The Story of Elijah: Introductions

Kyle Lammott

The Story of Elijah • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

1 Kings 16:29–17:7

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Has anyone seen the new Avengers Movie?

I have not yet seen it, but I’ve heard is really good.

Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of 18 movies over the course of 10 years — a whole cinematic universe reaching its zenith in a battle for the fate of humanity and beyond

There are 40 marvel characters in the movie, and each one has a backstory.

For someone who didn’t grow up reading the comics, nor have I seen all the marvel movies, I feel like I will miss so much of whats going on in the movie.

If you are not familiar with the stories and the timelines getting dropped into a movie with 40 different characters and trying to understand whats going on is daunting task.

Part of the enjoyment of watching a movie in a series like the Marvel movies is being able to know and understand the different characters

And I think to a greater degree that is the feeling of bible readers when it comes to reading books like 1 and 2 Kings.

There are so many names, stories, kings, prophets etc. that its hard to keep them all straight.

Like the New Avengers Movie has 40 characters, there are 40 kings in first and second kings

Often times we tend to get overwhelmed and eventually lose interest in reading these books because we don’t know how it fits into the story of the bible, nor do we see how they apply to our lives.

And when that happens, we miss out on some of the greatest stories in the bible, we miss out on some of the greatest descriptions of God, and we miss out how the OT constantly pointing forward and preparing us for Jesus.

And one of the great stories you’ll miss is the story of Elijah.

Elijah is an amazing character in the bible,

I’ll be honest, a few hours reading the stories surrounding Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel, Elisha YHWH, Baal, Prophets and kings, and so on, Marvel movies are boring in comparison.

The stories found in the book of Kings are far greater than ant man and spider man.

I assure you the vision of the Davidic Kingdom is far greater than Wakanda

The Power of Elijah is far more impressive than Hulks

And the Jezebel is far more sinister than Loki.

So for the next couple months we are going to dive into 1st and 2nd kings to look at the Story of Elijah

So turn with me to 1 kings chapter 16.

Now, before we jump into this story I want to bring clarity to when this is happening and how it fits in the greater story of redemption.

Starting From the Beginning...

Creation, Eden, Adam and Eve

Cain and Able

Noah’s flood

Tower of Bable

Call of Abraham

The Abrahamic covenant (Seed, Land, Blessing to the Nations) This is one of the overarching theme in the bible

Abraham had a son named Isaac

Isaac had a son named Jacob

Jacob had 12 sons which is the beginning of the twelve tribes

There was a famine in the land so they go to Egypt (this is the story of Joseph) (Thats the book of Genesis, which is a prelude to the rest of the bible)

They are in Egypt for 215 years before Moses leads them out

Exodus

The Law is given (Mosaic Covenant - which finds it end and purpose in Christ)

40 years wondering in the wilderness

Moses dies and Joshua takes over

When Joshua dies we are introduced to the Judges

The Judges rule the 12 tribes for about 410 years

After the judges we have the kings

Saul - Evil

David - Davidic covenant (1 kings begins with David as an old man about to die)

David has brought unity to the tribes of Israel and has made them one kingdom

God promised David that through his line the kingdom of God would be Established and God would reign over all the nations

Fulfilling the promises to Abraham in

The 2 books of the kings tells the story of the long line of kings that came after David, and how none of them lived up to the promise.

rather, they basically run the nation of Israel right into the ground

After David Dies, his son Solomon becomes king

Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem

Solomon Identifies a young man named Jeroboam and puts him in leadership

Solomon has a son and names him Rehoboam

When Solomon dies Jeroboam and Rehoboam fight over the throne, and the kingdom splits.

Israel in the North

Israel in the North - Jeroboam - 10 tribes follow him

Judah in the South - Rehoboam - 2 tribes follow him

This split happens in 1 kings 12

Kingdom Divided

1 kings 12 through the end of 2 kings follows the 20 kings of the north and the 20 kings of the south.

During the time of the kings God raises up Prophets to go and speak God’s words to the kings.

Elijah is 5th prophet in the book of Kings.

