Elijah

 Prophet Elijah

Prophet Elijah

When David died, his son Solomon became King,  But after Solomon’s death, civil war broke out in Israel, and the country became divided in two kingdoms.  The tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the Kingdom of Judah in the south, and the remaining ten tribes formed the Kingdom of Israel in the north.  The latter had a succession of kings, but none was very good;  these included one of the worst kings ever----Ahab of Israel.  He had a wife named Jezebel who was, if anything, worse than he was.  Both of them worshiped the Philistine god, Baal.

Now as often happened, God chose someone to pass on His message.  This was a prophet called Elijah, who was not afraid of speaking out for God.  He went to Ahad and said there would be no more rain until God (not Baal) said so.  God had decided to teach Ahad and his followers that only He had power over sun and rain.

Then God told Elijah to go to the brook called Cherith, where ravens would bring him food each day and he would be able to drink from the stream.  This Elijah did, but because there was no more rain after the brook dried up.

Elijah then went to stay with a widow and her young son.  They gave him food---though they had little enough for themselves.  But, because God was looking after them, the widow’s supply of food, small though it was, never ran out in the time Elijah was with her.

No rain fell upon the land for three years, and the drought and the famine grew very severe.  In the third year God said to Elijah, “Go to Ahab, and I will send rain.”

About this time Ahab was talking to a man named Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace household.  Obadiah was a good man who believed in God, and had even rescued some God’s prophets from the wicked Queen Jezebel when she was about to kill them.

Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go out and see if you can find enough grass anywhere to keep the animals alive.”

Obadiah was rather fearful.  “The king has been looking for you in every country,” he said, “as if I tell him you are here, and you have moved on by the time he gets to you, then he will surely kill me.”

“Go and tell him,” said Elijah, “I will see him today.”

So Obadiah went and told Ahab, and Ahab set off to meet Elijah.  When he saw then prophet he said, “There you are---the man who is causing all this trouble in Israel!”

“I’m not causing any,” said Elijah; “it is and your people who have disobeyed God’s commands and worshipping idols.”

Ahab could not deny this and he did not attempt to.  Elijah went on, “Order all the people of Israel to come to Mount Carmel.  Bring along the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah whom the Queen Jezebel supports.”

Ahab had little choice.  He thought it possible that Elijah’s God would send rain, so he gathered the people together.

Elijah looked around at the crowd gathered upon Mount Carmel.  “How long are you going to dither between two ways?” he thundered.  “If the Lord is the true God, follow Him, but if Baal is god, follow him.”

There was silence all over the place.  The people did not know what to say. 

I am the only prophet of the Lord here,”  said Elijah, “but there are 450 prophets of Baal.  Now, bring two bulls for a sacrifice.  Let us take one and put it on the wood, but do not light the fire.  Then we shall each pray to our god to send fire and the one who answers, then he is God.”

The people agreed, and Elijah let the prophets of Baal go first as there were so many of them.  They took the bull and prepared it and put it on the wood.  Then they cried to Baal from morning until noon, calling “O Baal, answer us!”  They shouted and danced around, but there was no reply.

“Shout a bit louder,” teased Elijah.  “Perhaps you god has gone on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep. You must waken him.”  So the prophets of Baal cried louder and danced about in frenzy, cutting themselves with their knives and daggers, which was one of their customs.  But still there was no answering voice, and no fire.

When they had all worn themselves out, Elijah said, “Now it is my turn.”  The people gathered round him and watched while he repaired the altar which had been torn down.  He took twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes of tribes of Israel, and built it up, and then dug a trench around it.  He put the wood on the altar and the bull upon the wood.  Then he ordered water to be poured over the whole thing, not once, but three times, until the whole trench was full of water, and the wood was soaking wet.

Then he prayed, O Lord God, show that You are the true God, so that these people will know You want to bring them back to the true faith.”

Immediately, fire came down from heaven, and burnt up the bull and the wood and the stones and the dust; it even dried up the water that was in the trench.  When the people saw this, they were overawed and fell down on their faces crying, “The Lord He is God; the Lord, He is God.”

“Seize the prophets of Baal,” commanded Elijah,  “Let none of them escape!  They have led you wrongly.”  The prophets were seized and put to death, by which act the people really proved that they knew they had a new God.

Then Elijah turned to Ahab and said, “Go and eat, for I hear that rain is coming.”  While Ahab was going, Elijah and his servant climbed up to the top of Mount Carmel.  “Go and look towards the sea,” said Elijah, and the servant went.

“I see nothing,” he said

“Go again”, said Elijah, “seven times.”

At the seventh time, the servant returned and said, “I saw a cloud, no bigger than a man’s hand, rising up out of the sea.”

“Then go and tell King Ahab to get into his chariot and go home before the rain stops him,” said Elijah.

Soon the sky was covered with dark clouds and the wind began to blow, and great heavy raindrops started to fall.  Elijah fastened his robes about him, and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot, all the way back to Jezreel where Ahab’s palace was.