Elijah – A Prophet of Miracles who Challenged the Prophets of Baal
Elijah has an importance among all the prophets. He is mentioned in the Old Testament. He was born around 900 BC. Elijah was born in a town in Gilead called Tishbe. This city was a hilly area. His father is called Savach. Today this area is found near Jordan.
Elijah was a prophet and because of this position he was given many miracles. Through these miracles he showed his prophethood to the people and helped them. When Elijah was in his youth, he faced many difficulties, especially when he was fighting against the prophets of Baal. Two of Elijah’s famous miracles are more important. He had announced that there would be shortages in rain and secondly he had resurrected a widow’s son.
Verse
“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 a prophet for at least 40 years and many events happened in his life during that time. He had a successor named Elisha who followed in Elijah’s footsteps. Elijah spent his whole life fighting in the path of God and bringing the message of guidance to the people. He was a very powerful and great person. Moreover, he did not die but was taken straight to heaven. If we talk about today’s era, many prophets have died and if Elijah is mentioned, then everyone knows that he is not dead, but has been taken up to heaven alive.
Miracle of Elijah
Along with being a prophet, Elijah was given many powerful miracles. Among them are the following:
Proclaiming the first famine
Elijah had been told by God that there would be a famine and no rain for three years. This would happen because the people there had sinned a lot and were far from God. And now God wanted them to ask for forgiveness of their sins and unite themselves with God. Elijah told this news to King Ahab. He announced that there would be no rain. Therefore, ask forgiveness for your sins so that God does not send this calamity upon you. Reference: (1 Kings 17:8-16)
The second miracle was for a widow
Elijah went to stay at a widow’s house and there was less food. Elijah prayed to God that the widow’s ration would not run out until the famine was over. Similarly, the ration did not run out. Once it happened that the widow’s son died. Elijah was very concerned about this. So he prayed to his God to give life to her son. God gave life to her son and he lived. This shows that Elijah had very powerful miracles. Reference: (1 Kings 17: 17-24)
Challenge to Prophets of Baal
Elijah wanted the people to stop following the false prophets of Baal and start following the one true God. For this he gave a challenge to the prophets of Baal. In this challenge, they should all go to Mount Carmel and make a sacrifice. They were about 450 false prophets. Similarly, the prophets of Baal reached Mount Carmel and Elijah went to the other side with his people. He gave animals for sacrifice to both parties and said that the one who’s God will rain down fire from the sky and burn this sacrifice (animal) will be the real God and that prophet will be followed. The prophets of Baal did the same. They continued to plead with God but there was no answer and when Elijah prayed, God rained fire from the sky which burnt the sacrifice, wood etc. and Elijah’s prophecy was proved. After that, the false prophets were killed. Reference: (1 Kings 18:20-40)
Meeting With God
Elijah was once threatened in which Jezebel said that he would kill him. After that, Elijah was very afraid and he went to live in the wilderness and asked God to take his life now because he is left alone. God sent food for him, he ate that food and after eating when he got strength he went to Mount Horeb and went to a cave there. A voice came from outside the cave. Elijah came out. When he came out, there was a very strong wind, followed by an earthquake and a roaring. Then there was a small voice in which God spoke to Elijah and said that there are still 7 thousand people in Israel who do not worship Baal, so I want to save them. In the same way, God is always with His Messengers and He speaks with them. Reference: (1 Kings 19:9-18)
Ascension of Elijah to Heaven
An important event in the life of Elijah is that he did not die, but was taken up alive. These events happened when Elijah was on his way to Jericho with his successor Elisha. Suddenly, fiery horses appeared and accompanied him. A fiery chariot also appeared. After that, Elijah was taken to the heights of the sky by a whirlwind. Elisha was seeing this scene with his own eyes and he was very surprised. When Elijah was taken up, his cloak was left on the ground and that cloak was picked up by Elisha. This incident shows how much importance Elijah had in God’s eyes and how closely related he was to God, which gave him a unique position.
Verse
“As they 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)
Connection of Elijah With Jesus
There is a mention of Elijah in the Holy Bible along with Jesus Christ and Moses which shows the importance of Elijah. Describe as follows:
Verse
“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” (Matthew 17:1-3)
Verse
“And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)
Prayer of Elijah
Elijah’s prayers were very powerful. When Elijah prayed to God, He answered his prayer. Just as Elijah prayed for the rain to stop when the people were involved in sins, God answered him. The prayer was accepted, as well as when He prayed for the ration of a widow, that prayer was also accepted by God. After that, when the widow’s son died, Elijah prayed for her son’s life and God accepted it. This shows that Elijah’s prayers were very powerful because Elijah was close to God. He was a very loved and well-liked person.
Verse
“Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” (James 5:17-18)
Verse
And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
“Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.
“There is nothing there,” he said.
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”
So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.”
Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.” Reference: (1 Kings 18:41-45)
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Elijah’s life is full of miracles. The biggest miracle was that he did not die and was taken up to heaven without death. His life is an example for all of us. He led people out of error. He devoted himself to the worship of the one true God and faced his enemies with great bravery. From his life we get this lesson that we should keep our faith strong and convey God’s message to people and never feel alone because God always resides in those hearts where there is faith and always to be a source of guidance for people.
