Elijah Introduction

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Introduction to Elijah

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Origin: The name Elijah comes from the Hebrew words El (God) and Yah (Jehovah). It is found in the Old Testament, specifically in the First and Second Books of Kings.

Gender: Elijah is historically the masculine form of the name. Eliyah and Eliana are sometimes used as feminine variations.

Pronunciation: el-EYE-jah or uh-LIE-jah

David Sanford

Most of Elijah’s story is told in 1 Kings 17-19 and 2 Kings 1-2.

Quick references to Elijah appear in 2 Kings 3:11, 2 Kings 9:36, 2 Kings 10:10, and 2 Kings 10:17. In addition, Elijah shows up near the end of the Hebrew scriptures in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 (letter telling Judah’s king Jehoram about his forthcoming and rather gruesome death).

And he shows up at the end of the Old Testament in Malachi 4:5-6 (prophecy about John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah).

In the New Testament, quick references to Elijah appear in Matthew 11:14, Matthew 16:14, Matthew 27:47-49; Mark 6:15 and Mark 8:28; Luke 1:17, Luke 4:25-26, Luke 9:8, and Luke 9:19; John 1:21 and John 1:25; Romans 11:2; and James 5:17-18.

Last but not least, Elijah appears with Moses and Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:3-13, Mark 9:4-13, and Luke 9:30-33. - David Sanford

“In time, the name and person of Elijah became synonymous in Judaism with the Messianic Age. According to tradition, Elijah did not die: he ascended to heaven in a chariot and vanished. His return has been anticipated by generations of Jews ever since.

Elijah’s return, some Jews believe, will mark the advent of an age of harmony, peace, and understanding among all peoples and nations. The cup of wine placed on the Seder table symbolizes that Elijah would be a welcome guest.” Alfred J. Kolatch

Cp. Rev. 11:3-6

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Elijah’s Miracles

Causing rain to cease in Israel for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1). Being fed by ravens sent by the Lord (1 Kings 17:2-7). Multiplying a widow’s grain and oil (1 Kings 17:18-16). Raising that widow’s son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24).

Calling fire from heaven atop Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-38). Causing it to rain again after three and a half years of drought (1 Kings 18:44-46). Fasting from food for 40 days while trekking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).

Prophesies that Ahab’s sons would all be destroyed (1 Kings 21:22). Prophesying that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs (1 Kings 21:23). Prophesying that Ahaziah would die of his illness (2 Kings 1:4-17). Calling fire from heaven to destroy 51 soldiers (2 Kings 1:10).

Calling fire from heaven on another 51 soldiers (2 Kings 1:12). Parting of the Jordan River while accompanied by Elisha (2 Kings 2:8). Promising that Elisha would receive a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:10).

Being caught up to heaven with a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Prophesying that Jehoram would die a horrible death (2 Chronicles 21:12-15). Appearing with Moses and Jesus (Matthew 17:3-13; Mark 9:4-13; Luke 9:30-33). - David Sanford

“Elijah was of the inhabitants of Gilead. Gilead lay east of the Jordan; it was wild and rugged; its hills were covered with shaggy forests; its valleys were the haunt of fierce wild beasts. The inhabitants of Gilead partook of the character of their county–wild, lawless, and unkempt. They dwelt in rude stone villages; and subsisted by keeping flocks of sheep.” F.B. Meyer

“His home territory of Gilead was famous for its fierce heat. Here daytime temperatures often exceeded 120 degrees by midafternoon.” Keller

“God’s answer to Baal worship was his mighty prophet, Elijah (my God is Jahweh or Jehovah) the Tishbite. Tishbe was in Gilead, between the Jarmuk and Jabbok Rivers in Trans-Jordan.” WBC

“As Elijah prayed, the conviction was wrought into his mind that it should be even as he prayed; and that he should go to acquaint Ahab with the fact. Whatever might be the hazard to himself, both king and people must be made to connect their calamities with the true cause.” F.B. Meyer

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.””

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.””

