.
  • Deuteronomy 30:6 (BSB)
    “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”
    The LORD Himself circumcises His people’s hearts so that they will love Him, the inward turning Elijah prays for.
  • Lamentations 5:21 (BSB)
    “Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old,”
    God’s people pray that He would restore them to Himself so that they may return, the same dependence on God to turn hearts back.

General

How did the people respond when fire from the LORD came down on Elijah’s altar (1 Kings 18:38-39)?

Answer: They fell on their faces and confessed the LORD alone as God

Fire from the LORD came down and burned up the offering, the wood, even stones and soil, and dried the ditch of its water (18:38). At the sight, the people fell with their faces to the ground and twice declared that the LORD alone is God (18:39). The silence of 18:21 became a confession. Israel had responded the same way when fire from the LORD first consumed the offerings at the tabernacle (Leviticus 9:24). Their words echo Solomon’s prayer that every nation would recognize the LORD as the only God (1 Kings 8:60), and the LORD’s own claim to be the only God (Isaiah 44:6).

  • 1 Kings 18:38-39 (BSB)
    “Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!””
    The fire of the LORD consumes the sacrifice, wood, stones, dust and water, and the people fall facedown confessing the LORD as God.
  • Leviticus 9:24 (BSB)
    “Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”
    When fire from the LORD consumed the first tabernacle offerings, the people likewise fell facedown.
  • 1 Kings 8:60 (BSB)
    “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God. There is no other!”
    Solomon had prayed that all peoples would know the LORD is God and there is no other, the confession heard at Carmel.
  • Isaiah 44:6 (BSB)
    “Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.”
    The LORD declares He is the first and the last and there is no God but Him.

Theological

What is the people’s response to the fire from the LORD (1 Kings 18:38-39)?

Answer: They fell on their faces and confessed the LORD alone as God

The fire consumes offering, wood, stones, dust and water alike (18:38), and the people prostrate themselves and twice confess the LORD as God (18:39), reversing their earlier silence (18:21). The scene recalls the people’s prostration when fire from the LORD inaugurated the tabernacle sacrifices (Leviticus 9:24). The confession is the exclusive monotheism of Solomon’s prayer (1 Kings 8:60) and of the LORD’s self-declaration in Isaiah 44:6.

  • 1 Kings 18:38-39 (BSB)
    “Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!””
    The fire of the LORD consumes the sacrifice, wood, stones, dust and water, and the people fall facedown confessing the LORD as God.
  • Leviticus 9:24 (BSB)
    “Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”
    When fire from the LORD consumed the first tabernacle offerings, the people likewise fell facedown.
  • 1 Kings 8:60 (BSB)
    “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God. There is no other!”
    Solomon had prayed that all peoples would know the LORD is God and there is no other, the confession heard at Carmel.
  • Isaiah 44:6 (BSB)
    “Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.”
    The LORD declares He is the first and the last and there is no God but Him.

General

What test did Elijah propose to show who is truly God (1 Kings 18:23-24)?

Answer: The God who sends fire on an unlit offering is God

Elijah proposed that two bulls be prepared and laid on wood, with no fire lit under either. The prophets of Baal would call on their god, and Elijah would pray to the LORD; whichever God sent fire would be shown to be God (18:23-24). All the people agreed to the test. Fire from the LORD had consumed the first offerings at the tabernacle (Leviticus 9:24), so it was a fitting sign. The purpose was that Israel would know the LORD alone is God, with no rival (Deuteronomy 4:35), and the LORD Himself elsewhere dares idols to do anything at all (Isaiah 41:23).

  • 1 Kings 18:23-24 (BSB)
    “Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.””
    Elijah sets the terms: two bulls, no fire lit, each side calls on its god, and the God who answers by fire is God.
  • Leviticus 9:24 (BSB)
    “Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”
    At the first sacrifices at the tabernacle, fire came from the LORD’s presence and consumed the offering, so fire from heaven was a known sign of His acceptance.
  • Deuteronomy 4:35 (BSB)
    “You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.”
    Israel had been shown God’s works so that they would know the LORD is God with no other beside Him, the very knowledge Carmel will give.
  • Isaiah 41:23 (BSB)
    “Tell us the things that are to come, so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something good or evil, that we may look on together in dismay.”
    The LORD challenges idols to do anything at all to prove they are gods, the same kind of test Elijah proposes.

