To begin our Elijah Bible study today, I have a trivia question for
you ... What in the world would you and Elijah have in common? I mean
... Elijah was one of the most popular and potent Prophets in the Old
Testament. Most would imagine this Elijah Bible entity to be this
perfect and fearless man. I mean, God chose him to be a prophet and
he was performing miracles right and left. So, let us look in on this
mighty man of God in the Elijah Bible verses, shall we? I would like
to share a story from the Bible with you that affects every
one of you in your Christian walk.
1 Kings 18:21-22
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and
said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the
Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow
him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then
said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain
a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four
hundred and fifty men.
How would you feel if you were Elijah?
Surrounded by haters and those who followed a false god, but God
calls you to go share Truth, so you do. This is the essence of the
Elijah Bible verses story.
So, Elijah asks
the people how long they will continue to live as tho they
have two gods. There was just him representing the Lord at
this gathering and 450 prophets of the false god, baal.
He was outnumbered but not overpowered. He had faith.
1 Kings 18:23-25
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and
let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut
it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire
under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay
it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on
the name of your gods, and I will call on the name
of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let
him be God. And all the people answered and said, It
is well spoken.
25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of
Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and
dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the
name of your gods, but put no fire under.
Prepare for an Elijah Bible study excellent event ... Elijah
challenges these wanna be prophets of a false god to a contest of
sorts to see who the REAL God is. He suggested he prepare an animal
sacrifice for the Lord and they sacrifice one to their false god and
see who responded.
1 Kings 18:26-29
26 And they took the bullock which was given
them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of
Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal,
hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that
answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was
made.
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah
mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god;
either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in
a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be
awaked.
28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves
after their manner with knives and lancets, till the
blood gushed out upon them.
29 And it came to pass,
when midday was past, and they prophesied until the
time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that
there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any
that regarded.
So, in the Elijah Prophecy event, Elijah lets the 450 false prophets
go first. (He is such a gentleman) They chanted and carried on, but
it was a no show by their god. Elijah mocked em and said maybe your
god is busy talking with someone else or on a journey or maybe
sleeping. They began to cut themselves in a vain attempt to grab
their false god’s attention, but to no avail ... Cuz he was not
there. Right about now, we can imagine the hopeless look on the faces
of the false prophets. But what about the followers? How do you think
they felt right about now when their false god did not answer?
1 Kings 18:30-35
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come
near unto me. And all the people came near unto him.
And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was
broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones,
according to the number of the tribes of the sons of
Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying,
Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he
built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made
a trench about the altar, as great as would contain
two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order,
and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the
wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and
pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And
he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the
second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And
they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round
about the altar; and he filled the trench also with
water.
Now, it is time for the Elijah Bible verses miracle ... Elijah
prepares His offering to the Lord. As you can imagine everybody and
their momma was watching to see what would happen. Would God really
respond? Had they REALLY been following a false god and abandoned the
only true God?
1 Kings 18:36-39
36 And it came to pass at the time of the
offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the
prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham,
Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that
thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant,
and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know
that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast
turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the
Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the
wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up
the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the
people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they
said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the
God.
God answered in
an awesome display and before the eyes of all the people ...
At the word of His prophet, God performed and suddenly the
people knew who the one and only God truly was. Imagine the
ambiance of that very moment in the hearts of the people.
Imagine the ambiance of that very moment in the hearts of the people.
Imagine the joy that Elijah must have felt to see His God react in
this manner. This is an Elijah Bible study truth ... God was truly
with Elijah.
1 Kings 18:40-42
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets
of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took
them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook
Kishon, and slew them there.
41 And Elijah said unto
Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound
of abundance of rain.
42 So Ahab went up to eat and
to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and
he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face
between his knees ...
The false prophets were killed. Then the Elijah Bible story tells us
that Elijah told Ahab that it would rain. This is after a 3½
year drought that Elijah Prophecy predicted 3½ years
earlier.
1 Kings 18:43-46
43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look
toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and
said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven
times.
44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that
he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of
the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say
unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down
that the rain stop thee not.
45 And it came to pass in
the mean while, that the heaven was black with
clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And
Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the
Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and
ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Here comes another wild part of the Elijah Bible study on the Elijah
Bible verses events ... God responded to the word of His prophet. God
brought forth a cloud shaped as a man’s hand and it did rain.
Pretty amazing God we have huh? And what of this cloud shaped Hand? Where else in the Bible do we read of a hand being seen without a body
attached to it? In the book of Daniel, a hand appeared and wrote of a kings
demise because he was flaunting God’s Dishes from the Temple
that was destroyed at this kings lil party.
Daniel 5:5
In the same hour came forth fingers
of a man's hand, and wrote over against the
candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the
king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand
that wrote.
Daniel said it was a Hand sent by God ...
Daniel 5:24
Then was the part of the hand sent from Him ...
The king lost his kingdom and died that very night. Think that man and those who bore witness did not fully
understand the following?
Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of
the living God.
One more lil tidbit ... Ezekiel had a vision of
Cherubims (Angels) having a man’s hand under their wings.
Ezekiel 10:8
And there appeared in the Cherubims the form of a
man's hand under their wings.
So, whatcha think the cloud, shaped as a man’s hand in our Elijah
Bible verses story today, the hand that wrote of the demise of a king
in Daniel's time and the hand under the wings of these Cherubims
represents? It is the Power of God. It is the Spirit of God.
Ezekiel 8:3
And He put forth the Form of an Hand,
and took me by a lock of mine head; and the Spirit
lifted me up between the earth and the Heaven, and
brought me in the visions of God ...
