Today I would like to share the grace of God with the fiercest historical confrontation between Elijah and the Prophets of Baal. King Ahab of Israel and his queen Jezebel put the whole nation under the influence of the idolatry of Baal. It was because Ahab was married to Jezebel who fervently worshipped Baal and Asherah. Thus Israel began to worship Baal and Asherah. God was enraged at their idolatry and called Elijah His servant to punish Israel. “There will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at Elijah’s prayer and supplication. There will be neither dew nor rain." Therefore, Israel suffered from extreme famine and drought and starvation and death became common. Then Elijah gave the word of God to Ahab. “Oh, King, if you keep doing like this, all your people will die soon. In Israel, there are 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, but I am the only prophet of God. Therefore, now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table. And let us conclude that the god who answers by fire?he is God. If we are not determined but keep hesitating between the Lord and Baal, we all will starve to death.” So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. A big crowd was gathered on Mount Carmel. As the prophets of Baal and Asherah were so many that Elijah let them build their own altar first. And Elijah was the only prophet of the Lord so he built the altar for Him next. Elijah took twelve stones and built an altar and dug a trench around it and the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "The god who answers by fire--he is God." If humans burn it with fire, it can’t be a god at all. Thus there was a confrontation to decide who is a true God of Israel. 1 Kings 18:19-20 says, “‘Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.’ So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.” Elijah thought that he was the only prophet of Yahweh God left. “Then Elijah said to them, ‘I am the only one of the LORD's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.’”(1 Kings 18:22) The god who answers by fire?he is God. “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’ Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”(1 Kings 18:36-38) It thundered and lightning flashed and burned the sacrifice on the altar and the wood and also licked up the water in the trench. There could be no chance of water around there. Then Elijah cried out, "Seize the 450 prophets of Baal. And also take the prophets of Asherah!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there one by one. He kept decapitating all of them. With a great courage Elijah beheaded the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah. And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for I kill all the prophets of Baal and Asherah, God will give us rain now." Elijah was a man of faith and there had been no rain for three and a half years in Israel. But after he killed all the idol prophets, he said, “There will be a heavy rain.” He must have been a great man of faith. Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." Other people couldn’t hear anything, but Elijah heard it through his ears of faith after the great slaughter of the prophets of idols. It would be so nice to hear the sound of a heavy rain through his ears of faith. 1 Kings 18:41-45 says, “And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.’ So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look toward the sea,’he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.” Whatever we do we must do it desperately and fervently. Without desperation and fervency, it will be just like a joke and God won’t be with us. Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel and said to his servant, “Go and look toward the sea and check if there is any cloud. I can’t lift up my head.” He prayed fervently. If you want to imitate his prayer, why don’t you do it now? You should stretch your legs like this and say, “Lord! Lord! Lord!” Your head should enter between your legs and you become like a ball. Therefore, you can’t see anything. His fervency is far beyond human expression. Then the seventh time the servant ran to Elijah and shook his lord who rolled himself into a ball and said, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea!” Elijah said. “It is a sign of a heavy rain. Go up to the king and say to him, ‘Don’t hesitate but equip your chariot and run to the city right now.” In a short time the wind began to blow and it thundered and a hard rain began outpouring. Elijah ran ahead of King Ahab’s chariot all the way to Jezreel, but he had to face a great trial. After beheading so many people and bringing a heavy rain to Israel which suffered for three and a half years without rain, Elijah might have changed his clothes to normal robe after taking a shower and said to himself, “Wow! I’ve achieved a great work today!” and began to relax. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "As you beheaded all my men, may the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." Someone like Elijah was collapsed at this threat. He was totally knocked down by Jezebel’s threats. Why? He lost his mind. He may have thought that as he killed all gentile idols, Israel would be blessed. However, Jezebel threatened him saying, “I will kill you!” She always did what she said. We should be careful of women as they always do what they say. Elijah once was full of the Holy Spirit and God so he did a great thing, but he forgot all about them and rather focused on Jezebel’s threats so his heart sank. 1 Kings 19:2 says, “So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, ‘May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.’" At this Elijah was discouraged and in despair and totally forgot about the Lord who once appeared as a fire from heaven on the top of Carmel and only Jezebel’s threats fully occupied his heart and mind. Therefore, once a great servant of God failed at the threats of Jezebel. 1 Kings 19:3 says, “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there.” At her threats, Elijah didn’t pray at all nor asked God, but ran for his life until he reached Beersheba in Judah where was the border to the wilderness. However, this escape was quite different and much harder than his previous rapid running ahead of Ahab by the power of the Holy Spirit because this time he ran for his in total despair! He did not see his circumstances through God-centered prospective, but only through human perspective so he was afraid and ran for his life! Psalm 55:4-5 says, “My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me.” When Elijah came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and collapsed due to fatigue and then fell asleep. “While he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’”(1 Kings 19:4) He pleaded with God, "Take my life." The first cause of Elijah’s burnout was due to his physical fatigue. We humans are spiritual beings, but we also have physical bodies. Therefore, our spirit and body have correlation. Then Elijah was in a very weak and fragile condition. He poured out his whole strength at the confrontation on the top of Carmel and he fully devoted himself to prayer until put his face between his knees for a heavy rain. And by the power of the Spirit of God he ran 26 kilometers ahead of Ahab’s chariot. After accomplishing all these works, he got tired and then was totally collapsed at the threats of Jezebel. Physical fatigue is also very threatening. The first prescription for Elijah from God was “eat.” You know, eating food is not bad. When Elijah fell asleep under the broom tree, all at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat." So he got up and ate and drank. Elijah was strengthened by that food. Psalm 37:24 says, “though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.” The second cause of Elijah’s burnout was that he did not look up to God but his circumstances. Look at how Elijah reacted when he was threatened by Jezebel. 1 Kings 19:3 says, “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there.” Here Elijah was afraid at this! He should have lived with faith, not with his circumstances. As God was with him, he should have seen His glory manifest through him, but he rather focused on Jezebel’s threats and was afraid. He did not see God who was with him but rather concentrated on Jezebel’s menace only so he was so terrified that he could feel death. Elijah was a great servant of God who prayed on the top of Carmel to fall down a fire from heaven and also prayed for a heavy rain on Israel where there had been no rain for three and a half years. However, when he was threatened by Jezebel, he rather saw his circumstances only than God. He depended on himself. According to what wee look at, we can have a strong faith or a weak faith. When we focus on God only, we can be bold in any circumstances. On the contrary, if we turn our eyes on ourselves or circumstances, we will be filled with fearful hearts. The second prescription for the discouraged Elijah from God was “meet God.” Even though Elijah was revived by eating food delivered by God’s angel, he was not totally strengthened yet. We can find it in his prayer to God when he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 1 Kings 19:14 says, “He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’” Elijah thought that he was the only one left. However, God comforted him by saying that yet He reserved seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees had not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths had not kissed him. By experiencing God’s presence and listening to His voice, Elijah was completely restored and recovered his calling. A complete restoration comes from God’s grace. Isaiah 40:28-31 says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” God makes us not to grow weary or be faint. In life, we all are likely to experience physical and mental exhaustion to the extent we cannot do anything. In those times, we need to look to God. You are not all alone. When we pray to God who knows everything about us, He will feed us, touch us, and comfort us. When we find true comfort of God, we will be empowered to rise again from any circumstances.