I Kings Lesson 5 – Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

1. Why would God choose to withhold rain from Israel? (See Deuteronomy 11:1317, 28:15, 23-24)?

God was doing this in response to his people breaking their covenant with him. They broke the first and second commandments and so God was responding exactly the way he promised to.

2. What were the Canaanite gods Baal and Asherah supposed to be in control of?

Baal and Asherah were fertility gods. Baal was the prince or chief god who was in charge of the rain and dew, and Asherah was his partner. Together, they were thought to bring abundance and life to the land of Canaan for food and water.

3. What did the Prophet Elijah suggest to do to figure out who was the real God?

Elijah proposed that they would make two altars, one to Baal, and one to Yahweh. The one that answered their prophet would be considered to be the true God and the one that Israel should follow.

4. What did the prophets of Baal do to try to get their god to answer them?

The Baal prophets sacrificed a cow, they called out for 4 hours, they cut themselves, and they limped around the altar. They kept calling out until evening and nothing happened.

5. What did Elijah do to make it harder for his fire to start?

How did he ask for God to answer him? Elijah took water and dumped water on his altar 3 times until the altar was so wet that it filled up the trench under it. There was no humanly possible way that there could be a fire. Elijah called out to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to answer him. His prayer was short, specific, and prayed for God to bring his people back to him. And God did! The fire of God consumed up the cow, the wood, the entire altar, and the water that was in the trench. Amazing!

6. What does this teach us about God’s character?

God is always faithful to the promises he makes. He is the Covenant-Keeping God. – God is the only God. There is no one other than him. – God has supreme and sovereign power of creation. – God is merciful to his people to turn their hearts back to him and to call them to repentance.

7. How does this point us to Jesus?

Just like Elijah pointed the people back to Yahweh, John the Baptist points us to Yahweh in the flesh, the Lord Jesus (Malachi 4:4, Luke 1:17). Through Jesus, God turns our hearts to him from being dead to sin and now alive to God in Christ (Eph 2:4). Turn and trust in him as your Lord and savior today!