The birth of John the baptist was announced by the angel Gabriel who said “and he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:17).” When John grew up, he not only had the spirit and power of Elijah, but he also dressed and acted like him and carried on the ministry of preparing his generation for the coming of Jesus. That is very similar to the ministry of believers today, to make ready a people prepared for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. May the spirit and power of Elijah be evident in our ministry to others!
| Word Count | 6510 |
| Time to Read | 34 Minutes |
| Recommended Device | Tablet or Computer |
- The Rugged Spirit and Power of Elijah
- Elijah’s Biblical Debut
- A Gentle Whisper
- Summary
- Chart of Miracles Related to Elijah
Elijah was a well known prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel during 870-845 B.C. while King Ahab was reigning. Ahab was another evil king in a long list of evil kings ruling Israel during those times. Elijah was a prophet of the Lord whose name means ‘The Lord is God’. His name matched his message to a nation that was ungodly, divided and involved heavily in idolatry with Baal, the god of nature, and his consort Asherah, the fertility goddess. King Ahab married Jezebel who was from Sidon in the Phoencian region, the heart of Baal worship. This ill-advised marriage was an attempt to build an alliance with that area to enhance their commerce and military positions, a sinful precedent that dates back to King Solomon. Jezebel influenced Ahab and most of the Israelites to engage in idolatry and God sent the prophet Elijah to pronounce judgment in an effort to steer the people back to worship of the Lord alone. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel are recorded as the worst national leaders in history (1 Kings 16:30-33, 21:25-26). The story of Elijah is told mostly in 1 Kings 17-19 and 2 Kings 1-2. He performed many miracles throughout his life and his expected return was well known to the Jews during the earthly ministry of Christ. Elijah is mentioned by name in the Gospels and in a couple of the New Testament letters. Surprisingly he is often included in End Times discussions though he was not mentioned once in the book of Revelation but many enjoy speculating that he will be one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3-12.
Elijah was known as a rugged prophet that never died. He was miraculously carried up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets, closed the Old Testament recording that the Lord would send the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes (Malachi 4:5-6) and the Angel Gabriel confirmed Malachi’s prophecy (Luke 1:16-17) while announcing the coming of John the baptist who would look just as rugged and carry on a similar ministry as that of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8 cf. Matthew 3:4). Jesus also confirmed that John the baptist was the ‘Elijah’ that was to come (Matthew 11:14).
Elijah also appeared with Moses and Christ in the Transfiguration event (Matthew 17:1-3). On that mountain Jesus, Moses and Elijah appeared in glorified bodies and Peter, James and John were in their bodies of flesh and bone. Though these disciples never knew Moses or Elijah personally and presumably wouldn’t have normally been able to recognize them, in this instance, they knew exactly who they were. That in itself is a miracle within a miracle and perhaps a clue of how things will be in heaven for us.
Elijah was given the ministry of turning the people away from idolatry and to draw them back to the worship of the Lord alone.
Elijah’s Biblical Debut
The Lord chose Elijah to announce a drought for Israel. We are introduced to Elijah when he tells King Ahab that there would be no more rain for the next few years “except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Then Elijah slipped away into seclusion and the drought lasted for 3 ½ years (James 5:17). During that time King Ahab searched to find Elijah to get him to make it rain. The drought was severe and all the people of the land suffered because of it. Also during this time, Queen Jezebel provided daily meals at her table for the false prophets and was simultaneously having the Lord’s prophets hunted down and executed. Obadiah, the Palace Administrator, was a devout worshiper of the Lord and secretly hid 100 prophets of the Lord in two caves, fifty in each, and he provided them food and water (1 Kings 18:13). He did this while he was supposed to be assisting the king in finding Elijah so he would undo the curse on the land. Water was so scarce the king was afraid that they would lose a number of their horses and mules (1 Kings 18:5). This was a desperate time for Israel.
This was an especially embarrassing situation for Jezebel. Her father, who was the King of Tyre, located in Phoenicia, was also a well known priest of Baal. Baal was supposed to be the god of nature. He was known as the sun god and Asherah was the moon goddess. Baal was thought to be the one to send rain, wind or powerful lightning storms. Many believed he controlled fertility in crops and also people. Baal worshipers would make sacrifices that included bisexual orgies, self mutilation and child sacrifices. All that immorality directed towards this false god to increase blessings on their crops or families. Jezebel had championed the practice of Baal and Asherah and imposed them on her husband, King Ahab, and idolatry spread rampantly throughout Israel. Then this one reclusive prophet named Elijah came along speaking for the Lord. God withheld the rain and Jezebel likely was furious, frustrated and embarrassed. For a more detailed discussion about this evil Queen, check my separate blog all about Jezebel.
