Dock Resource Kit
Sunday sermon, 12 October 2025
Summary
This week Michael spoke to us about Elijah’s dramatic showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel — a story that reveals not just God’s power, but His heart to restore His people. We traced Israel’s long journey of covenant and compromise, seeing how their worship of Baal represented more than idolatry — it was a breaking of relationship with the God who rescued them. Yet through Elijah, God calls His people back, accepting their sacrifice and sending rain to a dry land. From this story, we learned that God forms us as He formed Elijah: not alone, but in community; not just for ourselves, but to form others; and always to take a faithful stand — whether boldly like Elijah or quietly like Obadiah.
Key Points & Takeways
1. God’s Story of Faithfulness and Israel’s Repeated Drift
The backdrop of Elijah’s story is centuries of God’s covenant faithfulness to His people — from Abraham to Moses to David.
Despite God’s continual rescue and provision, Israel repeatedly turns to the idols and gods of surrounding nations, especially Baal.
By Elijah’s time, under King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, Baal worship had become state-sponsored—a direct rebellion against the first commandment.
The drought God sent was a direct challenge to Baal, the so-called god of rain and fertility.
Takeaway: God is not one among many; He alone is the source of life, provision, and rain. Idolatry is not just ancient history — it’s any time we look elsewhere for what only God provides.
2. The Showdown Was Not Just a Show — It Was a Sacrifice
On Mount Carmel, God’s fire consumes the bull sacrifice — the same animal required in Leviticus for atonement for the sins of the whole nation.
This was more than spectacle: it was atonement and restoration. God was making a way back for His people even as He proved His power.
This moment points forward to Jesus, who is both the demonstration of God’s power and the true sacrifice that brings us back to Him.
Takeaway: God’s acts of power are always acts of mercy. He doesn’t just prove He’s real — He provides a way for us to return to Him.
3. We Are Not Alone in Faith or Formation
Elijah feels like the last faithful one, yet Obadiah has secretly saved 100 prophets, and later God reveals there are 7,000 who have not bowed to Baal.
God forms people both in isolation (Elijah by the brook in 1 Kings 17) and in community (with Obadiah and others).
Likewise, our formation often feels solitary — but we are shaped together, as the Church, and by God’s faithful presence.
Takeaway: You are not alone in your faith or calling. God is forming a faithful people, not just faithful individuals.
4. We Are Formed to Form Others
Elijah’s prayer reveals his motive: “So these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
His mission was not about personal vindication but about helping Israel’s hearts return to God.
The twelve stones Elijah uses to rebuild the altar symbolize the unity of all Israel — even though the kingdom was divided. God desires restoration and reconciliation.
Takeaway: Our spiritual formation is never just for ourselves — God forms us to help others find their way back to Him and to work for unity among His people.
5. We Are Formed to Take a Stand
Both Elijah (on the mountain) and Obadiah (in the palace) take faithful stands in different ways.
Elijah’s stand is bold, public, prophetic.
Obadiah’s is quiet, courageous, faithful in his workplace.
God uses both kinds of obedience — those who confront from without and those who work faithfully from within — to bring transformation.
Takeaway: Faithfulness looks different in different callings. Some are called to bold public witness; others to quiet integrity within systems — both matter deeply to God.
Dock Discussion Questions
Restoration and Idolatry:
Elijah’s sacrifice of the bull symbolized God’s acceptance and restoration of His people. What are some “idols” or misplaced hopes that compete for our hearts today, in what ways have you experienced God calling you back to Himself?Formation in Community:
Elijah felt alone, yet God showed that he wasn’t (between the work of Obadiah, the 100 Yahwist prophets saved by Obadiah and the 7,000 others who had not bowed to Baal). How can we support one another in our spiritual formation when following Christ feels isolating? Are there areas of your life that you particularly need support or find it particularly difficult to allow others to support you?Formation to Form Others:
Elijah’s purpose wasn’t just to prove a point, but to turn Israel’s hearts back to God. How does God use our personal formation and growth to impact others — in our workplaces, families, and communities? How has God used others to form you?Faithfulness Within and Without:
The sermon contrasted Elijah’s public courage with Obadiah’s faithful service within Ahab’s palace. Where might God be calling you to take a stand — either openly or quietly — for what is true and good in your context?
Long-form, edited transcript
Formation
Show and Sacrifice
1 Kings 18
1 Kings 17:1, Leviticus 4:13-14
Introduction
Today we get to look at one of the most iconic and cinematic moments of Elijah’s story, the mountainside showdown with King Ahab and the prophets of Baal. We will unpack the story, including the background, then draw out 4 points to see how our formation is informed by Elijah’s formation.
