On the throne was the worst king in the history of Israel up to that time; Ahab. Elijah comes to Ahab for a showdown — full of confidence, with the proper perspective of his Lord God. He comes almost with a bravado and tells Ahab, “Let’s have it out once and for all. This god your wife Jezebel has imported into this nation must be destroyed. Let us have a showdown between Jezebel’s god — Baal — and the Lord God Jehovah. Prayer answered by fire will be the test.”
It seems fair to Ahab and to the people. Four hundred ...