Elijah said that Israel would suffer a severe drought; starvation would result; there would be clear evidence that the Lord God of Israel (and not Baal) controlled the weather! TITLE: Lessons from the Life of Elisha. Take a moment and share this stream on your page so that more people can experience this service! The fire of the Lord crashed down and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and even the dirt surrounding the altar. Just as Elijah trusted God to send food by way of the ravens when he was lodging by the brook, and just as Elijah and the widow of Zarephath trusted the God of Israel for a fresh supply of oil and flour, and just as Louisa Stead received special help after the death of her husband—so we are told also to throw all our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us. Louisa Stead and her husband (and their 4-year-old daughter) lived in New York City. The houseguest is God’s prophet Elijah. One afternoon during the summer of 1890, Louisa packed a picnic lunch, and their little family spent some time along the shore of Long Island—playing in the sand, wading in the ocean, and enjoying a few hours of relaxation and rest. The lesson also reminds us that Elijah was human like we are—and he struggled with times of doubt and fear like we do. Louisa was born in England and had come to America in 1871 on a visit with her family. Now, the prophet told the king that there would be a heavy rain storm (1 Kings 18:41). When Elijah prayed to the living God, God’s power was clearly evident, and the people fell on their faces to proclaim that the Lord (not Baal) is the true and living God. She rushed to where their daughter was playing in the sand, picked the child up, and held her close to her trembling body. And so, even though Elijah was in a wilderness area, God miraculously provided for him, much as He had done for the entire nation during the 40 years of wandering in the Sinai wilderness. INTRODUCTION: 1. Even so, Elijah dared to ask the woman for something she really could not afford to give. Ahab agreed to the challenge, and sent a message to all the people, and summoned the pagan prophets to appear on Mount Carmel (verse 20). The power of God to restore a dead child to life. Elijah would need to have his faith reinforced soon enough—in order to face the challenge of powerful kings, and to confront the pagan priests of Baal. God has protected the significance of miracles by the rarity of their occurrence. Just to know, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ Elisha served Elijah diligently. Later they emerged, only to drop quickly out of sight again. A severe famine had gripped the land. Anyhow, Elijah took twelve stones (one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel) and used the stones to repair the altar (verse 31). Elijah, the Prophet - (1 Kings 17:1-8) The quintessential prophet of the Old Testament is Elijah. 3) God’s power over man’s life is in God’s words. He had set up idols to Baal at the villages of Dan and Bethel. Jezebel was determined to spread the worship of Baal throughout Israel. Paul took up a serpent without experiencing any harm. Perhaps the mental image of black ravens delivering food to Elijah twice a day (on schedule), helped to embed in his memory the fact that God never forsakes His people, no matter how severe the circumstances. Elijah appeared suddenly. God does not depend on people with “big names,” or on people with illustrious backgrounds, to do His work. Elijah spoke to her in the name of “the Lord God of Israel” (verse 14), and assured her that it was the living God who would sustain her. The Bible book of 1 Kings traces the line of kings in the North from Jeroboam through Ahab, and also the line of kings in the South from Rehoboam through Jehoshaphat. After all, who ever heard of being fed by ravens, or depending on a poverty-stricken widow for daily sustenance? Lessons in the Life of Elijah Lesson One 1 Kings 17:1-7 Unwavering Tenacity Elijah is an Old Testament prophet who is unique in many ways: • Elijah appears on the scene with little to no knowledge of his background. The lesson from Elijah’s life is that, whatever the method, we do confront false beliefs and religions and seek to bring people to worship of the true God. • There is no call story telling us how he became a prophet or any word to … It follows the life of one adult in history (Elijah from the bible's old testament) as he meets the challenges of 1) berating a weak corrupted king, 2) surviving a long drought and famine (part of that time alone in the wilderness), 3) helping a poor widow through her time of need, anger, and dwindling faith, 4)beseeching God to return a dead child to life, 5)destroying the idols his people were … Elijah said that Israel would suffer a severe drought; starvation would result; there would be clear evidence that the Lord God of Israel (and not Baal) controlled the weather! The lesson to be learned from Elisha. The autumn and spring rains (and the summer dew) were necessary for the crops to germinate and grow. Normally, people in that society did not eat much meat, but with the severe drought, many animals were dying and so meat was more abundant.). In the physical realm, He can bring life again to a cold body that had died. Elijah did not have to spend long hours calling upon God to get Him to respond with fire. It lasted more than three years (1 Kings 18:1). Robert Lehigh, Editor
