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    Elijah, Prophet to Israel
    Elijah, Prophet to Israel
    Elijah, Prophet to Israel
    Ebook136 pages3 hours

    Elijah, Prophet to Israel

    By Russell Taylor

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    About this ebook

    Elijah was probably the most well-known prophet in the Old Testament, yet more is written about his successor, Elisha. He ministered at a time when the northern kingdom of Israel was ruled by an evil king called Ahab and his even more evil wife, Jezebel.

    This study shows various aspects of his ministry and especially his encounters with Ahab and how they can relate to the believer living in an alien world.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRussell Taylor
    Release dateOct 10, 2020
    ISBN9781005716998
    Elijah, Prophet to Israel
    Author

    Russell Taylor

    Russell Taylor was employed for many years in the engineering department of a large steelworks in North East Wales. Following the closure of a large part of the works in 1980 he worked in Local Government in Management Services and Housing Maintenance. After taking early retirement in 1996 he joined the staff of Emmaus Bible School UK where he was involved in their prison ministry. he has also been involved in a broadcasting ministry with GBS Radio but is now enjoying writing.He is married with one daughter and two grandchildren and is active as an Elder in an independent chapel in North Wales.

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      Book preview

      Elijah, Prophet to Israel - Russell Taylor

      ELIJAH, PROPHET TO ISRAEL

      Russell Taylor

      Copyright © Russell Taylor 2020

      Published by Russell Taylor

      All rights reserved.

      No portion of this publication may be reproduced, resold, or given away without written permission of the copyright holder.

      This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment.

      Unless otherwise stated, scripture is taken from the New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All right reserved.

      Table of Contents

      Study 1. 1 Kings 11:1-13 & 16:29 -17:1

      Study 2. 1 Kings 11:1-13 & 16:29 – 17:1

      Study 3. 1 Kings 17:2-8

      Study 4. 1 Kings 17:8-16

      Study 5. 1 Kings 17:17-24

      Study 6. 1 Kings 18:1-16

      Study 7. 1 Kings 18:17-20

      Study 8. 1 Kings 18:20-46

      Study 9. 1 Kings 18:41 – 19:10

      Study 10. 1 Kings 19:1-15

      Study 11. 1 Kings 19:11-21

      Study 12. 1 Kings 21

      Study 13. 2 Kings 1

      Study 14. 2 Kings 2:1-12

      About Russell Taylor

      Other Books by Russell Taylor

      Study 1.

      1 Kings 11:1-13 & 16:29 -17:1

      Of the prophets in the Old Testament that do not have books named after them, Elijah is probably one of the most well-known. He lived during the reigns of Ahab, Ahaziah and Jehoram, which means he lived in the 9th Century BC. Most of what we read about him is centred on the time when Ahab reigned and when people worshipped idols.

      Idolatry was introduced during the reign of Solomon. It came through Solomon's love for many foreign women who did not worship God, and his seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines and a number of princesses.

      God had expressly forbidden His people from marrying foreigners (1 Kings 11:1, 2), and as a result, we read, his wives turned away his heart to worshipping their gods (1 Kings 11:3, 4). His heart was not loyal to the Lord as his father David’s was (Kings 11:4). As a result, we read: he did evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 11:6) and this made the Lord angry (1 Kings 11:9).

      God punished him by splitting the country in two and giving the greater part to someone outside his family; his servant Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:11). But for David's sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem which He had chosen, he would keep part of it for David's descendants. This would be the southern two regions occcupied by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

      The northern part (containing the land allotted to 10 of the twelve tribes) retained the name, Israel, and would be ruled by Jeroboam who had been Solomon’s servant. The southern part (containing the land allotted to the remaining two tribes) became known as Judah.

      This caused a problem, especially in the religious life of the people. God had decreed that all male Jews must return to Jerusalem three times a year for certain festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16). This was something that Jeroboam felt was a threat to his power and authority over the people (1 Kings 12:27). He wasn't going to allow people to go over the border to worship God, as they might be persuaded not to return, or to become a major influence when they did.

