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Mt. Carmel Stella Maris Monastery of St. Elijah

Mt. Carmel Stella Maris Monastery of St. Elijah. 1 Kings 18:17-46.

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Mt. Carmel Stella Maris Monastery of St. Elijah

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  1. Mt. CarmelStella Maris Monastery of St. Elijah

  2. 1 Kings 18:17-46 • 17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is it you, you troubler of Israel?" 18 He answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father's house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." 20 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets number four hundred fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it.

  3. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the LORD; the god who answers by fire is indeed God." All the people answered, "Well spoken!" 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it." 26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." 28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come closer to me"; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been thrown down;

  4. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, "Israel shall be your name"; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." 34 Then he said, "Do it a second time"; and they did it a second time. Again he said, "Do it a third time"; and they did it a third time, 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. 36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back." 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench.

  5. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD indeed is God; the LORD indeed is God." 40 Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the WadiKishon, and killed them there. 41 Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of rushing rain." 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 He said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." He went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then he said, "Go again seven times." 44 At the seventh time he said, "Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person's hand is rising out of the sea." Then he said, "Go say to Ahab, 'Harness your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 In a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind; there was a heavy rain. Ahab rode off and went to Jezreel. 46 But the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; he girded up his loins and ran in front of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

  6. Bible Study • Elijah was a contemporary of the Israelite kings Ahab and Ahaziah (874-852 b.c) Elijah defended Yahweh’s sovereignty over history and justice, as well as over false gods (1 Kings 17-18). • Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, had introduced her native Phonecian religion, the worship of Baal, into Israelite tradition with disastrous consequences both spiritually and morally. In chapter eighteen Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mt. Carmel, a major center of Baal worship and near the modern city of Haifa, to determine which deity is the true God and the one to be worshipped by the Israelites. • Mt. Carmel was a major stronghold for the worship of Baal in ancient Palestine. Baal, as the supposed god of the storm, was worshipped on this mountain where the warm currents of the Mediterranean Sea blew in moisture that kept the fertile farmlands to the east, especially the Plain of Esdraelon along the river Kishon, toward the Sea of Galilee able to produce substantial crops and thus wealth for Ahab.

  7. Bible study continued… • How had Ahab forsaken the commandments of the Lord? • What did Elijah do to prove the Lord’s power over the gods of Baal? • What gods (like Baal) do people worship today? • What proof do we have today of the Lord’s power?

  8. Mt Carmel is a limestone range that stretches for almost 16miles southward of modern city of Haifa

  9. Mt. CarmelAncient Canaanites saw this summit as dwelling place of their god, Baal

  10. Stella Maris Carmelite MonasteryDates from 12 Century, current buiding dates from 1836The ceiling is beautifully decorated with scenes of Elijah lifting up to heaven on a chariot of fire and horses, David playing on a harp, prophets Daniel, Ezekiel and Isaiah, the Holy family and the founders of the Carmelite order.

  11. Altar with statue of Mary Holding JesusSite also thought to be place that Holy Family stayed when they returned from their flight to Egypt.

  12. Cave under Altar Tradition suggests that Elijah stayed here. It is also thought to be where the Holy family found shelter upon their return from Egypt

  13. Statue of Elijah

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