Theological

What criterion does Elijah set for the contest on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:23-24)?

Answer: The God who sends fire on an unlit offering is God

The terms are simple and public: two bulls on unlit wood, each side invoking its god, and the deity who sends fire is God (18:23-24); the people consent. Fire from the LORD had marked His acceptance of sacrifice at the inauguration of the tabernacle (Leviticus 9:24). The test aims at Israel’s knowledge that the LORD alone is God (Deuteronomy 4:35), and it mirrors the LORD’s challenge to idols to demonstrate any power at all (Isaiah 41:23).

  • 1 Kings 18:23-24 (BSB)
    “Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.””
    Elijah sets the terms: two bulls, no fire lit, each side calls on its god, and the God who answers by fire is God.
  • Leviticus 9:24 (BSB)
    “Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”
    At the first sacrifices at the tabernacle, fire came from the LORD’s presence and consumed the offering, so fire from heaven was a known sign of His acceptance.
  • Deuteronomy 4:35 (BSB)
    “You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.”
    Israel had been shown God’s works so that they would know the LORD is God with no other beside Him, the very knowledge Carmel will give.
  • Isaiah 41:23 (BSB)
    “Tell us the things that are to come, so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something good or evil, that we may look on together in dismay.”
    The LORD challenges idols to do anything at all to prove they are gods, the same kind of test Elijah proposes.

General

As the rain fell and Ahab rode to Jezreel, what did Elijah do (1 Kings 18:46)?

Answer: Raced on foot in front of Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel

Elijah sent word for Ahab to get his chariot ready and head down before the storm blocked his way (18:44). As the storm broke, Ahab rode off toward Jezreel (18:45). Then the LORD’s hand came upon Elijah, meaning God’s power rested on him in a special way; he tied up his cloak and outran Ahab’s chariot the whole distance to Jezreel (18:46). The strength was the LORD’s gift. God strengthens the weary so that those who hope in Him run and do not grow weary (Isaiah 40:29-31), and the same phrase about the LORD’s hand describes His power upon the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:3).

  • 1 Kings 18:46 (BSB)
    “And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.”
    The hand of the LORD comes on Elijah, and he runs ahead of Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel.
  • Isaiah 40:29-31 (BSB)
    “He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
    God gives power to the weak, so that those who wait on Him run without growing weary.
  • Ezekiel 1:3 (BSB)
    “the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.”
    The LORD’s hand being on a prophet describes God’s special power at work through him.

Theological

What did Elijah do as Ahab rode to Jezreel in the storm (1 Kings 18:46)?

Answer: Raced on foot in front of Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel

With the storm breaking (18:45), the LORD’s hand comes upon Elijah, who tucks up his cloak and outruns Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel (18:46). The phrase denotes a special divine empowering, as it does of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:3). The run is the LORD’s strength given to His servant, as Isaiah 40:29-31 describes the LORD renewing the strength of those who wait on Him.

  • 1 Kings 18:46 (BSB)
    “And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.”
    The hand of the LORD comes on Elijah, and he runs ahead of Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel.
  • Isaiah 40:29-31 (BSB)
    “He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
    God gives power to the weak, so that those who wait on Him run without growing weary.
  • Ezekiel 1:3 (BSB)
    “the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.”
    The LORD’s hand being on a prophet describes God’s special power at work through him.

General

True or False: The New Testament letter of James points to Elijah’s prayers about the rain to show that Elijah possessed powers no ordinary believer could share.

Answer: False

This is false. James says the opposite: Elijah was a human being with a nature like ours (James 5:17). He prayed fervently for the rain to stop, and none fell; then he prayed again, and the sky poured down rain and the land produced crops (James 5:17-18), the rain that came after Elijah bowed in prayer on Carmel (18:42-45). James uses Elijah to encourage ordinary believers that a righteous person’s prayer has great power (James 5:16). The power was God’s, who answered a man of the same nature as us.