Background and Timeline
Before we get into the story there is value in a whistle-stop tour of the ups and downs of ancient Israel up to the time of Elijah, so we might better understand the significance of this showdown.
Patriarchal Period (Genesis 12–50)
From the Creation to Noah, you all know, when I was growing up in church, that was Sunday School bread and butter.
After that Noah’s Family tree takes us to Abraham.
God chooses Abraham, God promises him land, many descendants, and also that through Abraham all Nations would one day be blessed.
God creates a covenant with Abraham to keep those promises and the sign of that covenant is circumcision.
Abraham has his long-expected son: Isaac (Genesis 21).
Issac has twin sons Jacob and Esau, the often at odds twins.
Jacob receives Isaac’s blessing; is renamed Israel (Genesis 27–32).
Twelve sons of Jacob — Ancestors of Israel’s twelve tribes (Genesis 35).
One of those twelve sons, Joseph (of technicolour dream-coat fame) is sold by brothers, rises to power in Egypt, preserves his family during famine (Genesis 37–50).
Exodus and Wilderness (Exodus–Deuteronomy)
Some generations go by and Israel is enslaved in Egypt (Exodus 1).
Moses is born in Egypt (think prince of Egypt, great film) — God sends him to deliver Israel (Exodus 3).
Ten plagues, including Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea (or Reed Sea, opinions vary) God sets his people free.
Enter the wilderness years.
God makes a new covenant at Mount Sinai — Ten Commandments and the Law given (Exodus 19–20).
But before Moses even gets down from the mountain, Aaron makes Golden calf and trouble is brewing. (Exodus 32–34).
The Israelites build the Tabernacle, the tent of the LORDs presence, — God dwells among His people (Exodus 35–40).
Despite this, Israel’s time in the wilderness is marked by rebellion and lasts 40 years. (Numbers 13-14)
During this time we see the first worship of Baal when Israelite men slept with Moabite women and began to worship their god. (Numbers 25)
Moses’ death; Joshua commissioned (Deuteronomy 34).
Conquest and Settlement (Joshua–Judges)
Joshua leads Israel into Canaan, the promised land.
Crossing the Jordan; fall of Jericho (Joshua 3–6).
Land divided among tribes (Joshua 13–21).
Covenant renewal at Shechem (Joshua 24).
Period of the Judges — Repeated cycles of sin, oppression, and deliverance (Judges).
Key judges: Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson.
Despite the intervention of the Judges, endeavouring to bring Israel back to Yahweh, there is moral decline as “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
United and Divided Monarchy (1 Samuel – Kings)
Samuel the last judge and the first prophet since Moses anoints kings at the request of the people of Israel.
Saul becomes first king — His disobedience leads to rejection (1 Samuel 9–15).
David’s rise and reign — Defeats Goliath, unites Israel, makes Jerusalem the capital (2 Samuel 5).
Davidic Covenant — God promises an everlasting dynasty (2 Samuel 7).
Solomon’s reign — Builds the Temple; era of peace and prosperity (1 Kings 1–10).
Solomon’s idolatry — Turns from God; and worships gods in the same pantheon as Baal. (1 Kings 11).
Solomon’s idolatry leads to a divided kingdom — with his son Rehoboam as king over the southern kingdom Judah, as his servant Jeroboam as king of Israel, the northern kingdom. (1 Kings 12).
The book of Kings tracks the reigns of 39 kings of Israel and Judah, most of whom are not faithful to God.
This is where we are in 1 Kings 18: God’s chosen people, but a divided Kingdom, they have journeyed with God but have also been constantly tempted to be unfaithful to God. Now more than ever they are turning to the gods of the nations around them.
Immediate Context - Drought and Famine
Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1)
Brigid unpacked the rest of chapter 17 wonderfully last week showing how, during this drought and famine, Elijah was formed in the hidden quiet places, in scarcity and uncertainty, and in relationships and shared need.
So, we pick up in 1 Kings 18, think divided kingdom, drought and famine, worship of foreign gods but also that this is God’s chosen people and the king of Israel in this story.
Scripture:
Elijah and Obadiah
18 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. 4 While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) 5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.” 6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.
7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”
8 “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”
9 “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ 12 I don’t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. 13 Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!”
15 Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.”
Elijah on Mount Carmel
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”
18 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. 19 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.”
20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before 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 said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you 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.”
Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the 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. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 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.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
40 Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” 42 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.
43 “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.”
44 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.’”
45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Quick Summary
So, Israel, led by king Ahab, turns away from Yahweh, Yahweh sends Elijah, and using Elijah as His prophet, stops the rain, proves to Israel that He is truly their God, brings the people back to Him, and sends rain to His people.
