Prophets and Kings
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 11: Carmel
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"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel," the prophet pleads,
"let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel."
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Review and Herald Publ. Assoc. |
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Standing before Ahab, Elijah demanded that all Israel be
assembled to meet him and the prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth on Mount Carmel.
"Send," he commanded, "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." {PK 143.1}
The command was issued by one who seemed to stand in the
very presence of Jehovah; and Ahab obeyed at once, as if the prophet were
monarch, and the king a subject. Swift messengers were sent throughout the
kingdom with the summons to meet Elijah and the prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth.
In every town and village the people prepared to assemble at the appointed
time. As they journeyed toward the place, the hearts of many were filled with
strange forebodings. Something unusual was about to happen; else why this
summons to gather at Carmel? What [144] new calamity was about to fall
upon the people and the land? {PK 143.2}
Before the drought, Mount Carmel had been a place of beauty,
its streams fed from never-failing springs, and its fertile slopes covered with
fair flowers and flourishing groves. But now its beauty languished under a
withering curse. The altars erected to the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth stood
now in leafless groves. On the summit of one of the highest ridges, in sharp
contrast with these was the broken-down altar of Jehovah. {PK 144.1}
Carmel overlooked a wide expanse of country; its heights
were visible from many parts of the kingdom of Israel. At the foot of the mount
there were vantage points from which could be seen much of what took place
above. God had been signally dishonored by the idolatrous worship carried on
under cover of its wooded slopes; and Elijah chose this elevation as the most
conspicuous place for the display of God's power and for the vindication of the
honor of His name. {PK
144.2}
Early on the morning of the day appointed, the hosts of
apostate Israel, in eager expectancy, gather near the top of the mountain.
Jezebel's prophets march up in imposing array. In regal pomp the king appears
and takes his position at the head of the priests, and the idolaters shout his
welcome. But there is apprehension in the hearts of the priests as they
remember that at the word of the prophet the land of Israel for three years and
a half has been destitute of dew and rain. Some fearful crisis is at hand, they
feel sure. The gods in whom they have trusted have been unable to prove Elijah
a false prophet. To their frantic cries, their [147]
prayers, their tears, their humiliation, their revolting ceremonies, their
costly and ceaseless sacrifices, the objects of their worship have been
strangely indifferent. {PK
144.3}
Facing King Ahab and the false prophets, and surrounded by
the assembled hosts of Israel, Elijah stands, the only one who has appeared to
vindicate the honor of Jehovah. He whom the whole kingdom has charged with its
weight of woe is now before them, apparently defenseless in the presence of the
monarch of Israel, the prophets of Baal, the men of war, and the surrounding
thousands. But Elijah is not alone. Above and around him are the protecting
hosts of heaven, angels that excel in strength. {PK 147.1}
Unashamed, unterrified, the prophet stands before the
multitude, fully aware of his commission to execute the divine command. His
countenance is lighted with an awful solemnity. In anxious expectancy the
people wait for him to speak. Looking first upon the broken-down altar of
Jehovah, and then upon the multitude, Elijah cries out in clear, trumpetlike
tones, "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow
Him: but if Baal, then follow him." {PK 147.2}
The people answer him not a word. Not one in that vast
assembly dare reveal loyalty to Jehovah. Like a dark cloud, deception and
blindness had overspread Israel. Not all at once had this fatal apostasy closed
about them, but gradually, as from time to time they had failed to heed the
words of warning and reproof that the Lord sent them. Each departure from
rightdoing, each refusal to repent, had deepened their guilt and driven them
farther from Heaven. And now, in this crisis, they persisted in refusing to
take their stand for God. [148] {PK 147.3}
The Lord abhors indifference and disloyalty in a time of
crisis in His work. The whole universe is watching with inexpressible interest
the closing scenes of the great controversy between good and evil. The people
of God are nearing the borders of the eternal world; what can be of more
importance to them than that they be loyal to the God of heaven? All through
the ages, God has had moral heroes, and He has them now—those who,
like Joseph and Elijah and Daniel, are not ashamed to acknowledge themselves
His peculiar people. His special blessing accompanies the labors of men of
action, men who will not be swerved from the straight line of duty, but who
with divine energy will inquire, "Who is on the Lord's side?" (Exodus
32:26), men who will not stop merely with the inquiry, but who will demand that
those who choose to identify themselves with the people of God shall step
forward and reveal unmistakably their allegiance to the King of kings and Lord
of lords. Such men make their wills and plans subordinate to the law of God.
