22 Then Elijah said to the people, a“I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; bbut Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire underit; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire underit.
24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who aanswers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said,1 “It is well spoken.”
25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire underit.”
26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But therewasano voice; no one answered. Then they2 leaped about the altar which they had made.
27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry1 aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
28 So they cried aloud, and acut themselves, as was their custom, with1 knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
29 And when midday was past, athey prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But therewasbno voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. aAnd he repaired the altar of the Lordthatwas broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, a“Israel shall be your name.”
32 Then with the stones he built an altar ain the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33 And he aput the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and bpour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.”
34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.
35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled athe trench with water.
36 And it came to pass, at thetimeof the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “LordaGod of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, blet it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and thatcI have done all these things at Your word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back toYou again.”
38 Then athe fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, a“The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
By Fire - That shall consume the sacrifice by fire sent from heaven; which the people knew the true God used to do. It was a great condescension in God, that he would permit Baal to be a competitor with him. But thus God would have every mouth to be stopped, and all flesh become silent before him. And Elijah doubtless had a special commission from God, or he durst not have put it to this issue. But the case was extraordinary, and the judgment upon it would be of use not only then, but in all ages. Elijah does not say, The God that answers by water, tho' that was the thing the country needed, but that answers by fire, let him be God; because the atonement was to be made, before the judgment could be removed. The God therefore that has power to pardon sin, and to signify that by consuming the sin - offering, must needs be the God that can relieve us against the calamity.
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