Mount Carmel

Feature 3 – March 2021 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Mount Carmel

A Place Of Victory
Carmel means “fruitful field.” It was where the Lord, through Elijah, defeated the prophets of Baal and turned the hearts of the people to Himself (1 Ki. 18). Mount Carmel was a place of victory, and there was fruit for God to enjoy.

The greatest victory ever was won by the Lord Jesus on another mount – a “place called Calvary, there they crucified Him” (Lk. 23:33 NKJV). His loud shout, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), was one of triumph. Through His death He destroyed “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). We now rejoice in the fruits of His victory, as expressed by Henry Champney (1854–1942):

How hast Thou triumphed, and triumphed with glory, Battled death’s forces, rolled back every wave! Can we refrain then from telling the story, How Thou art Victor o’er death and the grave?

A Place Of Prayer
Mount Carmel was a place of prayer, as we see in 1 Kings 18:36-37. In verse 42 we read: “Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.”

Victories in our lives will only come through prayer and supplication. The Lord Jesus was a Man of prayer: “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” (Lk. 6:12). He indeed is our perfect example.

In 1 Kings we see that Elijah was led, as a prophet of the Lord, to Mount Carmel at a time when there was a severe drought on the land. There was a perennial well, one that flowed continually, nearby.

The water is a picture of the Word of God. It is necessary that Bible reading accompany prayer for us to be fruitful and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to guide and enable us to be victorious through our Lord.

Elijah said, “I have done all these things at Your word” (1 Ki. 18:36). What did Elijah do on Mount Carmel? Among other things, he used water from the well to saturate the sacrifice prior to offering it. It was a burnt offering at the time of the evening sacrifice.

The burnt offering is a type of the death of the Lord Jesus, as viewed and valued by God alone. Of the burnt offering, the priests were to “wash its entrails and its legs with water” (Lev. 1:9). The entrails speak of what the Lord Jesus was within. “In Him there is no sin” (1 Jn. 3:5). The legs speak of what He was without; all was in perfect accord with the word of God. “He committed no sin” (1 Pet. 2:22). His walk was absolutely spotless. He is and always was “all pure without, all pure within” (James G. Deck, 1802–1884). As to the Lord, the water could not wash anything away, for there was nothing to remove. Instead, it speaks about the absolute purity of Him who died.

Prayer and Bible reading enable us to enjoy what Carmel means and will help us to “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).

A Place Of Nearness
Mount Carmel is about 1,600 feet above sea level, and it was where Elisha lived (2 Ki. 4:25). Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, lived in a place referred to as “the hill country” (Lk. 1:39). Caleb sought higher ground as well, for he said to Joshua, “Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke” (Josh. 14:12).

As believers we “died with Christ” (Col. 2:20) and we have been “raised with Christ” (3:1). We are a heavenly people. We are to “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:1-2). I am reminded of several lines from a hymn by Mary Bowley (1813–1856):

Our hearts by Thee are set On brighter things above ... Higher and higher yet! ...
We taste the love, that knows no let, Of Abba, as of God.

As mentioned, Elisha made Mount Carmel his home. He lived his life on a higher plain in fellowship and intimacy with God. E. C. Hadley, whom the Lord led to start this magazine, wrote in his comments on the Song of Solomon: “All divine knowledge is intended to affect the heart and conscience and so bear fruit in the life.”*

Reading Song of Solomon, we see that the bridegroom in describing the bride spoke of her head. He said, “Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel” (7:5). The head is the center of knowledge and intelligence. Peter wrote: “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Pet. 1:2). We have been given, “all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (v.3). We are told, “Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge self control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv.5-8). In writing to believers, the apostle Paul said, “We ... do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-10).

The bridegroom appreciated the knowledge of the bride, which led to fruitfulness for him to enjoy. Remember, her head crowned her as Mount Carmel, speaking of a fruitful field. For believers, this can only be accomplished through the work the Lord does. Are you allowing Him to work in your life so He may find fruitfulness there for Him to enjoy?

ENDNOTE
* His book can be read on the Stem Publishing website.

By Paul Palmer

Mount Carmel is a mountain 12 miles in length that runs from the plain of Esdraelon in Galilee toward the Mediterranean. It was the scene of Elijah’s contest with the priests of Baal, which led to their destruction (1 Ki. 18:19-40). One part is still called Makrakah, “place of burning,” and is the traditional spot of the encounter. There, Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord. This may have been erected before the temple was built and been broken down, but its moral bearing is obvious. God vindicated His servant and answered by fire from heaven. — Morrish Bible Dictionary (adapted).