Finally after 3 ½ years the word of the Lord came to Elijah and he went back to see the king. Elijah wasn’t going to just quietly announce that the drought would be over. Instead he instructed the king to gather all the false prophets together for a showdown. He intended to publicly demonstrate that the Lord was the almighty God of heaven and earth and that Baal was impotent. This nonsense regarding Baal had plagued Israel since back in the time of the Judges. God had revealed his power and might to previous generations and now he was about to do it again for Elijah’s generation.
Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
1 Kings 18:19-21
The rules for the showdown were agreed on and 450 prophets of Baal spent all day on Mount Carmel, a key high place of the worship of Baal, trying to get their god to send lightning down to strike and consume their sacrifice. Many depictions of Baal included a lightning bolt. So the fans of Baal had a home field advantage, so to speak, and the task of sending lightning was right in Baal’s wheelhouse. There were 450 prophets of Baal who had all day to dance, perform their acts of self mutilation, sing, pray whatever they wanted to provoke a response. There was none. Then at evening time Elijah got his turn. He began by building an altar of 12 stones signifying the unified nation of Israel-this during the time they were divided. So right off the bat he probably further irritated many citizens of the northern kingdom. Then he had a large amount of water poured over the sacrifice. This ‘reckless’ use of water came at a time when water was their most precious resource and was probably highly rationed. Remember, the king feared that they wouldn’t even be able to support their horses and mules. So after the large amount of water was liberally poured over the sacrifice, he tells them to do it again – and again. Three times this large amount of water was poured out. It even filled the trench he had made around the altar. It’s pretty obvious that Elijah had no doubt that God would respond. So this one lonely prophet stood there in front of the other 450 prophets of Baal, the 400 prophets of Asherah, the King and all the Israelites gathered, and prayed saying,
“Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
1 Kings 18:36
God responded to Elijah’s additional private prayer and sent a rainstorm (1 Kings 18:41-46). The drought had ended! Following the victory on the mountaintop, Elijah had all the false prophets executed. It’s pretty evident he was experiencing an emotional high. However, like most people, mountaintop experiences are followed by emotional lows. Elijah did indeed experience a spiritual valley. His mind wandered from the closeness he enjoyed with God and focused instead on the wrath of Jezebel who pledged to have him hunted down and executed (1 Kings 19:2). Elijah ran for his life to Beersheba and was probably hungry, mentally and physically exhausted and in fear for his life. Earlier on the mountaintop, in front of everyone, he incorrectly characterized himself as the only one of the Lord’s prophets left (1 Kings 18:22). He had forgotten about the faithfulness of Obadiah, Ahab’s chief administrator, who had hid 100 of the Lord’s prophets and provided food and water for them. Though logically he may have known there were other prophets and devoted followers of the Lord, he was all alone during this showdown and he probably felt like he was the only godly person left in all Israel. That emotion is hard to overcome even when presented with facts sometimes. Apparently this was true for Elijah because, in the depths of his isolation, he asked the Lord to just take his life (1 Kings 19:4). However, God wasn’t done with Elijah yet. An angel was sent with some food and water. After Elijah rested and ate a couple of times he awoke. Then the angel told him that he was to go to Mount Horeb, the Mountain of God (an alternate name for Mount Sinai where the Law was given to Moses). He fasted as he journeyed forty days and nights. This normally would have been about a 14 day trek walking (about 200 miles total) so it’s safe to say that this was not only a journey, it was a time of preparation to see the Lord. Upon his arrival he found a cave and slept there. On the mountain the Lord spoke to him, listened to his pleading, and basically told him to go back the way he came and take care of a few last chores. Elijah’s time was running out. He was given instructions to anoint three different men, two kings and a prophet. The Biblical account tells us of a few other things that happened to him on the way but basically he passed the torch to Elisha and Elijah left this earth. God did many things through his prophet Elijah, but one thing he didn’t do was to answer his prayer that he would die. After Elijah performed the list God gave him, he was taken up in a whirlwind to heaven having never experienced death. This unusual act also amplified the curse of Jezebel who had pledged “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them (1 Kings 19:2).” Not only was Elijah saved from death, Jezebel will be haunted by her own vindictive words – for eternity.