So now we are caught up with the story, so turn with me to 1 kings 16:29

God promised David that through his line the kingdom of God would be Established and God would reign over all the nations

The 2 books of the kings tells the story of the long line of kings that came after David, and how none of them lived up to the promise.

rather, they basically run the nation of Israel right into the ground

1st and 2nd Kings Out

1 kings 1-11 Solomon’s Reign

1 kings 12-16 - Israel splits in two

- Israel’s kings and the prophets

- Road to Exile

- Jerusalem’s Deminse and Babylonian Exile

Villains

The Joker

Voldemort

The White Which

Satan

The Villains: Ahab And Jezebel

Great stories have great villains

Darth Vader - Star Wars

The Joker -Batman

Voldemort - Harry Potter

The White Which - Chronicles of Narnia

And the story of Elijah has incredibly evil and wicked villains.

1 & 2 Kings 1 Kings 16:15–34

Ahab is the seventh king of the northern kingdom (following Jeroboam I, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri

And we are introduced to the villains Ahab and Jezebel in 1 kings 16.29ff

1 Kings 16:29–31 ESV

Alright, We have Ahab, a king of Israel

The kings are supposed to bring about the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant

The kings are supposed to establish God’s rule on earth

The kings are supposed to follow the law of God and read it everyday for their entire life ()

But Ahab doesn’t do any of these things. He is the 7th out of 20 kings in Israel, and he is the worst king ever to sit on the throne in the northing kingdom.

Verse 30 says, “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him”

So not only is Ahab an evil king, but he marries one of the most evil women in all the bible

Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians

The Sidonians are people from Sidon which is one of the main Canaanite cities

The Canaanites were the main villains during the days of Joshua.

God gave his people victory over the Canaanites and they drove them out of the land.

And now, King Ahab not only invites a Canaanite princess back into the land, but invites her into his bed as his wife.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Jezebel, Wife of Ahab, Daughter of Ethbaal

Jezebel is the wife of King Ahab of Israel (874–853 BC) and the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians.

What we see happening is that Ahab is pursuing a program of “re-Canaanitization”

He is reinstitution the worship and practices of the Canaanites that YHWH drove from the land.

Part of the worship and practives of the Canaanites was Baal worship

Baal: the god of the Canaanites

Baal was the chief god of the Canaanites

Baal was the god of the storm: he was the one who caused the rain, dew, snow and storms.

Baal worship included everything from bowing down to idols, to watching others engage in sexual acts, to sacrificing children.

So we have Ahab and his wife Jezebel not just breaking God’s law, but engaging in highhanded rebellion against Him.

The king of Israel, God’s covenant people, was serving and worshiping Baal as 1 k 16:

You know what one of the problems we have when reading stories like the Exodus, or Elijah, or the Judges… We don’t think that the villain deities are real.

I mean, we often think that Baal worship is kind of a joke because they are just bowing down to graven images… We think that Baal is not actually real…

We have modernized so much of the bible, trying to rationalize it away. We often reject the supernatural unless God is the one doing it. This has resulted in bible reading becoming boring.

Baal was real. like really real.

Elijah did not think Baal was just some stone carved bull. God himself didn’t consider the ‘gods’ that threatened Israel as being anything less than real. When god judged the gods of Egypt with the 10 plagues, he was judging real divine beings

Baal was not just this stone idol that people bowed down to

Baal was not just an idea in peoples minds, or a superstition

Baal was a real demonic entity. He had real power. He was and is as real as Satan himself

Baal actually had power the power to grant life and welfare, he had the power to bring rain and storms, he had the power to give good crops, he would protect his people from forces of destruction

Baal is considered the Lord of the Underworld, or the Lord of the Dead

He was the ruler of the sea, the rain, thunder, lightening, dew, snow.

It was Baal who was given credit for good crops and thus he was the sustainer of life for his people

Baal had boarders to his kingdom, he had his own mountain, he had alters, he had temples, he had priests and prophets

Baal was the ruler of the other gods

The Bible presents Baal as an anti-YHWH

Those who worshipped Baal considered him to be king

I am convinced from the scriptures and ancient writings that Baal is actually Satan himself

The gospels pick this up when they talk about Baalzebul and connects Baalzebul (which is Baal) directly with Satan.

