A Study of 1st Kings 18:30-40
· The preparations toward this climax – A Study of 1st Kings 18:30-40
Ahab, the king of Israel, and the 450 prophets of Baal, and the 400 prophets of Asherah, and many of the people of the nation of Israel have come to the top of Mount Carmel to meet Elijah there.
Elijah was the Prophet of God who had declared, 3 ½ years earlier, that there would be neither dew nor rain until he brings word again from Jehovah. Now 3 ½ years later they hope that Elijah will bring them rain again. They are just hoping for the physical benefits of the rain.
But what is developing before their eyes, is the great confrontation between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal. What is developing before their eyes is a turnaround of the nation of Israel, so that the monopoly of Baal worship is broken and the worship of Jehovah is returning to Israel. And when we say Israel we must realize what we are saying.
In our previous study we saw how Elijah carefully prepared the altar for the moment of sacrifice. Especially we saw how Elijah built the altar from 12 stones, which represented the Israel of God. Is everyone aware that although the Israel of God is mentioned in the New Testament, in Galatians 6:16, this concept is valid throughout the Old Testament time as well? Why is that so? It is because we are commanded to harmonize everything in the Bible. We will not allow God to be declared a liar. And so, we can see that the names of all the elect were placed in Christ before the foundation of the world, and all the elect are still in Christ at the end of time. Since Christ is called Israel, all the elect are also called Israel. Therefore, when we read in Jeremiah 23:5-6 about Judah and Israel, we realize that this is a passage which definitely refers to Israel in the New Testament period of time.
Jeremiah 23:5
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jeremiah 23:6
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Let us pick up the story in 1st Kings 18 again beginning at Verse 30.
1st Kings 18:30
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 Jehovah that was broken down.
1st Kings 18:31
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
1st Kings 18:32
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as (would contain) two measures of seed.
1st Kings 18:33
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.
1st Kings 18:34
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.
1st Kings 18:35
And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
1st Kings 18:36
And it came to pass at (the time of) the offering of the (evening) sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Jehovah 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.
1st Kings 18:37
Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou art Jehovah God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
1st Kings 18:38
Then the fire of Jehovah 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.
1st Kings 18:39
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Jehovah, he is the God; Jehovah, he is the God.
1st Kings 18:40
And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
In this study we will focus on Verses 36-38. But before we do that, it is always good to keep in mind two principles that govern this great confrontation between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal:
· First Principle: All the Old Testament sacrifices were only shadows of the Great Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. The Lord Jesus said in no uncertain terms, in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
The meaning of this statement is not only that Christ is the only way to God in the New Testament time, but also that Christ is the only way to God in the Old Testament time as well, and that all the animal sacrifices and all the ceremonial laws practiced throughout the Old Testament times were not a means for Old Testament people to come near to God, but all these Old Testament sacrifices were only shadows pointing to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The Lord said in Colossians 2:17 concerning all the details of the ceremonial law, including all the animal sacrifices, “Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
Likewise, the Lord said in Hebrews 9:9-10 concerning the routine procedures of the priests:
Hebrews 9:9
Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Hebrews 9:10
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Therefore, the bullock that was laying there on the altar that Elijah had built was a picture, or a type, or a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ hanging on the cross.
· Second Principle: The preparations toward this climax of this great confrontation between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal are actually a picture of the preparations leading up to the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross. All the preparations of the Old Testament are in view here. In other words: All these careful preparations that Elijah made prior to this great sacrifice, all these are pictures of the all the components leading up to the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross. As you know, almost the entire Old Testament consists of components leading up to the One great sacrifice
of Christ on the cross. For example, God says in Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
The meaning of this statement is that the entire Old Testament, in fact the whole Bible, was written to teach us the doctrines, to teach us the Good News that we might have hope, or that we might have the hope of salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the Old Testament God is preparing the components leading up to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, and preparing the components leading up to the building of the temple of God. With these two principles in place, let us now consider the prayer of Elijah in Verses 36 and 37.
1. The Prayer of Elijah (1st Kings 18:36-37, John 17:1-6)
1st Kings 18:36
And it came to pass at (the time of) the offering of the (evening) sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Jehovah 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.
1st Kings 18:37
Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou art Jehovah God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
The first thing you have to do is to cross out or put in parentheses those words you find in italics in Verse 29 and Verse 36. The words are: (the time of) and (evening). The KJV translators put these words in as suggestions, but you do not have to follow what they suggested. It is impossible for Elijah to perform all those activities from Verse 30 through Verse 46 on the same day after the time of the evening sacrifice. Literally, the beginning of Verse 36 reads as follows:
1st Kings 18:36
And it came to pass at the offering of the sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near,
This could be anytime in the afternoon. God does not think it important that we should know what time it was. Rather, we should focus on the words that were spoken. There are four elements in Elijah’s prayer that we can see.