A Gentle Whisper
The Lord revealed himself in conversation with Elijah on Mount Horeb. Many people long for this type of mountaintop experience with God. Well it didn’t just happen out of nowhere, Elijah was prepared for it. God prepared Elijah and Elijah prepared himself. If any of us is to experience this level of intimacy with our creator in prayer and service, we must take steps to prepare for it. Let’s review the events leading up to the mountaintop experience.
For starters, Elijah had just completed an act of obedient service that resulted in a serious threat against his life. After the showdown on Mount Carmel and the execution of the false prophets Elijah was in the crosshairs of Satan manifested in powerful Queen Jezebel.
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.
1 Kings 19: 1-3
Based on Elijah’s example, to gain an intimate experience with the Lord, perhaps we should serve the Lord in whatever ministry God has gifted with to the point that your life is in danger. It may be that the reason not many of us have experienced this type of high level of intimacy with the Lord is that not many of us have had to literally run for our lives because of our faithful service to the Lord. We are generally much more practical and ‘smarter’ than to put ourselves in that type of predicament. But Elijah stood alone on Mount Carmel and acted in faith as he prepared the sacrifice, carefully placed twelve stones around the altar, had water poured out on it and prayed to God in heaven to act in order that the people would “know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again (1 Kings 18:37).” Perhaps if we were smart enough to get into a situation that only a miracle could get us out of, we may experience God’s presence and peace in a way that “transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
Elijah followed that miraculous showdown with an even bolder move. He called for the false prophets to be slaughtered. There were 450 prophets of Baal and presumably 400 prophets of Asherah gathered as well. To call for their execution was risky. It was widely known that Queen Jezebel was very powerful and dominated her husband, the King. She had already been executing the Lord’s prophets to promote her disgusting idolatry. Elijah did not waver and chose to put his own life at risk with the execution of the false prophets who ate daily at the Queen’s table.
Elijah ran for his life for about 95 miles and arrived in Beersheba. Then he separated himself from his servant who apparently had accompanied him on that leg of the journey. He went solo for another day’s journey into the wilderness and rested under a broom bush. Then God sent an angel with food and water and a message. The angel instructed Elijah to eat and be well rested because he was about to begin a long journey through the wilderness (1 Kings 19:3-9). This is similar to the experience of Moses many generations prior to Elijah. Moses spent forty years living in the Midian desert before he was chosen to be the redeemer for Israel. Then after the showdown with Pharoah, similar in some ways to the showdown at Mount Carmel, Moses wandered again in the desert with the Israelites for forty years, a journey that should have taken less than two weeks. Elijah’s journey from Beersheeba, where the angel met him to Mount Horeb was roughly 200 miles which would have taken about two weeks by foot if a direct route was chosen. However, Elijah extended his journey to forty days and nights and fasted that entire time. The Bible records two others who fasted for forty days, Moses and Jesus. As it happens, these three men who the Bible records as fasting for that extended period are the same three men who appeared in the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-3). So if any of us are longing for a close intimate experience with God, know that it follows risk and self-denial. Perform your gifted ministry in a way that puts your life and well-being at risk, spend time alone and in prayer and practice self-denial. Then expect God to respond in a way that is unusual. If that sounds unreasonable, consider what Jesus told his followers, “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? (Luke 9:23-25).
When the Lord and Elijah did connect, it wasn’t a flashy, loud or public experience. Elijah had distanced himself from others, limited his outside distractions, and was alone in a cave on a mountain. God is powerful like the wind that tore the mountain, and the earthquake that followed, and the fire that came. But after all that, the Lord revealed himself to Elijah as a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:9-18). It was in that moment that Elijah expressed his human emotional concerns to the Lord. God listened and shared some important and encouraging information with Elijah. Elijah had incorrectly stated all the other prophets of the Lord were killed and that no Israelites were left to worship God. God corrected him and said there were actually 7,000 left who had not bowed their knee to Baal. It’s hard to imagine how comforting that news must have been for this distraught man of God. Furthermore, God gave him some additional tasks to complete and sent him back the way he came, this time with full confidence again.
