Atop Mt. Carmel

Mount Carmel was our third stop for the day, and not our last!  Are you getting tired yet?  We were!  

If you look at the map below, Mt. Carmel is the mountainous range that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea and spans southeast through the area known as Galilee.  

In ancient times, Mount Carmel was important because it served as a barrier to traffic along the coastal plains, impeding enemy armies and merchants from easily entering the Jezreel Valley.

In the Bible, Mt. Carmel is often referenced as a symbol of beauty and fertility. Carmel, in Hebrew, means "vineyard of God". This mountain, especially on the Southern slopes, contains forests of oak and pine, myrtle and honeysuckle, box and laurel; and the sheen of fruitful olive trees fills many a hollow.  During Spring when flowers are in bloom, Carmel is covered in a garment of many colors.

Evidence left by ancient farmers is found scattered around the mountain: cisterns, olive, and grape presses all testify to the culture of the vine. 2 Chronicles 26:10

The northern side of the mountain is rocky and contains many caves.

Mount Carmel was subject to many biblical events. In Joshua 19, Mt. Carmel was allotted to the tribe of Asher. Mt. Carmel appears as the symbol of beauty when the bridegroom compares Mt. Carmel to his lovers head.  (Songs of Solomon 7:5).  It is a sign of fruitfulness (Isaiah 35:2), of majesty (Jeremiah 46:18), and of a prosperous and happy life (Jeremiah 50:19). The withering of Carmel was a sign of devastating judgement (Nahum 1:4); and her decay, means utter desolation (Amos 1:2 Isaiah 33:9).

The Carmelites, the Roman Catholic religious order, was founded on Mount Carmel in the 12th century.  You see their church on the precipice of Mt. Carmel (photo above).   The Carmelites suggest that the way they live is in the same traditional manner as the Jewish hermits who lived on Mount Carmel in the time of Elijah.

Statue Of Elijah Slaying the Prophets of Baal

 It was on Mt. Carmel that the big showdown took place.

We read the Scriptures in I Kings pertaining to Elijah Challenging the Prophets of Baal

I Kings 18:18-40 describes how the Israelites had abandoned the commandments of the Lord and had been worshipping Baal; resulting in God's judgment upon them - years of no rain.  Elijah the prophet heard from the Lord and challenged the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, along with all of the Israelites to come to Mt. Carmel and see that the Lord God is the True God.

He gave the prophets of Baal a bull to put upon an altar.  He instructed the prophets to call upon their gods of Baal to consume the offering with fire.

At the same time, Elijah also took a bull and laid it upon an altar he had made of 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, but before he called upon the name of the Lord, he dug a trench around his altar and poured 4 jars of water upon the bull and the kindling.  He repeated pouring the 4 jars of water 3 times -  for a total of 12 jars of water which drenched the sacrifice the kindling and filled up the trench surrounding the altar.

As the prophets of Baal cried out to their gods, nothing happened - complete silence and an offering not yet consumed.  They cut themselves, they cried and pleaded but for hours nothing happened.

Then... "And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back."

Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.  And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God."

And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape." And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there."

And then the Lord sent rain, the clouds blew in from the Mediterranean Sea and the rain replenished the earth!  God provides again.  Lord, help me to keep your commandments and to live my life as an expression of knowing that YOU are GOD, my personal Savior!

Views from atop Mt. Carmel

Mt. Tabor is the rounded mountain far away with Mt. Gilboa in the foreground 

The Druze - a sect of Islam - have a settlement on the side of Mt. Carmel

"Although the Druze recognize all three monotheistic religions, they believe that rituals and ceremonies have caused Jews, Christians, and Muslims to turn aside from "pure faith". They argue that individuals who believe that God will forgive them if they fast and pray, will commit transgressions in the expectation of being forgiven - and then repeat their sins. The Druze thus eliminated all elements of ritual and ceremony; there is no fixed daily liturgy, no defined holy days, and no pilgrimage obligations. The Druze perform their spiritual reckoning with God at all times, and consequently need no special days of fasting or atonement.

The Druze religion is secret and closed to converts. From the theological perspective, the secrecy derives from the tenet that the gates of the religion were open to new believers for the space of a generation when it was first revealed and everyone was invited to join. Since in their belief everyone alive today is the reincarnation of someone who lived at that time, there is no reason to allow them to join today. Therefore, the Druze refrain from missionizing, and no member of another religion can become Druze." 

 - Jewish Virtual Library

Enjoying Views From Mt. Carmel

An Interesting Tidbit - Just for Free!

Carob Tree

 - Notice the Bean Pods in the Center of the Photo Below -

Carob Bean

"In ancient times, when such things as grams and ounces, etc., had not yet been invented, some sort of standard had to be set so people could establish a value of a given item.

In the Mediterranean area, there is a tree called a "carob" tree. The carob tree has fruit called carob beans. The long green beans have beans/seeds inside; all are nearly identical in size. As ancient traders traveled around the Mediterranean and surrounding areas, they turned to the carob bean as a unit of measurement. A gemstone would be weighed and put onto a balance scale... the other side would have carob seeds/beans on it. A stone that balanced out evenly against 5 seeds was said to weigh 5 seeds - then 5 carobs - then 5 carats."   (From Davenport Jewelers)