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Note: I Kings 16:29-34

“In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the Lord, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun.”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭16‬:‭29‬-‭34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭16‬:‭29‬-‭34‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The Ashrah represented the chief goddess of Tyre and, in the mythology of idolatry, the mother of Baal. The Asherim were pillars sculpted in the shape of Asherah, and all were associated with the worship of Baal.” Swindoll

“Deeply taught in Scripture Elijah yearned, with passionate desire, that his people should give God His meed of honor. And when the dread tidings came of what was transpiring across the Jordan; how Jezebel had thrown down God’s altars, and slain His prophets, and replaced them by the impious rites of her Tyrian deities—his blood ran liquid fire; his indignation burst all bounds; he was ‘very jealous for the Lord of hosts.’” F.B. Meyer

Thoughts

Brook Cherith

📷

Cherith (Jordan Valley) and surrounding area

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Additional data from OpenBible.info

Occurrences

1 Kings 17:3 "Go away from here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.

1 Kings 17:5 So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh; for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.

Encyclopedia

CHERITH, THE BROOK

ke'-rith (nachal kerith; Cheimarrhous Chorrhath): The place where Elijah hid and was miraculously fed, after announcing the drought to Ahab (1 Kings 17:3). It is described as being "before," that is "east," of Jordan. It cannot therefore be identified with Wady el-Kelt, to the West of Jericho. The retreat must be sought in some recess of the Gilead uplands with which doubtless Elijah had been familiar in his earlier days.

CHERITH, a brook (pron. ke'rith), most probably the present wady Kelt, w. of Jericho; Jerusalem is 10 ms. s.w. of its western part.

Strong's Hebrew

H3747: Kerith

a brook where Elijah was hidden

ZAREPHATH

zar'-e-fath (tsarephath; Sarepta): The Sidonian town in which Elijah was entertained by a widow after he left the brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:9). Obadiah refers to it as a Canaanite (probably meaning Phoenicia) town (Obadiah 1:20). It appears in the Greek form Sarepta in Luke 4:26 (the King James Version), and is said to be in the land of Sidon. Josephus (Ant., VIII, xiii, 2) says it was not "far from Sidon and Tyre, for it lay between them." Eusebius, Onomasticon (s.v. "Sarefta"), places it on the public road, i.e. the road along the seashore. It can be no other than the modern Sarafend, about 13 miles North of Tyre, on the spur of the mountain which divides the plain of Tyre from that of Sidon.

The site of the ancient town is marked by the ruins on the shore to the South of the modern village, about 8 miles to the South of Sidon, which extend along the shore for a mile or more. They are in two distinct groups, one on a headland to the West of a fountain called Ain el-Qantara, which is not far from the shore. Here was the ancient harbor which still affords shelter for small craft. The other group of ruins is to the South, and consists of columns, sarcophagi and marble slabs, indicating a city of considerable importance. The modern village of Sarafend was built some time after the 12th century, since at the time of the Crusades the town was still on the shore.

It is conjectured that the Syrophoenician woman mentioned in Luke 4:26 was an inhabitant of Zarephath., and it is possible that our Lord visited the place in His journey to the region as narrated in Mark 7:24-31, for it is said that he "came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee."

The place has been identified by some with Misrephoth-maim of Joshua 11:8 and 13:6, but the latter passage would indicate that Misrephoth-maim was at the limit of the territory of the Sidonians, which Zarephath was not in the days of Joshua.

See MISREPHOTH-MAIM; SIDON.

Originally Sidonian, the town passed to the Tyrians after the invasian of Shalmaneser IV, 722 B.C. It fell to Sennacherib 701 B.C. The Wely, or shrine bearing the name of el-Khudr, the saint in whom George is blended with Elijah, stands near the shore. Probably here the Crusaders erected a chapel on what they believed to be the site of the widow's house.

W. Ewing

ZAR'EPHATH, same as Sarepta of the N.T., a town of Phenicia on the seashore, 7 ms. s. of Sidon. Only ruius are found and no inhabitants, now called Surafend.

Strong's Greek

G4558: Sarepta

Sarepta, a city near Sidon

Jesus as the water of life. The river of life in Revelation.

Miracles. The record of miracles.

Note: History of Israel’s monarchy. Saul, David and Solomon. Approx. 120 years.

