{"id":38173,"date":"2025-11-01T10:50:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T15:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/?p=38173"},"modified":"2025-11-10T11:07:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:07:08","slug":"meet-elijah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/meet-elijah\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Elijah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a time when most of God\u2019s people had turned away from Him and were worshiping idols,<\/em><\/strong> God sent a prophet to remind His people that He was the one and only true God. This prophet\u2019s name was Elijah, and we learn about him starting in 1 Kings 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bearer of Bad News\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Without any introduction or explanation, Elijah is introduced in 1 Kings 17:1 as \u201cthe Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead.\u201d The first thing we see him doing is giving the wicked King Ahab a message from God: \u201cAs the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.\u201d God then instructed Elijah to leave and \u201chide by the Brook Cherith,\u201d where God told him that he would \u201cdrink from the brook,\u201d and that He had commanded the ravens to feed him there (1 Kings 17:2-4). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bearer of Better News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After a period of time, the water in the land dried up\u2014including the Brook Cherith, where Elijah had been staying. God then told Elijah to \u201cArise, go to Zarephath…and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you\u201d (1 Kings 17:9). But when Elijah arrived, the widow had felt the painful effects of this long drought, and she did not think she had enough food to help him. She told Elijah, \u201cI do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die\u201d (1 Kings 17:12). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Isn\u2019t this a sad situation? The good news is that Elijah had a message from God to deliver to this woman, a much better<\/strong> message than the one he had given Ahab! The Lord\u2019s message was this: \u201cThe bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth\u201d (1 Kings 17:14). Just as Elijah had delivered \u201cbad news\u201d to Ahab, he delivered \u201cgood news\u201d to this poor widow and her son. This is what God\u2019s faithful prophets have always done\u2014they simply delivered the messages that God told them to deliver. Sometimes those messages were difficult to hear, and sometimes they brought joy and comfort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Elijah was staying with the widow, her son became sick and died. Elijah prayed to God that the child would come back to life, and God answered his prayer by reviving the child. In so many important ways, God was able to bless this woman and her family through the presence and work of Elijah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Brave Baal Challenger<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The next thing that God told Elijah to do was to \u201cGo, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth\u201d (1 Kings 18:1). At this point, \u201cthere was a severe famine in Samaria\u201d (1 Kings 18:2), and King Ahab was \u201chunting\u201d everywhere for Elijah, since he blamed him for the drought and famine in the land. In truth, it was Ahab\u2019s idolatry and unfaithfulness to God that was the cause of the trouble. Elijah\u2019s conversation with Ahab ended with Elijah challenging the hundreds of false prophets who served Baal and Asherah to meet him on Mount Carmel. Elijah intended to demonstrate the amazing power of the one and only God of heaven! When everyone had arrived at Mount Carmel, Elijah proposed a \u201ccontest\u201d to determine whether Baal or the LORD was \u201cGod.\u201d The challenge was this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal\u2019s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God\u201d (1 Kings 18:22-24a). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like any \u201cgood sport,\u201d Elijah let the prophets of Baal go first. They prepared their altar and their sacrifice, \u201cand called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, \u2018O Baal, hear us!\u2019 But there was no voice; no one answered\u201d (1 Kings 18:26). Elijah showed the ridiculousness of idolatry by mocking them and saying, \u201cCry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened\u201d (1 Kings 18:27). The prophets of Baal continued to cry out to their false god \u201cuntil the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice\u201d (verse 29), even cutting themselves \u201cwith knives and lances,\u201d but there was no answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then it was Elijah\u2019s turn. After repairing and preparing the altar of the LORD that had been broken down, he made a trench around the altar, put the wood and the bull on the altar, and said, \u201cFill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood\u201d (verse 33). He did this three times and \u201cfilled the trench with water\u201d (verse 35). Elijah then said a simple prayer to God, calling on Him to hear him and to turn the hearts of the people back to God. The results were instant: \u201cThen the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench\u201d (verse 38). In one of the most \u201cone-sided\u201d contests in human history, God (through Elijah) defeated the prophets of Baal in memorable fashion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Broken Human Being<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, immediately after this encouraging victory, Elijah became overwhelmingly discouraged. After the prophets of Baal were defeated, Ahab\u2019s wife, Jezebel, \u201csent a messenger to Elijah, saying, \u2018So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time\u2019\u201d (1 Kings 19:2). When he heard this threat, Elijah \u201cran for his life,\u201d \u201cwent a day\u2019s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die\u201d (verse 4). Elijah was a powerful prophet and servant of God, but\u2014like all of us\u2014he was also a human being who struggled with emotions, discouragement, and fear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How did God respond to Elijah\u2019s request to die? God handled Elijah with gentleness, patience, and understanding. He sent an angel to feed Elijah, He allowed him to rest, and He appeared to him in a meaningful and powerful way to encourage and instruct him in his upcoming work (1 Kings 19:5-18). Elijah was told by God to anoint Elisha to replace him as God\u2019s prophet, but Elijah continued to serve God. Elijah had one more encounter with King Ahab\u2014this time to condemn him and his wife, Jezebel, for murdering a man named Naboth and taking his vineyard for himself (1 Kings 21). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beloved by God<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2 Kings 2, we see the amazing account of God taking Elijah into heaven. The Bible says that \u201csuddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire and separated the two of them [Elijah and Elisha]; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven\u201d (2 Kings 2:11). Along with Enoch (Genesis 5:24), Elijah was one of only two people who never died. God simply took them home to be with Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Elijah lived an amazing life of service to God. It was not \u201cnormal,\u201d it was not always easy, and it was sometimes even scary, but he was a faithful servant and prophet who spoke God\u2019s messages plainly and boldly. The New Testament refers to Elijah as an example of someone \u201cwith a nature like ours\u201d who \u201cprayed earnestly\u201d (James 5:17). He was not a perfect person\u2014only Jesus could be described in this way\u2014but he shows us the importance of faith, obedience, and fully trusting in the one true God!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc’s Corner: Are Spiral Galaxies Evidence of a Young Universe?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
If you stir a hot foamy drink with cinnamon sprinkled on top, you might see a spiral galaxy shape in the foam. As the foam continues to spin, the part of the spiral close to the center spins faster than the \u201carms\u201d of the shape, which causes the spiral to become a \u201cblob\u201d after a few spins. If spiral galaxies are billions of years old (as is argued by scientists who believe in an old Universe), they should all look like \u201cblobs\u201d today. However, over 77% of the galaxies in the Universe are still recognized to be spiral galaxies, because we can still see their arms. Logically, they must be young, just as the Bible teaches. [If you get a chance, check out the Andromeda spiral galaxy through a telescope!]<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/td>\"\"<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Interactive PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a time when most of God\u2019s people had turned away from Him and were worshiping idols, God sent a prophet to remind His people that He was the one and only true God. This prophet\u2019s name was Elijah, and we learn about him starting in 1 Kings 17. Bearer of Bad News\u00a0 Without any… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":38174,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"kids-category":[546,547],"people":[485],"bible-book":[],"language":[168],"age-group":[171],"publication":[249],"class_list":["post-38173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-misc","kids-category-bible-stories","kids-category-men-of-the-bible","people-jeremy-pate","language-english","age-group-kids","publication-discovery"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LI-Discovery-Meet-Elijah-JP-02.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38184,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38173\/revisions\/38184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38173"},{"taxonomy":"kids-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kids-category?post=38173"},{"taxonomy":"people","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people?post=38173"},{"taxonomy":"bible-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible-book?post=38173"},{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=38173"},{"taxonomy":"age-group","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/age-group?post=38173"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apologeticspress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=38173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}