The task list Elijah received from the Lord included anointing three different men (1 Kings 19:15-16).
- Hazael as king over Aram (Modern day Syria).
- Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel.
- Elisha to be his successor as prophet.
Hazael was Gentile and would be anointed king of a foreign nation, an unusual directive for a prophet of Israel. He would be used by God to externally battle against God’s own chosen nation so they would repent from Idolatry.
Jehu would be king over Israel to internally prevent them from reverting to idolatry, especially to execute any Israelites who worshiped Baal.
Elisha would be the prophet to be a spiritual guide to Israel. He would lead and guide them in God’s ways and instruct them on the danger of idolatry.
Along the way, Elijah earned a reputation for standing up for social justice. One recorded instance is when King Ahab of Israel coveted Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-25). His wife Jezebel arranged an evil plot to have Naboth killed so her husband could take possession of his vineyard without interference. The Lord had Elijah speak against this injustice.
Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”
Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”
“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’
“And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’
“Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.”
(There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)
1 Kings 21:9-26
After King Ahab’s death, the son of Ahab and Jezebel named Ahaziah took the throne in the northern kingdom (his brother-in-law with the same name also ruled as king in the southern kingdom years later, so don’t be confused by their names). He, King Ahaziah of the northern kingdom Israel, worshiped false gods as was his family tradition. During his reign the foreign nation Moab revolted against the tribute that had been forced on them by Israel. Their burden consisted of an annual tribute of 100,000 lambs and sheared wool from 100,000 rams (2 Kings 3:4-5). At about this time in an unfortunate unrelated incident, King Ahaziah fell through his lattice on the balcony and injured himself badly (2 Kings 1:2-17). He was in fear of death and desperate for a more positive outcome so he gathered some messengers to consult the false god Baal-Zebub (a different god altogether than the Baal his parents worshiped). As the messengers were enroute to complete their task, the word of the Lord came to Elijah and he was dispatched to stop them and sent them back with news that King Ahaziah would certainly die soon. Ahaziah didn’t like that news and he didn’t like that Elijah sent it via messengers and wanted to see the prophet in person. So he ordered one of his military captains and a company of fifty soldiers to go find Elijah and bring him to see the king. When they found him and gave him orders to report to the king, Elijah called fire down from heaven and it consumed the captain and his company. A second captain and company of fifty soldiers was sent and the same thing happened. So a third captain and company of fifty soldiers were sent but this time the captain approached the prophet and humbly begged that his life and the life of his men be spared. The word of the Lord came to Elijah to go with this captain and so Elijah was brought to the king. However, the message about the king did not change, Elijah confirmed that he would die and he did indeed die shortly thereafter.
The Lord chose Elisha to be the prophet after Elijah. Elijah went and found him and Elisha accepted the call with great enthusiasm. In the end, Elisha gained a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. The ‘torch’ was passed from Elijah to Elisha.
Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
“You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.
2 Kings 2:8-12
Summary
The following passage captures the rugged spirit and power that Elijah is remembered by:
[Messengers were sent to consult a false god on the behalf of their evil king]
“A man came to meet us,” they replied. “And he said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”
The king asked them, “What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”
They replied, “He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.”
The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”
Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”
Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
2 Kings 1:6-10
There was a time during Jesus’ ministry that he and his disciples were traveling through Samaria and those residents were not at all welcoming to them. Two of his disciples asked if Jesus wanted them to call down fire from heaven to consume the unwelcoming Samaritans. Jesus rebuked the disciples for such nonsense and they went on their way to another village (Luke 9:51-56).
