The Miracles of Elijah
Some History Before Elijah:
Elijah was a prophet during a time of turmoil in Israel. To understand what was going on when Elijah was alive, we need to look at some history. God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and brought them to the promised land of Israel. But people were already living there. They had to fight and conquer to get the land. King David’s rule was one of conquering land. David did good in the sight of God and was humble and obedient. But he had a lot of blood on his hands and the Lord would not allow David to build God’s temple.
David’s son, Solomon, became king after David. By the time Solomon became king, all the conquering and fighting was finished. David had also already gathered the necessary plans and material to build the temple of God. God gave Solomon wisdom, riches, and power at a young age. Solomon built God’s temple. He started out being good in the sight of God. But as he got older, he married foreign women who persuaded him into worshiping their foreign gods. So Solomon ended up doing that which was evil in the sight of God.
Kings of Israel Worshiped Other Gods:
That started a trend. For generations, the kings of Israel worshiped other gods and idols doing evil in the sight of the Lord.
Elijah Prophesized Drought:
At the time Ahab (son of Omri) was king of Israel, Elijah prophesized to Ahab that there would be a great drought and no rain or dew for a few years (Scriptures 1: The Great Drought 1 Kings 17:1). And of course, this did happen.
Miracle of Elijah Fed by Ravens:
God instructed Elijah to stay at the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. There will be a creek there and God directed the ravens to bring him food (Scriptures 2: Miracle of Elijah Fed by Ravens 1 Kings 17:2-6). The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Miracle of Flour and Oil Never Running Out:
Once the creek dried up due to the drought, God told Elijah to go to a certain widow who would supply him with food. But the widow only had a hand full of flour and a bit of oil. Elijah prophesized to her that if she makes him some bread, that she will not run out of flour or oil (Scriptures 3: Miracle of Flour and Oil Never Ran Out 1 Kings 17:7-16). There was food every day for Elijah, the widow, and her son. They never ran out of flour or oil.
Miracle of Dying Boy Lived:
The widow’s son became very ill and was near death and stopped breathing. But Elijah prayed over him and he miraculously came back to health (Scriptures 4: Miracle of Dying Boy Lived 1 Kings 17:17-24).
Miracle of Soaked Bull and Wood Consumed by Fire:
At God’s instruction, Elijah met with King Ahab (King of Israel who worshiped Baal). All the prophets of Baal from Israel were gathered. Elijah was the only prophet of God left, but Baal had over four hundred prophets. Elijah challenged them to prove that Baal is God. He told them “Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets 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.”
So they did this. The prophets of Baal cried out to Baal to light the fire all day, but no fire came. Then Elijah told them to pour four large jars of water over his bull and wood. After they poured the water, he told them to do it two more times. The bull and the wood was soaked with water and the water ran into a trench around it. Then Elijah prayed to God and fire came down and burned up the soaked bull and wood (Scriptures 5: Miracle of Fire Consumed Bull Soaked with Water 1 Kings 18:16-39) and even licked up the water in the trench.
Elijah Anointed Elisha to Succeed Him as Prophet:
After that, God sent Elijah to the Desert of Damascus. He was to anoint two men as king over a particular land. And also anoint Elisha to succeed him as prophet (Scriptures 6: Elijah Anoints Elisha to Succeed Him as Prophet 1 Kings 19:15-21). Elisha started following Elijah and they worked side by side from then on. Elisha became Elijah’s servant.
Miracle of Fire Fell From Heaven:
There was a time when a king sent a captain and fifty soldiers to capture Elijah. But Elijah made fire come down from the sky and killed them all. So the king sent another captain and fifty soldiers, but Elijah did the same thing. Fire consumed them as well (Scriptures 7: Miracle of Fire Fell From Heaven 2 Kings 1:7-12). Elijah just spoke the words “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!”, and it happened.
Miracle of Jordan Split to Dry Ground:
Elijah knew the day he would die and informed Fifty men from the company of the prophets and Elisha. The fifty men were watching from a distance. Elijah and Elisha came up to the Jordan. 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 (Scriptures 8: Miracle of River Split and Walked on Dry Ground 2 Kings 2:7-8).
Elijah Went Up in Whirlwind:
Elijah did not die, but was taken up in a whirlwind to heaven (Scriptures 9: Miracle of Elijah Went Up to Heaven in a Whirlwind 2 Kings 2:11).
Conclusion: The Miracles of Elijah:
God used Elijah to perform more miracles than any other prophet. And Elijah is the only prophet that did not die on Earth, but was raised up to Heaven in a whirlwind. There was something special about Elijah. God gave him power to do things that no other could.
See Part 4 #3: The Life of Apostle Paul
See: Free Bible Study Worksheets
Also See: Part 3 – List of Prayers
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