Contest
Step right up, step right up, get your tickets here for the greatest battle you will see this year! Yessirree, it's the battle of the year...Elijah the prophet is going to face off against the prophets of Baal! It's Yahweh versus Baal in a showdown on Mount Carmel! Get yer tickets here! Right here!
All right, folks, here we are, top of Mount Carmel, ready for the big contest. As you can see, there are two altars prepared. The rules of the contest are simple: both groups (if you can call Elijah working by himself a "group") are supposed to prepare a sacrifice in accordance with their faith. Then, they will pray and the god who answers by fire is the one we will worship. Should be a battle for the ages!
Okay, there go the lead prophets of Baal. They have a well-prepared altar. In fact, it looks well kept up, like it gets a lot of use and care. They've got the sacrifice ready, and now they're starting to pray. Woah, this is a long prayer. We'd better go to commercial and we'll be right back.
Yep, the prophets are still praying. Now they're singing...and starting to slash themselves. Oh, if you have a weak stomach, you might want to look away. There's lots of blood there. Luckily, I suppose, there are also lots of prophets of Baal, so they can take turns. And still nothing. Lots of nothing. (This was supposed to be exciting. I hope this doesn't affect the ratings.) We'll be right back, after this commercial break.
So, while we were away, Elijah started to get into the game by making fun of the Baal prophets. There's nothing in the rules that prohibits that, though it's obvious he's starting to really annoy his opponents. Let's listen in.
"Hey, Baal prophets! What's wrong? Why isn't your god answering? Maybe he's asleep; maybe you need to yell louder! Or maybe he's away on vacation! Or maybe he's on the toilet and can't answer you right now!"
Well, uh, yeah, that was a good one, Elijah. We'll be right back after this short break.
While we were away, Elijah started to work on his altar. It's rather broken down, and doesn't appear to have had a lot of use lately. But he's putting it back together. By himself, no less. No one has stepped forward to help him. The prophets of Baal, by the way, have not yet gotten an answer, which they seem surprised by. So are some in the crowd.
Okay, now Elijah is putting the sacrificial offering on the altar he's just restored. Wait, what is he doing now? He's pouring buckets of water over the sacrifice. And he's doing it again. And a third time! Why would he do that? Water doesn't burn! That's going to make it hard for the sacrifice to be accepted, to be consumed, if he can get fire to fall from heaven at all. Oh, wait, now he's kneeling and praying. He's sort of quiet, so let's zoom in and see if we can hear what he's saying.
“Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
Woah! Did you see that! Fire just fell from above, burned up the sacrifice and even lapped up the water around the altar! And can you hear the people? "The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!"
I guess Elijah wins this one. Or, perhaps I should say, Yahweh wins this one. Wait! What's happening now? The prophets of Baal are running away...and Elijah's chasing them! What does he think he's going to do? We'd better follow him. Thanks for joining us for this special report...signing off now.
All right, folks, here we are, top of Mount Carmel, ready for the big contest. As you can see, there are two altars prepared. The rules of the contest are simple: both groups (if you can call Elijah working by himself a "group") are supposed to prepare a sacrifice in accordance with their faith. Then, they will pray and the god who answers by fire is the one we will worship. Should be a battle for the ages!
Okay, there go the lead prophets of Baal. They have a well-prepared altar. In fact, it looks well kept up, like it gets a lot of use and care. They've got the sacrifice ready, and now they're starting to pray. Woah, this is a long prayer. We'd better go to commercial and we'll be right back.
Yep, the prophets are still praying. Now they're singing...and starting to slash themselves. Oh, if you have a weak stomach, you might want to look away. There's lots of blood there. Luckily, I suppose, there are also lots of prophets of Baal, so they can take turns. And still nothing. Lots of nothing. (This was supposed to be exciting. I hope this doesn't affect the ratings.) We'll be right back, after this commercial break.
So, while we were away, Elijah started to get into the game by making fun of the Baal prophets. There's nothing in the rules that prohibits that, though it's obvious he's starting to really annoy his opponents. Let's listen in.
"Hey, Baal prophets! What's wrong? Why isn't your god answering? Maybe he's asleep; maybe you need to yell louder! Or maybe he's away on vacation! Or maybe he's on the toilet and can't answer you right now!"
Well, uh, yeah, that was a good one, Elijah. We'll be right back after this short break.
While we were away, Elijah started to work on his altar. It's rather broken down, and doesn't appear to have had a lot of use lately. But he's putting it back together. By himself, no less. No one has stepped forward to help him. The prophets of Baal, by the way, have not yet gotten an answer, which they seem surprised by. So are some in the crowd.
Okay, now Elijah is putting the sacrificial offering on the altar he's just restored. Wait, what is he doing now? He's pouring buckets of water over the sacrifice. And he's doing it again. And a third time! Why would he do that? Water doesn't burn! That's going to make it hard for the sacrifice to be accepted, to be consumed, if he can get fire to fall from heaven at all. Oh, wait, now he's kneeling and praying. He's sort of quiet, so let's zoom in and see if we can hear what he's saying.
“Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
Woah! Did you see that! Fire just fell from above, burned up the sacrifice and even lapped up the water around the altar! And can you hear the people? "The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!"
I guess Elijah wins this one. Or, perhaps I should say, Yahweh wins this one. Wait! What's happening now? The prophets of Baal are running away...and Elijah's chasing them! What does he think he's going to do? We'd better follow him. Thanks for joining us for this special report...signing off now.
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