Divided Kingdom - Northern tribes: 19 kings (all wicked) over 200 years, until 722 B.C. and Assyrian captivity.

Southern tribes: 17 kings over 300 years. Eight kings who followed the Lord. Nine wicked kings, until 586 B.C Babylonian captivity. Swindoll

“The southern kingdom was later revived when men. Such as Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zerubbabel returned from exile. They moved back into the land of their forefathers, rebuilt the temple, and restored the worship of the one true God.” Swindoll

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬

“Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As certainly as the Lord God of Israel lives (whom I serve), there will be no dew or rain in the years ahead unless I give the command.” The Lord told him: “Leave here and travel eastward. Hide out in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. Drink from the stream; I have already told the ravens to bring you food there.” So he did as the Lord told him; he went and lived in the Kerith Valley near the Jordan. The ravens would bring him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he would drink from the stream. After a while, the stream dried up because there had been no rain in the land.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NET‬‬

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Cp. I Kings 16:29-33

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭16‬:‭29‬-‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭16‬:‭29‬-‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The northern tribes (usually called Israel) lasted a little over 200 years. Nineteen evil rulers.

The southern tribes (usually called Judah - Judah and Benjamin - lasted about 300 years. Eight good rulers. Nine evil rulers.

The Timeline of the Kings of Israel and Judah Prior to and During Elijah’s Ministry

United Kingdom

Kings Saul 1051-1011 B.C.

King David 1011-971 B.C.

King Solomon 971 to 931 B.C.

Divided Kingdom

Northern Kings Southern Kings

Jeroboam 931-910 B.C. Rehoboam 931-913 B.C.

Nadab 910-909 B.C. Abijam (Abijah) 913-911 B.C.

Baasha 909-886 B.C. Asa 911-870 B.C.

Elah 886-885 B.C.

Zimri 885 B.C.

Omri 885-874 B.C.

Ahab 874-853 B.C. Jehosaphat 873-848 B.C.

Ahaziah 853-852 B.C.

Joram 852-841 B.C. Jehoram 853-841 B.C.

Ahaziah 841 B.C.

Jeroboam - led the Northern Tribes into idolatry. Set up two golden calves. One in the extreme north in Dan. One in the south at Bethel. He feared that the Israelites in the north would eventually revolt against him when going to Jerusalem to worship. No doubt especially concerned about the command for all male Israelites going to Jerusalem to observe the three feasts required of them to observe there each year.

“And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their Lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭12‬:‭26‬-‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“After the death of Solomon, his kingdom split into two parts–the southern under Rehoboam his son; the northern under Jeroboam, who was desperately eager to keep his hold on his people; but he feared to lose it, if they continued to go, two or three times in the year, to the annual feasts at Jerusalem. He resolved, therefore, to set up the worship of Jehovah in his own territories; and erected two temples, one at Dan, in the extreme north, the other at Bethel, in the extreme south. And in each of these he placed a golden calf; that the God of Israel might be worshiped ‘under the form of a calf that eateth hay.’” Meyer

Fifty-eight years had passed since the kingdom had been rent in two following the death of Solomon. During that brief period no less than seven kings had reigned over the ten tribes, and all of them without exception were wicked men. Pink

These bull icons were unacceptable as representations of the Lord, since Mosaic religion requires a clear distinction between the Creator and the created. The worship of bull icons as representations of other gods was more unacceptable still. It blurs the distinction between the Lord and other gods, a blurring already in evidence in 1 Kings 14:15 (see note). The high god of the Canaanite pantheon, El, is frequently called “the bull” in ancient texts from Ugarit in Syria, and his son Baal-hadad (the biblical Baal) is himself also represented as a bull. The bull is further associated in Sumerian and Akkadian texts with the worship of the moon god Sin, and in Egyptian texts with the high god Amon-Re. A cult site from c. 1200 B.C. has been found on a hill in northern Samaria. Among the remains was a bull figurine with well-defined genitalia, representing fertility and potency. Baal worship was probably occurring at this high place. ESV notes

