Mount Carmel I. Introduction A. Mountains have fascinated, inspired, and terrified humans for as long as they have been looking at them and living in their midst B. They tower above humanity, an ever constant reminder of our smallness, the majesty of the creation, and the greatness of the God who made them (Job 40:4, Isaiah 35:1-2, Romans 1:18-20) C. Sacredness was frequently associated with mountains 1. Mountains are the highest points of land and are thus the closest one can get to the heavens 2. Pyramids in Egypt were built to help the soul of the Pharaoh ascend to the heavens 3. In Israel both Canaanites and Israelites frequently made offerings to YHWH and/or other gods on the bamot, "high places," mountains or hills or the highest geological feature of the land (Deuteronomy 12:2, 1 Kings 3:2-3, 14:22-24) D. Mountains shape and define the land of Israel 1. Israel and its neighbors are defined by mountains and valleys 2. Jordan River / Dead Sea as northern part of Great Rift Valley, some of the lowest elevations in the world 3. Trans-Jordan area mountainous 4. Judah, Ephraim defined by the hill country rising above the Jordan River valley 5. Anti-Lebanon mountains define northwest boundary, explain why the Phoenicians are seafarers 6. Israelites, therefore, live near or on mountains 7. The landscape is reflected in Israel's devotional literature, praising YHWH for His strength and power over the mountains, valleys, and deserts of the land (Psalms 29:5-6, 42:6, 89:12, 133:3 Isaiah 35:1-2) E. Mountains therefore feature prominently in Biblical history 1. Mount Moriah / Zion: Abraham offers Isaac, David makes sacrifice, Solomon builds first Temple, Second Temple later built (Genesis 22:1-19, 2 Chronicles 3:1, Ezra 3:8-13) 2. Mount Sinai / Horeb: YHWH speaks with Moses, the Law is given, where Elijah takes refuge (Exodus 3:1-4:17, 19:1-20:21, 1 Kings 19:1-18) 3. Mounts Hor, Nebo: mountains where Aaron, Moses die; Moses sees Canaan from Nebo (Numbers 20:22-29, Deuteronomy 34:1-8) 4. Mounts Ebal, Gerizim: reading of the Law (Joshua 8:30-35) 5. Mount Tabor: Israel defeats Sisera, Canaanites; Jesus is transfigured (?) (Judges 4:1-5:31, Luke 9:28-36) 6. Mount Carmel: Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19-46) 7. Mount of Olives: where YHWH would stand on a day of judgment, Jesus prays, ascends (Zechariah 14:4-5, Matthew 26:30-46, Acts 1:6-12) 8. Mount Golgotha (Calvary): Jesus is crucified (Matthew 27:32-50) E. Let us consider Mount Carmel from the pages of Scripture 1. What is Mount Carmel? Why was it important to Israel? 2. What happened there? 3. What lessons can we gain? What are we to do when we are confronted with our "Mount Carmel" moment? II. Mount Carmel A. Mount Carmel is actually the Carmel mountain range 1. Carm-el in Hebrew: "God's vineyard" 2. The Carmel range rises above Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley, extending northwest twenty-four miles as it abuts into the Mediterranean Sea in northwestern Israel; the range is five miles wide and is 1,724 feet at its highest point (Wikipedia) 3. The modern city of Haifa stands on its northernmost slope B. Mount Carmel's prominence in sight of Sharon and the Jezreel Valley leads to associations of majesty, authority 1. Song of Solomon 7:5: head crowns like Mt. Carmel 2. Isaiah 35:2: Carmel associated with majesty 3. Jeremiah 46:18: one will come "like Carmel by the sea" B. Mount Carmel associated with agricultural productivity to some degree 1. Most frequently used as a warning of judgment: Carmel will wither (Isaiah 33:9, Amos 1:2, Nahum 1:4) 2. Yet Jeremiah extends the hope that Israel will again feed on Carmel (Jeremiah 50:19) C. In ancient times Carmel was recognized as both sacred and as a place of refuge 1. Possibly considered a "holy headland" by Pharaoh Thutmose III, ca. 1470 BCE 2. No doubt one of the Canaanite "high places" (Deuteronomy 12:2) 3. An altar to YHWH was made on Carmel but was in disrepair when Elijah came to it (1 Kings 18:30; ca. 875 BCE) 4. Elisha took up residence on Carmel, perhaps as refuge (2 Kings 2:25, 4:25) 5. Amos 9:3 suggests that people might consider fleeing to the top of Carmel for refuge D. Mount Carmel, therefore, a place where fertility, majesty, and the sacred meet E. All of this features into the great drama which played out on Mount Carmel in the days of Ahab king of Israel (1 Kings 17:1-18:46; ca. 875 BCE) III. YHWH vs. Baal on Mount Carmel A. Background (1 Kings 16:29-18:16) 1. Ahab son of Omri becomes king of Israel, married to Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of Sidon (1 Kings 16:29, 31) 2. Kings author declares he did more evil than all who came before him: served Baal, made an Asherah, provoked YHWH to anger (1 Kings 16:30, 32-33) 3. Elijah the Tishbite arises, declares as YHWH lives, there will be no dew or rain except by his word; did not rain for