Elijah at Mount Carmel – SS2 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

The Mount Carmel contest was the event in which Prophet Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal to show whose god would answer by fire. God sent fire from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, the people confessed that the Lord is God, the prophets of Baal were killed, and rain ended the drought.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. describe the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel;
2. state what happened after the fire came down from heaven;
3. explain how the Mount Carmel episode proved the supremacy of God;
4. state the qualities of God shown in the episode.

What happened at the Mount Carmel contest?

God, being merciful, decided to end the suffering of the people. He did this through the contest on Mount Carmel, where He established His supremacy through Prophet Elijah. The episode was significant in two ways: it was an opportunity for natural repentance, and it was an opportunity to demonstrate God’s supremacy over Baal.

The contest

The stage was set to know the true God. All the prophets of Baal were present, numbering four hundred and fifty. Elijah ordered that two bulls be provided, one for the prophets of Baal and one for him as a prophet of God.

The prophets of Baal prayed from morning till evening, calling on their god, but no fire came down. When they were tired, Elijah re-prepared the altar with pieces of stones and placed the bull on it. He then called on God to send fire down to consume everything as proof of God’s supremacy.

The outcome

At once, fire came from heaven and consumed everything. The prophets of Baal were filled with awe, and the children of Israel fell on their faces, covered with shame. They confessed: “The Lord, He is God.”

Elijah did not spare the prophets of Baal. He killed all of them and then announced the coming of rain to end the drought. Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel to pray, and God answered with a heavy rainfall. This was how Elijah demonstrated the supremacy of God over all false gods.

How did the Mount Carmel episode prove the supremacy of God?

1. The contest at Mount Carmel proved the supremacy of God over Baal.
2. The killing of the 450 prophets of Baal brought to light God’s supremacy, as it brought an end to the worship of Baal in Israel.
3. The Mount Carmel episode stamped out Baalism totally, as all its prophets were killed. It was an act of God to flush out Baalism.
4. It shows God as a consuming fire.
5. God is slow to anger. He always gives sinners a long time to repent.

Evaluation

1. How many prophets of Baal were present at the contest?
2. What did Elijah ask for so that the people would know the true God?
3. What did the children of Israel say when the fire came down?
4. State two ways in which the Mount Carmel episode proved the supremacy of God.

Assignment

Write a short account of how Elijah ended the drought after the contest on Mount Carmel.