Elijah showed that through his prayers to the God of Israel, Yahweh was mightier than Baal. There shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word: This was a dramatic demonstration against the pagan god Baal, who was thought to be the sky god, the god of the weather. But they were paralysed with fear and kept so still, that their very existence was unknown by Elijah in the hour of his great loneliness.” (Meyer)ī. Of all the thousands of Israel, only seven thousand remained who had not bowed the knee or kissed the hand to Baal. The fires of persecution were lit, and began to burn with fury” (Meyer).

“The land swarmed with the priests of Baal and of the groves – proud of Court favour glorying in their sudden rise to power insolent, greedy, licentious, and debased. It looked as if the worship of the true God might be completely eliminated in the northern kingdom. It was a crucial time in the history of Israel. In the days when Ahab’s government officially supported the worship of Baal and other gods, even the name of this prophet told the truth. He became the dominant spiritual force in Israel during the dark days of Ahab’s apostasy. Elijah the Tishbite: At this crucial time in the history of Judah and Israel, the Prophet Elijah suddenly appeared. (1) Elijah tells of the LORD’s judgment.Īnd 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.”Ī. Elijah prays for drought and experiences God’s provision. 1 Kings 17 – The Early Ministry of Elijah A.

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