1 Kings 18:25-29

Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire.”  So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made.  At noon Elijah mocked them, “Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.”  So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood.  Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound, no answer, and no response.

The prophets of Baal take their turn, and Baal does not answer. The first instinct of these prophets is to change what they are doing, because that might move Baal to answer. They jump on the altar, they shout louder, they cut themselves with weapons until they are covered in blood. Some of this may be in response to Elijah mocking them, but cutting themselves was a "custom" that they followed regularly. The point is, 450 prophets are frantically calling out to Baal from morning until evening, and there is no answer. Nothing consumes their sacrifice. Next up, Elijah and the living God.