Characters

Elijah

Heroes in BibleForce

Known As

Slayer of Idols & A Dedicated Prophet of God

Lessons in the BibleFroce Bible

Where in the Bible?

The Books of Kings, Malachi , James and Luke

Stories in the BibleFroce Bible

Did You Know

Elijah put his heart and soul into his prayers—and God listened and took action.

Bio – Elijah

9th century BC

Elijah was a mighty prophet of the Lord. Not much is known of the background of this man from Tishbe, in Upper Galilee, but he stood out as a champion of the Lord in a time of great wickedness. He confronted Ahab, who was the ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel at the time, and Ahab’s wife Jezebel, who was a priestess of the false god Baal. Because of their evil actions, Elijah told them, there would be a dreadful drought throughout the land that would not end until he said so.

God told him to flee to a ravine. There, he was brought food by ravens and survived on the water from the brook, until God sent him to speak to a widow in Sidon. The widow and her young son were on the point of starvation, but Elijah told them that as long as the drought lasted, her flour and oil would not run out. When the widow’s son fell ill and died, Elijah called out to God, and the child was brought back to life.

Later, Elijah instigated a huge contest on Mount Carmel with the numerous priests of Baal, to show the people who was the true God. He told them that they had to commit to either one or the other. “If the Lord is God,” declared Elijah, “follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” The priests of Baal were unsuccessful in their attempts to call upon their god, but when Elijah’s water-logged sacrifice was consumed in flames, the people fell to their knees and acknowledged that the Lord was God. This was the end of the period of drought.

There was a time in his life when Elijah was plagued with feelings of despair and hopelessness. He spoke to God of his feelings of worthlessness, and God reassured him and restored him in his courage. At the end of his life, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire drawn by fiery horses. His spirit was passed on to his disciple, Elisha, who went on to perform many miracles. When Jesus was transfigured, it was Elijah who joined Moses by his side.

Elijah was bold and devout. The very name Elijah means “my God is Yahweh (or Jehovah)”, and in everything he did Elijah showed his devotion to God, never turning from his duty to pass on the Lord’s message, no matter the danger in which he found himself. He exposed hypocrisy, condemned idolatry, and confronted kings and queens. He put his heart and soul into his prayers—and God listened and took action. In spite of the evil times in which he lived, the opposition that he faced, and the doubts he had, Elijah was filled with commitment and zeal, and always turned to God.

Copyright ©2020 International Publishing Services (IPS) Sydney Australia

Elijah - Slayer of Idols & A Dedicated Prophet of God

Bible Verses About Elijah

1 Kings 17:22-24

Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. … Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.”

1 Kings 18:36-37

“Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”

2 Kings 2:11

Suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Malachi 4:5-6

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,

James 5:16-18

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Luke 1:17

[John the Baptist] will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

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