Let us return to our Elijah Bible study looking into the Elijah Prophecy within the Elijah Bible verses for even more exciting events
to come. Now, here comes the interesting part ...
1 Kings 19:1-2
1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and
withal how he had slain all the prophets with the
sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah,
saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if
I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to
morrow about this time.
So king Ahab goes
back and tells queen Jezebel what Elijah did and this
angered her and she sent a message to Elijah saying I am
gonna get ya. One would think he would say, “Yeah right,
bring it on lady” especially after what just happened and
what he had seen the Lord do for him.
But ... Elijah did not react that way.
1 Kings 19:3-4
3 And when he [Elijah] saw that, he arose, and
went [ran] for his life, and came to Beersheba,
which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant
there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the
wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper
tree: and he requested for himself that he might
die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away
my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
Now, here comes an important Elijah Bible study on Elijah Prophecy
tidbit ... Elijah ran and hid in fear and asked God to allow him to
die saying enough is enough. We all know just how he felt at times in
our lives ya know? We all get tired and weary from the trials and
tribulations that we are to endure even after we have seen the
Miracles that God has performed for us in our lives, during our past.
And just like God will be there for you again and again ... He came
to Elijah’s rescue yet again.
1 Kings 19:5-8
5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree,
behold, then an Angel touched him, and said unto
him, Arise and eat.
6 And he looked, and, behold,
there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of
water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and
laid him down again.
7 And the Angel of the Lord came
again the second time, and touched him, and said,
Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for
thee.
8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went
in the strength of that meat forty days and forty
nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
Of course God was still there for Elijah as well and sent
an Angel to hook him up with some food and that meal
lasted him 40 days and nights.
Here is the Elijah Bible study warning ...
Tell me friend ... Ever get lost like Elijah did in fear, doubt,
pride or any other overwhelming emotion finding
yourself feeling alone and useless and yet as
undeserving as we are, awake to find that God is still
there in Spirit nudging you to carry on?
Sure ya do, we all do. Now, these next Elijah Bible verses have an essential
ingredient you may wanna partake of. You will hear of a
voice, but will you hear what the voice said? Most get
caught up in the essence of the sound of the Voice
itself, but fail to capture the message from the Voice.
Here we go ...
1 Kings 19:9-14
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged
there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to
him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here,
Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for
the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel
have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine
altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and
I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to
take it away.
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon
the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord
passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the
mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the
Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after
the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the
earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the
Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still
small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it,
that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went
out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And,
behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What
doest thou here, Elijah?
14 And he said, I have been
very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the
children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant,
thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets
with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and
they seek my life, to take it away.
Now, lemme get this straight ... At this point in our Elijah Bible
study ... After the Lord asks what he is doing there and Elijah
answers it reveals the Lord answered Him in a still small voice and
it says that Elijah heard the still small voice yet went out and
stood at the mouth of the cave. A voice repeats the original question
and Elijah repeats his answer.
Why was he asked a question by the Word of the Lord in the
Elijah Bible verses story? He answers, but then a still voice tells
him something so he walks away to mouth of cave and a voice asks
again what he is doing there? And Elijah repeats his answer? What do
you think is going on?
Perhaps he was overwhelmed by his own
thoughts. His own fears deafened him. He could not
comprehend the meaning of the words of the still small
voice. So, here comes the Lord to clarify.
1 Kings 19:15-18
15 And the Lord said unto him, Go,
return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and
when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over
Syria:
16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint
to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of
Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be
prophet in thy room.
17 And it shall come to pass, that
him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu
slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu
shall Elisha slay.
18 Yet I have left me seven thousand
in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto
Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
What is the Lord saying to Elijah in the Elijah Bible story? He is
telling Elijah to get up and get back to work and that He (God) has
everything under control.
The point of why I am sharing this
story is to show you that we are all just human. Even those who God
chooses to serve Him and gives great Spiritual gifts are just humans
that are chosen and used as His Body of Christ to reach and teach
others who are so very lost and troubled.
More Elijah Bible study truth ... We would really like to be in
control of everything and know what is going on behind the scenes,
but we just do not. We must Trust in the Lord that He has it all in
check. That He is in control and we put our Faith in Him, not ourselves.
I would like for you to consider this
Truth every time you fall down and are con-vinced by the
whispers from the enemy or from your own guilt and shame
and/or from others that saw the fall that you are not
worthy to serve the Lord.
We are just human and tho we strive to do
our best, we fall and it always seems someone is there
to point it out for us. We all fall short. We all have
our faults. We all have our vices. We all sin. We all
fall down as we sojourn down this VERY difficult
Christian path being renewed within day by day. Even
Elijah fell.
Elijah Bible Study Summary
Elijah Bible Verses Conclusion
But Why?
Why would God allow us to endure these
trials and tribulation which we fall victim to and fall?
The Christian walk is a healing process for the Original sin that
dwells within us. It is not a quick fix but rather an eternal healing
of the soul. We are being perfected by God. One day at a time. The
trials and tribulations which have us fall, teach us patience for the
next trial.
Romans 5:3
And not only so, but we glory in
tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh
patience ...
But, the cool thing is that, like we find in the Elijah Bible verses
... God oft times sends an Angel to uplift us. God also uses His
children (humans) to be that Angel. We have each other. We can always
offer to reach out for another instead of stepping on their necks. WE
can choose to b Angels that come and share the Spiritual food (Word
of God) to replenish their weary soul.
Galatians 6:1
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a
fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one
in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest
thou also be tempted.
We are our brother’s keeper.
Our Elijah Bible study on the Elijah Bible verses reveals that
prophets are very human ... Just like you and I. But, that does not
mean God can not or will not use us for His cause.
