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Text -- 1 Kings 18:1-33 (NET)
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Elijah Meets the King’s Servant
18:1 Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah , “Go , make an appearance before Ahab , so I may send rain on the surface of the ground .”
18:2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab . Now the famine was severe in Samaria .
18:3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah , who supervised the palace . (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord .
18:4 When Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets , Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty . He also brought them food and water .)
18:5 Ahab told Obadiah , “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys . Maybe we can find some grazing areas so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill some of the animals .”
18:6 They divided up the land between them; Ahab went one way and Obadiah went the other .
18:7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said , “Is it really you , my master , Elijah ?”
18:8 He replied , “Yes, go and say to your master , ‘Elijah is back.’”
18:9 Obadiah said , “What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution ?
18:10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives , my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say , ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them swear an oath that they could not find you.
18:11 Now you say , ‘Go and say to your master , “Elijah is back.”’
18:12 But when I leave you, the Lord’s spirit will carry you away so I can’t find you. If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and he will kill me. That would not be fair, because your servant has been a loyal follower of the Lord from my youth .
18:13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets . I hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water .
18:14 Now you say , ‘Go and say to your master , “Elijah is back,”’ but he will kill me.”
18:15 But Elijah said , “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all lives (whom I serve ), I will make an appearance before him today .”
Elijah Confronts Baal’s Prophets
18:16 When Obadiah went and informed Ahab , the king went to meet Elijah .
18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah , he said to him, “Is it really you , the one who brings disaster on Israel ?”
18:18 Elijah replied , “I have not brought disaster on Israel . But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals .
18:19 Now send out messengers and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel , as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports .
18:20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel .
18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said , “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision ? If the Lord is the true God , then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word .
18:22 Elijah said to them : “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left , but there are 450 prophets of Baal .
18:23 Let them bring us two bulls . Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces , and place it on the wood . But they must not set it on fire . I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood . But I will not set it on fire .
18:24 Then you will invoke the name of your god , and I will invoke the name of the Lord . The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God .” All the people responded , “This will be a fair test .”
18:25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal , “Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first , for you are the majority . Invoke the name of your god , but do not light a fire .”
18:26 So they took a bull , as he had suggested , and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon , saying , “Baal , answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer . They jumped around on the altar they had made .
18:27 At noon Elijah mocked them, “Yell louder ! After all, he is a god ; he may be deep in thought , or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip . Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened .”
18:28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood .
18:29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound , no answer , and no response .
18:30 Elijah then told all the people , “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down .
18:31 Then Elijah took twelve stones , corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob , to whom the Lord had said , “Israel will be your new name .”
18:32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord . Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs of seed .
18:33 He arranged the wood , cut up the bull , and placed it on the wood .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> 1Ki 18:1; 1Ki 18:2; 1Ki 18:3; 1Ki 18:4; 1Ki 18:5; 1Ki 18:5; 1Ki 18:6; 1Ki 18:7; 1Ki 18:8; 1Ki 18:8; 1Ki 18:9; 1Ki 18:9; 1Ki 18:10; 1Ki 18:11; 1Ki 18:12; 1Ki 18:12; 1Ki 18:12; 1Ki 18:12; 1Ki 18:13; 1Ki 18:14; 1Ki 18:15; 1Ki 18:15; 1Ki 18:16; 1Ki 18:17; 1Ki 18:17; 1Ki 18:18; 1Ki 18:18; 1Ki 18:19; 1Ki 18:19; 1Ki 18:21; 1Ki 18:21; 1Ki 18:22; 1Ki 18:24; 1Ki 18:24; 1Ki 18:24; 1Ki 18:25; 1Ki 18:26; 1Ki 18:26; 1Ki 18:26; 1Ki 18:27; 1Ki 18:28; 1Ki 18:28; 1Ki 18:28; 1Ki 18:29; 1Ki 18:29; 1Ki 18:29; 1Ki 18:30; 1Ki 18:31; 1Ki 18:31; 1Ki 18:32; 1Ki 18:32
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NET Notes: 1Ki 18:3 Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the Lord.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for...
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NET Notes: 1Ki 18:6 The Hebrew text has “alone” here and again in reference to Obadiah toward the end of the verse.
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NET Notes: 1Ki 18:13 Heb “Has it not been told to my master what I did…?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “Of course it has!”
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NET Notes: 1Ki 18:26 The MT has “which he made,” but some medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions have the plural form of the verb.
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NET Notes: 1Ki 18:27 Elijah’s sarcastic proposals would have been especially offensive and irritating to Baal’s prophets, for they believed Baal was imprisoned...
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NET Notes: 1Ki 18:28 mutilated…covered with blood. This self-mutilation was a mourning rite designed to facilitate Baal’s return from the underworld.
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NET Notes: 1Ki 18:29 In 2 Kgs 4:31 the words “there was no sound and there was no response” are used to describe a dead boy. Similar words are used here to des...
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NET Notes: 1Ki 18:30 Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.
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