Praise the Lord! This week’s Scripture for the Week passage is taken from 2 Kings 2:11 (mentioned above). This passage is part of a conversation between two of the most prominent prophets in the Old Testament – prophet Elijah and his successor prophet Elisha. At the end of their conversation, the Lord took prophet Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1, 11) and prophet Elisha became prophet Elijah’s successor and continued his prophetical ministry in Israel. When Elijah called Elisha upon God’s command to be his successor as prophet in Israel, Elisha was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair as Elijah threw his cloak on him. Elisha asked Elijah permission to say good-bye to his parents and slaughtered his oxen and burned his plow to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he followed Elijah leaving no tie attached to his past life and became Elijah’s attendant (1 Kings 19:19-21; 2 Kings 3:11). This week, we will not be focusing on Elisha’s life but we will examine Elijah’s life and ministry very briefly to learn what made prophet Elijah so special to God and to many of us. Prophet Elijah is very familiar to most of us who are familiar with the Scripture. We might have heard about Elijah every now and then during out childhood years because lessons from his life and ministry (his versatile life-style and miraculous ministry) are often the common topics in many of the Sunday school classes. Prophet Elijah was bold and fearless in carrying out the ministry the Lord God had entrusted upon him. Yet, there are no books in the Bible named after him or addressed to him but his life and ministry are very much described in the First and Second books of Kings. Let us briefly examine the life and ministry of prophet Elijah.

Prophet Elijah (Hebrew: אֵלִיָּהוּ Ēlīyyāhū) was one of the most passionate prophets who lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. We do not know much about prophet Elijah’s family background but a narrative of his prophetic ministry in Israel is mentioned both in the First and Second books of Kings (1 Kings chapters 17-19; 2 Kings chapters 1-2; 2 Chronicles 21:12). Elijah was first introduced to us in First Kings as a Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead (1 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 1:8). The Hebrew name Elijah means ‘My God is Yahweh’ or ‘the Lord is my God.’

During the life of prophet Elijah, the religious, social, and political situation in Israel was very disappointing and most people did not follow God’s commands in their lives, including the kings and their family, especially king Omri (1 Kings 16:23-26), his son king Ahab (1 Kings 16:29-33), and his son king Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:40, 51-53). King Omri neither walked in the ways of the God of Israel nor obeyed God’s commands.  Rather, he did evil in the sight of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him:

25 But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. 26 He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols (1 Kings 16:25-26)

After king Omri’s death, his son Ahab became king in Israel. He did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all those before him, even more than his father Omri (1 Kings 16:30). Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians (1 Kings 18:31). Though the marriage alliance brought security and prosperity during Ahab’s kingship, Israel’s spiritual life was weakening day-after-day because Ahab and Jezebel encouraged Baal and Asherah worship in Israel. While Ahab, the king of Israel, was constructing and dedicating temples and altars for sacrifices in honor of Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 16:32), Jezebel, the Phoenician princess who became queen of Israel, was killing off the Lord’s prophets in Israel (1 Kings 18:4,13). Jezebel  also appointed a large number of priests and prophets to carry out the Baal and Asherah worship in Israel and these priests and prophets ate at her table (1 Kings 18:19). According to 1 Kings 16:31-33,

Ahab married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him (1 Kings 16:31b-33)

The spiritual deterioration in Israel caused the prophets of God, who advocated strict religious laws in Israel, to react and encounter the powerful political entity in Israel who failed to follow God’s commands. The tensions between the true worshippers of Yahweh and the followers of Baal and Asherah escalated during the kingship of Ahab. This was the time period prophet Elijah, one of God’s choicest prophets in Israel, interfered with spiritual matters of Israel. The very first thing Elijah did was he challenged and warned king Ahab that there will be neither rain nor dew in the land for a time because the king and the people alike did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. According to 1 Kings 17:1, Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah was very zealous for God and nothing could distract him from being faithful to Yahweh – the God of his fathers. Prophet Elijah confronted king Ahab, his wife Jezebel, the priests and prophets of Baal and Asherah, and the people who followed them (1 Kings 18:15-19:1). Elijah prayed to God to do a miracle before all the people and God did a miracle before all the people (1 Kings 18:36-38). When the people saw the way God did such wonderful miracle right before their eyes, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God (1 Kings 18:39-40). Remember, when Elijah prayed for no rain God stopped sending rain in Israel (1 Kings 17:1); but when he prayed again for rain to fall, God sent a heavy rain on that day (1 Kings 18:41-46; James 5:17-18). Yet, as king Ahab and his wife Jezebel continued to do evil in the sight of the Lord and ignore God’s commands, both of them met with their end as the word of the Lord had declared (1 Kings 22:34-38; 2 Kings 9:30-37). Thus, Elijah proved that Yahweh is God not only of Israel but of the entire universe.

