September 18, 1913

A Reasonable Proposition

EGW

Standing before Ahab, Elijah demanded that all Israel be assembled to meet him and the prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth on Mt. Carmel. “Send,” he commanded Ahab, “and gather to me all Israel upon Mt. Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.”RH September 18, 1913, par. 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 on Carmel 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 meet Elijah? What new calamity was about to fall upon the people and the land?RH September 18, 1913, par. 2

Before the drought, Mt. 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.RH September 18, 1913, par. 3

Carmel overlooked a wide expanse of country, and could be seen from a large part 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 heights; and Elijah chose this elevation as the most conspicuous place to display God's power and vindicate the honor of his name.RH September 18, 1913, par. 4

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 opposing 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, Israel for three years 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 prayers, their tears, their humiliation, their revolting ceremonies, their costly and ceaseless sacrifices, the objects of their worship have been strangely indifferent.RH September 18, 1913, par. 5

Standing Alone for God

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, seemingly without support, either human or divine; apparently defenseless in the presence of the men of war, the prophets of Baal, the monarch of Israel, and the surrounding thousands. But Elijah is not alone. Above and around him are the protecting hosts of heaven,—angels that excel in strength. Realizing his source of power, Elijah could say, “The Lord is with me as a mighty, terrible One: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.”RH September 18, 1913, par. 6

In that vast multitude the prophet is undaunted. Unashamed and unterrified, he stands before the people, his countenance 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, trumpet-like tones, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.”RH September 18, 1913, par. 7

The people answer him not a word. Not one in that vast assembly dare utter a word for God, not one dare reveal loyalty to Jehovah. Like a dark cloud, deception and blindness had covered Israel. Not all at once had this fatal apostasy closed about them; but gradually, as from time to time they had refused to heed the words of warning and reproof that the Lord sent them. Each departure from right-doing, each refusal to repent, had deepened their guilt, and driven them farther from Heaven. And now, in this crisis, they refused to take their stand for God.RH September 18, 1913, par. 8

God 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 is 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. 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.RH September 18, 1913, par. 9

The Lord prepares his messages to fit the times and occasions in which they are given. Sometimes his messengers are bidden to sound an alarm day and night, as did John the Baptist, who proclaimed to the assembled multitudes, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Then, again, he inspires 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?”—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.RH September 18, 1913, par. 10

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 the 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 I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.”RH September 18, 1913, par. 11

The proposal of Elijah is so reasonable that the people dare not 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 commands, “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.”RH September 18, 1913, par. 12

With terror in their guilty hearts, though outwardly bold and defiant, the false priests prepare their altar, laying on the wood and the victim; and then they begin their incantations. Their shrill cries reecho 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, and with tearing of the hair and cutting of the flesh, they beseech their god to help them.RH September 18, 1913, par. 13

The morning passes, noon comes, and yet there is no evidence that Baal, whom the priests serve with frenzy and apparent sincerity, hears the cries of his deluded followers. There is no voice, no reply to their frantic prayers. The sacrifice remains unconsumed.RH September 18, 1913, par. 14

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 the senseless ceremonies.RH September 18, 1913, par. 15

“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. 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.”RH September 18, 1913, par. 16