Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

18:1-16 Even though Elijah has been living only a few miles from Jezebel's hometown (Sidon), he has remained hidden from Ahab. Obadiah, like the widow of Zarephath (17:18), connects the prophet's presence with imminent punishment for his own sin. Yet as genuine as his piety is, Obadiah has misunderstood the situation. Elijah assures him of this with a solemn oath.

18:17-18 you troubler of Israel. Ahab sees Elijah, the prophet who has pronounced God's judgment, as the cause of the nation's trouble. But Elijah rightly answers that Ahab, who has turned to other gods, is the true troubler of Israel. The relatively rare Hebrew verb ‘akar, "to trouble," is also found in 1 Sam. 14:24-46, where there is also a dispute about who is really the troubler of Israel. Is it Saul, who has bound the people under a foolish oath, as Jonathan claims (1 Sam. 14:29; cf. Judg. 11:29-40), or is it Jonathan himself? On a previous occasion Israel had found and killed a man who was bringing "trouble" on them, and had thus escaped God's curse (Joshua 6-7; esp. notice the use of ‘akar in Josh. 6:18 and 7:25). These other stories make it clear that much is at stake in this debate about who has truly troubled Israel. Elijah's claim is that the trouble has religious roots: the abandonment of the commandments of the Lord and the embrace of the Baals (various local manifestations of the god Baal-Hadad; see note on 1 Kings 16:31-33). Ahab, not Elijah, is the "Achan" of this particular narrative.

18:20 all the people of Israel. The identity of the true "troubler of Israel" in Joshua 7 had been settled in public before all Israel; similarly, all Israel is now gathered on Mount Carmel--a hill situated on a headland by modern Haifa that forms the northwestern end of a range of hills 13 miles (21 km) long, commonly referred to as the Carmel range. As a notable landmark, it is mentioned in early Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts.

18:21 limping. The rare Hebrew verb pasakh occurs again in v. 26, where the prophets of Baal "limped around the altar." The irregular steps of their ritual dance portray an inability to move properly. The worship of the people is no better than the worship of these prophets, as they refuse to choose between the Lord and Baal but look to retain both options.

18:22 I, even I only, am left. Although other prophets of the Lord still existed in Israel at this time (cf. vv. 4, 13; 20:35-43; 22:1-28), Elijah's emphasis here is on his belief that he is the only one willing to take a public stand against the prophets of Baal. Further, it is part of Elijah's general strategy to underscore the overwhelming odds against his success, as seen in the numerical imbalance (18:25) and in his allowing the Baal prophets first choice of bull and first opportunity at evoking a divine reaction.

18:24 the God who answers by fire, he is God. The Lord's association with fire is well attested in the OT (e.g., Lev. 9:24; 10:2; Num. 16:35). Similarly, extrabiblical sources give evidence that Baal was thought of as a god who controls fire and lightning. The question here is, which of these claims about control over fire is true?

18:26 O Baal, answer us! The Hebrew verb "answer" is a key word throughout this story; cf. "No one answered" (v. 29) and "Answer me, O Lord" (v. 37).

18:27 musing . . . relieving himself . . . on a journey . . . asleep and must be awakened. After several hours Elijah begins to taunt the prophets of Baal with some disrespectful suggestions as to why they are receiving no answer. A real god would not be limited in such ways.

18:28-29 cut themselves. The attempt to manipulate Baal into action involves self-mutilation. The kind of condition in view here as these prophets raved on is also well attested outside Palestine (e.g., in the account of an Egyptian traveler, Wen-Amon, c. 1100 b.c., about a violent prophetic frenzy amid a temple ritual in Byblos, on the Phoenician coast north of Jezebel's hometown of Sidon).

18:30 he repaired the altar of the Lord. The authors of 1-2 Kings are generally opposed to worship at such "high places" (see note on 1 Kings 3:2), but they are even more opposed to idolatry, and they do not criticize Elijah for this action. The Lord himself removes the altar after it has served its purpose (18:38).

18:35 the water ran around the altar. The whole area is saturated with water so that there is no possibility of natural combustion. If this offering is consumed in fire, it must be the Lord's doing.

18:36-37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me. Elijah's public prayer gives evidence of great faith and confidence that God will answer.

18:38-39 The fire of the Lord consumes not only the burnt offering and the wood but also the inflammable stones and the saturated dust, as well as the water that was in the trench. This cannot be the result of any natural phenomenon, since even lightning would not consume the stones. As all the people realize, this fire can only be a special work of God.

18:42 Elijah bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. The significance of this prophetic action, like that in 17:21, is not made clear. He could be praying for rain, or he might simply be exhausted.

18:45-46 Jezreel. As the rains began, Ahab . . . went to Jezreel, where he had a palace (21:1) and where Jezebel was staying (19:1-2). The fact that Elijah also went to Jezreel suggests that he thought his war with Baal worship was over, which turned out to be a misjudgment.