Elijah

Product Summary

Main Characters:

Elijah, Caleb, Ahab, Queen Jezebel, the Widow and her son, the Prophets of Baal

Scriptural References:

I Kings 17:1-22, I Kings 18:1-40

Overall Theme:

In Elijah we see the ancient Israelites faced with the ultimate decision: Will they follow false gods and idols, or will they accept the power, wisdom and mercy of the one true living God? Their future, and the future of what has become our faith, hangs in the balance.

Summary:

Ahab, a great King of the Israelites, has fallen under the spell of Jezebel, a daughter of the King of the      Sidonians. He has rejected the Israelites’ God and    embraced Jezebel’s religion: the worship of the idol Baal. At Jezebel’s command, Ahab has ordered the execution of the prophets of Israel, replacing them with Baal’s false prophets. But one man, Elijah, filled with power of the true God, directly challenges Ahab and Jezebel.

God commands Elijah to escape to the desert in the East, where God provides water and food from Heaven for His Prophet. Elijah longs to return to     Israel, to save his people. But he is obedient to God.

Then God commands Elijah to go and show himself to Ahab. Elijah tells Ahab to gather the prophets of Baal and meet him on Mount Carmel, where sacrifices are to be placed on two altars.   Elijah challenges Ahab to call onto his God as Elijah calls on his.  The god that answers first will then be proven to be the true God.

The prophets of Baal cry out in vain to their idol. When Elijah prays humbly to God, God sends down fire, accepting Elijah’s offering. The people, realizing at last that there is only one true God, kill the prophets of Baal, and God sends the rains again, ending His people’s despair.

Background:

Elijah gave Baal every opportunity to win, He allowed Baal’s prophets the first attempt at calling down fire. The fire that poured from Heaven consumed Elijah’s offering and proved that God alone merits His peoples’ worship.

Although we no longer contend with the prophets of Baal, we wrestle against other temptations competing for our allegiance. Like Elijah, we must resist such idols, trusting only the living God to watch over us.