Further Context: Israel’s worship of Baal
Israel are God’s chosen people. His covenant people
He is the God who rescued them out of slavery in Egypt, and yet time and time again, generation to generation. They worship the deities of the nations around them.
This is a step one problem for Israel, the first commandment of the Ten Commandments is: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ‘You shall have no other God’s before me.” (Ex 20:2-3)
This is not the first time that Israel has been tempted to worship Baal.
o It happens in the wilderness (Numbers 25)
o In the time of the judges (Judges 2 – 10)
o It was so widespread that even Israel’s first king Saul and most celebrated king David has sons that were named for Baal.
1 Chron 8:33 – “Ner became the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
1 Chron 14:7 – “Elishama, Beeliada (Baal Knows), and Eliphelet.”
In fact even Mount Carmel, the mountain, on which, this showdown takes place was, in the annals of Assyrian king Shamaneser III, referred to as ‘the mountain of Baal of the promontory.
We see that Elijah is even giving the prophets of Baal the home ground advantage.
We’ve discussed syncretism (the idea of taking parts from various religions) many times, as it was commonplace both in the Ancient Near Eastern society of Israel and in the religious practices of the Roman Empire of Jesus’ day.
If Baal worship had been so commonplace and a struggle for God’s people for years, what was the straw that broke the camel’s back?
King Ahab’s State Sponsored Syncretism
But under King Ahab, the king that is in charge of the northern Kingdom of Israel in Elijah’s day, Baal worship becomes an official, state sanctioned part of Israel’s religious identity.
Building a temple to Baal in Samaria, the capital city of the northern Kingdom of Israel. (1 Kings 16:32)
Ahab’s marriage to Jezebel sealed an alliance with Phoenicia that was initiated by Ahab’s father, King Omri. This alliance brought commercial ties, military ties, but also state-sponsored syncretism.
Syncretism was the norm…
Ahab was bringing his kingdom closer to the mainstream of ancient Near Eastern thought and practice.
o Most cities and kingdoms in the region had their local versions of Baal.
o Different names but his qualities and the ways in which he was worshipped remained the same.
o The mentality of the ancient world was to have a variety of deities in a variety of functions, not to have one all-purpose deity.
o Although the head of the Canaanite pantheon was El, Baal was seen as the most important as the storms bring water, and revival of vegetation and fertility.
o That is the reason that Baal worship became so widespread in the Ancient Near East, a land and a time in which life and death was so directly tied to rain.
o Also it was through intermarriage between nations that peace was often achieved and that invariably led to syncretism.
…but not for Israel
God was clear from the time of Abraham and at all the steps along the way. As we discussed the 10 commandments given to Moses.
The Law was even clear in the kind of things that would happen if Israel wasn’t faithful.
o In Deut, one of the books of the law of Israel (Deut 11:13-17)
o God warns that they will only enjoy rain, and fertility whilst they are faithful to Yahweh and that He will withhold rain if they are not.
o Not only that Deuteronomy 13 makes it clear that the punishment for a prophet that leads the people of Israel astray, is death.
Lots of Background for you, hopefully you have a good sense of the significance of this passage of scripture but how can we be formed by it today, for our lives? Four quick Points that are hopefully enhanced by the background that we unpacked together.
Point 1 - Not just a show, an actual sacrifice.
When God send down the fire immolating the offering, the altar, et al, he is not only showing his power as the true God of Israel. He is also accepting the sacrifice which atones for the sin of the nation of Israel, he is making a way for them to come back to Him, even as He shows them that He is their God.
Leviticus 4:13 - 14 tells us that the type of animal that is required to be sacrificed to atone for the sins of the whole people of Israel is a Young Bull, and it is a bull that is sacrificed here.
In the same way, in Jesus, we have not just someone who shows us the way, but the actual sacrifice that makes a way for us to come to God. The one who shows us that He is our God.
This is the most important point, it informs all the other points of application here. This is a story of the restoration of Israel, just as Jesus is the story of the restoration of all people and all things. Jesus is the fulfilment of the Abrahamic promise to bless all nations through God’s chosen people.
Point 2 – We are not alone.
Formation often feels like it happens in isolation, and sometimes it does, as Brigid examined last week, Elijah learned deeper trust in God alone by the brook. But we see in scripture that even formation that seems to be in isolation often isn’t.
