The Mountain of Decision

Learning texts by heart is very helpful. Memorize the following verse as the young people are doing in the picture above:

Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that You, O Lord, are God. (I Kings 18:37)

To help you remember this verse, we suggest that you write it three times and send it to us.

We read in the Holy Bible that King Ahab did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than all the kings before him. King Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal who was the king of the rich town, Sidon. Jezebel worshipped an idol called Baal. She did not know the true God.

King Ahab built a temple and set up an altar there for Baal. As time went by, King Ahab also began to worship this lifeless statue as if it were the living Lord.

What was wrong in Ahab’s worship?

During this time, there lived a prophet named Elijah. Jezebel and King Ahab did not like Elijah because he rebuked them in the name of God for their wicked life and the way they ruled over the people.

One day, God sent Elijah to King Ahab to tell him about the punishment God was going to bring on the country because Ahab was worshipping Baal and misleading his people to worship a false god.

Elijah said to Ahab, As the Lord God lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.

King Ahab was angry and searched through his whole kingdom. But God kept the life of His servant Elijah from all danger. He sent him to a safe place where King Ahab could not find him.

How did God punish Ahab and his people?

After three long years, the Lord spoke to Elijah again. Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.

When Ahab heard that the prophet Elijah was coming, he went to meet him. As soon as Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, Is it really you, the troublemaker of the people?

Elijah replied, I have not made trouble for the people. But you and your father’s family have. You have forsaken the Lord’s commands and have followed Baal. You are the cause of the famine for the last three years. Now gather all the people and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. There we will see who is the real God. So Ahab did as Elijah said.

All the prophets of Baal, and many other people, came together on Mount Carmel in the presence of Ahab. All of them were waiting to know what Elijah the prophet was going to say and do.

Elijah stepped forward and said to the people, How long will you waver between two opinions? Why do you worship the true Lord one day, and Baal the next day? Don’t you know who the real God is? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. Get two bulls for us. Let the priests of Baal choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you 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 the only God.

How would the true God answer his prophet?

Then all the people agreed.

Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire. They agreed and took the bull given to them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal. Four hundred and fifty men cried out as one voice from the morning until noon, Baal, Baal, answer us! But there was no sound or reply. They danced around the altar they had made, but all was in vain.

How many prophets of Baal cried out to their god Baal?

Elijah came nearer and mocked them, Shout louder! Maybe your god is busy, or travelling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened. You must call louder until he hears you!

They shouted as loud as they could and cut themselves with swords and spears, until their blood flowed. All afternoon they were frantic, but there was no sound, no answer, no one paid attention, because their god did not exist.

Why didn’t Baal answer his prophets?

Then Elijah said to the people, Come here to me. They all came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been neglected for years. Elijah dug a trench around the altar, then arranged the wood, cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. All the people were watching him carefully and wondered whether or not his God would answer his prayers. Would he also remain silent like Baal? They also wondered why Elijah had dug a trench around the altar.

In whose name did Elijah come before the people and for whom did he rebuild the altar?

Suddenly, the people heard Elijah calling, Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.

Did they hear right? Did Elijah really say they should bring water? How would the wood catch fire if it was wet?

When they had carried four large jars of water from the valley and poured it over the altar, Elijah said, Do it again. They brought more water and poured it on the altar. But Elijah said to them, Do it a third time, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

How many jars of water did the people pour over the altar at Elijah’s request?

When it was time to make the sacrifice, Elijah stepped forward and prayed: O Lord, my God, answer me and let these people know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.

Then the fire of the Lord fell down and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

What did Elijah ask from his God?

When the people saw this miracle, they realized that the God of Elijah was the true Lord. They fell down on their faces and worshipped God crying, The Lord is God! The Lord is God!

Then Elijah commanded them, Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone go away! They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there because they misled the people and kept them from worshipping the living Lord who created life.

What did Elijah do to the prophets of Baal? Why?

After this, Elijah turned to Ahab and said, Go eat and drink, for I hear the sound of heavy rain. So Ahab went off, but Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel with his servant. Elijah knelt on the ground and prayed. Then he said to his servant, Go and look toward the sea. And he went up and looked.

There is nothing there, he said.

Elijah prayed again and said to his servant, Go and look again. Elijah did this seven times, and seven times he told his servant to go and look toward the sea. But the seventh time the servant ran back and reported, A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.

What did Elijah expect from his prayers to God?

So Elijah said to his servant, Hurry and tell Ahab to hitch up his chariot and race down before the rain stops him.

Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, and heavy rain began to fall. This was the first rain in three years.

God had mercy on the people and did not punish them any more because they recognized Him openly as the only true God.

What did the people recognize? What is your confession about the true God?

Quiz

Now answer the following questions! Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper and send it to us. Then we will send the next booklet to you.

1. What was wrong in Ahab’s worship?

2. How did God punish Ahab and his people?

3. What is the name of the mountain where Ahab had to gather the people and the prophets of Baal?

4. How would the true God answer His prophet?

5. How many prophets of Baal cried out to their god Baal?

6. Why didn’t Baal answer his prophets?

7. In whose name did Elijah come before the people and for whom did he rebuild the altar?

8. How many jars of water did the people pour over the altar at Elijah’s request?

9. What did Elijah ask from his God?

10. What did Elijah do to the prophets of Baal? Why?

11. What did Elijah expect from his prayers to God?

12. What did the people recognize? What is your confession about the true God?

Connect the dotted lines to know what the people confessed.

We will be glad if you send your answers to us. Remember to write your full address clearly.

Our address is:

Call of Hope
P.O.Box 100827,
D-70007
Stuttgart
Germany

<E-Mail: info@call-of-hope.com>