To Understand the opposition that Elijah faced, it is helpful to know something of the society into which he was born. Some of this background is given in scripture while other information comes from archaeology.
The Omri dynasty
King Ahab’s father, Omri, had a big influence on his society and by human standards was considered a very powerful king. The Assyrians called his dynasty the “House of Omri” and Israel the “land of Omri.” By divine standards Omri was worse than king Jeroboam, who earlier had introduced Israel to apostate Yahweh worship (I Kgs. 16:25,26). Later Omri’s son, king Ahab, formed an alliance with the Phoenicians by marrying Jezebel and attempted to establish worship of Baal as the national religion in Israel. “And Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (I Kgs. 16:30-32).
In the religion of Canaan, Baal was the son of two other gods, El and Asherah. He is often depicted as a standing figure with a club in one hand and a lightning bolt in the other. Asherah, his consort, a leading Canaanite goddess, is often shown standing next to him. Many considered that Baal was responsible for the stability of life and fertility of the land. Thus Baalism was the worship of natural causes as opposed to the divine primary cause, Yahweh.
Elijah’s challenge
Although Elijah’s physical appearance is vividly described, little is known of his background except that he came from Gilead (I Kgs. 17:1; II Kgs. 1:8). James says that he “was a man subject to like passions” as us, yet a prayerful man who wanted to rid Israel of idols. Elijah comes on the scene abruptly and his reputation as a prophet, if he had one, is not recorded. A possible motivation for his prayer that there not be dew or rain, is found in Deuteronomy (Deut. 11:16,17).
Elijah’s pronouncement was clearly a challenge to Baal and his worshipers. According to their beliefs, Yahweh, the God of Israel, had nothing to do with the weather or the food supply. The control of the rain was in Baal’s hands and it was he who gave them food and prosperity.
The lengthy period of famine was needed to convince the people the authority to break the drought belonged to Yahweh. Since Mot killed Baal once a year and later Mat resurrected him, a few months of drought would mean nothing. Yet an extended period without rain would make people wonder if Anat had failed to resurrect Baal from death and would expose the impotence of their system of deities.
By proclaiming the drought, Elijah was involved in a personal conflict of interest as his own source of water gradually dried. Imagine watching the brook you drank from drying up, wondering how you would continue to find drink yet rejoicing that the true God was in control (I Kgs. 17:7).
After the brook dried up, God sent Elijah to Zarephath of Zidon, home of Jezebel’s father, to hide from Ahab. Who would be less likely than a gentile widow to sustain him? Yet in spite of her obvious poverty, her salutation may have given Elijah new hope. Her greeting, “as the Lord thy God liveth” suggests the widow considered Baal to be dead.
Ahab’s desperation
The famine in Israel had Ahab desperate to the point that he went himself with his personal assistant, Obadiah, looking for pasture for his beasts (I Kgs. 18:5). Unlike Ahab, Obadiah was concerned for God’s prophets. How had Obadiah, employed by Ahab, hid two groups of 50 prophets in a cave? Sometimes our circumstances of employment make living the truth difficult, but just think what it would be like to have Ahab as your boss and Jezebel as his wife. Most circumstances of employment seem tame by comparison.
Ahab believed it was Elijah who troubled Israel, although the prophet is quick to set Ahab straight (I Kgs. 18:17,18). No doubt Elijah quoted Ahab an appropriate passage from Deuteronomy making it clear Ahab’s idolatry was responsible for the drought (Deut. 11:16,17). Elijah’s rebuke had little impact on this man. What impact does the rebuke of another have on us? If we take the advice Paul gave the Philippians seriously, we will give any rebuke heartfelt consideration (Phil. 2:3).
Elijah’s challenge
To decide who should be worshiped, Yahweh or Baal, Elijah set a challenge before the people: two bullocks would be placed on altars and would remain there until fire ignited them without human aid. Elijah instructed: “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 (I Kgs. 18:24). The contest should settle the confusion so there would no longer be reason to “halt between two opinions” (18:21).
Baal worshipers may have thought this contest would give them an advantage, especially since Elijah gave them first opportunity to produce fire. Feverishly they sought to get his attention with the repetitive chant: “O Baal, hear us.”
By noon Elijah began mocking them with taunts: “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” (18:27). All Elijah said would apply to a “god” like Baal who was created in the image of man, but not to the God of Israel. As the Psalmist said: “He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psa. 121:4). The “weather god” had not acted for years. Had he not noticed the distress of his worshipers? By mid-afternoon, there was still no answer; all their raving had been in vain. Perhaps some of the people were tired of watching the prophets of Baal make fools of themselves.
Elijah prepared the wood and the sacrifice for burning, but then he took a most unusual step. Twelve barrels of water were poured over the sacrifice and the wood. Those standing by must have been astounded at this foolish move: Why ruin your chances by making the wood wet? For a mere man, lighting a fire would now be impossible, but for Yahweh, it would make no difference. So after offering a prayer Elijah knew there would be immediate results in spite of the drenching with water.
Had it been possible for Baal to answer, all that could have been expected was a stroke or two of lightning. In time the sacrifice would then be roasted by the burning wood. What happened was entirely different. Everything was consumed! Where once there had been an altar of stone, wet wood, a bullock and a trench of water there was now only an empty stretch of dry ground (18:38). Elijah’s prayer had been answered in a most convincing way. It was now up to the jury to decide who was God.
In spite of Yahweh’s demonstration, the people’s response was very impersonal: “The Lord, he is the God, the Lord, he is the God.” After this astonishing result, could no one bring themselves to say: “The Lord, he is my God?” (18:39).
Seizing the moment, Elijah commanded: “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” (18:40).
Now that it had been demonstrated that Yahweh is God, Elijah was confident a religious reformation would sweep through Israel. As subsequent chapters reveal, he was desperately depressed when it did not occur.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One