"The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God."--_1 Kings 18:39._
YOU heard last Sunday how sadly the Israelites were behaving when they
prayed to a golden calf. They had a still worse idol afterwards. His
name was Baal; and they wanted to worship him instead of the true God.
To-day there is a beautiful chapter that I hardly like to put into my
own poor words. Listen to it well in church, and you will hear how
wonderful it is.
There were four hundred prophets, as they called themselves, who
worshipped Baal, and only one real prophet who worshipped the Lord
God. This prophet was named Elijah. He called all the people to a high
mountain, and said they should see who was the true God. He said he
would build one altar, and that the four hundred prophets should build
another; they should each offer a sacrifice, and each should pray to
his god, and the God that sent fire to burn the sacrifice would be the
true God.
The prophets of Baal tried first. They built their altar and put wood
on it, and killed a bullock and cut it up, and they prayed to their god
Baal to send fire down. But he was no god--he was nothing at all; and
though they cried and shouted, and leaped about, and even cut their own
flesh in their rage, not a spark of fire came.
Then Elijah made his sacrifice. And he did a strange thing; for he had
water poured all over it, till all the wood was streaming wet--and you
know water always put out fire--so how was it ever to be burnt? He even
made a trench round, and filled that with water too. Then he knelt
down, and prayed that the Lord God in heaven would show His power, and
make the people know that no one else was God.
[Illustration: ELIJAH SLAYING THE PROPHETS OF BAAL.--1 Kings 18:39, 40.]
And down from heaven came the fire! It was not stopped by the water!
No, it dried that up in a moment, and burnt the wood, and consumed the
sacrifice! And all the Israelites fell on their faces, and cried out,
"The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God!" For only the Lord
God is Almighty, and can do wonders.