I Kings Chapter 18

Melachim | Kings

It happened [after] many days: The word of Hashem came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, appear to Ahab; and I shall send rain upon the face of the land.”
18:1
So Elijah went to appear to Ahab, and the famine was severe in Samaria.
:2
And it was when Jezebel had decimated the prophets of Hashem, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them, fifty men to a cave, and sustained them with food and water.)
:4
Obadiah was on the road, and behold! — Elijah was in front of him! He recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is that you, my lord Elijah?”
:7
And it was when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the troubler of Israel?”
:17
He said [to him], “Not I have troubled Israel, rather you and your father’s house [have], by your forsaking the commandments of Hashem; …
:18
And now, send and gather all of Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and also the four hundred and fifty prophets of the Baal and the four hundred prophets of the Asherah-tree, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
:19
Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you dance between two opinion? If Hashem is the God, go after Him! And if the Baal, go after it!” But the people did not answer him at all.
:21
You shall call out in the name of your gods and I shall call out in the Name of Hashem, and whichever God responds with fire, He is the [true] God!” All the people responded, “The proposal is good!”
:24
And it was at noontime, Elijah ridiculed them, and said, “Cry out in a loud voice, for he is a god! Perhaps he is conversing, or pursuing [enemies], or relieving himself; perhaps he is asleep and he will awaken!”
:27
They called out with a load voice and cut themselves with swords and spears, according to their custom, until blood spurted on them.
:28
Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the children of Jacob (to whom the word of Hashem came, saying, “Your name shall be Israel”).
:31
And it was at the time of the afternoon-offering, Elijah the prophet approached and said, “Hashem, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today it will become known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that it is by Your word that I have done all these things.
:36
Answer me, Hashem, answer me! And let this people know that You, Hashem, are the God; thus You will turn their hearts back.”
:37
A fire of Hashem descended and consumed the elevation-offering and the wood, and the stones, and the earth; and it licked up the water in the trench.
:38
The entire people saw and fell on their faces and exclaimed, “Hashem — He is the God! Hashem — He is the God!”
:39
It happened that in the meantime the heavens had become darkened with clouds and [filled with] wind, and there was a great rain. …
:45
The hand of Hashem was upon Elijah, and he girded his loins and ran before Ahab until the approach to Jezreel.
:46

Daily Holy Bible Reading

1 And it was [after] many days that the word of God came to Elijah in the third year saying, “Go, appear to Ahab and I will give rain upon the surface of the earth.
2 And Elijah went to appear to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in the land.
3 Ahab had called to Obadiah, who was over the household, and Obadiah feared of the Lord greatly.
4 And it was when Jezebel cut off of the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them fifty men in a cave, and he nourished them with bread and water.
5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go in the land to all the wells of water and to all the brooks, maybe we will find grass, and we will save the lives of horse and mule and we will not lose all our beasts.
6 They divided the land between them to pass through it; Ahab went on one way by himself and Obadiah went on one way by himself.
7 Now Obadiah was on the road and behold Elijah was in front of him. He recognized him and fell on his face, and he said, “Is this you, my master, Elijah? “
8 And he said to him, “This is I Go and tell your master ‘Here is Elijah.’ “
9 And he said, “What have I sinned that you have delivered your servant into the hands of Ahab to kill me?
10 As the Lord your God lives, if there is a nation or a kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you, and they have said, ‘He is not there,’ and he adjured the kingdom and nation that they did not find you.
11 And now you say, ‘Go tell your master, Here is Elijah.’
12 And it will be that I will go from here, and a wind from the Lord will carry you to [a place] I know not where, and I will come to tell Ahab, and he will not find you and he will kill me; yet your servant fears the Lord from my youth.
13 My master was surely told what I did when Jezebel killed all the prophets of the Lord. I hid one hundred men of the prophets of the Lord by fifty men in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.
14 And now you say ‘Go tell your master, “Here is Elijah” ‘; and he will kill me.”
15 And Elijah said, “As the Lord of Hosts before whom I have stood, lives, I will appear to him today.”
16 And Obadiah went towards Ahab and he told him, and Ahab went towards Elijah.
17 And it was when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the one who brings trouble upon Israel?”
18 And he said, “I have not brought trouble upon Israel, but you and your father’s house, since you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you went after the Baalim.
19 And now, send and gather for me all of Israel to Mount Carmel, and the prophets of the Baal four hundred and fifty and the prophets of the Ashera four hundred who eat at Jezebel’s table.
20 And Ahab sent among all of the Children of Israel, and he gathered the prophets to Mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah drew near to all the people and said, “Until when are you hopping between two ideas? If the Lord is God, go after Him, and if the Baal, go after him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
22 And Elijah spoke to the people, “I have remained a prophet to the Lord by myself, and the prophets of the Baal are four hundred and fifty men.
23 And let them give us two bulls and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it up and place it on the wood, but fire they shall not put, and I will prepare one bull, and I will put it on the wood, and fire will I not place.
24 And you will call in the name of your deity, and I will call in the name of the Lord, and it will be the God that will answer with fire, he is God.” And all of the people answered and said, “The thing is good.”
25 And Elijah said to the prophets of the Baal, “Choose for yourselves the one bull and prepare it first since you are the majority, and call in the name of your deity, and fire place not.”
26 They took the bull that he gave them and prepared [it]. And they called in the name of the Baal from the morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice and no answer, and they hopped on the altar that they had made.
27 And it was at noon that Elijah scoffed at them, and he said, “Call with a loud voice, for he is a god. [Perhaps] he is talking or he is pursuing [enemies] or he is on a journey; perhaps he is sleeping and will awaken.
28 And they called with a loud voice and gashed themselves as was their custom, with swords and lances, until blood gushed on them.
29 And as the afternoon passed and they feined to prophesy until the time of the sacrifice of the [evening] offering, and there was no voice and no answer and no one was listening.
30 And Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me,” and all the people came near to him and he repaired the torn down altar of the Lord.
31 Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding 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 He built the stones into an altar in the name of the Lord and he made a trench as great as would contain two se’ah of seed, around the altar.
33 And he arranged the wood, and he cut up the bull and placed [it] upon the wood.
34 And he said, “Fill me four pitchers of water and pour them on the burnt-offerings and on the wood.” And he said, “Repeat it,” and they repeated it. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time.
35 And the water went around the altar, and also the trench he filled with water.
36 And it was when the evening sacrifice was offered that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and at Your word have I done all these things.
37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, and this people shall know that You are the Lord God, and You have turned their hearts backwards.”
38 And the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offerings and the wood and the stones and the earth, and the water which was in the trench it licked up.
39 And all the people saw and fell on their faces, and they said, “The Lord is God, the Lord is God.”
40 Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of the Baal; let no one of them escape.” And they seized them. Elijah took them down the brook Kishon and slew them there.
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for now you will hear the rumbling sound of the rain.
42 And Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah went up to the top of Mt. Carmel and crouched on the ground, and he put his head between his knees.
43 And he said to his servant, “Please go up and look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked, and he said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again” seven times.
44 And it was on the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s palm, rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, “Hitch up [the horses to the chariot] and descend, lest the rain stop you.”
45 Meanwhile, the heavens grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain; and Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
46 And a spirit of strength from the Lord was with Elijah, and he girded his loins and ran before Ahab until coming to Jezreel.

Exposé | Moral

Forsaking The Commandments Of Hashem (v. 18)

This is the clear indication that you are not of G-d; but rather against G-d!

Falsehood can easily be determined if one does not abide by what G-d has commanded in the Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament), and inventing a new set of commandments and abolishing what is existing.