God told him to go confront Ahab, the king who hated him and wanted to kill him. God told him to go and let a poor widow provide for him. He told him to go to a river and wait there and the ravens would provide for him.

Obedience (1 Kings 17:3,5 17:9-10, 18:1-2)- On several occasions God gave Elijah very difficult commands. Describe a situation where you can make a stand for God in the world today. He put his life on the line, having faith that God would answer his prayer and show Himself to His people. Another example is his challenge to the prophets of Baal. The New Testament says that if we have faith we can move mountains and Elijah is an example of someone who demonstrated this kind of faith. Soon after that he pleaded with God to raise up the dead boy and God listened to him. He confronted Ahab at the very beginning of the account, and God used him to bring a drought onto the land. There are many strengths in his life that we can learn from.įaith (1 Kings 17:1, 21 18)- There were several times in his life when Elijah demonstrated great faith in God. Strengths: Elijah was a dedicated servant of the Lord in a time when it was very dangerous to even believe in or worship the true God. Pride?- Did Elijah show pride in 1 Kings 19:10,14? Sometimes he had an emotional high and then depression would follow. He experienced highs and lows in his walk with God. Inconsistent/prone to ups and downs- Elijah was a human. This demonstrated a lack of faith in God and His protection. Carmel, Elijah grew afraid of Jezebel and ran away. He ran seventeen miles from Carmel to Jezreel faster than Ahab’s chariot (1 Kings 18:46).įear (1 Kings 19)- Right after God brought about a great miracle and answered Elijah’s prayer on Mt. He was a hairy man, a rugged outdoor type. Special traits: See training and occupation. He was going to come to earth again before the Messiah (John the Baptist), and he appeared along with Moses at the transfiguration. He was one of the most significant figures in Israel’s history, along with Abraham, Moses, and David. God accomplished a number of miracles through Elijah. God used him to bring about a revival in the Northern Kingdom. Place in history: Elijah was one of the most important and most respected prophets in Israel’s history. Since he was a full-time prophet/servant of God, God used other means to take care of his needs. He was able to move from place to place easily.

This suited him for his role as a full-time prophet and servant of the Lord. He had strange dress and appearance (2 Kings 1:8), was fleet of foot (1 Kings 18:46), had a rugged constitution that resisted famine (1 Kings 19:8), and dwelt in caves (1 Kings 17:3). However, from his habits it appears that Elijah was an outdoors type.

Training and occupation: No specific training is mentioned. Therefore Elijah, whose name means “Yahweh is God” or the “Lord is my God”, would have stood out from the crowd and faced danger of persecution and death. The people primarily worshiped Baal, partially because of the influence of Jezebel. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already split off from Judah for a long time. When and where he lived: Elijah lived during the ninth century B.C. The tribe of Benjamin produced several heroes and mighty warriors. He was a Benjamite, son of Jeroham (1 Chro 8:27). Ancestry and family life: Elijah was a Tishbite from Gilead.

Elijah video bible study