Elijah the Tishbite
(by Mark D. Brumels)

Hello my name is Elijah,

I come from Israel. I am a Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead.

Ahab is the king of Israel, but he is a very wicked man. He has done more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those who were king before him. Not only does he considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam (who was a terribly evil king that lived long ago), but he has also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he has begun to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab has also made an Asherah pole. I tell you that Ahab has done more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel did before him.

About three years ago, I went before Ahab and I told Him, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will not be any dew nor rain in the next few years unless I say so." He was so startled at my appearance and with what I told him that I was able to leave without anyone laying a hand on me.

After I left Ahab, the LORD told me: "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."

So I did what the LORD had told me to do. I went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought me bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and I drank from the brook. Isn't God good? Hey, it wasn't the Ritz, but I had food to eat and water to drink.

However after some time the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the LORD told me: "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." So I went North of Israel, to the coastal city of Zarephath.

When I arrived at the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. I was thirsty so I called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" As she started to go and get the water for me I thought about how hungry I was. So I called out to her, "And could you please bring me a piece of bread too?"

She stopped and turned around to face me. Then with tears in her eyes she told me, "As surely as the LORD your God lives, I don't have any bread--only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it--and die."

I said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.'"

She went away and did as I asked. She poured a little flour out of the jar and then she poured a little oil out of the jug. With this she made a small loaf of bread. She then checked the jar and jug expecting them to be empty, but when she looked inside there was still oil and flour left! After she brought me the bread and water she made some for herself and her son. Then she checked the flour and oil again and there was still some left. This continued the whole time that the Lord had me staying with her.

The Lord had again proved His faithfulness to me and to the widow. He provided food every day for myself and for the woman and her family. That jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, just as the LORD had said.

Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and he finally stopped breathing. She called me and asked "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come here just to to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"

"Give me your son," I replied. I took him from her arms, carried him up to the room where I was staying, and laid him on my bed. I cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, why have you brought tragedy upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" Then I stretched myself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"

Praise God! The LORD heard my cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. I picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. I gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"

Then the woman told me, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."

After a long time, in the third year since I had told Ahab it would not rain, the word of the LORD came to me again. He told me, "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." So I went to present myself to Ahab.

Now the famine had been very severe in Samaria, where Ahab's palace was. Ahab summoned one of his officials, Obadiah, and said to him, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals." So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.

As Obadiah was walking along, He met me on the road. Obadiah recognized me, bowed down to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"

"Yes," I replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'"

"What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' I don't know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since I was a small boy. Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD'S prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. And now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' He will kill me!"

I could see that he was upset so I tried to reassure him that he had nothing to be afraid of. I told him, "As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today."

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him that he had found me.

When Ahab came and saw me, he asked me, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

I was not afraid of the King or his threats. I told him. "I have not made trouble for Israel, But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the LORD'S commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And when you come bring along the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Many people came out to see what would happen that day. I stood before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."

But the people said nothing.

So I told them, "I am the only one of the LORD'S prophets left, but Baal has 450 prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire--he is God."

All the people said, "That sounds good."

I then turned and said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire." So they choose a bull and prepared it.

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

At noon I began to tease them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy in the bathroom, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. Finally they all lay in agony, half dead around the altar.

I called to all the people, "Come here to me." So they came closer to me to see what I was going to do. Then I slowly and carefully repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. I took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel. I built an altar with the stones in the name of the LORD. Then I dug a trench around it. I arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then I said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood." They looked at me strangely but did as I asked.

"Do it again," I said, and they did it again.

"Do it a third time," I ordered, and they did it the third time. By this time the water was running down around the altar and had even filled the trench.

At the time of sacrifice, the I stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."

Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw this, they fell down to the ground and cried, "The LORD--he is God! The LORD--he is God!"

Then I commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and I had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.

Then I turned to Ahab and said, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but I climbed up to the very top of Mt. Carmel, bent down to the ground and put my his face between my knees and prayed that God would send rain again.

After a while I looked up and told my servant. "Go and look toward the sea." So he went up and looked.

He came back and said, "There is nothing there."

So I continued praying. I asked him to go check for signs of rain seven times

The seventh time my servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea."

So I told him, "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 came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came upon me. I tucked my cloak into my belt so I could run. And did I run. With the Lord's power I was able to run ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to Jezreel.

In all of this God has been faithful to me. He has provided for my needs and He has kept his promises. My word to you is: place your trust in God, He will not fail you. He will provide all of your needs if you are only faithful and obey Him. You never know when He may choose to work a miracle or two through you. Trust God!

Well I have to go now I have a chariot to catch. A chariot of fire!

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Last Updated:  02/26/01 07:15 PM About this page contact: Mark Brumels