Elijah's Origin Story

1 Kings 16:29–34 ESV

29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

Who is Ahab? (29) Son of Omri, King of Israel for 22 years. (30) Evil, worse than those before him. (31) Walked in the sins of Jeroboam. Took Jezebel as his wife. Worships Baal. (32) He erected an altar for Baal in the House of Baal which eh also built. (33) Did more to provoke the Lord than all the kings before him.

Who is Jezebel? (31) Wife of Ahab, Daughter of Ethbaal. Worshiper of Baal. Servant of Baal. Marrying Ahab led to him being even worse as a deep worshipper of Baal. It linked Israel, God’s people’s government to a false god, idol.

Who is Baal? (32) Major influence of this religion in Israel and Judah. Baal was a storm god. The worshippers of this God believed that their god made rain, which was huge in this agricultural context. Apparently in the dry season he submitted to the god of death, Mot. Reminds me of Avengers, puny God.

Verse 34 is crazy!

1 Kings 17:1–7 ESV

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Who is Elijah? His name means “Yahweh is my God.” Talk about up front. He came out of nowhere as God’s prophet. What is a prophet?

(1)Tishbite, tells Ahab “As the Lord, God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.

James 5:17 ESV

17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

He spoke it/prayed it to existence due to his submission and faith in the Lord.

(2-4) God tells him to go hide by the brook Cherith, east of Jordan. He tells him to drink from the brook and tells him that ravens will feed him there.

(5-6) Elijah does what God called him to. He went and lived by the brook, being fed meat and break by ravens. Twice a day.

(7) The brook dries up because there was no rain....

What do we see here of Elijah? He is confident in the Lord over all other Gods, He knows God is faithful to provide everything he needs. He doesn't question God because he is convinced of God’s greatness. God calls him to leave after calling out Ahab, this is a move of protection for Elijah. Elijah has set out to prove Yahweh is better than anything Baal could ever wish to be, and we will see that play out over the course of the next couple weeks.

What can we learn from this intro to Elijah? 1. God is above all other gods, even the one we create for ourselves

a. We should repent of following those other idols for the sake of giving God all of our devotion.

b. We should call others that are worshipping other gods to repentance and trust in God, just like Elijah did.

2. Rely on the Lord for our needs. Physical, Emotional, Spiritual. Listen to His Word.

3. Have boldness in the Lord for the sake of His name.