Elijah - The that Wanted to Die
We don't know much about his past.
When Prophets are first introduced in the Bible, we are usually given some family lineage. Not so with Elijah. We only know he comes from a town called Tishbe. It’s almost like Elijah comes out of nowhere. However, he could not have come at a better time. At this point the Israelites are the furthest from God that they had ever been. They desperately needed Elijah's ministry more than his history.
Some Facts about The Prophet Elijah
The acts of Elijah are found in (1Kings 17-22, 2Kings 1-2).
A prophet in Israel after the kingdom divided.
Named Elias in the King James New Testament.
A “Tishbite” (thought to mean that he came from Tishbeh in Gilead).
Contemporary with the kings of Judah named Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram.
Contemporary with the kings of Israel named Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehoram.
Dealt with Israel's king Ahab and his wife Jezebel.
Exposed and killed the prophets of Baal.
Meets with God on Horeb (Mount Sinai).
Called upon Elisha to follow him.
Brought death upon Ahaziah king of Israel (2Kings 1).
And upon Jehoram king of Judah (2Chronicles 21).
Like Enoch of old, Elijah did not die as men normally do, but was taken by God into heaven.
Taken up into heaven in a whirlwind.
Elijah experienced and performed many miracles.
Paul uses him as an illustration (Romans 11:1-5).
James does too (James 5:16-18).
John the baptizer likened to him (Malachi 4:5, Matthew 11:12-14, Luke 1:17).
Appeared when Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17).
Who was Elijah?
Who was Elijah related to?
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
The first personality in the Bible that is not introduced as "Son Of" like for example the modern day Osama Bin Laden
First Appearance and Historical Setting
Elijah was born in 900 BCE in the village of Tishbe in Gilead in ancient Palestine. Little is known about his birthplace, other than it is likely the historical town of Listib, the ruins of which are in present-day Jordan. Elijah's father was Savah, but it is not known who his mother was. This is not unusual because important figures in the Old Testament were often introduced by their name followed by "ben" meaning "son of," followed by the name of the father, but not the mother.
Nothing is recorded about his background before Elijah appears suddenly to promote traditional orthodox Jewish beliefs. The name "Elijah" is spelled in several different ways, depending on how it is translated from Hebrew in the Old Testament. "Elijah" is the most common spelling in English.
Elijah is described as having lived during the reigns of Israelite Kings Ahab, Ahaziah, and Jehoram, during the first half of the 9th century BCE. In biblical texts, his first appearance places him about halfway through the reign of King Ahab, son of Omri who founded the northern kingdom in Samaria. This would place Elijah somewhere around 864 BCE.
Elijah’s activities were confined to the northern kingdom of Israel. At times he is recorded as having to flee from Ahab’s wrath, taking refuge in a Phoenician city.
Who was Penhas?
lived 500 years
Same soul root
reincarnated into Elijah?
Jonah's Mother
The widow woman that sustained Jonah with miraculous never ending jugs of drink and ben of grains for 2 years. Her son dies and Elijah resurrects him. According to tradition this boy grew up to be Jonah.
Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Elisha and the Shunammite woman, 1649.
1 Kings 17:17-18 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him 18 And she said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to be to bring my sin and remembrance and to cause the death of my son!"
Victor H. Matthews suggests that the woman "uses sarcasm which is designed to shame the prophet for being the cause of her son's death." Elijah does not try and rationalise with the grieving woman and takes the son up to his bedroom where he prays to God asking for his help.
1 Kings 17:21-22 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, "O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again". 22 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
He then takes the child downstairs again and presents him, living, to his mother. This causes her to declare "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God" (v24), Elijah therefore "regains his honor and his status."[1]
Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, also known as Rabbi Eliezer Hagadol, relates that the son raised by Elijah was none other than the prophet Jonah, most notably associated with the incident involving a giant fish.[2] Commentators have noted verbal parallels with the raising of the son of the widow of Nain in the Gospel of Luke chapter 7.[3] The miracle is represented in the Dura synagogue murals.[4]
Hospitality
According to 2 Kings 4, she showed hospitality to the prophet Elisha, constructing a room where he could stay whenever he was in the town. She is childless, but Elisha prophesies that she will have a son. A year later she gives birth to a son.
Raising of her son
Main article: Raising of the son of the woman of Shunem
2 Kings 4:18–37 relates how, when her son had grown up, he became sick and died. She goes to Elisha for help, and he brings her son back to life.
Land restored
The woman of Shunem appears again in 2 Kings 8. At Elisha's advice, she has spent seven years in Philistia to avoid a famine, and has come back to find she no longer has possession of her house and land. She appeals to the king (Jehoram), and her property is restored to her.
Evaluation
Abraham Kuyper views the woman of Shunem as a typical example of pious people in Israel having love and respect for the prophets. Kuyper suggests that the narrative indicates her "independence and readiness".[1] Carol Meyers notes that "unlike virtually all women in biblical narratives, she is not presented as the 'wife' of someone".[2] Claudia Camp says that the woman is "both independent and maternal, powerful and pious."[3] The proposal to build a room for Elisha originates with the woman and is supported by her husband (2 Kings 4:9–10).
