Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
1 Kings 18:38
Elijah is one of the most storied prophets in the history of Israel. He served God in a time of great sin and rebellion, and God did tremendous miracles through him. He never died; instead, he was transported directly to heaven. In the Bible, Enoch and Elijah are the only people who never die. In so many ways, he epitomized the life of the rugged Old Testament prophet, fearless and faithful.
The high point of his life comes with a battle of the prophets in 1 Kings 18. This was a battle between 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah against Elijah, the prophet of God. Elijah laid down the challenge: Each side would sacrifice a bull and place it on the wood, then ask their god to send fire.
Everyone was assembled on Mount Carmel near the sea. All heaven was watching. The prophets of Baal and Asherah called and called, but they called in vain. There was no fire for them.
Then Elijah called on the Lord:
O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back (18:36-37).
It is the moment of truth. All heaven waits with bated breath.
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench (18:38).
Can you imagine what it must have been like that day on Mount Carmel, when fire fell from heaven?
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God” (18:39).
The message to Israel in Elijah’s day is the message to us today: The Lord is God. The Lord alone is God. He is all you need. Serve him only. Worship him only. Trust him only, for he is your God.