Ba’al and the Canaanite Religion

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of [a]the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”             1 Kings 17:1 NASB

Rain – Four points need to be understood concerning the confrontation of Elijah and the Prophets of Ba’al.

1. Ba’al was supposed to be the fertility god who provided prosperity in an agricultural society. But the story of 1 Kings 17 clearly shows that the God of Israel is in charge of the earth. He alone can make it stop raining. He alone provides what is needed for crops. The famine experienced in 1 Kings 17 is the direct result of God’s action. Ba’al is helpless to overturn God’s decision. Elijah’s statement to Ahab about the rain is a direct assault on the assumption of Canaanite religion.

2. God can provide miraculously in spite of inhuman conditions. Elijah’s statement to the widow of Zarephath makes it clear that God alone is the miracle-making God. He provides inexhaustible oil and flour to sustain life. Furthermore, and even more miraculously, He gives life itself. When the widow’s son dies, Elijah through the power of God raises him from the dead. No example of any such action is found in Ba’al worship. The widow acknowledges as much when she says that as a result of this act, she knows that Elijah is a man of God and that his word is true. And she is not an Israelite!

3. When Elijah challenges the prophets of Ba’al to demonstrate the power of their god with a burnt offering sacrifice on Mt. Carmel, he implies that only the true God will be able to perform such an event. He confronts Ahab with this challenge, stating that the winner of this contest should be recognized as the one true God. He allows the prophets of Ba’al every opportunity to demonstrate Ba’al power. He even chides them when nothing happens that perhaps Ba’al is indisposed or distracted. Then Elijah makes the opportunity for the demonstration of God’s sovereignty even more difficult by pouring water all over the altar. Nevertheless, when God acts the entire altar, sacrifice and water is consumed. We must remember that Mt. Carmel acts as a natural amphitheater for this event, so it is not hidden away. All Israel saw what happened. God is the God of action, of power and of majesty. Ba’al is nothing more than an idol. The assumption behind Elijah’s challenge and God’s demonstration is that a true God is able to show Himself in mighty acts. Canaanite religion claimed that Ba’al had power over the earth and the heavens, but Elijah’s contest shows this to be utterly false.

4. The final scene of these two chapters is about the return of rain to Israel. It is one thing for God to demonstrate His supremacy over Ba’al in a public contest. It is quite another for His prophet to be able to stop rain and start it again through prayer. When Elijah prays for rain – and rain in torrents comes – Elijah proves that God controls all the heavens and the earth. There is no room whatsoever for a pagan god. God’s hand on Elijah, even as he outruns Ahab’s chariot, also shows that God chooses whom He will use as His servant and that man wields God’s power as His representative. The prophets of Ba’al are not protected nor are they legitimate spokesmen for God. The religious hierarchy of the Canaanite religion is crushed.

Canaanite religion is as modern as yesterday’s news. Most of the world still operates with an assumption of the magical powers of the gods. And those of us who belong to the “enlightened” world of science have placed just as much trust in reason as any ancient man placed in his idols. When it comes to prosperity, Ba’al is quite at home in the world today.

Do you stand with Elijah or Ba’al? Are you betting on the market, the jet stream, global warming, Buddha, the Prophet Mohammed, Maroni, Marconi or today’s Ahab? Take a very close look and see who you expect to bring the rain.

Topical Index: Ba’al, Elijah, 1 King 17:1, rain, idol