Another time, Jesus was in Nazareth where he grew up and was reading from the scroll of Isaiah and found a section that was prophesied about himself and announced to his hometown residents that the prophecy he just read is fulfilled in their presence by Jesus himself. They rejected that statement because they were blinded to God’s truth. Jesus brought up the time Elijah was sent to Zarephath, a neighboring nation and brought blessing to a foreign widow there. Though this widow lived in an area where idolatry was exalted, she was a devout believer in the Lord as seen in her obedience to give the Lord’s prophet what she thought was her last meal – in times of drought and famine, widows would normally be the first to run short of supplies (1 Kings 17:12). As it turned out, Elijah stayed with her for probably most of the 3 ½ years and she faithfully practiced generous hospitality towards him and her supplies never did run out until the drought ended. When her young son died, Elijah brought him back to life. The point Jesus was making is that if Israel’s hearts remained hardened, the blessing of God will bypass them and go to the Gentiles. As it turned out, that is in fact what happened. The age that followed Christ’s death and resurrection is known as the church age where Gentiles, people of all nationalities are welcomed into the family of God as equals to Jews and one another (Romans 3:21-24). We are being formed into a body of believers, all working together under the headship of Christ. This situation will continue until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:24). After that time, the blessing of God will come again to the nation of Israel and they will be restored to the Lord and exalted above all the other gentile nations (Romans 11:11-12). Jesus cited an example of how God’s blessing bypassed Israel but was received by the foreign widow. In our age, we are like that foreign widow. In the next age – Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, all will enjoy blessing but Israel will be Christ’s favored nation and he will rule from Jerusalem.
“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.
Luke 4:24-26
Elijah was a rugged man who dressed in animal skin and kept himself secluded for long periods of time. God used him as a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel and his main message was to turn the hearts of the Israelites away from idolatry and towards true worship of the Lord their God.
Many miracles were performed by Elijah including fire from heaven on multiple occasions. The legacy of Elijah was well known in Israel in his time and his name was on the lips of the Israelites in Jesus’ day as recorded in the Gospels. Even at the crucifixion of Christ, there were some in the crowd expecting that Elijah would come back down from heaven and rescue Christ before he died.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
Mark 15:33-37
Elijah is a great hero of the Bible indeed. May God give each of us the spirit and power of Elijah in our life and service to others.
| Miracles (arranged chronologically) | Reference | Notes |
| Drought announced | 1 Kings 17:1 | Elijah’s first recorded miracle |
| Fed by ravens | 1 Kings 17:2-5 | Ravens are still known to be social with humans and oftentimes bring gifts (found trinkets such as buttons, coins, unusual sticks or shiny objects) to those they know. |
| Fed by a widow in Zarephath | 1 Kings 17:7-12 | Zarephath was near Sidon (modern day Lebanon) the area where Jezebel was from. Elijah hid at a location near rather than far from his threat. During a drought and famine, a poor widow would be one of the first to run out of supplies so her home would be the last place searchers would look for Elijah. |
| Widows supplies never run out | 1 Kings 17:13-15 | This widow lived in the heart of idol worship but she was a devout believer in the Lord. Her faith was manifested in her obedience to Elijah’s instructions. She gave him what she thought was her last meal but God miraculously supplied for their needs for probably most of the 3 ½ years of drought. |
| Son of the widow raised back to life | 1 Kings 17:17-24 | At first the widow thought his death was because of her previous sins. In the end she was reassured that Elijah was indeed a prophet of the Lord. In some ways her experience mimicked that of Elijah and Mount Carmel. A great victory was followed by a spiritual valley (doubt and fear). Then the Lord comforted her, just like he did with Elijah on Mount Horeb. They had parallel experiences. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ‘God of all comfort’). |
| Fire from heaven consumed the bull on Mount Carmel | 1 Kings 18:16-39 | Elijah’s faith was evident by calling for such a public event, his confidence throughout the demonstration, the liberal adding of precious water 3 ½ years into a severe drought, the use of 12 stones representing the unification of Israel even though they were at that time divided. The trench around the altar was large enough to hold 2 seahs of seed, or about 24 pounds. |
| All the false prophets slaughtered | 1 Kings 18:40 | The false prophets were Jezebel’s treasured possession. This act would surely result in Elijah’s execution as revenge. His order was given without hesitation and completed without incident. |