For love of Him they count not their lives dear unto themselves. Their work is
to catch the light from the Word and let it shine forth to the world in clear,
steady rays. Fidelity to God is their motto. {PK 148.1}
While Israel on Carmel doubt and hesitate, the voice of
Elijah again breaks the silence: "I, even I only, remain a prophet of the
Lord; 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 wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the
other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and call ye on the
name of your gods, and [149] I will call on the name of the
Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God." {PK 148.2}
The proposal of Elijah is so reasonable that the people
cannot well evade it, so they find courage to answer, "It is well
spoken." The prophets of Baal dare not lift their voices in dissent; and,
addressing them, Elijah directs, "Choose you one bullock for yourselves,
and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put
no fire under." {PK
149.1}
Outwardly bold and defiant, but with terror in their guilty
hearts, the false priests prepare their altar, laying on the wood and the
victim; and then they begin their incantations. Their shrill cries echo and
re-echo through the forests and the surrounding heights, as they call on the
name of their god, saying, "O Baal, hear us." The priests gather
about their altar, and with leaping and writhing and screaming, with tearing of
hair and cutting of flesh, they beseech their god to help them. {PK 149.2}
The morning passes, noon comes, and yet there is no evidence
that Baal hears the cries of his deluded followers. There is no voice, no reply
to their frantic prayers. The sacrifice remains unconsumed. {PK 149.3}
As they continue their frenzied devotions, the crafty
priests are continually trying to devise some means by which they may kindle a
fire upon the altar and lead the people to believe that the fire has come
direct from Baal. But Elijah watches every movement; and the priests, hoping
against hope for some opportunity to deceive, continue to carry on their
senseless ceremonies. {PK
149.4}
"It came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and [150]
said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or
he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they
cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets,
till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past,
and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded." {PK 149.5}
Gladly would Satan have come to the help of those whom he
had deceived, and who were devoted to his service. Gladly would he have sent
the lightning to kindle their sacrifice. But Jehovah has set Satan's bounds,
restrained his power, and not all the enemy's devices can convey one spark to
Baal's altar. {PK 150.1}
At last, their voices hoarse with shouting, their garments
stained with blood from self-inflicted wounds, the priests become desperate.
With unabated frenzy they now mingle with their pleading terrible cursings of
their sun-god, and Elijah continues to watch intently; for he knows that if by
any device the priests should succeed in kindling their altar fire, he would
instantly be torn in pieces. {PK
150.2}
Evening draws on. The prophets of Baal are weary, faint,
confused. One suggests one thing, and another something else, until finally
they cease their efforts. Their shrieks and curses no longer resound over
Carmel. In despair they retire from the contest. {PK 150.3}
All day long the people have witnessed the demonstrations of
the baffled priests. They have beheld their wild leaping round the altar, as if
they would grasp the burning rays of the sun to serve their purpose. They have
looked [151]
with horror on the frightful, self-inflicted mutilations of the priests, and
have had opportunity to reflect on the follies of idol worship. Many in the
throng are weary of the exhibitions of demonism, and they now await with
deepest interest the movements of Elijah. {PK 150.4}
It is the hour of the evening sacrifice, and Elijah bids the
people, "Come near unto me." As they tremblingly draw near, he turns
to the broken-down altar where once men worshiped the God of heaven, and
repairs it. To him this heap of ruins is more precious than all the magnificent
altars of heathendom. {PK
151.1}
In the reconstruction of this ancient altar, Elijah revealed
his respect for the covenant that the Lord made with Israel when they crossed
the Jordan into the Promised Land. Choosing "twelve stones, according to
the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, . . . he built an
altar in the name of the Lord." {PK 151.2}
The disappointed priests of Baal, exhausted by their vain
