Elijah's prophetic activities the unconditional loyalty to God required of the nation of Israel. His strange dress and appearance, his fleetness of foot, his rugged constitution that resisted famine and his cave-dwelling habits, all suggest that he was a robust, outdoors-type personality. - 1Kin. 17:3, 18:46, 19:8-9; 2Kin.1:8 -
Elijah was opposed to the accepted standards of his day when belief in many gods was normal. He appears in the role of God's instrument of judgement upon a wayward Israel because of the nation's widespread idolatry. The miracles that Elijah performed occurred during the period when a life-or-death struggle took place between the living God's and the lifeless and false gods.
Elijah's views were in conflict with those of king Ahab because Ahab gave himself to worship lifeless and false gods. As punishment against him for building the temple for lifeless and false gods worship at Samaria, the true prophet, Elijah predicted that a drought would grip the land. Then he fled to the eastern side of the Jordan River and later to Zarephath on the Mediterranean coast to escape Ahab's wrath. At both sites he was kept alive through miraculous means. While staying at a widow's home, Elijah performed a miracle by bringing her son back to life. - 1Kin. 17:1-24 -
After the drought had lasted three years, the Lord instructed Elijah to present himself before Ahab with the message that the Lord would provide rain. Elijah then challenged the 850 false prophets of Baal and Asheroth to a contest on Mount Carmel. Each side would offer sacrifices to their God without building a fire. The ignition of the fire was left to the strongest, who would thereby reveal himself as the living God. While praying to God, Elijah poured water over his sacrifice to remove any possibility of fraud or misunderstanding about the offering. When Elijah's sacrifice was consumed by fire from heaven, the peoples of Israel responded strongly in favour of the living God. Then the false prophets of Baal and Asheroth were slaughtered at Elijah's command and God sent rain to end the drought. - 1Kin. 18:1-46 -
Queen Jezebel, was furious over the fate of the false prophets of Baal. She vowed that she would take revenge on Elijah. He was forced to flee to the desert south of Beersheba, eventually arriving at Mount Horeb - the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments. It is significant that this loyal follower of the Law came at last to the place where the commandments were first given. Like Moses, Elijah was sustained for 40 days and nights in the wilderness. - 1Kin. 19:1-8 -
While Elijah was at Mount Horeb, the Lord revealed Himself to Elijah's through the sound of the gentle breeze and he received a revelation of the coming doom on Ahab and Israel. Then he was given a threefold charge: he was instructed to anoint Hazael as king of Syria, Jehu as the future king of Israel and Elisha as the prophet who would take his place. These changes would bring to power those who would reform Israel in the coming years. - 1Kin. 19:9-21 -
In the years of war that followed between Ahab and Ben-Hadad of Syria, Elijah did not appear. But he did appear after Jezebel acquired a family owned vineyard for Ahab by having its owner, Naboth, falsely accused and executed. Elijah met the king in the vineyard and rebuked him for the act. Ahab repented and Elijah brought him word from the Lord that the prophesied ruin on his house would not come during his lifetime but would occur in the days of his son. - 1Kin. 21:1-29 -
Shortly after Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, took the throne from his father, he was involved in a serious accident. He sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the lifeless god of Ekron whether he would recover. Elijah intercepted the messengers and predicted his death because of his beliefs in lifeless gods. This event would also be a fulfillment of the doom pronounced earlier upon Ahab's house. On hearing it, twice Ahaziah sent a captain of fifty soldiers with its contingent to capture Elijah. But both times they were consumed by fire from heaven. However, the third group sent by him begged for mercy and an angel of God directed Elijah to go with the commander to see Ahaziah. And, in accordance with the word of Yahweh that Elijah had uttered, he died. - 2Kin. 1:1-17 -
Elijah's prophecy that queen Jezebel would meet a violent death was fulfilled. Jehu went back to Jezreel and Jezebel heard of it. She made up her eyes with kohl and adorned her head and appeared at the window. As Jehu came through the gateway she said, 'Is all well, Zimri, you murderer of your master?' Jehu looked up to the window and said, 'Who is on my side? Who?' And two or three enuuchs looked down on him. 'Throw her down' he said. They threw her down and her blood spattered the walls and the horses; and Jehu rode over her. He went in and ate and drink, then said, 'See to this accursed woman, and give her burial; after all, she was a king's daughter.' But when they went to bury her, they found nothing but her skull, feet and hands. They came back and told Jehu, who said, 'This is the word of Yahweh which he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite.' "The dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel; the corpse of Jezebel will be like dung spread on the fields, so that no one able to say: This was Jezebel". - 2Kin. 9:30-37 -
The prophet Elijah did not die.......
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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