The Contest onMount Carmel

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     First Kings 18:21-23 says, “ And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.  Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.  Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:” 

     There were a number of years in my life early on where I thought Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were real.  It didn’t last too long before I figured it out.  At first, i would believer everything I was told by an adult and couldn’t tell if they were joking with me or not.  

     Even in my early years, i was being primed to disbelieve the accounts in the Bible.  One of the most “unbelievable” accounts was the contest on top of Mount Carmel between all of the prophets of Baal, who numbered around 40 at that time and a man called Elijah.  Two offerings, one for God and one for Baal were placed on altars and the prophets of Baal were up first and danced around for several hours and nothing happened.  Elijah criticized them and  ridiculed them until they were cutting themselves and crying out, but nothing happene.  Then,up steps Elijah and he adds several barrels of water on top of the sacrifice, says one prayer, and fire consumes the sacrifice, the altar, the rocks and the water.  It seems to be impossible, yet God did it.  It  would have been one of those times when you would have wished you had been there to see it take place.  With God, all things are possible.  We just don’t believe His record.  We don’t believe in His power.  We don’t believe He will judge.  We don’t believe that what He says will come to pass.  We probably would have been just like the Israelites who constantly grumbled at their circumstances while in the wilderness.  Paul exhorted Timothy that all Scripture was “God breathed” and that it is profitable to us for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness.  Every verse is profitable to us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The life of the believer should be saturated with the Word of God.  John MacArthur once said that if a believer is cut, they should bleed “Bible.”  Praise God today for His word.  God said it.  I believe it.  That settles it.