After king Ahab’s death, his son Ahaziah became king in Israel (1 Kings 22:40). Ahaziah walked in the ways of his father king Ahab (1 Kings 16:29-33), and his grandfather Omri (1 Kings 16:23-26), and did evil in the sight of God (1 Kings 22:51-53). Like his father and grandfather, he served Baal and aroused the anger of the Lord (1 Kings 22:53). Not only did king Ahaziah worship Baal and arouse the anger of the Lord, but also he sent messengers to Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to enquire whether he will recover from the injury caused by his fall through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria. As the messengers were on their way to Ekron, Elijah confronted the messengers upon God’s command and challenged the king for attempting to enquire from the god of Ekron (2 Kings 1:1-4). When Elijah met king Ahaziah in person, he prophesied that because king Ahaziah sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, instead of praying to the God of Israel for healing, he will not recover from the illness that troubling him rather he will certainly die. Consequently, king Ahaziah died as per the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken (2 Kings 1:16-17a). Thus, Elijah has seen the downfall of all those who did evil in the sight of the Lord during his life-time, especially king Ahab (1 Kings 22:29-38), Jezebel (2 Kings 9:30-37), king Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:1-17), and so on.

God safeguarded seven thousand of His people in Israel who willingly and wholeheartedly followed Him. God said: Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him (1 Kings 19:18). Although, Elijah did not understand God’s whole plan in his life, he remained faithful to his God, the God of Israel. Many a time, Elijah was left alone and faced spiritual tribulation and discouragement, yet he lived a life that is worthy of his calling and proved himself as a man of God as well as the prophet of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He was privileged to appear before Jesus, the Lord God Almighty incarnated, on the Mount of transfiguration along with Moses (Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30-31).

Elijah was a man of prayer, faith, and action. He was fearless to encounter the enemy who opposed God and His commands. He not only put God first but honored Him by doing everything he was assigned to do. There are several lessons we can learn from the life and ministry of prophet Elijah:

• Elijah trusted the Lord wholeheartedly
• Elijah followed God rather than following a large crowd (king & people)
• Elijah believed that God will hear and answer his prayers and supplications
• Elijah did humanly impossible things with the help of God: For instance …
  • 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1, 45-46 He was instrumental in stopping rain and bringing it back again
  • 1 Kings 17:7-16 He was instrumental in providing sufficient supplies for the widow of Zarephath and her son during famine
  • 1 Kings 17:17-24 He was instrumental in raising the dead son of the widow of Zarephath to life
  • 1 Kings 18:30-38 He was instrumental in bringing down the fire of the Lord to burn up the sacrifice
  • 1 Kings 18:39 He was instrumental for the people’s confession and proclamation that “The Lord—He is God! The Lord—He is God”
  • 1 Kings 18:39 He was instrumental in proving that Yahweh is the ONE and ONLY living God
  • 1 Kings 18:40 He was instrumental in killing 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who were directly under the protection of king Ahab and his Phoenician wife Jezebel
  • 2 Kings 1:9-12 He was instrumental in bringing down fire from heaven upon king Hezekiah’s army men who were sent to capture him
  • 1 Kings 19:15  He was instrumental in anointing Hazael king over Aram
  • 1 Kings 19:16a He was instrumental in anointing Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel
  • 1 Kings 19:16b He was instrumental in anointing Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed him as prophet

One of the final assignments God passed on to prophet Elijah was to anoint Hazael king over Aram, Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed him as prophet (1 Kings 19:15-16). God also gave the reasons why Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha need to be anointed (1 Kings 19:17). God who is holy and righteous pronounced His judgement upon all whose knees have bowed down to Baal and Asherah in order to worship them.

15 The Lord said to him, Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu (1 Kings 19:15-17)

When God had fulfilled His purpose in and through prophet Elijah’s life, God took him up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1, 11). The Scripture says that As they [prophet Elijah and prophet Elisha] were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). What a privilege Elijah had – the Lord took him alive into heaven (2Kings 2:1, 11). Elijah was the second person in the history of humanity who was taken up to heaven alive without going through the physical death. The first person to take to heaven alive was Enoch, who walked faithfully with God. The Scripture says, Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away (Genesis 5:24). Praise God!

In the light of what we have discussed above, let us also be faithful to God who called us to fulfill His purpose in and through our lives. As the servants of God, let us not hesitate to obey God’s commands. Like prophet Elijah, who obeyed God in everything He commanded him, let us also obey the Lord our God, keep His commands and laws, and serve Him faithfully. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!