  • 1 Kings 18:42 (BSB)
    “So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.”
    Elijah bows down on Carmel’s summit to pray, the prayer James later recalls.
  • James 5:17-18 (BSB)
    “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.”
    James says Elijah was a man like us whose earnest prayers both stopped and then brought the rain.
  • James 5:16 (BSB)
    “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.”
    James introduces Elijah to prove that a righteous man’s prayer has great power.

Theological

True or False: James cites Elijah’s prayers concerning the rain as evidence of a power ordinary believers cannot share.

Answer: False

This is false. James stresses Elijah’s common humanity: he shared our nature, and his fervent prayer withheld and then brought rain (James 5:17-18), recalling Elijah’s prayer on Carmel before the storm (18:42-45). The point is that a righteous person’s prayer has great power (James 5:16), because God answers it, not because Elijah was of a different nature.

  • 1 Kings 18:42 (BSB)
    “So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.”
    Elijah bows down on Carmel’s summit to pray, the prayer James later recalls.
  • James 5:17-18 (BSB)
    “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.”
    James says Elijah was a man like us whose earnest prayers both stopped and then brought the rain.
  • James 5:16 (BSB)
    “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.”
    James introduces Elijah to prove that a righteous man’s prayer has great power.

General

Why was Obadiah afraid to tell Ahab that Elijah had appeared (1 Kings 18:9-12)?

Answer: He feared Elijah would be taken away and Ahab would then kill him

Obadiah explained that Ahab had searched every nation and kingdom for Elijah, even making rulers swear he could not be found (18:10). If Obadiah announced Elijah and the LORD’s Spirit then carried the prophet off somewhere, Ahab would find no one and would put Obadiah to death (18:12). He reminded Elijah that he had revered the LORD since boyhood and had protected the prophets (18:12-13). Elijah answered with a solemn oath by the LORD of Hosts, the LORD who rules over all the powers of heaven and earth, that he would appear before Ahab that very day (18:15). Being afraid of people is a trap, but trusting the LORD gives safety (Proverbs 29:25; Psalm 56:3-4).

  • 1 Kings 18:9-12 (BSB)
    “But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you. And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’ I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.”
    Obadiah protests that Ahab has searched every nation for Elijah and fears the Spirit of the LORD will carry Elijah away.
  • 1 Kings 18:15 (BSB)
    “Then Elijah said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.””
    Elijah answers with an oath that he will appear before Ahab that very day.
  • Proverbs 29:25 (BSB)
    “The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.”
    Fear of man is a snare, while trust in the LORD gives security; Elijah’s oath calls Obadiah from the first to the second.
  • Psalm 56:3-4 (BSB)
    “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
    The psalmist answers fear by trusting God, the same move Elijah’s oath invites Obadiah to make.

Theological

What reason does Obadiah give for dreading Elijah’s errand (1 Kings 18:9-12)?

Answer: He feared Elijah would be taken away and Ahab would then kill him

Obadiah’s protest rests on Ahab’s exhaustive international manhunt (18:10) and the possibility that the LORD’s Spirit would carry Elijah away once Obadiah left, leaving Obadiah to face Ahab’s lethal anger alone (18:12). He appeals to his lifelong reverence for the LORD and his protection of the prophets (18:12-13). Elijah’s oath by the LORD of Hosts, before whom he stands, guarantees he will appear that day (18:15), answering fear of people with confidence in the LORD (Proverbs 29:25; Psalm 56:3-4).

  • 1 Kings 18:9-12 (BSB)
    “But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you. And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’ I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.”
    Obadiah protests that Ahab has searched every nation for Elijah and fears the Spirit of the LORD will carry Elijah away.
  • 1 Kings 18:15 (BSB)
    “Then Elijah said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.””
    Elijah answers with an oath that he will appear before Ahab that very day.
  • Proverbs 29:25 (BSB)
    “The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.”
    Fear of man is a snare, while trust in the LORD gives security; Elijah’s oath calls Obadiah from the first to the second.
  • Psalm 56:3-4 (BSB)
    “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
    The psalmist answers fear by trusting God, the same move Elijah’s oath invites Obadiah to make.