· The first one was when Elijah prays: Let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel. Remember that the name Elijah means My God Jehovah. Elijah prays like the Lord Jesus would have prayed in this situation. What is this situation? It is just like before the offering of the great sacrifice in John 17. Therefore, it is no wonder that we find great similarities between this prayer of Elijah and the High Priestly Prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17.
John 17:1
¶ These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
Both Jesus and Elijah prayed that God will glorify Himself on this day in a very special way. And we know that in both cases God granted that request.
· Secondly, Elijah prays: Let it be known that I am Thy servant
The Lord Jesus prays in John 17:2 and 3.
John 17:2
As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Both Jesus and Elijah pray that God’s elect might know that God had sent them as His servant. The Lord Jesus goes one step further: He was the suffering Servant to pay for the sins of His elect.
Did the Lord Jesus pay for everybody’s sins?
O No! The Lord Jesus says in Verse 2: “that He (Christ) should give eternal life to as many as Thou (the Father) hast given Him.” The Lord Jesus was totally successful in giving eternal life to all those whom the Father had given to Him. He paid for the sins of all those whom the Father had predestined to eternal life. And what a price to pay! According to the Law of God, the price for sin, any sin, is an eternity in Hell. Right after His High Priestly prayer, in John 17, the Lord Jesus walked to Gethsemane, knowing full well where He was going, and there is where He began to suffer the equivalence of an eternity in Hell, an infinity in Hell, and He completed His suffering on the Cross the next day, at about 3 O’clock in the afternoon. That was the time when the Lord Jesus said “It is finished!” That was the end of Him suffering the equivalent of an eternity in Hell for our sins. The agony for the suffering Servant was over.
· Thirdly, Elijah prays: I have done all these things at Thy Word
This means that all the actions of Elijah, beginning in Verse 1 of this chapter, and including all the preparations Elijah made for the altar and for the sacrifice and the pouring of water on the sacrifice, were all instructions he had received from God. The purpose of all these detailed preparations was so that these are all pictures, or typologies, of all the components leading up to that great sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Look how similar that is to what the Lord Jesus says in His prayer:
John 17:4
I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
John 17:5
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
The Lord Jesus prays that He may successfully complete all that the Father had given Him to do, and that the Father would not leave His Soul in Hell, but that He would return to the glory which He had before with the Father and with the Spirit.
· Fourth, Elijah prays: That this people may know that Thou hast turned their heart back again.
1 Kings 18:37
Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou art Jehovah God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
Does Elijah pray for the salvation of everyone of this people?
Does Elijah pray that every single person in Israel may become saved?
O No! This man of God knows full well that the number of those who will be saved is only a remnant. But Elijah prays that this nation may again turn to the worship of Jehovah, instead of Baal. Listen now to the prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17:6.
John 17:6
¶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
The Lord Jesus prays for the salvation of only those whom the Father has given Him. The Lord Jesus does not pray for everyone in the whole world, but only for those who are the elect of God. Now look at how God answered the prayer of Elijah.
2. Then the Fire of the LORD Fell (1Kings 18:38)
1st Kings 18:38
Then the fire of Jehovah 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.What has Fire to do with all this?
The Fire of the LORD always has to do with Judgment. It is a symbol of Hellfire. The Judgment of God or the wrath of God is manifested as Hellfire. There are many examples of fire from the LORD in the Bible. One example that stands out is recorded in:
Leviticus 10:1
¶ And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.Leviticus 10:2
And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.Nadab and Abihu were tempting the LORD with incense that was imitation incense. That was terrible! They were the priests. They should be an example to the people. Their sin was instantly dealt with by fire from the LORD. This clearly displays fire as the wrath of God.
But when we go back two verses it is less clear:
Leviticus 9:23
¶ And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.Leviticus 9:24
And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.The fire of Jehovah fell on the sacrifice upon the altar just like it did when Elijah offered the sacrifice on Mount Carmel. It signified God’s approval with the sacrifice that Aaron had brought on the altar. Both with Elijah and with Aaron that animal sacrifice was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Both with Elijah and with Aaron the fire from the LORD signified God’s approval with the sacrifice that they brought. The fire from the LORD clearly tells us that the wrath of God was poured out upon the Lord Jesus Christ, because He stood in our place having to pay for our sins. It was the wrath of God upon our sins. It is the same fire that consumed Nadab and Abihu. This tells us that the wrath of God on the Lord Jesus was as fierce as Hellfire. That is why the fire of the LORD fell on the sacrifice! We cannot imagine how fierce the wrath of God was on the Lord Jesus. It is described here as fierce as burning up the stones of the altar.