And Ahab, KING Ahab, the one who is supposed to rule YHWH’s people and listen to, serve and worship YHWH has shaken his fist at God and has bowed the knee to Baal

Look with me at

1 Kings 16:32–34 ESV

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.

Ahab actually built an alter and a temple for Baal in Samaria

He also made an Asherah which was a wooden idol that represented the godess of fertility. Asherah polls were common in Baal worship.

We then read that Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

Verse 34 tells us that not only did he set up the worship service for Baal, but he also oversaw the rebuilding of Jericho.

And this happened by Hiel of Bethel (who was the builder) being cursed by God, because, to raise up Jericho is to sacrifice your own children to Baal.

And

Joshua 6:26 ESV

26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.”

And Ahab and Jezebel are happy to sacrifice children in order to rebuild the ancient Canaanite stronghold, Jericho.

Rebuilding Jericho symbolizes the reversal of the conquest.

Instead of destroying Canaanites, Ahab busies himself restoring their cities

To look at it in context of what has happened thus far in the bible

Ahab has turned into a new Pharaoh

Israel is turning into a new Egypt

And the people of God are back in slavery

for God’s people are enslaved to demonic powers of Baal

Not only this a reversal of the conquest, but its a reversal of the Exodus. They are trying to rebuild Egypt.

Do you see how horrific Ahab and Jezebel are?

Illustration*

In modern day Ahab and Jezebel are priests in the ‘christian’ church who

Fight for and celebrate the sacrificing of children

now today abortion sacrifices children on an alter of convenience, health, and finances

They are the priests who turn their back on the word of God and preach sermons that celebrate the culture of homosexuality, sexual liberty, gender neutrality, and victimization.

They are the priests who celebrate pornography and the destruction of the family.

Do you see how horrific Ahab and Jezebel are?

As the story continues we will see in far more detail their sinister nature and hatred for God and his people.

But this is the context to the story

Israel is being run by an apostate Baal worshipping king and his pagan wife

Child sacrifice is happening,

Ahab builds a temple for Baal

Sexual immorality is off the charts

Alters, priests and prophets of Baal are in place.

And demons and satan are ruling Gods people

So we see the villains in this story; Ahab and Jezebel.

but we also see the greater villain working behind the scenes and that greater Villain is Baal, the demonic power of Satan himself.

However, though man is faithless, God is faithful to his promises and to his plan. And God raises up a man to go to war against the demonic powers that are ruling Israel.

And this is where we see Elijah the Prophet step onto the scene

The Prophet: Elijah

Prophets:

Prophets are the men who stand in the council of God.

The prophets are the ones who are to go to the Kings give them the words of God

The prophets are the ones who are to call out sin, they hold a mirror before the kings so they can see their reflection in light of God’s law

The prophets communicate the blessings and the curses that are going to come upon God’s people (depending on whether or not they are faithful to the covenant)

Profile of Elijah

Elijah is considered the most significant prophet in the OT

Part of the reason is that it is Elijah who inaugurates the prophetic epoch of the OT

The OT is broken up into three big books, or three major epochs. Priestly, Kingly, and Porphetic

Moses inaugurated the Priestly epoch (epic)

Saul and David inaugurated the Kingly epoch

Elijah inaugurated the Prophetic epoch

Elijah is just a really cool character, I mean when you get into the story of Elijah there is no comic book character that can touch him.

Ancient Jew literature speak of Elijah saying,

Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire,

and his word burned like a torch.

2 He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.

and by his zeal he made them few in number. 3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens,

3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens,

and also three times brought down fire.

The Revised Standard Version Chapter 48

Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire,

and his word burned like a torch. 2 He brought a famine upon them,

and by his zeal he made them few in number. 3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens,

and also three times brought down fire. 4 How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!

And who has the right to boast which you have? 5 You who raised a corpse from death

and from Hades, by the word of the Most High; 6 who brought kings down to destruction,

and famous men from their beds; 7 who heard rebuke at Sinai

4 How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!

And who has the right to boast which you have?

