I ask myself, what made Elijah so powerful? We first meet one of God’s most incredible prophets. Yet, there is no background of his family, age, appearance, or what made him desire to be a mighty prophet of God.
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.” (1Ki 17:1)
Is God making a specific point about what he’s looking for in a trusted, in this case, servant? Our background, family, and physical attributes are not essential to him. Our desire to serve Him is.
We don’t know precisely where Tishbe was, but we do know where Gilead was. We don’t know Elijah’s age, who was his father or mother, or whether he had brothers or sisters. It is, however, essential to note that Elijah started by doing exactly what God asked him to do. God instructed him to go to King Ahab and give him some awful news. Elijah obeyed. Remember, the king had the power of life and death over the kingdom. (His wife Jezebel was responsible for slaughtering many of God’s prophets-king Ahab-did nothing to stop her.) But that didn’t stop Elijah from announcing to Ahab what Yahweh had in mind. To clarify, here is what God said about Ahab and his rule over Israel.
Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife, Jezebel. He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites (1Ki 21:25)
Ahab’s royal court (his government) committed the crime of treason against God and Israel by re-opening the door for the god of the Canaanites, Baal, to be reintroduced into Israel, strictly against Yahweh’s law. Ahab erected an altar to Baal. He didn’t just build a house for Baal; he built a temple and placed idols of Asherah and Baal inside the temple. Right-smack-dab in the capital of Israel, Samaria. Ahab encouraged and enticed by his wicked wife, Queen Jezebel, served Baal and led the nation to near ruin.
After going before the king with a message that there would be no rain, thus, probable famine, until Elijah decided. Elijah was immediately told by Yahweh to escape and travel to a specific place (an area in Gilead he knew well). It ran on the other side of the Jordon River and was named the Brook of Cherith.
Here is another point I picked up: God doesn’t promise everything will go without difficulty. Elijah had to run for his life. He stayed at the Brook of Cherith for some time, and God provided him with sustenance. But not top-flight restaurant fare; he was fed by ravens. Yummy. I can only imagine. Yet, as God had fed his people in the desert, there was food to keep Elijah alive. A prophet’s or apostle’s life is not without difficulty.
The Bible doesn’t provide Elijah’s age, but here is a hint. Elijah was one fit dude. He could run for miles and miles—and quickly. Not to be too grim, but he cut off 450 heads of the prophets of Baal and still had the strength to run 13 miles and beat Ahab to his palace. (Why? A story for another time.) I believe that he was on the younger side. But I’m getting ahead of myself. He stayed at that river Cherith until God told him to go to a different location. Remember, this drought caused a great famine that lasted over three years.
After spending, most likely, over a year along the creek, God sent him to Zarephath in Phoenicia. Why is this important? Zarephath is a city a few miles from Jezebel’s hometown of Sidon. Her father, Ethbaal, was governing king of Tyre and Sidon. So as King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, and her father, King Ethbaal, are all searching for Elijah, God sends him to live with a widow whose home is right under their noses. If that’s not enough, imagine she and her son were starving when Elijah arrived. Amazing how this all works out. So, what made Elijah so powerful? Able to take on so many frightening obstacles?
Faith. He believed that what his Lord told him to do was more trustworthy than any other idea in his life. He loved Yahweh more than anything else in the world.
Gratitude,
Anthony
Elijah-Examples of Faith: Four The Widow of Zarephath
Gratitude,
Anthony