Elijah, also spelled Elias or Elia, Hebrew Eliyyahu, (flourished 9th century BCE), Hebrew prophet who ranks with Moses in saving the religion of Yahweh from being corrupted by the nature worship of Baal. Elijah’s name means “Yahweh is my God” and is spelled Elias in some versions of the Bible. The story of his prophetic career in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah is told in 1 Kings 17–19 and 2 Kings 1–2 in the Bible. Elijah claimed that there was no reality except the God of Israel, stressing monotheism to the people with possibly unprecedented emphasis. He is commemorated by Christians on July 20 and is recognized as a prophet in Islam.
Historical setting
The Israelite king Omri had allied himself with the Phoenician cities of the coast, and his son Ahab was married to Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre and Sidon. Jezebel, with her Tyrian courtiers and a large contingent of pagan priests and prophets, propagated her native religion in a sanctuary built for Baal in the royal city of Samaria. This meant that the Israelites accepted Baal as well as Yahweh, putting Yahweh on a par with a nature-god whose supreme manifestations were the elements and biological fertility, celebrated often in an orgiastic cult. Jezebel’s policies intensified the gradual contamination of the religion of Yahweh by the Canaanite religion of Baal, a process made easier by the sapping of the Israelites’ faith in Yahweh.
Story
Elijah was from Tishbe in Gilead. The narrative in 1 Kings relates how he suddenly appears during Ahab’s reign to proclaim a drought in punishment of the cult of Baal that Jezebel was promoting in Israel at Yahweh’s expense. Later Elijah meets 450 prophets of Baal in a contest of strength on Mount Carmel to determine which deity is the true God of Israel. Sacrifices are placed on an altar to Baal and one to Yahweh. The pagan prophets’ ecstatic appeals to Baal to kindle the wood on his altar are unsuccessful, but Elijah’s prayers to Yahweh are answered by a fire on his altar. This outcome is taken as decisive by the Israelites, who slay the priests and prophets of Baal under Elijah’s direction. The drought thereupon ends with the falling of rain.
Elijah flees the wrath of the vengeful Jezebel by undertaking a pilgrimage to Mount Horeb (Sinai), where he is at first disheartened in his struggle and then miraculously renewed. In a further narrative, King Ahab has a man named Naboth condemned to death in order to gain possession of his vineyard. Ahab’s judicial murder of Naboth and confiscation of his vineyard arouse Elijah as the upholder of the moral law, as before he had come forward as the champion of monotheism. Elijah denounces Ahab for his crimes, asserting that all men are subject to the law of God and are therefore equals. Later Ahab’s son, King Ahaziah, appeals to Baal to heal him of an injury, and Elijah once more upholds the exclusive rights of Yahweh by bringing down “fire from heaven.” After bestowing his mantle on his successor, Elisha, the prophet Elijah is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Theological significance
One of the most important moments in the history of monotheism is the climax of Elijah’s struggle with Baalism. His momentous words, “If Yahweh is God, follow him, but if Baal, then follow him”—especially when taken with the prayer “Hear me, Yahweh, that this people may know that you, Yahweh, are God”—show that more is at stake than simply allotting to divinities their particular spheres of influence. The true question is whether Yahweh or Baal is God, simply and universally. Elijah’s words proclaim that there is no reality except the God of Israel, there are no other beings entitled to the name of divinity. The acclamation of the people, “Yahweh, he is God” expresses a fully conscious monotheism, never before perhaps brought home to them so clearly.
Elijah’s deepest prophetic experience takes place on his pilgrimage to Horeb, where he learns that God is not in the storm, the earthquake, or the lightning. Nature, so far from being God’s embodiment, is not even an adequate symbol. God is invisible and spiritual and is best known in the intellectual word of revelation, “the still, small voice.” The transcendence of God receives here one of its earliest expressions. Elijah’s story also expresses for the first time a thought that was to dominate Hebrew prophecy: in contrast to the bland hopes of the people, salvation is bestowed only on a “remnant,” those purified by God’s judgment. The theme of the later prophets, that morality must be at the heart of ritual worship, is also taught by Elijah, who upholds the unity of law and religion against the despotic cruelty of a king influenced by a pagan wife. Elijah’s work may also be regarded as a protest against every effort to find religious experience in self-induced ecstasy and sensual frenzy rather than in a faith linked with reason and morality.
Who is Jezebel?
Jezebel (/ˈdʒɛzəbəl, -bɛl/;[1][2][3] Hebrew: אִיזֶבֶל, Modern: ʾĪzével, Tiberian: ʾĪzeḇel) was the daughter of Ithobaal I of Tyre and the wife of Ahab, King of Israel, according to the Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 16:31).[4]
According to the Biblical narrative, Jezebel, along with her husband, instituted the worship of Baal and Asherah on a national scale. In addition, she violently purged the prophets of Yahweh from Israel, damaging the reputation of the Omride dynasty.[5][6][7][8] For these offences, the Omride dynasty was annihilated, with Jezebel herself suffering the death of defenestration.
