1 Kings 18:25

THE PROPHETS OF BAAL "DO THEIR THING" FIRST

"And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first, for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar that was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he has gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it was so when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded."

"O Baal, hear us" (1 Kings 18:26). The oratorio's rendition of these words still rings in our ears, "Baal, we cry to thee; Baal we cry to thee"!

"Elijah mocked them" (1 Kings 18:27). Yell a little louder! maybe your god is asleep, thinking about something else, on a journey, or has stepped out for a few minutes! It seems incredible that human beings could worship such a so-called god!

"They cut themselves after their manner" (1 Kings 18:28). "This was more than a mere puncturing or scratching. The superstition existed that the blood of priests was especially virtuous in constraining the deity to action."[13]

"They prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation" (1 Kings 18:29). The RSV gives us a better rendition for prophesied. It reads: "they raved on." "The sense here is that they behaved in an ungoverned manner."[14] The Biblical usage of the word "prophesied" supports this rendition, as for example, in the case of Saul's prophesying and lying naked all night on the ground at Ramah (1 Samuel 18:10). in this conspicuous episode, the priests of Baal staged an unbelievably outrageous and bloody demonstration of frenzy, confusion, and screaming madness. What happened? Nothing!

Keil has a remarkable description of such pagan orgies of undisciplined supplications to pagan gods.