| Elijah told the king to eat and drink because the rain was coming, but he said this prior to even a cloud in the sky. Then Elijah prayed it would happen. | 1 Kings 18:41-46 | v42 merely states “Elijah bent down and put his face between his knees” cf James 5:16-18 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. |
| Elijah ran approximately 20 miles from Mount Carmel to Jezreel and ran ahead of the king who was in a horse drawn chariot. | 1 Kings 18:45-56 | Elijah was expecting a bad storm, not a light drizzle. Also, Jezreel was where Jezebel resided. He may have wanted to insure the truth of his actions made it to her instead of some perverted version of the events. |
| An angel provided food, water and rest for Elijah | 1 Kings 19:5-7 | Elijah was not well rested, he was exhausted both physically and mentally and he had not eaten. The angel allowed him time to rest and encouraged him to eat. Taking care of our basic physical needs are important to prevent us from being distraught in stressful times. Food, water, rest, prayer, and thanksgiving will result in peace. cf. Philippians 4:4-8 which would have been great advice for Elijah when he wanted to die (1 Kings 19:4-5) |
| Elijah fasted 40 days and nights, traveled 200 miles to Mount Horeb | 1 Kings 19:8-9 | Moses had fasted forty days when receiving the law (Deuteronomy 9:9). Jesus fasted forty days during the temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:2). Elijah fasted forty days here. The transfiguration featured these three in glorified bodies (Matthew 17:1-3). |
| The Lord speaks audibly with Elijah | 1 Kings 19:9-10 | The Bible records many instances where the Lord speaks audibly with humans, but it is still a miracle in every instance. |
| Wind, earthquake, fire, gentle whisper | 1 Kings 19:9-18 | God is not always flashy and powerful. He does not always work through large revivals, high quality worship teams and weekend conferences. He speaks quietly sometimes to people who are lonely and in remote places. |
| The Lord speaks to Elijah regarding the events of Ahab, Jezebel and Naboth’s vineyard. Elijah is used to pronounce judgment for a great social injustice. | 1 Kings 21:1-29 | Elijah faithfully responded to God’s instructions without wavering. We long for the Kingdom of Christ on earth where he will reign with righteousness and justice. Until then, we can strive for righteousness and justice in all our encounters with others. |
| Elijah predicts the death of King Ahab and curse on his descendants | 1 Kings 21:17-22 | The curse regarding his death was delayed by God because of repentance on Ahab’s part. But dogs licked up his blood when he died in battle (1 Kings 22:37-38) and his descendants were wiped out (2 Kings 10:7-17) but during the lifetime of his son, King Joram (2 Kings 9:14-26). |
| Elijah predicted the death of Jezebel, that dogs would eat her body in her hometown of Jezreel-a disgraceful death indeed. | 1 Kings 21:23-24 | Jezebel was killed by falling from a tall tower in Jezreel at the order of King Jehu (2 Kings 9:30-37). Then Jehu had his chariot run her over and her blood was splattered on the horses and the wall. She lay there long enough that dogs came and ate her before the order was given for her body to be buried. |
| Elijah prophesied the death of King Jeroham of Judea via letter | 2 Chronicles 21:12-19 | Jeroham failed to honor God by following in the footsteps of other evil kings. He died of a bowel disease just as predicted. |
| The Angel of the Lord spoke directly to Elijah | 2 Kings 1:3-4 | The Angel of the Lord is another way of referring to a preincarnate manifestation of Christ, the 2nd Person of the Trinity. |
| Elijah predicted the death of King Ahaziah and it happened just as he said. | 2 Kings 1:1-17 | God knows the future of all things. At times he has revealed certain future things to his servants, the prophets. |
| Elijah called fire down on the captain and his 50 men, and did it a second time to the next group of a captain and 50 different men. | 2 Kings 1:11-12 | The disciples asked Jesus if he wanted them to call down fire from heaven to destroy the unwelcoming Samaritans. Jesus declined and rebuked them (Luke 9:54-55). They must have been looking for a good excuse to be like Elijah. The two witnesses will have the ability to cause fire to proceed from their mouths and kill their opponents. May speak of judgment or literal fire (Revelation 11:5). It reminds us of Elijah. |
| Elijah parts the Jordan river and he and Elisha walk across on dry land. | 2 Kings 2:8 | Elijah’s ministry was similar to that of Moses. The parting of the Jordan here reminds us of the parting of the Red Sea during the time of Moses. |
| Elijah tells Elisha that his request for a double portion of his spirit will be given- only if Elisha sees Elijah taken. | 2 Kings 2:11-15 | That request was not Elijah’s to give. He left it in God’s hands. As it turned out, Elisha did see Elijah taken and did receive a double portion of his spirit and power, much like the blessing of a firstborn son, but in a spiritual sense. |
| Elijah taken up to heaven in a whirlwind | 2 Kings 2:11-12 | Elijah was a human being, even as we are (James 5;17a) Enoch was the only other person the Bible names as not tasting death (Genesis 5:21-24). |
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
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