1 Kings — Chapter 18

Elijah shows himself to Ahab in the third year of the drought: Lapide: \"Just as when Pharaoh oppressed the faithful Hebrews God raised up Moses to oppose him, so against the idolatry of Jeroboam He set up Ahijah the prophet; against Manasses, Isaiah; against Antiochus, the Maccabees — so against the universal Arian heresy He set up Athanasius; against the Pelagians, Augustine; against the Lutherans and Calvinists, Ignatius and like men.\"

Abdias hides a hundred prophets in caves: Lapide identifies these prophets with men of religion who, having given up worldly cares, lived together and devoted themselves to the divine praises — just as coenobites do today. The choir of prophets in Samuel's time praised God with vocal chant and musical instruments. These hidden prophets are martyrs-in-waiting, and Jezebel is the type of persecution.

Elijah: \"Gather unto me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty\": Lapide: In all there were 850 false prophets — antistites, teachers and authors of idolatry and heresy, whom Elijah (partly by himself, partly through the people) put to death. They were blasphemers against God, whom Moses' law commanded to be put to death.

How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him: Lapide: This is the great question of the spiritual life — one cannot serve two masters. The people answered not a word, for their conscience convicted them. Elijah's boldness in confronting the king and 850 false prophets alone is a model of prophetic courage.

The God that shall answer by fire, let him be God: Lapide: God frequently appeared in fire and consumed sacrifices through fire from heaven — at the sacrifice of Abel, Aaron, Solomon, David, Gideon, Manoah, and others. Fire represents the majesty of God: \"The Lord thy God is a consuming fire\" (Deut. iv:24). The Holy Ghost descended in fire at Pentecost for the same reason.

Elijah pours twelve pitchers of water on the sacrifice: Lapide (quoting S. Chrysostom): Elijah did this so no one could suspect him of having hidden fire beneath the altar, as pagan priests were known to do through secret holes to ignite their sacrifices. The water overflowing proves the fire that comes cannot be earthly — it must be from heaven.

And the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the holocaust: Lapide: Josephus records that the mark left by this divine fire endured until his own time. This miracle — fire consuming not only the victim and the wood but the stones, dust, and water — surpasses all natural explanation and compels the acknowledgment: \"The Lord he is God.\"

And when all the people saw this, they fell on their faces, and they said: The Lord he is God, the Lord he is God: Lapide: The Hebrew is \"Jehova himself is Elohim, Jehova himself is Elohim.\" This cry of the people is also the etymology of Elijah's very name: El (= Elohim) + ia (= Jehova) + hu (= himself) = \"God, the Lord, is he.\" The very name of Elijah was a prophetic proclamation of this truth.

Take the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them escape: Lapide: Elijah commanded them to be killed — all 850 — because they were antistites, teachers, and authors of idolatry, and blasphemers of God, whom the Law of Moses commanded to be put to death. He cites S. Basil: \"He who uses anger rightly is not condemned by the Lord — Phinehas, Moses, Samuel, and Elijah all used just anger as the minister of good actions.\"

The cloud like a man's footstep rising from the sea: Lapide (S. Augustine, serm. 201): \"The cloud like a footstep of a man figured the flesh of Christ, which was to be born in the sea of this world. As Elijah prayed after three years and six months the rain came from heaven — so in the Advent of the Saviour in the three and a half years of His preaching, the rain of the Word of God irrigated the whole world.\"

And the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah, and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab: Lapide: God gave Elijah strength and agility to run before the king's chariot, though he was fasting and exhausted from the long contest with the Baalites. He ran to show that the rain was given through his prayers; and also to render the ceremonial honour of a royal escort to King Ahab.