Bible Character Spotlight: Elijah

Solomon’s sin doomed his son, Rehoboam, to a tumultuous reign as king. God is true to his word both when it comes to blessings and punishment. Following Rehoboam’s time as king, the seat of power for Israel was less a throne and more a revolving door. The books of Kings I and II are named as such because they describe the reigns of the various Hebrew kings including and following Solomon. When reading the books, it should be clear to the reader very quickly that long largely productive reigns like those seen with David and Solomon were not the norm. While God had a hand in selecting all the kings that rose to power, none of them had God’s favor going into their reigns the way David and Solomon did.

Conversely, God still had his prophets or “Men of God” to deliver His Word and shape events as God desired. Elijah was one of the most prominent prophets in the Bible. When we first meet him, he is giving a prophecy to Ahab, the king of Israel at that time.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” - 1 Kings 17:1

Elijah’s story is important because it shows us what it truly means to be a man of God. He didn’t just live as someone playing lip service to following God. He relied on God for everything right down to basic necessities.

Following the delivery of the prophecy to Ahab, God guided and protected Elijah and even fed him using ravens. We quickly find out why that was necessary. The famine and drought of which Elijah foretold were particularly bad, and Ahab blamed Elijah for them. When God was ready to send relief to the people, He sent Elijah out to deliver the message. Elijah in turn, met one of his servants, Obadiah and asked him to set up a meeting with King Ahab. Obadiah did not take the task lightly.

“What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ I don’t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. - Kings 18:9-12

It usually isn’t a good thing to be the bearer of bad news, and sometimes following God’s Will can put a person in a precarious position. That is true even for us today. As we execute God’s Will and spread the Gospel, that act can put us at odds with people, but we must remain resolute and continue to do what we know is right. That’s what Elijah did. He met with King Ahab once more and explained why God was punishing Israel. They were not living according to God’s Will. Most notably, they had taken up Baal as an idol, and it was the idol, to whom the people were truly committed.

At Elijah’s instructions, Ahab assembled Baal’s prophets as well as Hebrew people from all over Israel. We learn that Elijah is the only one of God’s prophets left guiding Israel. Instead, God’s prophets had been replaced by 150 of Baal’s prophets. Baal’s prophets have the trust of the people, so Elijah sets up a competition between himself and Baal’s prophets.

Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” - 1 Kings 18:23-24

 

After all God had done for the Hebrews, it’s a shame that Elijah had to go to such an extent to prove to them who God was, but the hearts of the people were easily hardened and swayed. If we’re being honest, the same is often true for us today. How often do we acknowledge the work of God in our lives, only to question Him as soon as things do not go our way?

The contest went just how one might expect when reading this story. Baal’s prophets went first. They repeatedly called on Baal to light the fire, but nothing happened. While this result may not be surprising, it is interesting. This event was not the first time a man of God was pitted against servants of a false god or idol. Back in Exodus, God’s servants, Moses and Aaron, went up against the Pharaoh's men (Exodus 7:10). At least in Pharaoh’s case, his wise men were actually capable of performing miracles. During Elijah’s time, the people were following a god that had no power. That goes to show you how far they had fallen. When God distinguished himself from the false god by demonstrating His power, the people instantly recognized their mistake.

When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” - 1 Kings 18:39

While the people’s eyes were opened to truth, the king did not change his ways. He and his wife, Jezebel, were constantly at odds with God’s Will, so much so that Ahab considered Elijah and other prophets that arose to be his enemies because they were men of God. Ahab was killed in battle and was succeeded by his son, who was also considered to be evil in the eyes of the Lord. This was not a particularly unique end for a king of Israel. The Bible tells us that many failed to live up to God’s desires and died without honor. Elijah’s end was different though. In fact, while his story may have ended, he did not. God took him straight up to heaven. Just as Ahab was followed by a son that carried on his ways. Elijah had Elisha to take up the prophet’s mantle. As long as this world continues, it will produce evil people who raise up other evil people. That is why it is so important for those who follow God to be committed to the task of outreach on God's behalf and to make sure that we help others to grow so that we can pass on the torch when the time comes.

Elijah served God faithfully and brought Israel away from its wrong ways even when the king of Israel was committed to wrongdoing. We might not ever find ourselves up against that kind of resistance, but it is important that we still follow Elijah’s example because we can never know who our actions might save and bring to God.

Chris Lawyer

Image Courtesy of www.biblestudytools.com