Elijah 1

trusting God

1 Kings 17:1–7 NKJV

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that 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, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 6 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 it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

Intro:

John G. Butler, Elijah:

“THE ENTRANCE OF Elijah in the Biblical record is abrupt, bold, and dramatic. Like a thunderbolt from the skies, Elijah suddenly appears on the scene and talks to King Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, about the weather”

Elijah the man. VS 1a

1 Kings 17:1 (NKJV)

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

Not a lot is known about Elijah.

His name. God (“El” from Elohim) and the name Jehovah (“jah” from Jehovah

This combination of names makes Elijah’s name mean Jehovah is God.

Elijah the Tishbite. Nothing is known of Tishbe, for there has never been a positive identification of a Tishbe in Gilead or anywhere else.

That does not mean Tishbe did not exist, however. But while we know little of the town of Tishbe, we do know much more about the area of Gilead.

Gilead was located just east of the Jordan River, Gilead was a hilly area that in some places was quite rugged and mountainous.

While it was a generally fertile land so that crops and livestock could thrive in the area, it took much hard labor to make the land produce well because of the ruggedness of the land.

Elijah may have been a farm boy. Rugged and tough.

Something great about God and who he chooses.

You just have to be willing to be used.

You have to obey Gods call.

You have to be faithful.

Something else we know about Elijah. He could predict the weather.

1 Kings 17:1 (NKJV)

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

“As the Lord of Isreal lives” This would get Ahab’s attention. remember, the worship of Baal had taken over, most were no longer worshipping “Lord of Isreal”

If PGBC want to see God to great things. Jesus has to be the Lord of our lives.

If you want to see God do great things in your life, Jesus has to be the Lord of your life.

If I want to see God do great things in my life, Jesus has to be the Lord of my life.

before whom I stand

Elijah letting Ahab know, I stand before God not you.

If Jezebel would have been there, she may have had Elijah taken in and killed.

Elijah the weather man:

there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.

This weather forecast was a message of judgment for the land of Israel. It gave a Divine sentence of judgment upon Israel for their wickedness, for their evil of going after Baal and all the attendant evils of Baal worship.

Baal being the god of fertility, was supposed to be especially strong in the area of rain and good crops. When rain and dew stopped in the land, the people would beseech Baal to bring rain. But Baal would be unable to do that.

Elijah was bold in what he had done, taking a stand against sin, Now his life would be in danger. God would tell his next step.

If you want to be used by God, you have to obey HIs word.

1 Kings 17:2–3 (NKJV)

2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.

2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

1 Kings 17:8 NKJV

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

1 Kings 18:1 NKJV

1 And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.”