Baal was considered the life-giving god who brought rains so that the people might have abundant crops. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). A single prophet challenged the whole northern kingdom of Israel to return to God. Ahab said to Elijah, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17). Now the Lord commanded Elijah to go to Ahab and announce that the Lord would soon send rain (1 Kings 18:1), but the nation would need to decide whether Jehovah (the Lord God of Israel), or Baal (th… Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, Testings By the Brook (Part 2) (1 Kings 17:4-7) 6. Special miracles were the exception rather than the rule during much of Bible history. Though the world may grow very evil and corrupt God preserves a remnant of true believers, who serve Him faithfully (1 Kings 18:13, 19:18). The Message of Elijah (1 Kings 17:1) 4. 2. Idolatry is still alive and well in our circles. But in every instance God... 2. When the contest was completed, and it was clear that the Lord indeed was the true God, then the false prophets of Baal were seized and were condemned and executed according to the law of God as set forth in Deuteronomy 13:1-11. The next morning she found a large basket of food at the front door, and an envelope with enough money to buy shoes for the little girl. Zarephath was not part of Ahab’s territory, but was in the region where Jezebel’s father reigned. Rehoboam was Solomon’s son, and Jeroboam was one of Solomon’s servants. 2) We often wonder how it was possible for the people of Israel to fall under the sway of idols. She often said, “What more could one ask in life than a good husband and a lovely little child—and a feeling that one has found his place in God’s plan?”. Some of Judah’s kings in the South were good kings. Rehoboam rejected the people’s request to relieve the tax burden, and this led to division within the nation Israel. She may have been a refugee from Israel—or she may have learned about the true God by some other means.). Elijah took the boy to his room, stretched himself over the body, and pleaded with God to return his life. He reigned over Israel for 22 years, and “did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). Rehoboam was Solomon’s son, and Jeroboam was one of Solomon’s servants. Three miracles were demonstrated in 1 Kings 17: These miracles without a doubt gave Elijah special boldness when he stood before Ahab, and later before the prophets of Baal. The Carmel mountains were regarded by the Phoenicians as the sacred dwelling place of Baal, and so the contest was to take place on Baal’s home turf. Obadiah conveyed the message to the king. He was a courageous man who spoke out against evil—without any concern for his personal safety. If you will turn to Him, and pray to Him, and trust Him, and obey Him—you too will know that He is the living God. The brook was what in Israel is called a “wadi”—a stream-bed that flows with water during the rainy season, and dries up when the weather turns hot. The king of Israel (in the North) at the time of our lesson today was a man named Ahab. James says that Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are (James 5:17). In verses 2-3 of 1 Kings 17, we learn that once Elijah had delivered his message, God ordered him to hide. Her dire poverty meant that she had very little food to eat—only a handful of flour left in a jar—and a small amount of cooking oil in a cruse (a small jug). Evidently the people of Israel had not used this altar for a long time, or perhaps some of their enemies had destroyed it. Despite her scarcity of food, she was to feed the prophet before she met her own needs and those of her son. This section centers on Elijah’s dramatic contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. It was at this crucial time in the Northern kingdom of Israel—when pagan worship was making inroads among God’s people—that Elijah appeared on the scene. 346, This message is based on a part of the life of Elijah. Elijah appeared suddenly. The message in this issue of Bible Helps tells about the beginning of Elijah’s ministry, and centers especially on the widow’s jug of oil which did not become exhausted—in response to her simple faith. And so, even though Elijah was in a wilderness area, God miraculously provided for him, much as He had done for the entire nation during the 40 years of wandering in the Sinai wilderness. Zarephath was not part of Ahab’s territory, but was in the region where Jezebel’s father reigned. To Ahab ( recorded in 1 Kings 19 that the famine spread Israel! And their 4-year-old daughter ) lived in New York city periods in the physical realm, he saw a gathering! 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