General

Who was the Obadiah of 1 Kings 18, and what had he done for the LORD’s prophets (1 Kings 18:3-4)?

Answer: Ahab’s palace manager, who sheltered and fed a hundred prophets

This Obadiah was the official in charge of King Ahab’s palace (18:3). The narrator pauses to say that his fear of the LORD was great, meaning he held the LORD in deep reverence and trust, and gives the proof: when Jezebel was killing the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah hid a hundred of them in two caves, fifty in each, and kept them supplied with provisions (18:4). He served faithfully at the heart of a wicked court, at real risk to his own life. Like the Hebrew midwives who feared God and defied Pharaoh’s order (Exodus 1:17), he protected those whom the ruler wanted dead, and God does not forget such service to His people (Hebrews 6:10).

  • 1 Kings 18:3-4 (BSB)
    “and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD, for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)”
    Obadiah, the official in charge of Ahab’s palace, is described as one who greatly feared the LORD and had protected a hundred prophets.
  • Exodus 1:17 (BSB)
    “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.”
    The Hebrew midwives also feared God and refused a king’s murderous order, the same kind of costly faithfulness Obadiah showed.
  • Nehemiah 7:2 (BSB)
    “Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.”
    Nehemiah put Hananiah in charge of Jerusalem because he was faithful and feared God more than most, showing that fearing God is the trait Scripture commends in an official.
  • Hebrews 6:10 (BSB)
    “For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.”
    God does not forget the love His people show in serving the saints, as Obadiah served the hidden prophets.

Theological

How does the narrator identify Obadiah, and what act of faithfulness illustrates his fear of the LORD (1 Kings 18:3-4)?

Answer: Ahab’s palace manager, who sheltered and fed a hundred prophets

Obadiah is the steward over Ahab’s household (18:3), and the parenthetical note in 18:4 explains his character: his fear of the LORD was great, as shown by his hiding a hundred prophets in two caves during Jezebel’s purge and provisioning them. His fear of God produced costly, concealed resistance within the apostate court, like the midwives’ refusal of Pharaoh (Exodus 1:17). Scripture commends this God-fearing integrity in officials (Nehemiah 7:2), and God remembers ministry rendered to His people (Hebrews 6:10). Even in Ahab’s palace the LORD had preserved a faithful servant.

  • 1 Kings 18:3-4 (BSB)
    “and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD, for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)”
    Obadiah, the official in charge of Ahab’s palace, is described as one who greatly feared the LORD and had protected a hundred prophets.
  • Exodus 1:17 (BSB)
    “The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.”
    The Hebrew midwives also feared God and refused a king’s murderous order, the same kind of costly faithfulness Obadiah showed.
  • Nehemiah 7:2 (BSB)
    “Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.”
    Nehemiah put Hananiah in charge of Jerusalem because he was faithful and feared God more than most, showing that fearing God is the trait Scripture commends in an official.
  • Hebrews 6:10 (BSB)
    “For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.”
    God does not forget the love His people show in serving the saints, as Obadiah served the hidden prophets.

General

After the fire fell, what did Elijah do with Baal’s prophets (1 Kings 18:40)?

Answer: Had them all seized and put them to death at the Kishon

Elijah ordered the people to take hold of Baal’s prophets and let none escape; at the Kishon Valley Elijah put them to death (18:40). This was not personal revenge. The covenant law given through Moses required that a prophet who urged Israel to follow other gods be executed, since he preached revolt against the LORD who had redeemed them (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:20), and the same law dealt with anyone in Israel who served other gods (Deuteronomy 17:2-5). Elijah carried out that law within Israel’s covenant at a decisive moment; it was a single act under that covenant, not a pattern for private people to follow later.

