NOTES for Ki1 18:1-46

We are accustomed to thinking that the Lord does not often give us the opportunity to know about Him directly and definitely. Indeed, many people testify that His call often sounds “unobtrusive,” as though He gives us the opportunity to choose freely rather than under compulsion. But there are special situations in which He directly shows signs of His presence, and this happens when the fate of the spiritual foundations of humanity’s existence is at stake.

Here before us is one of those decisive moments, one of those battles in which paganism, not merely aggressive but manifesting itself in one of its most impious forms, would like to destroy faith in the One God. But He hears His prophet and answers Elijah’s prayer, showing the whole people Who the True God is.

By our present-day standards, Elijah’s slaughter of the priests of Baal is cruel. Yes, here Elijah acted as a man of his age, which had little familiarity with ideas of mutual tolerance. His opponents, however, were not guided by those ideas either, and we must not forget those who suffered at the hands of pagans for their faithfulness to the Lord.