Elijah: Examples of Faith: Three

What Made Elijah so Powerful?

We first meet one of God’s most incredible prophets, and yet, there is no background of his family, age, appearance, or what made him desire to be a mighty prophet of God.

In the very first verse is something to note: Is God making a specific point about what he’s looking for in a trusted, in this case, servant? Your background, family, and physical attributes are just not what’s important to him. Your desire to serve Him is.

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 17:1-20)  

We don’t know exactly where Tishbe was, but we do know where Gilead is located. We don’t know Elijah’s age, nor about his father or mother, or whether he had brothers or sisters. It is, however, important 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 very bad news. Elijah obeyed. Now, remember, the king had the power of life and death over all in the kingdom. (His wife Jezebel went about slaughtering many of God’s prophets–the king–did nothing.) 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 opening the door for Baal. He erected an altar to Baal. He didn’t just build a house for Baal; he built a temple and placed inside idols of Asherah and Baal. Right-smack-dab in the capital of 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 of no rain and certain famine, Elijah was immediately told by Yahweh to escape and to travel to a specific place (an area, in Gilead, he knew well). It lay on the other side of the Jordon River, and it was named the Brook of Cherith. 

Here is another point I picked up on: God doesn’t promise everything is going to go easily. Elijah had to run for his life.

Elijah stayed at the Brook of Cherith for some time, and God provided him with sustenance. He was fed by the ravens. Not top-flight restaurant fare, yet as God had fed his people in the desert, there was food to keep him alive.

The Bible doesn’t provide us with Elijah’s age, but here is a hint. Elijah was one fit dude. He could run for miles and miles quickly. And he did. He traveled into the desert for many days without food. Not to be too grim, but he also cut off 450 heads and still ran 13 miles to beat Ahab to his palace. 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 perhaps over a year along the river, God sent him to Zarephath in Phonecia. 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 Ahab, Jezebel, and her father Ethbaal, are searching everywhere for Elijah, God sends him to be taken care of by a widow who lives right under their noses. The odd thing is: that she and her son were starving. Amazing how this works out. (To be continued.)