Of all the prophets mentioned in the Old Testament, the most fascinating and intriguing is perhaps Elijah. All the other prophets of Israel were probably buried somewhere in the soils of the Middle East after their death. However, the Bible tells us that that was not the case with Elijah. The second book of the Kings tells us that Elijah was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. Perhaps this is the reason why the Israelites, through out their long history of the Old Testament, hoped and expected that Elijah might appear again in their midst. In the times of the New Testament also, we find that when Jesus started his ministry some of the Israelites began to proclaim that Elijah had returned.
We also find a similar instance when Jesus took Peter and the two brothers James and John up a mountain one day to pray. When they reached the top of the mountain, Peter, James and John laid down to rest. When they were falling asleep, they saw that Elijah appeared out of nowhere along with Moses and they started talking with Jesus. All these revelations indicate that the people of Israel had never been able to forget Elijah who disappeared into the heavens almost 900 years before the time of Jesus. And thus Elijah was certainly one of the most unforgettable and revered personalities of ancient Israel.
Elijah’s ministry started around 875 BC – about 55 years after the reign of Solomon. His ministry in Israel (875 – 848 BC) coincided with the reign of King Ahab (874 – 853 B.C.) This article is an attempt to highlight some most defining and distinguishing moments and features of the ministry of Elijah.
Undoubtedly, the most remarkable episode of the ministry of the prophet Elijah would be the contest which he had with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. During the time of Elijah, the Israelites had become notorious for worshipping other gods. It was none other than their king Ahab and queen Jezebel who had led the people away from the real God and the people were worshipping an untrue god named Baal. Therefore, Elijah, in order to prove the truth of his God, challenged the king and the queen to send him eight hundred and fifty prophets of the Baal god so that there would be a contest to prove who the real god was.
The contest was this: Elijah told the priests of Baal to kill a bull and lay it on the wood but put no fire under it. He would do the same with his bull and pile of wood. The priests of Baal were supposed to call on their god to light a fire under the bull and Elijah was also to call on his God to do the same and the god who answered would be the real God. All agreed that it was a very fair test.
The priests of Baal were the first to try. They tried and tried and they prayed from morning till noon but there was no answer. They danced and shouted louder and louder. They even jumped around the altar. But still there was no answer. No fire burned the wood beneath their bull.
Then it was Elijah’s turn. He had four large jars of water poured over the altar. He did this three times until the trench was full. Then he poured water over his pile of wood, under the dead bull. Elijah lifted his hands up towards heaven. He prayed calmly and slowly, so everyone could hear. “Oh Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, show us that you are God. I am your servant. Answer me, Lord. Show this people that you are Lord. Pleas answer now with your fire, I pray!”
Suddenly the fire of the Lord fell from heaven! All the wood and stones and dust and parts of the bull were eaten up by the fire. The heat was terrible. It did not matter that everything was wet, it caught fire anyway. “Look, Fire is falling from the sky!” the crowds screamed. The people yelled, “The Lord, He is God!” When King Ahab saw all these, his knees began to knock together in fear. But Elijah was not done yet; he had more in store for the ignited audience.
During this time, it had not rained in Israel for more than three years. And so, after the great miracle that had happened on Mount Carmel, Elijah turned to the king and told him, ‘Go, eat and drink, for I hear the roar of thunder”. King Ahab did as he was told. He hurried home before anything more terrible happened. Now that the people of Israel had said they believed the Lord was God, Elijah hoped God would bring rain. He told his servants to watch for clouds. At first there was nothing. Time after time Elijah told his servant to go and look. Finally the servant said, “Look! There’s a cloud the size of a man’s hand. It’s coming up from the sea!”
Within moments, the sky grew black with clouds and wind. Water poured down. The people raised their hands and cheered. Finally, after three years, they had rain. And God worked yet one more miracle. As the rain gushed down from the clouds, Elijah started running across the countryside. He ran as fast as he could. The hand of the Lord was on Elijah! God’s spirit came upon Elijah in power. He turned him into a speed runner. He ran faster than the horses pulling King Ahab’s chariot. He ran faster than the wind. Elijah ran so fast, he arrived in Jezreel before the king did.
All his life Elijah tried to lead the people back to God. But Elijah knew that his days were numbered and so he wanted someone to carry on his work after him and he found one in a young friend and follower named Elisha. Elijah even promised Elisha a double portion of his power as prophet. And with the succession arranged, Elijah was now ready to hand over the mission to the young Elisha. Thus, one day when Elijah (now a very old man) was walking with his young friend Elisha, a fiery chariot with blinding horses came between them and took away Elijah to heaven.
Now let us examine some of the interesting features of the ministry of Elijah. Firstly, Elijah spent most of his ministry in hiding and this has led many to ask why Elijah needed to hide so much if at all he was an anointed prophet. Elijah hid primarily because God told him to. Prophets were to obey the Lord first and ask questions later. In this case, hiding was a means of showing the Israelites the cost of selling out to Baal. While the nation was starving and thirsty, God’s prophet had enough food and water. Could a lesson be clearer? God was not the cause of the people’s hardship; they were the cause when they broke their covenant with God. Secondly, King Ahab hunted Elijah for nearly three years without success and this apparently made Elijah legendary for eluding the king.
Thirdly, it is also mentioned that Elijah anointed a king in Aram (a foreign land). Now, this is something very unusual. At this stage in Israel’s history, it was uncommon for prophets of Israel to have much influence outside the nation. But news of Elijah’s triumph at Carmel over the prophets of Baal undoubtedly spread quickly, giving him an international reputation.
Fourthly, why did Elijah throw his cloak around Elisha? A cloak of animal hair, although occasionally worn by kings, was generally recognized as prophet’s clothing. By laying his cloak over Elisha, Elijah gave him a new identity and set him apart for a prophetic mission – like pastoral candidates set apart for ministry by an ordination ceremony. With prophetic power upon him, Elisha was thereafter a different person. Later he inherited Elijah’s cloak as a sign that he was to carry on Elijah’s prophetic work.
Moreover, Elijah’s coarse garments demonstrated the unvarnished toughness of his godly cha racter. His way of dressing was an ethical statement – a stark contrast to the self-indulgent luxury enjoyed by the evil kings of his time. Elijah also may have intended that his uncomfortable clothes show his sorrow over the people’s unfaithfulness. Ancient prophets were often recognized by their rough, animal-skin garments, as was John the Baptist in later times. And finally, we also find that Elijah himself was afraid after his great victory over the Baal prophets on Mount Carmel and this clearly shows that Elijah was also human just like any other man of his time. Maybe Elijah himself was dumb-struck after witnessing the power of God in such awesome manner.
Even individuals of great courage and conviction have moments when they feel discouraged. After the euphoric victory on Mount Carmel, it seems that Elijah’s emotions fell. He was not indestructible. He had human weaknesses. Elijah was a man just like us. We might think that in the rush of victory, Elijah would have felt invincible. Instead, it seems, he felt exhausted. We might think Elijah would have welcomed Jezebel’s challenge as an opportunity to attack his enemy at its source. Instead, he retreated. It may be that Elijah was facing a personal crisis of faith, identity and vision. Now that he had won his lifelong battle against the prophets of Baal, why was his life still in danger? Didn’t he deserve a little rest? Hadn’t he earned the right to retire in peace? Sometimes the thought of another battle, after just finishing one, is overwhelming. We can only speculate about what actually fueled Elijah’s fears. But we can readily see that he was human. God met Elijah in the midst of fear and doubt, giving the frightened prophet comfort and rest………..