three and a half years, putting Baal the storm-god to lie (1 Kings 17:1-2) 4. For that three and a half year period Elijah wanders: Transjordan, then with the widow of Zarephath, and then Elijah went to present himself before Ahab (1 Kings 17:3-18:16) B. The Disputants: Elijah, prophet of YHWH, versus 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah sustained by Jezebel, on Mount Carmel, before all Israel (1 Kings 18:17-20) C. The Goal: Elijah calls upon Israel to make a decision: if YHWH is God, follow Him; if Baal is God, follow him; Israel is not to limp between two opinions anymore (1 Kings 18:21) D. The Contest: Both Elijah and Baal prophets will prepare a sacrifice for their respective divinities; each will call on the name of their god to bring down fire to consume the sacrifice; the one who does is truly God; the people agree to this (1 Kings 18:22-24) E. Round #1: Prophets of Baal: they cried out for hours to Baal, yet there was no voice; none answered; they cut themselves and raved until evening; none answered; none paid attention (1 Kings 18:25-29) F. Round #2: Elijah: he gathers Israel to him; repaired the altar of YHWH; made an altar of 12 stones representing each tribe of Israel; made a trench around altar; prepared offering; had water brought to cover the offering and wood; had trench filled with water; Elijah prayed for YHWH to answer, and His fire came down and consumed everything, offering, wood, stones, water (1 Kings 18:30-38) G. Result: Israelites bowed down in worship, declared YHWH as God (1 Kings 18:39) H. Postscript: Elijah has prophets of Baal killed; prays to YHWH and rain returns to the land (1 Kings 18:40-45) I. Jezebel would threaten Elijah but to no avail; within 50 years Ahab, Jezebel, the whole Omride clan exterminated; YHWH service ascendant in Israel (1 Kings 19-2 Kings 10) J. Thus at Mount Carmel, a sacred and lush place of refuge, Israel was made to see that YHWH was God, their Creator, Sustainer, and Provider; Baal did not exist! IV. Our "Mount Carmel" Moments A. As illustrated on Mount Carmel, Israel's persistent sin was idolatry: giving the glory, honor, and reverence due to YHWH their God to others that were not real gods (2 Kings 17:7-23, Zechariah 1:2-6) B. We may live in a different place, time, and culture, yet idolatry remains a persistent plague! 1. Matthew 6:24, Ephesians 5:3, 5, Colossians 3:5, 1 John 5:21 2. How can this be? As illustrated in Romans 1:18-25, when people no longer look to God as Creator God, give Him thanks, but serve the creation with the honor due the Creator 3. In ancient world, pagans went to the trouble of imagining natural forces, desires as gods, made statues of them 4. These days we may not make the statues but plenty serve artificial forces and desires as the controlling influences of life: money, sex, fame, food, nation, self, etc.! C. Therefore we all, at various points in our lives, are called to "Mount Carmel" moments! 1. Our "Mount Carmel" moments are when we are called upon to make our choice and to stop limping between two options, just as Elijah called Israel to make (1 Kings 18:21) 2. If YHWH the Creator God of Israel is God, we should serve Him; if not, we should serve whoever would be the true god 3. The contest may not involve fire from the sky, but ought to be consistent with what is seen in Romans 1:18-25: how can we make the best sense of who we are, how we have gotten here, who is in charge, and who has been there for us? D. When do we have our "Mount Carmel" moments? 1. When confronted with the Gospel message and the choice to follow God in Christ or the ways of the world (Romans 10:10-17) 2. When tempted to pursue the gods of this world by culture, parents, educators, friends, spouses, our own mind and/or lusts (2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17) 3. When experiencing moments of existential doubt in the face of crisis, the experience of evil, suffering, illness, loss 4. In short, whenever we have been tempted to make something other than YHWH our god (Romans 1:18-25, 1 John 5:21) E. What happens when we have our Mount Carmel moments? What response do we get from the disputants? 1. If we put money, sex, fame, or drugs to the test, what will be the response? How can these things truly satisfy? What happens when we can no longer feel pleasure? Who will be there for us (cf. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11)? 