5 You who raised a corpse from death and from Hades, by the word of the Most High;

and from Hades, by the word of the Most High; 6 who brought kings down to destruction,

6 who brought kings down to destruction, and famous men from their beds

and famous men from their beds; 7 who heard rebuke at Sinai

It was Elijah who was covered by the whirlwind,

and Elisha was filled with his spirit;

The Revised Standard Version Chapter 48

It was Elijah who was covered by the whirlwind,

and Elisha was filled with his spirit;

in all his days he did not tremble before any ruler,

and no one brought him into subjection. 13 Nothing was too hard for him,

in all his days he did not tremble before any ruler,

and no one brought him into subjection. 13 Nothing was too hard for him,

I love this, “In all his days he did not tremble before any rule”

Elijah is a bad dude!

His name means “My God is YHWH”

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Overview

which is fitting since most of his efforts are aimed at proving that the Lord, Yahweh, is superior to the local storm deity, Baal

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Overview

which is fitting since most of his efforts are aimed at proving that the Lord, Yahweh, is superior to the local storm deity, Baal

He wore an animal hide for a garment and wore a leather belt around is waist

He was a powerful faith filled man who trusted God in the face of life threatening danger

Elijah was the type of guy who was not afraid to speak his mind nor tell people where they are wrong.

We also see Elijah caring deeply for the less fortunate

James talks about Elijah as a man of faith and a deep devotion to prayer

Elijah was a Spirit empowered man.

The Spirit of God filled Elijah and by God’s power Elijah:

raised people from the dead

controlled the weather

went to war with demonic prophets

parted the Jordan river so he could walk through it

Called fire down from heaven multiple times

provided an unending supply of oil and flour for a widow

He could even predict the future

At the end of his life he was taken into heaven riding a tornado on a chariot of fire

Elijah is also a typological figure

Elijah is seen as a new Moses

In fact, 1 kings 17-19 follows the same pattern as Moses and Israel’s life

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Elijah (Person)

Allusions to the stories of the Exodus pervade chaps. 17–19 and establish a parallelism between the ministries of Elijah and Moses. The geographical framework of the three chapters recalls Moses’ wanderings: each prophet begins his journey with a flight eastward to escape a king’s wrath; each lodges with a family. Each returns to his country to face and challenge the king, and to awaken faith among the Israelites. Each leaves the country again on a journey to Sinai/Horeb, where he experiences a theophany. Each then departs for Israel via Transjordan.

Allusions to the stories of the Exodus pervade chaps. 17–19 and establish a parallelism between the ministries of Elijah and Moses.

Which we we see as we move through the Story.

each prophet begins his journey with a flight eastward to escape a king’s wrath;

each lodges with a family.

Each returns to his country to face and challenge the king, and to awaken faith among the Israelites.

Each leaves the country again on a journey to Sinai/Horeb, where he experiences a theophany.

Each then departs for Israel via Transjordan.

Mosaic allusions in chap. 17 link these three stories to and .

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Elijah (Person)

Mosaic allusions in chap. 17 link these three stories to Exodus 16 and Numbers 11. Like Moses and the Israelites, Elijah is fed by Yahweh (17:6; cf. Exod 16:8, 12); Yahweh’s miraculous food takes the form of cakes baked with oil (17:12–16; cf. Num 11:7–9); Elijah and Moses complain about Yahweh’s mistreatment of a faithful servant (17:19–21; cf. Num 11:11–12).

Like Moses and the Israelites, Elijah is fed by Yahweh (17:6; cf. , );

Yahweh’s miraculous food takes the form of cakes baked with oil (17:12–16; cf. );

Elijah and Moses complain about Yahweh’s mistreatment of a faithful servant (17:19–21; cf. ).

Elijah is an eschatological prophet, meaning that he has/had a role to play in the future.

John the Baptist is the one who came in the spirit of Elijah (they even dressed the same)

Jesus’ prophetical ministry is modeled after Elijah ministry (Luke 4)

Elijah and Moses are the ones who appear with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration

As we continue with the Story of Elijah we will see in more detail how God used him in mighty ways.

So we are introduced to Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1

1 Kings 17:1 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.”

The very first verse of the bible that mentions Elijah gives us a great idea of who this man was.

He goes directly to Ahab and makes it very clear who he is and for whom he speaks.