Jeroboam builds centers of worship within his own territory to rival Jerusalem—one in the far north (Dan) and one in the far south (Bethel). This represents the proliferation of “high places” about which the authors of 1–2 Kings are so deeply concerned (see 1 Kings 3:2). The sanctuary at Bethel is the more important of the two for these authors, for it is here that Jeroboam invests the major part of his effort to set up his new worship arrangements. He builds a temple at this high place, appoints priests to service it who had not been set apart by God for such service, and invents a central feast to celebrate in it—a version of the Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles), celebrated in Jerusalem in the seventh month (cf. 8:2; Lev. 23:33–43), but now in northern Israel in the eighth month. ESV notes

“Jeroboam and his immediate successors had introduced an unhappy innovation in religion, by not only changing the central place of worship and the appointed time of the festivals, but by patronizing the use of Egyptian symbols. Still they adhered to the worship of Jehovah in connection with the images. Ahab effected a far worse revolution by the introduction of the heathen or Phoenician idols, Baal and Ashtaroth, and building sanctuaries to them.” JFB

“The entire body and life of God’s own chosen nation were decaying and dying under the influence of inner moral corruption.” Keller

Elijah Confronts Ahab. I Kings 17:1

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.””

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.””

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬

The Upbringing of Elijah.

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead,”. NKJV

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead,”

He was brought up in a place that would undoubtedly produce character.

“. . . Gilead, which was in the northern Transjordan area—that is, on the eastern side of the Jordan River.” Swindoll

“He was of the inhabitants of Gilead, on the other side of Jordan, either of the tribe of Gad or the half of Manasseh, for Gilead was divided between them; but whether a native of either of those tribes is uncertain.” Matthew Henry

“Elijah was known by several names. He was called Elijah the Gileadite because he lived on the east side of the Jordan River in a locale known as Gilead. But he was not a citizen of the area. He belonged to the class of tolerated half-citizens called toshavim, ‘dwellers.’ Hence, the name ‘Tishbi’ or ‘Tishbite’ was applied to him.” Alfred J. Kolatch

“The first thing that commands our attention is Elijah’s name. The Hebrew word for ‘God’ in the Old Testament is Elohim, which is occasionally abbreviated El. The word Jah is the word for ‘Jehovah.’ Thus, in Elijah’s name we find the word for ‘God’ and the word for ‘Jehovah.’ Between them is the small letter I, which in Hebrew has reference to the personal pronoun ‘my’ or ‘mine.’ Putting the three together, then, we find that Elijah’s name means ‘My God is Jehovah’ or ‘The Lord is my God.’” Swindoll

“Elijah would come out of the dry dongas and wilderness wastes east of Jordan to challenge Ahab and call Israel to repentance.” Keller

“He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The Boldness of Elijah.

“said to Ahab”

He was fearless before this earthly monarch.

Cp. Acts 4:31 - “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Elijah’s strength did not lie in himself or his surroundings. He was of humble extraction. He is expressly said to have been ‘a man of like passions’ with ourselves. When the natural soil of of his nature shows itself, it is not richer than that of the majority of men; and, if anything, it is the reverse.” Meyer

“The word ‘Eliajh’ may be rendered–Jehovah is my God; but there is another possible translation–JEHOVAH IS MY STRENGTH.” Meyer

Note: Ahab and Jezebel. (And their daughter Athaliah)

“Ahab is the seventh king of Israel since Asa came to the throne of Judah.” TNBC

“No previous monarch had such a penchant for perverseness as had Ahab. He was literally addicted to evil. Wickedness was a way of life for him. He and his atrocious, fierce queen Jezebel wallowed in lewdness.” Keller

“Ahab the insolent, despicable monarch had blatantly repudiated and rejected the Lord Jehovah, God of Israel. Without a qualm he had plunged headlong into the appalling rituals and sexual orgies of Baal and Ashteroth. These were pagan deities dedicated to licentiousness, sexual perversion, violence and unbridled greed.”

