Elijah

Elijah was a prophet in Israel during the ninth century BC. Elijah’s name means “my God is the Lord.” This meaning fits his strong opposition to the worship of Baal.

The Scriptures give no information about Elijah’s family. They say only that he was a Tishbite. He probably came from the land of Gilead, east of the Jordan River.

Elijah lived mainly during the reigns of King Ahab of Israel, from 874 to 853 BC, and King Ahaziah of Israel, from 853 to 852 BC. The biblical story of Elijah appears in 1 Kings 17 through 2 Kings 2.

Elijah was called by God during a critical time in Israel’s history. At that time, the northern kingdom was strong both economically and politically. It was the strongest it had been since it separated from the southern kingdom.

King Omri of Israel, who ruled from 885 to 874 BC, began a policy of trade and friendly relations with the Phoenicians. To strengthen this alliance, Omri arranged for his son Ahab to marry Jezebel. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre.

Jezebel brought the worship of Baal with her to Israel. Baal worship was a false religion, and it spread quickly. This new worship soon threatened the very existence of the kingdom.

God sent Elijah to call the nation and its leaders back to the Lord. He did this through his prophetic message and through miracles.

Elijah began his recorded ministry by delivering a message to King Ahab. He announced that the nation would suffer a drought. The drought would last until Elijah himself declared that it had ended (1 Kings 17:1). In this message, Elijah repeated a warning first given by Moses. Moses warned that turning away from God would bring serious consequences for the nation (Leviticus 26:14–39; Deuteronomy 28:15– 68).

Elijah then hid himself in a ravine (a narrow valley) on the east side of the Jordan River. He stayed by the stream called Cherith. This place may have been in the valley of the Yarmuk River, in northern Gilead.

While Elijah stayed there, he had enough water to drink. Ravens brought him food two times each day. When the stream later dried up, God told Elijah to leave that place.

Elijah then went to the Phoenician village of Zarephath, near Sidon. A widow cared for him even though she had very little food. Because she obeyed Elijah, God provided a miracle. Her supply of meal (grain used to make bread) and oil did not run out until the drought ended.

While Elijah was staying with the widow, her son became sick and died. Elijah prayed to the Lord for the child. By God’s power, the boy was brought back to life and restored to good health.

In the third year of the drought, the Lord told Elijah to speak to King Ahab. God said that he would soon send rain to Israel.

As Elijah returned, he met Obadiah, an officer of Ahab. Obadiah was searching for water for the king’s animals. Elijah told Obadiah to arrange a meeting with Ahab.

At first, Obadiah refused. For three years, Ahab had searched for Elijah throughout Israel and nearby kingdoms. He likely wanted to force Elijah to announce the end of the drought.

Obadiah feared that Elijah would disappear again while he went to get the king. If that happened, Ahab would become very angry. Elijah promised that he would remain there until Obadiah returned. After this promise, Obadiah arranged the meeting between Ahab and the prophet.

At the meeting, Elijah rejected King Ahab’s charge that he was the one causing trouble in Israel. Ahab called him the “troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17–18). Elijah said that Ahab and his family were responsible because they had abandoned the Lord’s commands and followed other gods. Ahab had even allowed Jezebel to support a school for Baal and Asherah prophets. Elijah then requested a public gathering on Mount Carmel for a contest between the prophets of Baal and the prophets of the Lord to determine the true God.

One of the most important events in Elijah’s ministry was the contest on Mount Carmel. King Ahab gathered the people of Israel there. He also brought four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of Asherah.

Elijah challenged the people with a clear question. He asked how long they would remain divided in their loyalty. He said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).

Elijah then explained the test. Two sacrificial animals would be placed on two altars. One altar would be for Baal, and the other would be for the Lord. The prophets of each god would call for fire from their god. The true God would be the one who answered with fire.

All day, the prophets of Baal called out to their god, but nothing happened. They danced wildly around the altar. They even cut themselves with knives until they bled, as part of their worship. Still, there was no response.

When it was Elijah’s turn, he repaired the ruined altar of the Lord. He prepared the sacrifice and built a trench around the altar. Elijah then poured water over the sacrifice until the trench was filled.

Elijah prayed briefly to the Lord. Immediately, fire came down from heaven. It burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It also dried up all the water in the trench(1 Kings 18:38).

When the people saw it, they fell on their faces in repentance, chanting, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). At Elijah’s command, the people captured the prophets of Baal and killed them by the brook Kishon. Then Elijah, at the top of Mount Carmel, prayed hard for rain. Suddenly, the sky turned black with clouds. Rain began to pour, ending the long drought. Ahab rode back in his chariot to Jezreel, 32.2 kilometers (20 miles) to the east. God’s Spirit gave Elijah the strength to outrun Ahab, and he arrived in Jezreel first.

Jezebel, angry about the killing of the Baal prophets, sent a message to Elijah: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I have not made your life like the lives of those you killed!” (1 Kings 19:2). When Elijah got her message, he panicked and ran to Beersheba.

Elijah left his servant in Beersheba and traveled alone for another day into the desert. There, he lay down under a broom tree. He felt despair and exhaustion and asked God to take his life. Instead, an angel appeared and gave him bread and water twice. After he slept, Elijah continued on his journey.

