Elijah’s Historical Background (Elijah-Examples of Faith:Two)

Elijah's Historical Background (Elijah-Examples of Faith:Two)

If you don’t know the record of Elijah’s contribution to our Biblical history, a brief summary is in order: Elijah means “Yahweh is My God.” Eliyyaha, in Hebrew, lived in the 9th Century BC and took on the invasion of Baal worship in the Northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel.

Ahab’s father, the king of Israel, Omri, allied himself with Ethbaal, King of Tyre and Sidon. Jezebel was the daughter of the priest-king Ethbaal, ruler of the wealthy coastal Phoenician cities. When Jezebel married Ahab, she persuaded him to introduce the worship of the god Baal-Melkart, a nature god of the Phoenicians, into Israel. This directly opposed what the Lord had commanded them not to do. A woman of cunning and wile, Jezebel, tried to destroy those who opposed her; many of the prophets of Yahweh were killed by murdering death squads, which she initiated.

Soon after their marriage, she convinced Ahab to build a temple to Baal in the heart of the capital, Samaria. As the actions of the Kings of Israel had a profound influence over all of the citizens, this malignant example encouraged evil worship throughout Israel. This meant that the Israelites accepted Baal and Yahweh, putting Yahweh on a par with Baal, the god of the clouds. (Some years later, the ultimate result of this practice saw the people of Israel overrun and taken captive, never to return to the country.)

Elijah arrives to confront Ahab and proclaims a drought as punishment in hopes that the people of Israel will return to the true God— away from the Storm god Baal and to the God who had rescued them from Egypt and had called them to be his people. A confrontation occurs on Mount Carmel where Elijah trusts God to bring fire from heaven when Jezebels 450 Prophets of Baal, the storm god, cannot. The peoples’ faith is reignited in Yahweh, and the prophets of Baal are killed. But the story has not ended. Jezebel sends a message to Elijah, saying essentially: I am coming after you with everything I’ve got. Elijah flees and reaches Mount Horeb (Sinai), where Moses received the ten Commandments. At first, ready to quit, God revitalizes Elijah.

While Elijah is gone, Ahab, with the help of Jezebel, has their neighbor Naboth killed and steals his land, which Ahab has coveted for a long time.

Elijah returns and denounces Ahab for his crimes. After Ahab has died in a battle where he tries to deceive his allied king Jehoshaphat, his son, King Ahaziah, appeals to Baal to heal him of an injury, and Elijah once more upholds the exclusive rights of Yahweh by bringing down “fire from heaven.” After bestowing his mantle on his successor, Elisha, the prophet, Elijah is taken to heaven in a whirlwind. This is a simplified summary, but I hope it sets the stage for some individual lessons.

Elijah-Examples of Faith: Three-What made Elijah so Powerful?

Gratitude,

Anthony

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