Later, in the Book of Revelation, Jezebel is symbolically associated with false prophets.[9]
Meaning of the name
Jezebel is the Anglicized transliteration of the Hebrew אִיזֶבֶל ʾĪzeḇel. The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible states that the name is "best understood as meaning 'Where is the Prince?'" (אֵיזוֹ בַּעַל ’ēyzō ba’al), a ritual cry from worship ceremonies in honor of Baal during periods of the year when the god was considered to be in the underworld.[10] Alternatively, a feminine Punic name noted by the Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum, 𐤁𐤏𐤋𐤀𐤆𐤁𐤋 b‘l’zbl,[11] may have been a cognate to the original form of the name, as the Israelites were known to often alter personal names which invoked the names of foreign gods (cf. instances for Baal, Mephibosheth and Ish-bosheth).
Who is Ahab?
Ahab (Hebrew: אַחְאָב, Modern: 'Aẖ'av, Tiberian: ʼAḥʼāḇ; Akkadian: 𒀀𒄩𒀊𒁍 Aḫâbbu [a-ḫa-ab-bu]; Koinē Greek: Ἀχαάβ Achaáb; Latin: Achab) was the seventh king of Israel, the son and successor of King Omri and the husband of Jezebel of Sidon, according to the Hebrew Bible.[1 Kings 16:29-34] The Hebrew Bible presents Ahab as a wicked king, particularly for condoning Jezebel's influence on religious policies and his principal role behind Naboth's arbitrary execution.
The existence of Ahab is historically supported outside the Bible. Shalmaneser III of Assyria documented in 853 BC that he defeated an alliance of a dozen kings in the Battle of Qarqar; one of these was Ahab. He is also mentioned on the inscriptions of the Mesha Stele.[1]
Ahab became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, and reigned for twenty-two years, according to 1 Kings.[1 Kings 16:29] William F. Albright dated his reign to 869–850 BC, while Edwin R. Thiele offered the dates 874–853 BC.[2] Most recently, Michael Coogan has dated Ahab's reign to 871–852 BC.[3]
Elijah wanted to Die
Elijah vs Elisha
In 2 Kings 2, Elijah and Elisha traversed the Jordan River on dry land, and Elisha, understanding that Elijah would soon pass away, asked to be blessed with a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah was then carried straight into heaven by a chariot of fire. Elisha picked up Elijah’s mantle and used it to cross the Jordan again on dry land. He received the double portion he had asked for and performed many miracles in Israel. Some of Elisha’s miracles were the turning of bad water into clean water (2 Kings 2:19-22), making a widow’s oil to fill many jars (2 Kings 4:1-7), and even raising a boy from the dead (2 Kings 4:32-37).
Elijah and Elisha were both very regarded by those in the “school of prophets” (2 Kings 4:38-41) as well as by the rulers of their country. Their influence led to an awakening among some of the Israelites during a dismal stage of Israel's history. Through the corrupt reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah, God trusted in Elijah and Elisha to lead the charge for righteousness.
Elijah and Elisha’s joined legacy proceeded to help Israel even after their lives. Even the New Testament talks of the anticipated return of Elijah, a role answered by John the Baptist, the precursor or the one to proclaim the arrival of the Messiah.
Elijah Goes to Mount Sinai
Elijah on Mount Sinai
19 King Ahab told his wife Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had put all the prophets of Baal to death. 2 She sent a message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don't do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets.” 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life; he took his servant and went to Beersheba in Judah.
Leaving the servant there, 4 Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. “It's too much, Lord,” he prayed. “Take away my life; I might as well be dead!”
5 He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Wake up and eat.” 6 He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The Lord's angel returned and woke him up a second time, saying, “Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you.” 8 Elijah got up, ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain. 9 There he went into a cave to spend the night.
Suddenly the Lord spoke to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
10 He answered, “Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me!”
11 “Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain,” the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.
13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
14 He answered, “Lord God Almighty, I have always served you—you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left—and they are trying to kill me.”
15 The Lord said, “Return to the wilderness near Damascus, then enter the city and anoint Hazael as king of Syria; 16 anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes being put to death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and anyone who escapes Jehu will be killed by Elisha. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand people alive in Israel—all those who are loyal to me and have not bowed to Baal or kissed his idol.”
Elijah is Taken into Heaven on a Chariot of Fire
2 Kings 2
1
When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2
Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
3
The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," Elisha replied, "but do not speak of it."
4
Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho.
5
The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," he replied, "but do not speak of it."
6
Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two of them walked on.
7
Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan.
8
Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
10
"You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours--otherwise not."
11
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.
12
Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
13
He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14
Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
15
The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Weekly Devotional: Mathew 16
When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.
6
"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
7
They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?
9
Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
10
Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
11
How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
12
Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,[2] the Son of the living God."
17
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
18
And I tell you that you are Peter,[3] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[4] will not overcome it.[5]
19
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[6] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[7] loosed in heaven."
20
Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
21
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
23
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25
For whoever wants to save his life[8] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.