Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
Month 5: What About Other Religions? · Bible Story
Today's Scripture
Read together: 1 Kings 18:20-39
20 So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24 Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!” 28 So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them. 29 Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.” 32 And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, 34 and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36 At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.” 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
Memory Verse
“Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.””— Acts 4:12 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 5-8
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 128 of 365 — the Ten Commandments again, and the great call to "love the Lord your God with all your heart.")The Heart of It
Israel had a problem. They were trying to serve two gods at once. They wanted the real God and Baal, the storm-god their neighbors worshiped. So Elijah set up a fair test in front of everyone. There were two altars and two sacrifices, and no fire was lit by human hands. Whichever God answered by sending fire, that would be the true God. The 450 prophets of Baal got the whole morning. They shouted. They danced. They even cut themselves trying to get Baal's attention. And the Bible says it plainly: "there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention." Baal was silent because Baal was not there. He was a god made up in people's minds.
Then Elijah did something bold. He soaked his altar with water. He used twelve big jars of it, so no one could say he sneaked a flame in. Then he prayed one calm, short prayer, and "the fire of the LORD fell." It burned up everything, even the water in the trench. The people fell on their faces and cried, "The LORD, He is God!" Here is the truth for us. Not every god people worship is real, and they are not all the same. There is one living God who actually answers and actually saves. Other religions can be sincere and still be sincerely mistaken. They're just like those 450 men shouting all day at a god who was never listening.
Around the Table
Lots of people prayed to a pretend god named Baal, and nothing happened. But when Elijah prayed to the real God, fire came down! God is real, and He hears us.
Let's do it: Whisper a tiny prayer right now — "God, I know You hear me." He does!
Elijah poured water all over his altar to prove there was no trick. He wanted everyone to know it was the one true God who answered.
Let's talk: Why is it kind, not mean, to want people to know which God is the real one?
Baal's prophets were passionate and sincere — and still completely wrong. Sincerity feels strong, but it can't make a false god true.
Let's go deeper: When a friend says "all religions are basically the same," how does this story gently show that they really aren't?
💬 Conversation Starter
If two people both say "I have $100 in my pocket," but one pocket is empty, can they both be right? Two religions can both be sincere. But they can't both be true if they say opposite things about God.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Different religions don't just disagree about small details. They make opposite claims about who God is and how we're saved. So they can't all be true at once. We say this with gentleness, not pride. The goal is to help people find the God who actually answers ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Mount Carmel is a picture of the choice every generation faces: "How long will you falter between two opinions?" (). Our culture rarely tells kids to reject God. It tells them to add Him to a pile of equally-valid options. That quietly empties Him of His uniqueness. Teaching your children that there is one true God isn't arrogance. It's the most loving truth you can hand them, because a god who can't answer can't save. But notice that Elijah didn't win by volume. He won because God showed up. So lead your home toward the living God in private prayer first. Then your public stand rests on a real relationship, not just an argument you can repeat.
Draws on: Natasha Crain, Talking with Your Kids about God.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, You are the one true and living God who really hears and really saves. Thank You that there is no other name that can rescue us — only Jesus. Help our family stand for You with bold, kind hearts. In Jesus' name, amen."
Not every god is real, but the LORD is. And He is the One who answers.