Pre Exile- Elijah- YHWH is God

Intro

its important for you to know the story

the same reason we went through the judges and went through Samuel

now we look at the story of one of the most important prophets

A Strange Introduction

the listing and story of the kings is as usual

Ahab is the most evil one to reign yet

he worships the baals, he marries the princess of the enemy, he orders Jericho rebuilt, and most importantly he never turns to God

because of such a man, God calls a prophet

no introduction to Elijah other than his name and where he is from- east of the Jordan

a three year drought and an escape

Traveling to Zarephath

Traveling to Zarephath words as were given to another prophet of God but this one listens without a word

an odd place for the prophet to go while his nation is starving because of the drought

away from the evil king that Elijah is meant to be the antithesis to for these people

to a widow and her son in the middle of nowhere in the wrong country

Elijah walks up on their last meal and asks for some water to drink and some bread to eat

Do not fear, for the God you mock is alive and working

and so they eat and drink their fill all the time Elijah is there

Son Raised from the Dead

Just as the sins of Ahab and the people that follow him brought the drought upon the land, the woman wonders if her sins brought the death of her son

the significance of shutting up the sky

even back in the OT, this is not how God works or how sin works

God has grace and compassion even in the worst of circumstances

Application

God calls for a calamity in response to disobedience on a great scale

drought that affects several nations all at once tons of people

Elijah is not sent to care for widows and orphans of his own country but of the enemy

all of Israel refuses to believe in God anymore save a handful, but this woman and her son in Sidon do

the God that people mock for having shut up the heavens is still working today to, if only we will be the ones calling out to him

God hears, God works, God is