The Showdown

In this dramatic altar story we see God’s triumph over the tragic pagan perspective of the gods. The prophets of Baal tried with all their might to please Baal and get him to respond, but to no avail. And then, the one true God shows up with fire and power, definitively concluding the showdown of a generation. And note that not only does God ‘win,’ he consumes the altar—the place where he has met his people for centuries. This foreshadows God’s redemption plan and how the altar itself is wrapping up its service. Soon God will reveal himself with the sacrifice that will relegate the altar to history.