Is My God Really the One True God? (1 Kings 17 - 19; 2 Chronicles 17)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Aren’t all religions and gods trying to do the same thing?

This claim many make today is nothing new. It’s also one the God of the Bible has systematically attacked since the beginning of creation. Ever since the Israelites had left Egypt, God was on a mission to show his people that he alone was all-sufficient and supreme. But time after time, his people rejected him in search of cheap substitutes. King Ahab was one such example. The seventh king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, Ahab’s reign is noted for its military campaigns and confrontations with neighboring kingdoms. However, Ahab is primarily portrayed as a king who led Israel into idolatry.

As a result, God sends a famine. Remember that in Deuteronomy 28:22-24, Israel was warned that, ²² “The Lord will afflict you with wasting disease, fever, inflammation, burning heat, drought, blight, and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish. ²³ The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. ²⁴ The Lord will turn the rain of your land into falling dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.”

Ignoring this command, Ahab chose to take out his frustration on the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 18:17, ¹⁷ “When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is that you, the one ruining Israel?’” Notice what he’s doing. As Tony Merida notes, “Ahab doesn’t want to accept responsibility…Ahab disregarded God’s word and received God’s judgment. After three years Ahab still won’t change his mind and heart. Instead of repenting, he blames Elijah.”^[1] To which Elijah replies in Verse 18, “I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed the Baals.”

From here, Elijah sets up a grand showdown. He tells Ahab in Verse 19, “Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.” Next, Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel to determine whose god is true: Yahweh or Baal. Each group prepares a bull for sacrifice and calls on their god to send fire from heaven. Despite the prophets of Baal's fervent prayers and rituals, no fire comes.

Elijah rebuilds the altar of Yahweh with twelve stones. “He uses twelve stones,” Iain Provan notes, “reminding the people of their true identity as the LORD’s people.”^[2] Elijah then drenches it in water and prays. God sends fire that consumes the sacrifice, wood, stones, and water. The people acknowledge Yahweh as God, and at Elijah's command, they seize the prophets of Baal, who are then killed. Afterward, Elijah prays for rain, and a great rain falls, ending a long drought. It's here we can’t help but see a powerful contrast. As Paul House writes,