  • 1 Kings 18:40 (BSB)
    “Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.”
    Elijah orders the people to seize the prophets of Baal and has them put to death at the Kishon Valley.
  • Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (BSB)
    “If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him. Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you.”
    A prophet who urged Israel to follow and worship other gods was not to be heeded but put to death, because he advocated rebellion against the LORD who redeemed them.
  • Deuteronomy 18:20 (BSB)
    “But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.””
    A prophet who spoke in the name of other gods was to be put to death under the covenant law.
  • Deuteronomy 17:2-5 (BSB)
    “If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden— and if it is reported and you hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel, you must bring out to your gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must stone that person to death.”
    The Law also required Israel to execute anyone in the land proven to have worshiped other gods.

Theological

What did Elijah do with Baal’s prophets after the LORD answered by fire (1 Kings 18:40)?

Answer: Had them all seized and put them to death at the Kishon

Elijah orders Baal’s prophets seized with none allowed to escape, and he executes them at the Kishon Valley (18:40). The act is framed by the Mosaic covenant’s penalty for false prophets who lead Israel after other gods (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:20) and for proven idolatry within Israel (Deuteronomy 17:2-5). It is the enforcement of Israel’s theocratic law at a moment of covenant renewal, not personal vengeance and not a precedent for individuals in other settings.

  • 1 Kings 18:40 (BSB)
    “Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.”
    Elijah orders the people to seize the prophets of Baal and has them put to death at the Kishon Valley.
  • Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (BSB)
    “If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul. You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him. Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you.”
    A prophet who urged Israel to follow and worship other gods was not to be heeded but put to death, because he advocated rebellion against the LORD who redeemed them.
  • Deuteronomy 18:20 (BSB)
    “But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.””
    A prophet who spoke in the name of other gods was to be put to death under the covenant law.
  • Deuteronomy 17:2-5 (BSB)
    “If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden— and if it is reported and you hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel, you must bring out to your gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must stone that person to death.”
    The Law also required Israel to execute anyone in the land proven to have worshiped other gods.

General

When Ahab called Elijah the one who troubled Israel, how did Elijah answer (1 Kings 18:17-18)?

Answer: Ahab’s house brought the trouble by leaving the LORD for Baal

Ahab greeted Elijah as the one causing Israel’s trouble, as though the prophet were to blame for the drought (18:17). Elijah turned the charge around: he had not troubled Israel, but Ahab and his father’s family had, by abandoning the LORD’s commandments and following the Baals, the local forms of the Canaanite god Baal (18:18). The narrator had already said that Ahab married Jezebel and served Baal (16:30-31), and the covenant had warned that idolatry would shut the heavens (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). The one who breaks faith with God is the real source of trouble for God’s people, as Achan’s sin once was (Joshua 7:25).

  • 1 Kings 18:17-18 (BSB)
    “When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” “I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.”
    Ahab blames Elijah for Israel’s trouble, and Elijah lays the blame on Ahab’s house for forsaking the LORD’s commands and following the Baals.
  • 1 Kings 16:30-31 (BSB)
    “However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.”
    The narrator had already recorded that Ahab married Jezebel and served and worshiped Baal, the sin Elijah names.
  • Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (BSB)
    “But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.”
    The covenant tied drought to idolatry, so the trouble came from Ahab’s sin, not from the prophet who announced it.
  • Joshua 7:25 (BSB)
    ““Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.”
    Achan had brought trouble on Israel by his sin, and the true troubler is again the one who breaks covenant.

Theological

How does Elijah answer Ahab’s charge that he is the troubler of Israel (1 Kings 18:17-18)?

Answer: Ahab’s house brought the trouble by leaving the LORD for Baal

Ahab treats the messenger as the cause of the judgment (18:17). Elijah relocates the blame to Ahab and his father’s house, who forsook the LORD’s commandments and went after the Baals (18:18), as the narrator’s verdict on Ahab already recorded (16:30-31). Under the covenant, drought was the stated sanction for idolatry (Deuteronomy 11:16-17), so the covenant-breaker, not the prophet, troubles Israel, just as Achan’s sin brought trouble on the nation (Joshua 7:25).

