Bible Lesson: Bible Mountain- Mount Carmel

Bible Lesson:

Bible Mountain: Mount Carmel.

I Kings 18:17-39 KJV
17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
19 Now therefore send, 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.
20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 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:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, 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.
26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and 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.
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
29 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.
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto 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, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 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.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also 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 of Israel, 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.
37 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.
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God.

On the southern part of Asher, on the Mediterranean Sea, is beautiful Mount Carmel.
Here Elijah would call for a contest between the living God, and the heathen god Baal.

Ahab was Israel's most evil king. Ahab married a Phoenician princess by the name of Jezebel. Jezebel was an idolater who worshiped Baal, and so she called for no less then four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and some four hundred prophets of Astarte (I Kings 16:31,32/18:19).

21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

The Prophets of Baal, called on the name of their god, but no matter how loud they called, or how much blood they let, he did not answer.

Oh, how many a dear soul today, is rushed head long into the worship of pleasure and sin,
false gods, that cannot hear or help in time of need. False gods of death, erected by Satan, himself.

What a real picture of Satan, though these many prophets had “faithfully served him, with all their heart mind body and soul,” he would only laugh at them in their time of need.

Satan is the kind of master that one may serve him with his whole life, and when that life is over, the devil will take him to hell, to torment him.

Satan, hates mankind, because every time he sees him, he is reminded of God (Genesis 1:26).
And Satan hates God, because, God has thrown him out of heaven, and will one day yet send him to the eternal Lake of Fire.

The whole day had passed, and the god, Baal was silent.
Then came time for the Prophet Elijah to repair the altar of God, and call upon His name.
The altar needed repair, because the people had forsaken their worship of God.

First the stones, then the wood, then the sacrifice, and then, so as not to make it too easy, four barrels of water poured upon the sacrifice, not just once, but three times.

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 of Israel, 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.
37 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.
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God.

There is only “one,” God, the living God, the great I AM.

An altar is a place of worship, and a place of sacrifice.
Many today feel as though there is no God. But then again, their altars are broken down, having not called on God to worship or sacrifice, to the great I AM.

Matthew 22:32 KJV
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Elijah's sacrifice was victorious!

Romans 8:31 KJV
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

II Chronicles 7:14 KJV
If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

God's appointed leader of Israel, Joshua said...

Joshua 24:14-16 KJV
14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;