He said to Ahab

Elijah is Man who stands before God

This is the role of the prophets, they stand before God, they are part of God’s council, and they brings the words of God to his people.

Elijah is fearless, though king Ahab and his wife Jezebel are haters of God and the things of God Elijah goes directly to him to speak the words of God.

Elijah says to Ahab, “there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word”

Ahab is probably thinking, “Who does Elijah think he is!” Ahab serves Baal, the god of the storm, the giver of rain and snow and dew.

And this crazy looking prophet thinks he can by his words dismantle the power of Baal?

Perhaps this is a joke…

For Elijah to say this to Ahab is a threat of the highest order

Elijah is standing there before the King and is challenging his chief god, Baal

Baal is one who has made it to the top of the Canaanite pantheon of gods by defeating every other god in order to be the champion god, the king.

And now Elijah is standing there challenging the champion demon.

And it is this challenge that drives the story of Elijah forward. It is because of this challenge that we eventually see the showdown between YHWH and his prophet, Elijah, and Baal and his prophets.

But this showdown doesn’t happen for another 3.5 years… So what happens next?

Well, the words of Elijah came true, there was no rain or dew.

crops began to die

cattle began to die

the economy began to really suffer

And a famine is beginning

And Ahab and Jezebel would be seeing red because their great god Baal is being shown up by the words of a single prophet.

So not long after warning the king and challenging Baal, God spoke to Elijah… Look at verse 2 and following

1 Kings 17:2–7 ESV

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.

1 Kings 17:2–8 ESV

So God told Elijah to leave his people and head east toward brook Cherith in order to hide.

God provision is seen as he commands ravens to feed Elijah

The Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meet in the evening.

He drank from the brook and was sustained by the miraculous power of God.

God provided for Elijah in a very similar way that provided for Israel as they left Egypt, manna and qual.

God provision for his people is an amazing thing in the bible

We read this story and think, “man! Look at God’s provision.”

Elijah out in the wilderness by himself

Hiding because his life is in danger because the evil king wants to kill him

Drinking from a brook while getting fed by birds morning and evening

And we begin thinking while sitting on a recliner, with a belly full from a great dinner,

comfortable because the AC is keeping your house at a nice 71 degrees

and we think to ourselves, “man, I wish God would provide for me.”

You see, when God speaks, and we speak the words that he speaks, he is faithful to sustain your breath so you can keep speaking.

Elijah followed

So now with King Ahab wanting to kill Elijah. The story will follow Elijah in the wilderness until God calls him back to face Ahab and go to battle with Baal.

Elijah was bold in his faith and he was willing to sacrifice everything to speak the words of God before the king.

Elijah’s faith sustained him, empowered him, and through it God wrote one of the greatest stories in the bible.

So now with King Ahab wanting to kill Elijah. The story will follow Elijah in the wilderness until God calls him back to face Ahab and go to battle with Baal.

It would be easy for us to think

Elijah is different, he is like a super Christian

Elijah had a different kind of spirit than we do

Elijah was special

James says,

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.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.

We have the same spirit as Elijah

We serve the same God as Elijah

And we are in covenant with our God in a better way than Elijah.

Lets look at Elijah and aspire to be men and women who are filled with the spirit and speak truth in the face of danger.

Lets follow Elijah’s example and be confident that too stand before the Lord.

1 kings 16 29-

And let us be men and women who are thankful for God’s provision, even when it comes in ways that are not expected.

1 Kings 16:29–31 ESV

Lets pray.

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.

1 king 16.29-34

1 & 2 Kings 1 Kings 16:15–34

First, Omri and his son Ahab pursue a program of “re-Canaanitization,” reinstituting the worship and practices of the Canaanites that Yahweh drove from the land

1 & 2 Kings 1 Kings 16:15–34

Of course, Jericho was the first city that Joshua conquered (Josh. 6–7), and its rebuilding symbolizes the reversal of the conquest. Instead of destroying Canaanites, Ahab busies himself restoring their cities

The Story of Elijah: Introductions

​

Starting From the Beginning...

Villains

The Villains: Ahab And Jezebel

Baal: the god of the Canaanites

The Prophet: Elijah