Did the Lord Jesus know it would be that hot?
Yes He did know that, and He was willing to suffer this much for our sins. Can we begin to understand the insult to God by people who belittle this great sacrifice? They do not know what they are talking about. They are without love for God, for they are indifferent to His suffering.
· The Sacrifice (John 1:29)
Who did the Sacrifice represent?
We read in John 1:29.
John 1:29
¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.Unmistakably, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who has been ordained from before the foundation of the world to suffer and die. The lambs that were sacrificed in the Old Testament were just shadows of the One great sacrifice that the Lord Jesus was going to give.
Why was the sacrifice consumed by the fire from the LORD?
The Lord Jesus was not consumed in the atonement on the cross! But the bullock was consumed because the bullock was not God. The fire represented Hellfire. This illustrates the awfulness of Hell. This shows us the awfulness of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus on our behalf.
· The wood: What does the wood represent?
The Hebrew word used here is the word #6086, which has been translated wood or timber, but more often it has been translated TREE. For example, we find the same word in Deuteronomy 21:23.
Deuteronomy 21:23
His body shall not remain all night upon the tree , but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.This Verse is quoted in Galatians 3:13, which says:
Galatians 3:13
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:The wood represents the Cross.
Why was the wood consumed?
Not because it is flammable! The wood was consumed, indicating that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law. His payment was complete, never to be repeated. We read in Hebrews 10:12, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;”
He died for our sins once for all time. Therefore the wood was consumed. We should no longer look for artifacts of the cross of Christ, for that is against the Word of God in Hebrews 10:12. We walk by faith, not by sight.
· The Twelve Stones (1st Kings 18:31)
1st Kings 18:31
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:We know that the twelve stones represent the Israel of God, the elect people of God, the body of true Saints throughout time.
But why were the twelve stones consumed?
It is because the Bible says: We were crucified with Christ, we died with Christ, we were buried with Christ, we were raised with Him, and we are seated with Him in the Heavenlies. We were totally identified with Christ in His death and resurrection. That is why the stones were consumed simultaneously with the bullock on the Altar.
· What About the Altar? (1st Kings 18:32, John 10:17)
1st Kings 18:32
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.What is significant about the fact that Elijah built an altar?
Why is that in the Bible?
What is an altar for?
It serves to bear up the sacrifice. And here we see that the stones were instrumental in bringing the sacrifice to God Almighty. In other words, the elect of God were the cause that Christ should be offered as our sin-offering. We crucified Christ, because our sins made it necessary for Christ to be offered on behalf of us. We should stop to accuse the Jews of murdering Jesus, because the Lord said that He would lay down His life voluntarily. No one takes it from Him. The Lord Jesus said in John 10:17-18,
John 10:17
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.John 10:18
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.In other words, the atonement of the Lord Jesus was orchestrated by the Father. God says in Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” And that “us all” is for “all of us,” the elect only.
Generally it is not understood who crucified the Lord Jesus, but these words in John 10:18 clearly testify that His elect, the true children of God, were the cause for the Lord Jesus to be crucified. He took up the curse that was laid on them.
· What about the dust? (Psalm 22:15)
Why is it significant that the dust was also consumed?
Psalm 22 is a Messianic Psalm. In Psalm 22 God tells us the prayers of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, and in Verse 15 we read:
Psalm 22:15
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.But when the Lord Jesus rose from the grave, He was no longer in “the dust of death”. In fact, death was swallowed up in victory. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
For the Saints physical death is no longer an enemy. It is the stepping stone to be in eternity with Christ forevermore. Just the pain of death is what we are afraid of. But that is nothing compared to what the Lord Jesus had to suffer, or compared to what most of the saints had to suffer.
· The water (1st Kings 18:38)
Water can either have the meaning of the water of the Gospel, or it can have the meaning of Judgment. For example, think of the Flood of Noah’s days. No one outside the Ark escaped the Judgment of God. Another example of Judgment was vividly demonstrated when Moses and the children of Israel crossed the waters of the Red sea, which was a figure of Hell. Under the leadership of Moses as a figure of Christ all the elect went through Hell and back in Christ and with Christ. But when the Egyptians tried it they all drowned. Not one of them escaped. They were not called to do that. Here in 1st a Kings 18:38 the water represents Judgment. The water was also consumed, because for the Saints there is no more Judgment as is so clearly stated in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Therefore, for the child of God all this symbolism in 1st Kings 18:38 is Good News: Christ is on the throne, He took care of all my sins, because He made me a child of God in the first place.
