Elijah: Prophet from 826-823 BC
Elijah was a man just like us.
He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for
three and a half years.
James 5:17 (NIV)
READ: 1 Kings 17-19; 2 Kings
2:1-18
Following Solomon’s death the kingdom was divided into two; the
kingdom of Israel (Northern) and the kingdom of Judah (Southern). Solomon’s son, Rehoboam precipitated the
separation of the north.
Elijah was sent by God as a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel
during the reign of King Ahab, a wicked ruler.
The northern kingdom had fallen into sin through foreign cultural and
religious influences as well as foreign conquest. Jezebel, Ahab’s foreign wife, brought with
her and encouraged the worship of Baal and other forms of idolatry. This was condemned by the prophet Elijah who
forcefully opposed these sinful ways.
Elijah is often viewed as a wilderness dweller and a man of great
endurance with unhesitating devotion to the Lord which made him a bold
spokesman for what is right. The
biblical account introduces Elijah with a sudden appearance before king Ahab to
which he declared that there would be neither dew nor rain except at the
prophet’s word. He then followed the
Lord’s guidance and hid himself by a brook and was divinely fed by ravens and
eventually was cared for by a widow.
When the widow’s son became ill and died, he took the boy to his room, prayed
and life returned to the boy. After
three rainless years Elijah presented himself before Ahab and challenging him
to bring to Mount Carmel the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of
Asherah who ate at Jezebel’s table.
Elijah then proposed a test to determine who the true God was. The prophets would prepare a meat offering
and Elijah was to do the same; the god who consumed the offering with fire
would be the True God. The efforts of
the pagan prophets were futile and Elijah mocked them. Finally, he prepared his altar, instructed
the people to pour 12 jars of water on it and prayed to God who answered with
fire from heaven. The offering was
consumed as well as the wood, altar and even the dust and water around the
altar. He then commanded that the false
prophets be seized and killed so they were put to death. Then he announced that a great rain would
fall. After an experience with God while
he was hiding from Jezebel the Lord spoke to him and revealed himself to Elijah
in a “gentle whisper”. The Lord told him
to anoint Elisha as his successor in the prophetic office. When the time came for Elijah to be taken up
to heaven he asked Elisha what he wanted as a favor from him and Elisha replied
that he wanted a double portion. As they
were walking and talking a chariot of fire and horses appeared and separated
the two of them and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. When he returned to the company of the
prophets of Jericho, they recognized that the spirit of Elijah was resting on
Elisha.
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?
2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?
3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.
