The meeting between Elijah and Obadiah in these verses reveals the reign of terror God’s people were living under. Earlier, Elijah had prophesied to King Ahab that there would be no rain until he (Elijah) asked God to bring it again. (verses 1-15) This gives the context of this being the third year with no rain.The actual contest between Elijah and the false prophets takes place in the middle of 1 Kings 18, but the verses before and after help set the story up and give context. After this miracle, rain also came to end the drought. Fire immediately consumed the sacrifice, the wood, stones, soil and even the water that had overflowed into the trenches around the altar. Finally, Elijah had his altar doused in water and prayed to the Lord to send fire.
The prophets prayed and chanted all day, but they could not get their “god” to send fire down to burn the sacrifices on their altars. The “god” that made fire appear would be the real and powerful god. Elijah asked the prophets of Baal to build altars to worship their “god”. 850 priests of the false gods, Baal and Asherah, also attended. Elijah bravely asked the king to gather all the people at Mount Carmel for a contest to see whose god was real. The Lord now told him to reveal himself to King Ahab. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.” Hebrews 11:6, ICBĮlijah had been in hiding for the 3 ½ years of the drought. Memory Verse: “Without faith no one can please God. God is real and not just something people have made up.