The National tribune., 1885-08-06
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties, Taught by a Study Of the lntel
national Sunday School Lessen, for Aug. 9.-1 HI

lone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
indicated above.l
We are to study Eliah's grand challenge to
Ahab to test the question to which is the
true God-Jehovah or Baal. We take our stand
nine centuries before Christ. Ahab had accused
Elijah of being the cause of the late trouble in
the Kingdom of Israel. viz, the famine, the
drouth (Vs. II, 49, True the trouble was
created by the God of Elijah and at the CON-
mand of the Prophet. The cause, however, lay
back further, to wit, in the idolatory of the
people. Lit was punishment. Elijah is deter
mined to settle the question. He calls for a
test. He would have two affairs constructed.
A bullock was to be slain and properly placed
on each altar. No fire was to be put under
either sacrifice. Then the priests of Baal, who
had been collected to the number of $50, were
to pray Baal to send down fire on their altar
and consume their victim. Ii they failed, then
Elijah was to address his God, petitioning for
the descent of fire from Heaven to burn up the
sacrifice on his altar.
We are interested in the scene of this men,
orable contest. 1t was on Mt. Carmel. This is
a range of five or six miles, running northwest.
The northwest end reaches to the bay of Acre,
on the Mediterranean coast; the southeast
runs down into Southern Galilee and Northern
Samaris. East of the interior end is the valley
of Esdraelon. The events of the lesson oc-
Cured on an elevation west of the valley, ], ,635
feet above the sea, 1000 feet above the Kishon,
which runs along the side of Carmel, looking
to the north Two hundred and fifty feet be-
low the spot where the altars were built is a
perennial spring. The modern name for the
exact location is Ell -Mohhraka which means
"The Burnt Place." in allusion to the circum-
stances which are our study.
Elijah proposed the test. Ahab accepted it.
He was quite ready to do anything to end the
famine. Matters could scarce be worse, any
way. At Ahabs command $50 priests of Baal
reported at Mt Carmel. Elijah is the only
Prophet of God to take part in the event--one
to 450. The masses are invited to witness the
test. They had been worshiping Baal, and yet
they could not totally forsake the true God.
Many were making the vain experiment of
serving both God and Baal. In some cases, in
the land of Israel, people would construct two
altars one for God and one for Baal, and so,
Offering sacrifices on both, try to make sure of
meeting success through one or the other.
Now comes Elijah. Hear him: How long
halt ye between two opinions2 If the Lord be
God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow
him." Next he made the challenge. He pro-
posed test by which to see which was the
real God. The people at once fell in with the
plan. The priests of Baal were obliged to ac-
cept the challenge. The altars were gotten in
readiness with the sacrifices The priests of
Baal were given the first chance to test. From
six in the morning until noon they in vain
pleaded with Baal. They became quite frantic.
In irony Elijah said, +" Cry aloud for he is
God. Either he is talking with some other
partiesl or he is pursuing [off huntngl, or he
is in journey, or peradventure he sleepeth
lis having his siesta or after dinner napl, and
must be awaked." Now they become more
excited than ever, even cutting themselves
with knives and lancets, and so mingling hu-
man with brute blood. Thus they kept up till
3 o'clock p. m.
Let US gather the practical lessons:
I Wa ava Splendid illustration of faith
Elijah had either received directions from God
to propose the test, or he extemporized it, In
either case there was great faith. He believed
God would keep his promise,-send down fire,
pour out showers. Or. else, he had confidence
God would answer prayer in such great emer-
gency.
Ahab, too, must have had certain kind of
faith in Baal, or he would not have consented
to the trial. And the priests of Baal must have
trusted in their god. Baal was the sun god
the god of fire; they thought surely he would
send down flames on their altar. But their
faith was baseless Baal could not cause it to
rain, though three years and half passed. He
could not set o sacrifice on fire when all the in
terests of nation, from a heathen point, de-
pended on the descent. The people could but
lose confidence in so feeble god. 1t makes a
great difference what one believes and in
whom one believes. Mere faith is nothing. If
ones creed be incorrect his life will not be
ion. Do not halt between two opinions, aud so
be opiniOnlesS
2. Be willing to argue, to give reasons. Elijah
did not require the followers of Baal to turn to
God without trying to convince them. All
they wanted were facts. They staked their
faith on the trial If people do not see their
way to accept Christianity, give them proof of
its truthfulness. Bear with them. Bring out
the evidences. Bid the masses see the results
of Christianity. Show them gOdly lives Con-
vince them of the power of God to overthrow
evil.
3. Majorities are not necessarily right. On
the one hand were the King and his audacious
wife, 450 priests, national recognition and sup
port; on the other, apparently, one man. And
yet all were wrong except that one man.
4. Prayer is a power-a power if addressed
to God. But the priests of Baal prayed. Yes,
indeed but it was to Baal. The very results
show prayer in itself is not sufficient. We must
address the true God. Be thankful, our God is
never too busy to hear, never off cunning,
never on an excursion, and never sleepy.
5. Be brave for the truth. Stand up for
Christ. What grand figure Elijah was before
Ahab! How bravely he issues his challenge.
One thinks of st. Paul in the presence of
Agrippa of Luther at the Diet of Worms, of
Latimer in the Court of Henry VIII, of Patrick
Henry in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
One would think Elijah King instead of Ahab
he is so authoritative. Ahab is servant and
obeys the Prophet.
6. Irony has a certain play in religious work.
1t was seemingly very harsh in Elijah to mock
the priests of Baal. Ridcule is legitimate
weapon if used in just cause. Solomon rep
resents Wisdom "a name for Christi saying to
sinners: 1 will mock when your fear cometh."
pro, 1:26) Nichols, in Help to the Reading
of the Bible" says: " The mockery of Ell ijah to-
wards the priests of Baal was holy rebuke Of
irrelgion, by which he more effectually ex-
posed the gross folly as well as wickedness of
the doatry of Baal" That was a severe bit
of irony when Christ asked the Pharisees the
question, "Will ye also be his disciples2"
John. 927.)
Z. There is no virtue in noisy demonstra-
tions. The priests of Baal cut themselves with
knives and laucets until human blood mingled
with the blood of the bullock. All the time
they kept up loud crying or shouting. The
Hebrew law specifically forbade any lacerations
of the flesh. Qev., 1929 Worshpers of heather
gods supposed their deities were specially
pleased with human blood. Says st. Paul:
Is Bodily exercise profteth little" Il III, 49,
Prof. H. I'll. Smith, a Brazilian explorer, writing
of the sufferings from famine of 1850 in Brazil,
says:
1.-Two days before st. Joseph's day there was
great penitential procession at leo. The peasants
led by their priests walked together to the church,
carrying heavy burdens on their heads, crying and
cutting themselves with sharp stones.
"All that day and all the next the peasants
watched the sky, crying every hour for rain. When
the morning of st. JoSeph's day came, and not
drop had fallen. the streets filed with terrible
walings; mothers held their starving babies aloft