Elijah

Elijah
By Daniele da Volterra, an Italian painter
Period	The age of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah in the northern Kingdom of Israel
Family	Unknown
Birthplace	Tishbe, Gilead
Occupation(Features)	Prophet

Elijah (Hebrew: אֵלִיָּה) was a prophet of God who worked in the northern Kingdom of Israel around the 9th century BC (during the age when the Kingdom of Israel was divided). The name Elijah means “My God is Jehovah”; "Eli" means "my God" and "Jah" means Jehovah.

Introduction

About Elijah

Elijah lived during the reign of Ahab, the seventh king of the northern Kingdom of Israel, and he continued working until the time of King Ahaziah. As a prophet, he proclaimed the word of God and performed many miracles through God’s power. He wore a garment of hair and a leather belt.

It is presumed that he lived in Tishbe in Gilead, a region located east of the Jordan. It is only assumed that he lived there because he is called a Tishbite in the Bible, and there is no other information about his parents or tribe. This was a very unusual case because in the Old Testament, people were always mentioned with their parents and tribes.

Elijah’s greatest achievement was when he confronted 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel, through which he revealed that the LORD was the true God. In the book of 2 Kings, it is written that he went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

Historical Background

After becoming queen of Israel, Jezebel urged Ahab and the Israelites to worship Baal. King Ahab accepted Baal worship and built the temple of Baal in Samaria, and also made Asherah poles to worship idols, which then led all the Israelites into practicing idolatry. Ahab’s evil deeds, which were more severe than any other king, provoked God to anger. Not only did Jezebel kill God’s prophets, but she even tried to kill Elijah without repenting of her sin, despite it being revealed to her on Mount Carmel that God Jehovah was the only true God. She did not hesitate to commit the evil act of falsely accusing God's people, who tried to follow His will correctly, and she killed them as well as took all of their property.

Elijah’s Work

Elijah Fed by Ravens by Guercino, an Italian painter

Prophesied a Great Drought

Elijah went to King Ahab and declared that there would be neither dew nor a drop rain over the next few years except at his word. After this, a severe drought began in Israel. In obedience to God’s word, Elijah hid in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. Every day, God sent ravens to bring him bread and meat to eat. Sometime later, when the brook had dried up, God sent him to a widow in Zarephath of Sidon.

The Miracles for the Widow and Her Son

When Elijah went to the town gate of Zarephath, there was a widow gathering sticks. Although she only had a handful of flour and a little oil, she served Elijah first with a small cake of bread. As a result, she was blessed to witness her jar of flour never being used up and the jug of oil never running dry until the drought ended.

Later on, the widow’s son died of an illness. Elijah prayed to God, “Let this boy’s life return to him!” (1 Kings 17:21). After he said this, a miracle happened; the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.

The Confrontation on Mount Carmel

The Sacrifice of Elijah Before the Priests of Baal by Domenico Fetti, an Italian painter

In the third year of the drought, God told Elijah to go and present himself to King Ahab. As the drought in Samaria became severe, Ahab summoned Obadiah, divided the land they were to cover, and set off to find water. Obadiah was a righteous man who hid a hundred prophets and supplied them with food and water while Jezebel was killing off God’s prophets. He ran into Elijah and reported to Ahab that he had seen him just as Elijah instructed him. King Ahab came to meet Elijah, who then told the king that Israel was troubled because he had abandoned God’s commands and followed the Baals. Elijah also told Ahab to summon the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah in Israel, so that he might reveal the true God to them.

When many people and false prophets gathered on Mount Carmel, Elijah suggested that the false prophets offer a sacrifice in the name of Baal and that he offers a sacrifice in the name of the LORD. They agreed that the god who answers by fire is the true God.

The confrontation began with the Baal worshipers who took the bull, placed it on the altar, and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “O Baal, answer us!” they shouted (1 Kings 18:26). They danced and shouted louder around the altar. They also slashed themselves with swords and spears as was their custom, until their blood flowed. In the end, however, they received no response.

Elijah then asked the people to come closer and watch. He built an altar to God and dug a trench around it. He arranged the wood, laid the bull on the altar, and poured water on the offering and the wood. At the appointed time of the sacrifice, Elijah stepped forward and prayed:

“Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

1 Kings 18:37

After he said this, the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and it also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell face down and cried out, “The LORD—He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). Elijah commanded them to seize the prophets of Baal without letting anyone escape. They seized them and brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

Then Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, kneeled down, and prayed earnestly. Sometime later, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, and a heavy rain came down. It was the first time it rained in three and a half years.

Fled to Mount Horeb

Upon hearing the news that Elijah killed the prophets of Baal, Queen Jezebel became furious and ordered Elijah to be killed. Learning about this, Elijah traveled for forty days and forty nights until he reached Mount Horeb. He went into a cave and pleaded with God, “O LORD, the Israelites have rejected Your covenant, broken down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death. I am the only one left” (1 Kings 19:10). God, however, encouraged him and said that He reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees had not bowed down to Baal. He also commanded him to anoint Jehu king over Israel and to anoint Elisha to succeed him as a prophet.