  • 1 Kings 18:17-18 (BSB)
    “When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” “I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.”
    Ahab blames Elijah for Israel’s trouble, and Elijah lays the blame on Ahab’s house for forsaking the LORD’s commands and following the Baals.
  • 1 Kings 16:30-31 (BSB)
    “However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.”
    The narrator had already recorded that Ahab married Jezebel and served and worshiped Baal, the sin Elijah names.
  • Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (BSB)
    “But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.”
    The covenant tied drought to idolatry, so the trouble came from Ahab’s sin, not from the prophet who announced it.
  • Joshua 7:25 (BSB)
    ““Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.”
    Achan had brought trouble on Israel by his sin, and the true troubler is again the one who breaks covenant.

General

True or False: Before praying, Elijah had water poured over his offering and wood three times, until it ran down and filled the ditch he had dug around it.

Answer: True

This is true. After digging a ditch around it and laying out the wood and the bull, Elijah had four jars of water poured over the offering and the wood, then had it done a second and a third time, until it streamed down on every side and the ditch was full (18:33-35). The soaking made a natural fire impossible. When the LORD answered, His fire consumed not only the offering and the wood but the stones, the dust and even the water standing in the ditch (18:38). Nothing is too hard for the LORD (Jeremiah 32:17; Genesis 18:14).

  • 1 Kings 18:33-35 (BSB)
    “Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.”
    Elijah has four jars of water poured on the offering and wood three times until it fills the trench.
  • 1 Kings 18:38 (BSB)
    “Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.”
    The fire of the LORD consumes even the water in the trench.
  • Jeremiah 32:17 (BSB)
    ““Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!”
    Nothing is too difficult for the LORD, who made heaven and earth, so a soaked altar is no obstacle to Him.
  • Genesis 18:14 (BSB)
    “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.””
    The LORD asks whether anything is too hard for Him, the confidence that lets Elijah make the test harder rather than easier.

Theological

True or False: Elijah had the offering and wood drenched three times, so that the ditch around it filled with water.

Answer: True

This is true. Elijah orders four jars poured on the sacrifice and wood three successive times until the trench overflows (18:33-35), deliberately making a natural ignition impossible. The LORD’s fire then consumes offering, wood, stones, dust and the water filling the ditch (18:38), a display of power for which no task is too hard (Jeremiah 32:17; Genesis 18:14).

  • 1 Kings 18:33-35 (BSB)
    “Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.”
    Elijah has four jars of water poured on the offering and wood three times until it fills the trench.
  • 1 Kings 18:38 (BSB)
    “Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.”
    The fire of the LORD consumes even the water in the trench.
  • Jeremiah 32:17 (BSB)
    ““Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!”
    Nothing is too difficult for the LORD, who made heaven and earth, so a soaked altar is no obstacle to Him.
  • Genesis 18:14 (BSB)
    “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.””
    The LORD asks whether anything is too hard for Him, the confidence that lets Elijah make the test harder rather than easier.

General

On Mount Carmel Elijah asked how long the people would “waver between two opinions.” What did he call them to do (1 Kings 18:21)?

Answer: Follow whichever one is truly God, the LORD or Baal

With all Israel assembled on Mount Carmel, Elijah asked how long they would keep going back and forth between two choices. Whichever one was truly God deserved their loyalty, and only that one (18:21). The people were trying to keep both, and Elijah insisted that was impossible. Their response was silence; nobody said anything. Joshua had once called Israel to choose whom they would serve (Joshua 24:15), and Jesus taught that a person cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Because there is only one LORD, He must be loved with the whole heart (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), not shared with an idol.

  • 1 Kings 18:21 (BSB)
    “Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.”
    Elijah challenges the assembled people to stop wavering and follow whichever one is truly God, and they stay silent.
  • Joshua 24:15 (BSB)
    “But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!””
    Joshua likewise called Israel to choose whom they would serve, since serving the LORD and other gods together was impossible.
  • Matthew 6:24 (BSB)
    “No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
    Jesus teaches that no one can serve two masters, the same impossibility Elijah exposes.
  • Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (BSB)
    “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
    The LORD is one and is to be loved with the whole heart, which leaves no room for divided loyalty.

Theological

Elijah asks how long Israel will “waver between two opinions.” What alternative does he set before them (1 Kings 18:21)?