      To ensure this didn't happen, he set up two cities to be centres of worship (1 Kings 12:29). Bethel was in the south of the country and Dan in the north. These two cities would be more convenient for the people to visit. They wouldn't have to make the long journey to Jerusalem.

      However, he didn't stop at that. Not only did he not want the people to travel to Jerusalem, he didn't want them to worship God, so to stop this happening, these two places became centres for the worship of idols. He built shrines and appointed his own priests. He also made two calves out of gold for the people to worship and ordained a feast to be held on a date decided by him, to which the people had to attend to celebrate (1 Kings 12:29). As a result, the nation became one which became committed to idolatry.

      This was contrary to what the Lord had commanded when He gave the Law, in which He said, You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image - any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God… (Exodus 20:3-5).

      So, Jeroboam was encouraging the Lord’s people to go against the Lord’s commands.

      As you continue to read through 1 Kings you find that all the kings who reigned after Jeroboam were just as evil as he was. That is until we come to Ahab who we read, Did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him (1 Kings 16:30).

      The first thing we read about him is that he married the daughter of the king of Sidon (whose name is known to us all), Jezebel. She was a worshipper of Baal, so it wasn't long before Ahab was worshipping Baal.

      Possibly at her insistence, he built a temple at Samaria, where he set up an altar for Baal. He also made a wooden image of him. (1 Kings 16:32).

      Who was this God? He was the most popular god of the Canaanites and was worshipped as the god of fertility with regard to all aspects of life, whether it be human life, animal life or even plant life. He was also worshipped as the god who they believed could control the weather.

      The worship of Baal consisted of the burning of incense (Jeremiah 7:9), the offering of human sacrifices, including the burning of children (Jeremiah 19:4, 5), prostitution (1 Kings 14:23, 24) and the worshipping of obscene images of the female god, Asherah.

      Into this evil situation enters Elijah.

      Study 2.

      1 Kings 11:1-13 & 16:29 – 17:1

      We are told very little about him, except that he is a Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead (v. 1). Gilead was named after the man of the same name who the grandson of Manasseh, who was the eldest son of Joseph (his younger brother was Ephraim).

      The territory allotted to the tribe of Manasseh was divided into two completely separate regions, separated by the River Jordan. Gilead was in the region to the east of the river. Another notable person to come from this region was Jephthah who we read about in the book of Judges (Judges 11 & 12).

      We are told nothing about Elijah's parents, his early life, his call to the ministry or if he trained under one of his predecessors. Basically, we are told nothing about him. He suddenly appears on the scene. Although we are told nothing, he must have been well prepared for the task for God to choose him for, or he wouldn’t have been able to do it effectively. He must have lived close to the Lord for him to be communicated with like he was. He also knew that God would be with him when he confronted Ahab and give him the right words to say and the courage to say them. He was a man of prayer and would have prayed before confronting Ahab, because we are told that, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months (James 5:17). He was a man of faith, because he knew his prayer would be answered. All we know about him is what we read in these few chapters, which is that he was a prophet. He tells us he is, a prophet of the Lord (1 Kings 18:22).

      Not only does Elijah suddenly appear on the scene, he appears with boldness. He confronts probably the most powerful man on earth at that time. He tells him straight that God (Jehovah) and not Baal is the true God of Israel and he is standing up for him despite who Ahab was.

      How bold are we considering the fact that we are living in times when God is not revered in the same way as he was years ago? Look at how Peter was when on trial before the Sanhedrin. We are told that "when they (the members of the Sanhedrin) saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).

      Paul was another man who obviously knew that he was expected to show boldness when speaking about the Lord because he writes to the believers at Ephesus saying that they should be, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit … for me (Paul), that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19). And he makes a similar request to the people at Philippi (Philippians 1:19, 20). Why did he make these requests? Because he saw himself as an Ambassador for God's truth (Ephesians 6:19). That is what Elijah was, and that is what we, as believers, are expected to be today.

      Elijah’s name means, the Lord is my God, or "My God

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