Elijah prepares the Lᴏʀᴅ’s altar.

1 Kings 18.30-35.

You already know how this story ends, so I’m not building up any suspense by only discussing the section just before Elijah prays and God sends fire.

In the previous passage, Baal’s prophets were cutting themselves till they got blood all over them, from around noon till the evening sacrifice. Once they were finished unsuccessfully calling upon their god—or maybe they were still trying, but the Israelis grew tired of watching and Elijah was now able to hold their attention—he called them over to himself, to a knocked-down altar of the LORD which happened to be there.

Most translations make it sound like Baal’s prophets did their thing till the time of the evening sacrifice, and only then did Elijah get to work on the altar he’d use. Maybe; then Elijah’s sacrifice would’ve taken place after sundown, while it was kinda dark, which would’ve made it far more visible and dramatic.

But the wyqtl past imperfect Hebrew verbs make it sound to me like while the Baalists were busy making noise, Elijah had been quietly working on the side. Probably with help, since he did have people who poured water for him. We don’t know what time of year this took place, and how hot an afternoon it was to be heaving stones and digging a trench, but obviously they did bring water. In any case Elijah’s work would’ve been finished by the time of evening sacrifice; his sacrifice would’ve been the evening sacrifice.

1 Kings 18.30-35 KWL

30Elijah told all the people, “Come near me.”

All the people came near him.

He had fixed YHWH’s torn-down altar.

31Elijah had taken 12 stones,

like the number of tribes of Jacob’s sons,

Jacob to whom YHWH’s word came,

to say, “Your name is Israel.”

32Elijah had built the stones into an altar

in the name of YHWH.

He made a trench which could house

two seahs [15 liters] of seed

round the altar.

33Elijah arranged the wood.

He cut the calf into pieces.

He placed it on the wood.

34Elijah said, “Fill four water jars.

Pour it on the offering and on the wood.”

He said, “Again.”

They did it again.

He said, “A third time.”

They did it a third time.

35Water ran all over the altar;

the trench was full of water as well.

Fixing the existing altar.

If you didn’t have a temple nearby, custom was to put your sacrificial altars on a “high place,” meaning a hill or mountain. Someplace people could see your ritual sacrifice. Someplace where if the fire got loose, it was easier to stop its spread than if you lit a fire in a valley. Once the LORD’s temple was built, these “high places” were abolished and discouraged, but sometimes an enthusiastic follower, who felt he couldn’t wait to worship God, might build an altar anyway.

And part of the reason these “high places” were abolished was because the ancients would worship any god on them, including the Baals. Part of the reason Elijah had them meet on Karmél was because he knew it was a “high place” with multiple altars on it; one or more for Baal, and one for the LORD. It was in disrepair, but the LORD’s instructions on how to make an altar for him are pretty simple.

Exodus 20.24-26 CSB

24“Make an earthen altar for me, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your flocks and herds. I will come to you and bless you in every place where I cause my name to be remembered. 25If you make a stone altar for me, do not build it out of cut stones. If you use your chisel on it, you will defile it. 26Do not go up to my altar on steps, so that your nakedness is not exposed on it.”

The LORD was perfectly fine with a mound of dirt, but if you gotta make an altar of stone, he wants natural stones. Not carved ones; if you carved any of it, even just to make it fit together better, it’s ritually unclean now. And don’t make it so big you need stairs to get to it; people might see up your kilt.

God really wanted to emphasize just how little effort he wanted people to put into his altars. Because he didn’t consider the altar important; he cared about the ritual sacrifices on it.

Maybe the existing altar was in disrepair because people hadn’t been using it. Or maybe rival religions were kicking it over, or swiping stones off it for their altars. Rival religions vandalizing it seems likely; at least that’s what Elijah made it sound like when, later in Kings, he complains the pagans have been tearing down the LORD’s altars. 1Ki 19.10

Elijah wanted this altar to be meaningful, so he built it out of 12 stones, representing the 12 sons of Israel… who became 13 tribes, but since God and the authors of scripture much preferred the number 12, Elijah went with 12. And to make sure they were uncarved, unchipped stones, he must’ve brought 12 fresh stones up Karmél with him. Not sure when; hopefully not in the hot part of the day, but maybe he did do it then.

Along with all his other work. Getting gallons of water up the mountain, getting wood, a calf, those 12 stones, and shovels up the mountain. Add to this the fact Elijah was known for wearing leather. Maybe he got all the equipment up there the night before.

The כַדִּים֙/khaddím, “jars,” of this passage aren’t little jars; they held 16 liters of wine or water. Four jars means that’s 64 liters they dumped over the altar each time, and Elijah had ’em do it thrice. Since it was drought, the ground would’ve absorbed a lot of water, but 192 liters is plenty enough to soak an altar and fill the trench around it. People have wondered how on earth they got this much water during a drought, but I’ll point out Mt. Karmél is right next to the Mediterranean, and Elijah never said this had to be fresh water.

Most people presume Elijah was absolutely soaking the altar, sacrifice, and wood with water because he was showing off—“See, the real God is so mighty his fire can burn up a dripping-wet altar”—but I have a suspicion he already knew just how hot the LORD’s fire was going to be. Hot enough to melt stones. Hotter than any blacksmith could get it. So if he didn’t soak the ground around the altar, the fire might’ve got out of control. Heck it still might have. But he was just taking that extra precaution.

And that’s a bit of our takeaway from this passage: If you know God like Elijah did, you’d be just as aware his mightiness is nothing to trifle with. Sometimes it’s gonna be far more powerful than anyone expects. Don’t let that take you by surprise.