Answer: Follow whichever one is truly God, the LORD or Baal

Elijah exposes Israel’s syncretism, the attempt to blend the worship of the LORD with Baal, and demands an exclusive decision: follow the LORD if He is God, or Baal if he is (18:21). The people’s silence shows their divided heart. The demand echoes Joshua’s covenant challenge (Joshua 24:15) and anticipates Jesus’ teaching that a person cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). The Shema’s confession of the LORD’s oneness requires undivided love (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

  • 1 Kings 18:21 (BSB)
    “Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.”
    Elijah challenges the assembled people to stop wavering and follow whichever one is truly God, and they stay silent.
  • Joshua 24:15 (BSB)
    “But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!””
    Joshua likewise called Israel to choose whom they would serve, since serving the LORD and other gods together was impossible.
  • Matthew 6:24 (BSB)
    “No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
    Jesus teaches that no one can serve two masters, the same impossibility Elijah exposes.
  • Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (BSB)
    “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
    The LORD is one and is to be loved with the whole heart, which leaves no room for divided loyalty.

General

When the drought had reached its third year, what did the LORD tell Elijah to do, and what did He promise (1 Kings 18:1)?

Answer: Show himself to Ahab, for the LORD would then send rain

Well into the drought, in its third year, the LORD sent Elijah back to Ahab and promised that He would send rain (18:1). The drought had begun with Elijah’s announcement to Ahab that no dew or rain would fall except at his word (17:1). The covenant had warned Israel that if they turned to other gods, the LORD would shut the heavens (Deuteronomy 11:16-17), and Ahab had led Israel into the worship of Baal, a false god of the Canaanites (16:31). So the rain, like the drought, comes at the LORD’s command alone; no idol can send showers, and only the LORD gives the rain (Jeremiah 14:22).

  • 1 Kings 18:1 (BSB)
    “After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.””
    In the third year of the drought the LORD sends Elijah back to Ahab with a promise attached.
  • 1 Kings 17:1 (BSB)
    “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!””
    Elijah had announced to Ahab that neither dew nor rain would come except at his word, so the end of the drought is likewise announced beforehand.
  • Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (BSB)
    “But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.”
    The covenant warned that turning to other gods would cause the LORD to shut the heavens, which explains why Ahab’s Baal worship brought drought.
  • Jeremiah 14:22 (BSB)
    “Can the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies alone send showers? Is this not by You, O LORD our God? So we put our hope in You, for You have done all these things.”
    No idol can send showers; rain comes from the LORD, the very point the drought and its ending prove against Baal.

Theological

What command and promise does the LORD give Elijah when the drought has lasted into its third year (1 Kings 18:1)?

Answer: Show himself to Ahab, for the LORD would then send rain

Once the drought reaches its third year, the LORD commissions Elijah to appear before Ahab and promises rain (18:1). The drought itself had been announced by Elijah’s oath before Ahab (17:1), and it fulfilled the covenant sanction of Deuteronomy 11:16-17, which threatened shut heavens for idolatry. The LORD’s sovereign control of both the withholding and the sending of rain already sets Him against the Baal worship Ahab had promoted (16:31), and Carmel will make that public. Rain is the LORD’s gift, not an idol’s (Jeremiah 14:22).

  • 1 Kings 18:1 (BSB)
    “After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.””
    In the third year of the drought the LORD sends Elijah back to Ahab with a promise attached.
  • 1 Kings 17:1 (BSB)
    “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!””
    Elijah had announced to Ahab that neither dew nor rain would come except at his word, so the end of the drought is likewise announced beforehand.
  • Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (BSB)
    “But be careful that you are not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods, or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.”
    The covenant warned that turning to other gods would cause the LORD to shut the heavens, which explains why Ahab’s Baal worship brought drought.
  • Jeremiah 14:22 (BSB)
    “Can the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies alone send showers? Is this not by You, O LORD our God? So we put our hope in You, for You have done all these things.”
    No idol can send showers; rain comes from the LORD, the very point the drought and its ending prove against Baal.