2. If we put ourselves, science, our nation, or other secular "gods" to the test, what will be the response? Can these go beyond the material causes of things and explain why humanity takes pleasure in beauty and has impulses toward morality? Can these truly be trusted as authorities for everything in life to be profitable no matter what? Will their answers be as effective for a first century Roman or a medieval European or African as they would be for us? 3. If we put other religious views to the test, what will be the response? Can these other religions really effectively explain the beauty of the creation, its corruption by sin, and truly extend a hope that is consistent with the both the promise and yet disappointment of present existence? Can these religions maintain a strong sense of justice and righteousness while truly expressing love, mercy, and grace? Can we see evidence of the handiwork of these gods in the majesty of creation and their nature in what they have made in their image? 4. If we put the doctrines of other groups in Christendom to the test, what will be the response? Can these other views make sense of all that God has revealed about Himself and in Christ in Scripture, or does it over-emphasize some to the detriment of other aspects? Do they maintain the mark of apostolic authenticity, able to be seen or comprehensible in terms of first century Christianity, or do they reflect the attitudes and culture of a later time? 5. How many times, as with the contest on Carmel, is there silence, because nothing is really there? F. Yet in all of this YHWH our Creator God, the Father who sent the Son into the world and through the Spirit made known His truth, stands firm 1. He has made good things on earth to be appreciated and enjoyed in their proper contexts (1 Timothy 4:4-5) 2. In Christ He has revealed His timeless truths, affirming justice and righteousness while remaining full of love, grace, and mercy; He created all things as good yet they were corrupted by sin; in love He provides for the restoration and reconciliation of all things to Himself through Jesus' death and resurrection (Romans 5:6-11, 8:1-3, 17-25) 3. Through Christ and the Spirit the Father continues to strengthen, sustain, and nourish His people, individually and collectively as the church (1 Corinthians 3:14-16, 6:19-20, Ephesians 3:14-21) 4. In the creation we see the hand of a powerful Creator God; in our search for relationship and how those relationships function best we see the image of the Three in One and One in Three, the Father, Son, and Spirit in relational unity, expressing love among Himself and for His creation through humility and service (Matthew 20:25-28, John 17:20-23, Romans 1:18-20) 5. In Christ we are sustained in the hope of resurrection, of the setting to right all that has gone wrong with sin and death, empowering us to stand firm (Romans 8:1-39, 1 Peter 1:3-9) G. Thus we have confidence that YHWH will be declared God in any such contest, for all that is opposed to Him has no standing before Him! V. Conclusion A. Mount Carmel towers majestically over Sharon and Jezreel, a sacred and fertile place of refuge B. It was a place where Elijah called Israel to decide: YHWH or Baal? C. YHWH proved faithful; YHWH was declared the true God D. In our own lives we will have our "Mount Carmel" moments E. Will we maintain our trust in YHWH as our Creator, Sustainer, Provider, and Savior in Christ? F. Let us affirm YHWH as the One True God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and ever seek to advance His purposes! G. Invitation/songbook Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: [The wilderness] shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of YHWH, the excellency of our God (Isaiah 35:2). Mountains towered over the plains and valleys of Israel. The Israelites were always reminded of God's majesty in His creation and their own relative smallness by their environment. Let us maintain a healthy sense of awe at the power of God and recognize our own humility! 2: And I will bring Israel again to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead (Jeremiah 50:19). Mt. Carmel, in northwestern Israel, was recognized as a sacred space. Many sought refuge there; it is very fertile, often used in illustrations of promise of God's provision as well as warning of withered crops in judgment. Let us seek our sustenance from God! 3: And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded (1 Kings 18:29). Mt. Carmel is best known as the location of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal over whether YHWH or Baal was the true god. The prophets of Baal did all they could, yet there was no response. YHWH our God has no true rival; calling out or depending on anyone else is idolatry and folly. Let us put our trust in YHWH the true Creator God! 4: And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, "YHWH, he is God; YHWH, he is God" (1 Kings 18:39). On Mt. Carmel YHWH heard Elijah's prayer and demonstrated His power before Israel. Israel confessed that YHWH was God. When we are confronted with the Gospel we are asked to make a similar choice; we may find ourselves there again in days of trial, doubt, suffering, and distress. Let us ever recognize YHWH's sustenance and provision and declare that He, and none other, is God!