After 40 days, Elijah reached Mount Horeb and found shelter in a cave. There, the Lord asked him why he was there. Elijah explained that he was the only prophet of God left in Israel, and now his life was in danger. In response, God showed Elijah powerful natural forces (a great wind, an earthquake, and fire) to demonstrate His ability to help. Finally, God encouraged Elijah with a gentle, quiet voice. The Lord had more tasks for Elijah to complete. God also told Elijah that he was not the only faithful person in Israel. Seven thousand other people remained loyal to the Lord.

Because Elijah had faithfully delivered God’s message to King Ahab, the Lord gave him another task. Elijah was to announce a message of judgment. This message addressed Israel’s continued refusal to listen to God.

God revealed that two rulers would carry out this judgment. One was Hazael, who would become king of Syria (around 893 to 796 BC. The other was Jehu, who would become king of Israel from 841 to 814 BC. Elijah was instructed to anoint both men as kings.

The Lord also told Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor. Elisha would serve alongside Elijah and learn from him. Later, Elisha would take over the full work of the prophetic ministry.

After Elijah returned to Israel, he boldly confronted King Ahab about Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab wanted Naboth’s property but respected the law about land ownership. Ahab also never fully abandoned his ancestral faith (1 Kings 21:27–29). However, Jezebel ignored the Mosaic law and plotted to have Naboth killed with false charges.

When Ahab took control of the vineyard, Elijah called him a murderer and a thief. Elijah predicted divine judgment, including the fall of Ahab's dynasty and Jezebel's terrible death (1 Kings 21:17–24). However, Ahab repented, so the judgment was delayed.

The Lord's judgment on Ahab was fulfilled when the king died in a battle with Syria in 853 BC. After his death, dogs licked up his blood, just as the prophet Elijah had predicted (1 Kings 21:19). Shortly after Ahaziah became king, he had a severe fall. While he was ill, he sent messengers to ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, if he would recover.

The Lord sent Elijah to stop the messengers on their way. Elijah gave them a message for the king. It was a rebuke for seeking guidance from a false god instead of the God of Israel. It was also a warning that Ahaziah would die from his injuries.

Ahaziah sent a captain with 50 soldiers to arrest Elijah. Fire from heaven consumed them at Elijah’s words. A second captain and another 50 soldiers faced the same fate. The third captain begged the prophet to spare his and his soldiers’ lives. Elijah went with this captain and delivered God’s message to the king personally. The king would not recover and would die because he had asked pagan gods for help instead of the true God.

Elijah was called mainly to serve the people of Israel. However, he also delivered a message from God to Jehoram, king of Judah.

In this message, Elijah rebuked the king for following the sinful practices of Israel. He warned Jehoram for worshiping false gods and for failing to live in the faithful ways of his father and grandfather (2 Chronicles 21:12–15).

As the end of Elijah’s ministry approached, Elisha refused to leave him. Together they traveled to groups of prophets at Bethel and Jericho. After this, they crossed the Jordan River in a miraculous way. Elijah struck the water with his cloak, and the river divided so they could cross.

Elisha then asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. This meant the share given to a firstborn son (see Deuteronomy 21:17). Elisha wanted to become Elijah’s true successor and continue his work.

Elisha knew that God had granted his request because he saw what happened next. Elijah was taken up into the heavens in a whirlwind, with a chariot and horses of fire.

Other prophets searched for Elijah in the hills and valleys near the Jordan River, but they could not find him. God had taken his faithful prophet away. Elijah, like Enoch, did not experience death and was taken directly by God.

When Baal worship from Tyre spread into Israel through Jezebel, Elijah was sent to stop it. He reminded everyone that Israel's God was the only God of the whole earth. Elijah started important work that Jehu continued by killing many Baal worshipers among Israel's leaders (2 Kings 10:18–28). Elijah's mission was to end heathen worship to save Israel, paving the way for future prophets who would follow his example.

Miracles played a key role in Elijah's work. They showed he was God's messenger and aimed to bring Israel's kings back to God. Some scholars have dismissed these miracles or tried to explain them differently. However, the Old Testament clearly supports their truth, and the New Testament confirms them.

Malachi named Elijah as the forerunner of the "great and awesome Day of the LORD." Elijah will "l turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:5–6). Jewish writers often explore this theme in their literature. Elijah will "restore the tribes of Jacob" (Ecclesiasticus 48:10). He is mentioned in the Qumran Manual of Discipline of the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to the Mishnah, a collection of Jewish oral law, he is the central sign of the resurrection of the dead. He is also the subject of songs sung at the end of the Sabbath.

In the New Testament, the angel told Zechariah that Malachi's prophecy referred to John the Baptist. John was to continue the work of another Elijah (Luke 1:17, spelled "Elias" in the King James Version). Jesus himself confirmed this (Matthew 11:14; 17:10–13).

Jesus mentioned Elijah's stay in Sidon (Luke 4:25–26), and the apostle Paul talked about the prophet's time at Mount Horeb (Romans 11:2). The apostle James used Elijah as an example of a righteous and prayerful man (James 5:17).

Elijah appeared again on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses. They talked about Jesus' upcoming death (Matthew 17:1–13; Luke 9:28–36). Some Bible scholars think Elijah will return as one of the two witnesses in the end times (Revelation 11:3–12). This would fulfill Malachi's prophecy that he will come before God's dreadful judgment day.

A leader of Benjamin’s tribe (1 Chronicles 8:27). In the King James Version, his name is spelled Eliah.

A priest who married a non-Jewish wife (Ezra 10:21).

A layman who also married a foreign wife (Ezra 10:26).