Elijah stands alone before Ahab and 450 prophets of Baal. Yet as we read at the start of Chapter 18, it is due to the faithfulness of Obadiah (not the same Obadiah as the lesser prophet Obadiah), that 100 prophets of Yahweh were saved. It is only by the help of Obadiah that the meeting with Ahab, and this showdown becomes possible. In the next chapter, which Abie will look at next week, God tells Elijah that He will preserve 7,000 faithful people in Israel that “have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him”
Elijah is a famously significant and mysterious prophet in the Bible. A prophet who famously stands alone, yet he wasn’t. Of course God was with Him, but also if he extended his view just a little, he also wasn’t alone in Israel
We are not alone in the cosmic sense, and we are not alone in the church.
If you feel alone, simultaneously know that God is near and greater than the multitudes, but also that this church family longs to help to form your life, and we need you to help form us.
Point 3 – We are formed to form others.
Why did Elijah have this show down with the prophets of Baal? Was it to show that Elijah was able wield the power of God and whilst he was on his own, he was not to be messed with? Was it because worship of God was on the decline and Elijah was worried about the future of his religion?
Elijah tells us the reason for the showdown in his prayer to God in verse 37 – “Answer me, Lord, answer me,so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
Elijah had this showdown not because of tribalism, or idealism, but because of truth. Yahweh is the true God, the saviour that rescued Israel from Egypt, brought them out of slavery, fed them and led them in the wilderness, sent rescuers again and again, He is the only one who can end the drought, and make the nation fertile again.
God’s chosen people Israel, were placing their hope for their future in Baal, who could not provide, in a time of drought and famine, they were looking to inherited gods of fertility and rain to provide for them, despite the promises of the God that had brought them out of Egypt, rescuing them from slavery.
God formed Elijah and brought Him to this moment, to help bring God’s people to Him. How many stones did Elijah make the altar to Yahweh out of? 12 stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel. Yet at this moment of history, as we looked at earlier, Israel and Judah are a divided kingdom, 10 tribes in the north, and 2 in the south. Elijah is alluding to a greater reforming, not only does God desire to bring the northern kingdom back to him, but all Israel, and in doing so, to be a blessing to all nations.
Point 4. – We are formed to take a stand.
Elijah takes an iconic stand on the mountainside. Bold. Explicit. Vital. Yet think again about Obadiah’s pivotal role in this story. Obadiah is described in 1 Kings 18:3 – as “a Devout believer in the Lord”. King Ahab is described in 1 Kings 16:30 - as “doing more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him”. Yet Obadiah is King Ahab’s palace administrator (18:3). King Ahab’s right-hand man.
Elijah stands faithfully on the mountainside against mounting odds. Obadiah stands faithfully working for good in the background, faithful in the sphere of influence in which God has placed him. Both are taking a stand. You may be called to take an overt stand, Bold explicit, vital. You may be called to faithfulness in your sphere of influence, speaking truth and love when you are able.
You are almost certainly called to both at different times.
It is vital to understand the significance that real change is brought about by the faithfulness of those within a system combined with those from without it.
Examples:
The Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade (18th–19th centuries)
From within:
• William Wilberforce (British MP, evangelical Christian) worked inside Parliament for decades to end the slave trade.
• Thomas Clarkson and the Clapham Sect gathered evidence, petitioned the government, and pursued legislation.
From without:
• Abolitionists like Olaudah Equiano (formerly enslaved) and many Quakers and grassroots activists exposed the cruelty publicly through pamphlets, testimonies, and moral persuasion.
Result: Slave trade abolished (1807), and slavery itself ended in the British Empire (1833).
The U.S. Civil Rights Movement (1950s–1960s)
From within:
• Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP used the legal system to overturn segregation (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education, 1954).
From without:
• Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and grassroots movements led peaceful protests, marches, and civil disobedience grounded in Christian ethics and prophetic faith.
Result: The Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) transformed U.S. law and culture.
Conclusion
God formed both Obadiah and Elijah, through faithful obedience, they made a way for Israel to come back to God. They were not formed alone, they were formed to form others, and they were formed to take this stand, one in their sphere of influence, and one on the mountainside. In the same way, God, through Christ Jesus made a way for us to come back to God, and we are formed in the same way, for the same purpose, to stand faithfully, being formed and being used by God to form others.
Closing Prayer
Father God,
Thank You that You are the one, true, living God.
The God who made a way, the God who restores, the God who calls our hearts back to You.
Thank You for the example of Elijah and Obadiah — for their courage, their faithfulness, and their trust in You.
Form us, Lord, as You formed them.
Shape us in hidden places and in public moments, that our lives would point others to You.
Help us to stand faithfully — whether on the mountainside or in the quiet corners of our everyday lives — knowing we are never alone.
Turn our hearts back to You, and use us Lord in the formation of others, that we may see Your Kingdom come and Your will be done.
In the name of Jesus
Amen