Appointed Elisha

Following God's command, Elijah went from Mount Horeb and found Elisha. Elisha was a farmer and was plowing the field when Elijah found him. Elijah shared with Elisha that it was God's will for him to become a prophet. Upon hearing this, Elisha immediately burned the plowing equipment to cook oxen and gave the meat to the people. After this, he set out to follow Elijah.

Rebuked Ahab for Taking Naboth’s Vineyard

A man named Naboth was living in Jezreel and owned a vineyard close to King Ahab's palace. One day, King Ahab suggested to Naboth that he should sell the vineyard to him so he could turn it into a vegetable garden. Naboth, however, refused to sell it, saying that God forbade him from giving his inheritance away. This made Ahab very upset. Jezebel, who learned of the situation, wrote a letter to the elders and nobles who lived in the city with Naboth.

Using the elders in Naboth's city, Jezebel had Naboth seated in a prominent place with two scoundrels seated next to him. She made the scoundrels testify that Naboth cursed both God and the king. Upon hearing this, the people took Naboth outside of the city and stoned him to death.

When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of his vineyard. Elijah was waiting by the vineyard and rebuked Ahab and Jezebel for their sins and prophesied that they would be cursed by God and die a miserable death (1 Kings 21).

Soon after, King Ahab was wounded by an arrow while fighting in a battle and died. Ahab’s men washed his blood-stained chariot in a pool in Samaria where dogs came and licked up his blood. Jezebel also faced her terrible end by being thrown out of a window and trampled on. All that remained of her was her skull, feet, and hands.

Rebuked Ahaziah

Ahaziah, son of Ahab, became king after his father died and reigned for two years. During that time, he stirred up God's wrath because he did evil in the eyes of God by worshiping Baal. One day, Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room and injured himself. He sent his messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if he would recover from his injury; however, a prophet with a garment of hair and a leather belt around his waist blocked their way. When Ahaziah heard this from the messengers, he asked them what kind of man he was. When they described his appearance, he immediately knew that it was Elijah.

The king sent a captain with his company of fifty men to Elijah, but fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men. At this, the king sent another captain with his fifty men to Elijah, but the fire of God consumed them as it did with the last crew. The king then sent a third captain with his fifty men; however, they were able to avoid death because the captain fell on his knees before Elijah and begged him to spare his and his men’s lives. After this, Elijah got up and went down with him to the king, and he prophesied that the king would surely die. As God said through Elijah, King Ahaziah died and Joram, his brother, succeeded him as king (2 Kings 1).

Ascended to Heaven

Elisha followed Elijah until the end. Before Elijah ascended, Elisha requested the following from Elijah, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit” (2 Kings 2:9). Suddenly, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. After this took place, the mission of enlightening the northern Kingdom of Israel was entrusted to Elisha.

Elijah Is to Appear in the New Testament Times

The prophet Malachi prophesied that God would come to this earth and that the prophet Elijah would come first to prepare the way for Him.

“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

Malachi 3:1

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. . . . See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Malachi 4:1–6

The Relationship Between Elijah and John the Baptist

Baptism of Jesus Christ from the illustration of William A. Spicer’s (U.S.)

The prophecy about Elijah was fulfilled primarily by John the Baptist. According to the prophecy in the book of Malachi, “My messenger will prepare the way before Me,” John the Baptist first performed baptisms of repentance and prepared the way for Jesus Christ before He started preaching the gospel. Also, when Jesus came to him to be baptized, he saw the work of the Holy Spirit and testified that Jesus was the Christ. He wore clothes made out of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist just like Elijah did in the Old Testament times.

The Complete Fulfillment of the Prophecy About Elijah

Even though John the Baptist came to fulfill the mission of Elijah, he did not completely fulfill the prophecy.

• The book of Malachi prophesied that Elijah would appear before the day comes when it will burn like a furnace. This means that Elijah should appear before the great and dreadful Judgment Day. John the Baptist, however, appeared about 2,000 years ago.
  
• It is also written in the Bible that we should remember the decrees and laws God gave Moses at Horeb when Elijah appears; however, nowhere in the four Gospels is there a record of John the Baptist emphasizing the decrees and laws established in the days of Moses. Instead, he performed baptisms of repentance, which was not in the Law of Moses.
  

This means that the prophecy about Elijah in Malachi 4 was not completely fulfilled 2,000 years ago, but that its complete fulfillment will take place when the Last Judgment is near. In the Old Testament times, Elijah confronted the Baal worshipers all alone in Israel where Baal worship was prevalent so that he could turn the hearts of the people to God. Similarly, Elijah will appear in the last days to turn the hearts of God’s people to God and restore the truth of the new covenant by confronting false prophets alone in the world full of the customs of sun god worship.

See also

• Mission of Elijah