“Jezebel was the daughter of a King who was also a priest of Baal and who murdered his brother. It is interesting to note that the name Jezebel means ‘unmarried’ or ‘without cohabitation.’” McGee

“Jezebel, of course, had been reared amid the pagan rituals of Baal. Her father was Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians and priest of Ashteroth, in whose domain the worship of Baal was perpetually practiced.” Keller

“”As she left her palace-home, Jezebel would be vehemently urged by the priests to do her utmost to introduce into Israel the hideous and cruel rites of her hereditary religion. Shrines and temples began to rise in all parts of the land in honor of these false deities; while the altars of Jehovah were ruthlessly broken down.” Meyer

No other wife of a northern king is named.

“F. B. Meyer calls Jezebel the Lady Macbeth of the Old Testament. She bore all of the markings of demon possession, and according to the record of her deeds, she was, in fact, Satan’s woman of the hour”. Swindoll

“The term Baal, the Hebrew word for ‘Lord’ and ‘master,’ was employed more or less indiscriminately for a number of national gods. The Baal of Tyre, however, was Melkarth, the Tyrians’ chief god. Jezebel played the role of chief priestess of the Tyrian Baal. Melkarth was the kind of god that required the burning of innocent children as oblations upon his altar. One of the underlying reasons why Baal was worshiped was that he was believed to be lord of the land. To induce him to send rain upon the earth, fertility cult practices were engaged in and sacrifices were offered.” WBC

“The temper of the time is to turn our backs on God. Everywhere there are those in positions of power and prominence who would have us repudiate righteousness and reject the laws of the Lord. Scorn and ridicule are heaped upon those who seek to serve God. The Christian is becoming an object of contempt.” Keller

The Spiritual Condition of Elijah.

“As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand”

He believed in the true God.

“As the Lord God of Israel lives,”

Ahab and much of the nation of Israel may have not acknowledged or believed in the Lord God of Israel, however, Elijah did. He believed in the Living God.

He practiced the presence of God.

“before whom I stand”

Elijah practiced the presence of God in his life. He may have been standing physically before an earthly monarch, however, he always kept in mind that as a believer, he was standing in the presence of God no matter where he might be at any time.

B. The Proclamation of Elijah.

“there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” NKJV

What a proclamation Elijah was making to this king. No rain, except when he would give the word. This would be devastating to a people who heavily relied on agriculture for their subsistence. No rain, no crops. No rain, famine and suffering would be inevitable. And yet, this would be in accordance to the promised judgment of God if Israel forsook Him and His ways.

“Baal, the Phoenician storm god was held by Ahab, Jezebel and his other devotees to control the rain. Elijah (‘my God is the Lord’) abruptly announced to Ahaz that Jehovah would be proved to be the one who does so.” Unger

“Note the appropriateness of this punitive measure. The people of Israel had turned from Jehovah to the folk gods of the Baalim, the gods of the fertility cult. They needed to be reminded that Jehovah, the God of Israel, controls the elements and hence all fertility and life. Therefore rain was to be withheld from the land.” WBC

From the expression, “the early and the latter rain” (Deu 11: 14; Jer 5: 24), we gather that, normally, Palestine experienced a dry season of several months duration: but though no rain fell then, very heavy dews descended at night which greatly refreshed vegetation. But for neither dew nor rain to fall, and that for a period of years, was a terrible judgment indeed. Pink

Note: What James says about Elijah:

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

He prayed earnestly that it would not rain indicates that Elijah had spent a considerable time in prayer before confronting Ahab.

Note: the warning given to Israel:

““Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you. “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“The autumn and spring rains and summer dew were necessities for the crops of Israel. The Lord had threatened to withhold these from the land if his people turned from him to serve other gods (Lev. 26:18–19; Deut. 11:16–17; 28:23–24). Elijah had prayed for the drought (cf. James 5:17) and God answered. It lasted three years and six months according to James (James 5:17). The drought proved that Baal, the god of the rains and fertility, was impotent before the Lord.” MacArthur

“Preoccupation with luxury, ease, sexual perversion, licentiousness and lawlessness will inevitably bring a counteraction of divine intervention.” Keller