3. I Am The Way (John 14:6)
John 14:6
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”There is no other way outside the Lord Jesus Christ. There was no other way for the prophets of Baal. This was Judgment Day for the prophets of Baal. Their day of reckoning had come! All the Canaanites, who lived in a Christless world, will not be permitted to enter into heaven, for the only way to salvation is through Christ. This also tells us that the Lord Jesus did not pay for the sins of all the Canaanites. The Lord paid only for the sins of those whom the Father had placed in Him from eternity past.
· Not One of Them Escaped (Hebrews 10:30-31)
Hebrews 10:30
For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.Who was their Judge? Elijah! Again we have to think about his name: My God Jehovah. Elijah first took them to to the Brook Kishon. Why would he do that? What is so special about the brook Kishon? Kishon means “a winding,” and it is derived from a word that means “a snare.” In other words, it is a snare to the enemy, who is caught in an “endless winding.” It means that the Judgment of God is without end. The penalty is endless. When people are caught insulting God in this life, it means that they are caught in a snare, which seems for the moment a pleasant alternative to serving God. But the penalty for their sin is endless.
· The brook Kishon (Revelation 16:16, Judges 5:19-21)
God is giving us a picture of the Judgment on the Last Day. God named the last battle on this earth: The battle of Armageddon. The last battle is truly the last battle; there is no battle after that. But from Matthew 24:29 we know that the Final Tribulation Period is the last battle. And so, the battle of Armageddon is in fact the Final Tribulation Period. We read in Revelation 16:16, “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
God named this place after the battle at Megiddo that was fought by the children of Israel under the leadership of Barak and Deborah against Jabin king of Canaan and his chief general Sisera. Of course, we already know who won the battle. But then we read in Judges 5:19-21,
Judges 5:19
The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.Judges 5:20
They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.Judges 5:21
The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.Historically, the Lord caused a heavy rain by which the chariots of Sisera were stuck in the mud. The name Taanach means “sandy.” There is where the chariots of Sisera were of no value, and this is how the Lord gave the victory to the army of Barak and Deborah.
What does this tell us about the events on the Last Day?
On the Last Day the army of Satan seems impossible to defeat. But God shall bring the impossible to come to pass, and Satan and his army shall be defeated to the uttermost. God will not allow His children to suffer defeat in this final battle. We can read this in Revelation 20:7-10.
But we know that God’s words and God’s actions will come to pass as He has said.
· Whom Can We Trust? (Philippians 1:6, 1st Peter 1:18-21)
If God has wrought the sign of faith in us, then He will complete it in the Day of Jesus Christ. We can trust this on the basis of His Word. We read in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
And so, when we can see that God has done a wonderful thing within us, we can trust that He will complete it on the Day that the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth, on Judgment Day. There are many Scriptures which confirm to us this fact. One of the nagging fears many Christians have is if they truly are saved. Let us consider this passage from 1st Peter chapter 1:
1st Peter 1:18
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;1st Peter 1:19
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:1st Peter 1:20
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,1st Peter 1:21
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.You see, our faith is not in the faith that we conjure up to give us Hell-fire insurance. There is no such thing that we can conjure up to give us salvation, for that would be a self-help gospel. We must remember that salvation comes only by the grace of God. It is God who must give us this faith to trust in Christ. We do not have faith in our faith, for that is produced within ourselves. No! We must have faith in Christ, in what He has done to save us. It means that we must have the faith to believe the whole Bible, from cover to cover. But we know that before Christ returns there will be a famine of hearing the Word of God. We know that it certainly comes.
Will we be caught in it?
God says in Amos 8:11-12,
Amos 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:Amos 8:12
And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.· What would we do if we were there? How could we prepare ourselves for this famine?
Remember that the circumstances at Christ’s first coming will be very similar to those at His second coming as the Judge. The spiritual draught is here already; the true Gospel is seldom preached. The famine for the Word of God is coming. Teachers of the true Gospel are going to die out.
How are we getting ourselves prepared for it?
What are we doing with Bible study materials that we receive now?
Do we study them and save them?
There will come a time when we will feel all alone, like Elijah, and we would wish that we had some notes left, or we could wish that we had made some underlinings in our Bible, or we could wish that we had learned how to use a concordance, and so on. But thanks be to God that He saves and preserves His elect, even though we go through a difficult time. Therefore we trust that the Lord shall preserve us, even though we are His sinful creatures. But if Christ has suffered and died for us, we cannot be lost.
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By Alfred J. Chompff
Jesus is LORD! 
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