Bible Men: Elijah the Prophet Anoints Elisha and Elijah is Taken into Heaven

1 Kings 19:19-21

2 Kings 2: 1-17

In previous posts on Elijah, we read of God withholding rain for 3 years because of the disobedience and wickedness of king Ahab. We read of Elijah hiding at the brook Cherith, and how God sent ravens to feed him there, and then how Elijah was sent to Zarephath where he was sustained by a widow who had been prepared by God to receive him and how they were sustained through the drought until Elijah heard the word of God that rain was coming.  We learned of Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal, when the LORD God sent fire down from heaven.  We learned how after that Elijah went to the top of Mt. Carmel and prayed, and how the sky became dark with clouds, and how by the power of the Lord, Elijah outran Ahab's chariot back to Jezreel. 

Then we learned how Elijah ran for his life and how an angel fed him for his next journey which took him to a cave where God appeared to him after a mighty wind, in a still, small voice.   Elijah was sent by the LORD God to Damascus where he was to anoint Elisha to be prophet in his place. By this Elijah knew that he would soon be taken to heaven, but he had no idea of the wondrous way it would happen.

After Elijah left the cave, he found "Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with 12 yoke of oxen before him."  That is a lot of oxen for one man to handle, Elisha must have been very strong.  "Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him" (1 Kings 19:19) This would signify that Elisha was to be Elijah's successor but he would be tested. "And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said Let me, I pray thee,kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee.  And he said unto him, Go back again:....." (V20) Elisha was given the opportunity to say goodbye.  After Elisha returned he sacrificed a team of oxen, gave to the people who were there, and then he "went after Elijah, and ministered unto him" (V21)  

Bible Men: Elijah and the Little Cloud Like a Man's Hand

1 Kings 18:1, 41-46

Previously on this blog I have posted about Elijah the prophet of God.  Part 1 was of Elijah being sustained by a widow of Zarephath, and Part 2 was of Elijah and his confrontation with the prophets of Baal.  This post, concerning Elijah and the little cloud like a man's hand takes place after Elijah's confrontation with those prophets.

In the day of Elijah the prophet, the word of the LORD came unto him to tell the wicked king Ahab that there would be neither dew nor rain for three years and this brought a great famine on the land.  In the third year of the drought there came a day when "the word of the LORD came to Elijah saying "Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth." (1 Kings 18:1)  And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. "And there was a sore famine in Samaria."(V2)

When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" V17 Elijah answered "I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim."  king Ahab knows now that this famine is not from Elijah, but because of his own disobedience to the commands of God.

After that Elijah has his confrontation with the prophets of Baal, and this is covered in depth in my  post of Elijah and the prophets of Baal ( go here to read). In that confrontation, Elijah prays to the LORD God "let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant...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.." (18:36-37) and then the fire of the LORD fell, and the people fell on their faces and said The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God." (18:38-39) king Ahab witnessed this confrontation because earlier Elijah had told him to "send and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal, four  hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred...."(V19)

Bible Men: Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

1 Kings 18

In my first post of Elijah, we learned that Elijah was a Tishbite, who lived in Gilead, and that he was a prophet proclaiming the word of the LORD God of Israel.   We learned that it was Elijah who told the wicked king Ahab that there would be no rain but by Elijah's word. And in that study we learned how the LORD God sent Elijah to the brook Cherith, and how the ravens were sent by God to feed Elijah.  After that Elijah was sent to the widow of Zarephath where she, her son and Elijah were sustained. And we learned how the widow's son died, and Elijah prayed fervently for him, and how, by the grace of God the child was raised to life again.

 Now in the third year, the LORD God spoke to Elijah again and said "go, shew thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth." There was a famine in the land by that time.  When Ahab learned that Elijah was coming, he went to meet him and greeted Elijah with these words, "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" (V17) and Elijah responded "I have not troubled Israel; but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and hast followed Balaam" (V18)  The cause of Israel's problems rests on the king's shoulders because of his disobedience to the commandments of the LORD God.  But there is about to come a mighty demonstration of Sovereign God's awesome power and the answering of Elijah's prayers.

Elijah tells Ahab to "gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal, four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table"(V19) Jezebel is Ahab's wicked wife. And so Ahab gathers together all that Elijah asked for.  And Elijah addressed the congregation  with a question that reverberates down through history, even to us today. "How long halt ye between two opinions.?  If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him". (V21) Just as in Matthew 6:24 the Lord Jesus said "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  And just as the apostle Paul said  in Galatians 1:10 "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."
When the people heard Elijah ask this question, they "answered not a word"(V21) and no doubt wondered why they had been summoned there.