“The challenge which Elijah had flung in Ahab’s face was not only a confrontation with his evil conduct, but also an outright attack on the power of Baal. This pagan god of the Canaanites was sometimes called ‘the storm god.’ He was the one who allegedly brought rain, showers, mist and dew to the parched land of Palestine. It was in his power to provide the abundance which guaranteed fertility of the fields, fertility of the flocks and fertility among his foolish followers.” Keller

II. Elijah is Commanded to Go to the Brook Cherith. I Kings. 17:2-7

“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭2‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭2‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“You must go to Cherith and Zarephath before you can stand on Carmel.” Meyer

The Command. vv. 2-3a

“Probably this was a seasonal brook that flowed during the rainy season but dried up when the weather turned hot. It was located east of the Jordan River.” MacArthur

“The brook Cherith is one of several brooks that empty into the Jordan. Though it’s exact identification is unknown, tradition locates it at Wadi el Kelt.” WBC

“The Brook Cherith was no babbling, singing mountain stream as so many preachers and painters have portrayed it. It’s very name means ‘the cutting place’ where a small seep of water had worn away the rock and stone to form a deep defile in the desert.” Keller

“Although today no one can identify the location of that brook, we do know that it derived its name from the original verb Cha-rath, which means ‘to cut off, to cut down.’ The word is used both ways in the Old Testament: as in being cut off from others or from the blessings of a covenant; and also of being cut down, as one might cut down tall timber.” Swindoll

Instead of a river God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our blessings, but in the Blesser Himself. Pink

Note: The word of the Lord came to Elijah.

Depart.

Hide.

“The Hebrew word here suggests the idea of concealment, of being absent on purpose.” Swindoll

“God had two reasons for commanding Elijah to hide himself. First, He wanted to protect Elijah from Ahaz; and second, He wanted to train him to become a man of God. When God says to us, almost out of the blue, ‘Hide yourself,’ He usually has both purposes in mind: protection and training.” Swindoll

Drink.and eat.

“God’s SERVANT MUST BE TAUGHT THE VALUE OF THE HIDDEN LIFE.”

Meyer

“Every saintly soul that would wield great power with men must win it in some hidden Cherith.” Meyer

“There is strong emphasis on the word there. ‘I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.’” Meyer

Jesus often taught the importance of dying to self. In a sense, that is exactly what Elijah is doing here.

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

B. The Miracle. vv. 3b-6

and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”

“and as the distance between Jerusalem and Cherish was not very great, it is possible, as some have suggested, that the fowls might have snatched from the altar at the temple and carried it in their talons to the prophet’s hiding place. But as to the bread, that was not food adapted to their instincts; so that their being instinctively stimulated to carry a portion of it daily along with the meat was a strong proof of a miraculous influence being exerted over them.” JFB

The ravens obeyed God.

The prophet obeyed God.

“Ravens are ubiquitous birds, found the world over on every continent. All through human history both in the Orient and the Occidental they have been regarded as an omen of misfortune, tragedy, death. In the Hebrew tradition they were regarded as unclean, contaminated and an abomination because of their scavenging habits.” Keller

“They were bold, black birds surviving on scraps of hide, bits of bone and remnants of rubbish.” Keller

C. The Conclusion. vs 7

“And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”

“When Elijah looked at that little brook which was getting smaller and smaller he learned a spiritual lesson. He saw that his life was a dried-up brook. He was a channel, through which living water could flow. The Lord Jesus Christ says, “. . . Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:13-14).” McGee

“Many of us have had to sit by drying brooks; perhaps some are sitting by them now–the drying brook of popularity, the drying brook of health, the drying brook of money, the drying brook of friendship, which for long has been diminishing, and threatens soon to cease. Ah, it is hard to sit beside a drying brook–much harder than to face the prophets of Baal on Carmel.”

“It is worthy of note, too, that in no way was he exempt from the trauma of his times. The desperate drought that descended to desiccate and destroy the countryside had just as great an impact upon him as anyone else.” Keller

And why does God suffer the brook to dry up? To teach us to trust in Himself, and not in His gifts. Pink

Note: The brook may dry up at times; however, His love and care never will. Isa. 49:14-16

“But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Indeed, I have inscribed [a picture of] you on the palms of My hands; Your city walls [Zion] are continually before Me.”