efforts, wait to see what Elijah will do. They hate the prophet for proposing a
test that has exposed the weakness and inefficiency of their gods; yet they
fear his power. The people, fearful also, and almost breathless with
expectancy, watch while Elijah continues his preparations. The calm demeanor of
the prophet stands out in sharp contrast with the fanatical, senseless frenzy
of the followers of Baal. {PK
151.3}
The altar completed, the prophet makes a trench about it,
and, having put the wood in order and prepared the bullock, he lays the victim
on the altar and commands the people to flood the sacrifice and the altar with
water. "Fill four barrels," he directed, "and pour it on the
burnt sacrifice, [152] and on the wood. And he said, Do
it the second time. And they did it the second time. 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." {PK 151.4}
Reminding the people of the long-continued apostasy that has
awakened the wrath of Jehovah, Elijah calls upon them to humble their hearts
and turn to the God of their fathers, that the curse upon the land of Israel
may be removed. Then, bowing reverently before the unseen God, he raises his
hands toward heaven and offers a simple prayer. Baal's priests have screamed
and foamed and leaped, from early morning until late in the afternoon; but as
Elijah prays, no senseless shrieks resound over Carmel's height. He prays as if
he knows Jehovah is there, a witness to the scene, a listener to his appeal.
The prophets of Baal have prayed wildly, incoherently. Elijah prays simply and
fervently, asking God to show His superiority over Baal, that Israel may be led
to turn to Him. {PK 152.1}
"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel," the
prophet pleads, "let 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 Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the Lord God, and
that Thou hast turned their heart back again." {PK 152.2}
A silence, oppressive in its solemnity, rests upon all. The
priests of Baal tremble with terror. Conscious of their guilt, they look for
swift retribution. {PK
152.3}
No sooner is the prayer of Elijah ended than flames of [153]
fire, like brilliant flashes of lightning, descend from heaven upon the
upreared altar, consuming the sacrifice, licking up the water in the trench,
and consuming even the stones of the altar. The brilliancy of the blaze
illumines the mountain and dazzles the eyes of the multitude. In the valleys
below, where many are watching in anxious suspense the movements of those
above, the descent of fire is clearly seen, and all are amazed at the sight. It
resembles the pillar of fire which at the Red Sea separated the children of
Israel from the Egyptian host. {PK 152.4}
The people on the mount prostrate themselves in awe before
the unseen God. They dare not continue to look upon the Heaven-sent fire. They
fear that they themselves will be consumed; and, convicted of their duty to
acknowledge the God of Elijah as the God of their fathers, to whom they owe
allegiance, they cry out together as with one voice, "The Lord, He is the
God; the Lord, He is the God." With startling distinctness the cry
resounds over the mountain and echoes in the plain below. At last Israel is
aroused, undeceived, penitent. At last the people see how greatly they have
dishonored God. The character of Baal worship, in contrast with the reasonable
service required by the true God, stands fully revealed. The people recognize
God's justice and mercy in withholding the dew and the rain until they have
been brought to confess His name. They are ready now to admit that the God of
Elijah is above every idol. {PK
153.1}
The priests of Baal witness with consternation the wonderful
revelation of Jehovah's power. Yet even in their [154]
discomfiture and in the presence of divine glory, they refuse to repent of their
evil-doing. They would still remain the prophets of Baal. Thus they showed
themselves ripe for destruction. That repentant Israel may be protected from
the allurements of those who have taught them to worship Baal, Elijah is
directed by the Lord to destroy these false teachers. The anger of the people
has already been aroused against the leaders in transgression; and when Elijah
gives the command, "Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them
escape," they are ready to obey. They seize the priests, and take them to
the brook Kishon, and there, before the close of the day that marked the
beginning of decided reform, the ministers of Baal are slain. Not one is
permitted to live. {PK
153.2}
Click here to read the next chapter:
"From Jezreel to Horeb"
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