When we read the account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, we usually remember the fire that fell from heaven. But before the fire fell, Elijah gave us one of the sharpest moments of humor in Scripture.
The prophets of Baal had been calling upon their god from morning until noon. They danced around the altar and cried, “O Baal, hear us!” But Scripture tells us, “There was no voice; no one answered” (1 Kings 18:26).
At noon, Elijah began to mock them:
“Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
1 Kings 18:27 NKJV
The New King James Version says Baal may have been “busy,” but some scholars believe the Hebrew may suggest something far less dignified. Elijah may have been saying, in plain language, “Perhaps your god stepped away to use the bathroom.”
That is probably not what most of us expect to find in the Bible, but Elijah’s point was hard to miss. Perhaps Baal was thinking. Perhaps he was traveling. Perhaps he was asleep. Perhaps he was otherwise occupied. Whatever the excuse, he was not answering.
The prophets shouted louder and worked themselves into a frenzy, but nothing changed. “There was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention” (1 Kings 18:29).
Then Elijah prayed a simple prayer to the Lord. He did not have to shout louder, wake God up, or wait for Him to return from a journey. The living God heard him, and the fire fell.
Elijah’s humor was pointed, but it exposed an important truth. An idol will always need an excuse for its silence. Our God does not sleep, wander away, or become too busy to hear His people.
“Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 121:4 NKJV
Foundations in Scripture 