He stood as a man who trusted God, one who anticipated God fulfilling his promise. In the process, we also see miracles. A bull offering doused in water, enough to overflow and fill the surrounding trench, proved no match for the fire of God.
The message Elijah championed rang clear and seemingly easy, but not everyone wanted to hear its contents. Jezebel stood at the front of that line. She sought out and put prophets of God to death. Meanwhile, her husband, King Ahab, allowed it and simply continued worshiping Baal. He bravely championed God Almighty and the messages given from Above, even when those messages offered challenges, correction, or bad news for the one receiving them.
Jezebel coaxed her husband, King Ahab, into Baal worship versus God worship. It was an ugly scene in Israel. Enter Elijah. God sent him to offer hard words, to bring accountability and warning where both proved due, and to champion belief in the Almighty. Follow the thread as he confronts Ahab then challenges followers of Baal with water, an offering, and fire—all noted in 1 Kings Many times Elijah found himself in the midst of a seemingly dimming situation.
But he held belief. When promised rain remained absent, Elijah held belief, sending his servant to check the horizon seven times. Just as God promised, it rained. But they struggled with emotions, evidenced in the Bible. Elijah wrestled as well. His life rang authentic. The man who stood in solid obedience and courage also ran in fear. Thus they raged furiously till late in the afternoon, yet there was no sign of an answer.
Then Elijah called upon the people to gather around him. In the name of G-d he built an altar of twelve stones, symbolizing the number of the Hebrew tribes, and ordered a wide trench dug all about it. Then he laid the other bullock on the altar and had water poured over it, till the trench was filled to the brim. Having completed all these preparations, he stepped before the altar and prayed to G-d. Hear me, O L-rd, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the L-rd G-d, and thus turn their hearts back again.
Hardly had he finished praying when a flame of fire came down from G-d and consumed the offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the earth, and licked up even the water that was in the trench. The L-rd He is G-d! After bidding the king eat and drink for the drought would presently end, Elijah went to a solitary place on the mountain to pray for rain. Then he asked his servant to look in the direction of the sea for the first sign of a cloud.
The servant did so, but reported that he had not noticed anything. Immediately Elijah sent word to Ahab to have his horses harnessed and to return to his palace before the rains began to fall. Soon the whole sky became overcast. Strong winds drove large clouds and sent the rain down in torrents. The heavy rains drenched the parched earth of Israel, which had been craving water for almost three years. Ahab fled before the storm, and rode into Jezreel, but the spirit of G-d seized Elijah, and carried him on before Ahab to the entrance of the city.
Ahab related to Jezebel all that had come to pass on Mount Carmel, and told her also of the death of her prophets. Jezebel flew into a rage and swore that she would do unto Elijah as he had done unto them. Elijah fled to the desert of Judah. There he sat down amongst the bushes in a mood of despondency and deep disappointment.
Wearied by his flight, and tortured by hunger and thirst, he lay down and fell asleep. But an angel of G-d touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. Elijah opened his eyes and saw beside him a cruse of water and a cake. He ate and drank and fell asleep for the second time.
With the strength derived from that meal, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Mount Horeb. Elijah took refuge in a cave on Mount Horeb.
He mourned the loss of all the true prophets of G-d, expressing his apprehension as to who would carry on his work, now that he was the only remaining prophet of G-d, and the enemies of G-d sought to take away his life. In reply, G-d told him to step outside and stand on the mountainside. Elijah did so, and G-d manifested Himself to him.
At first a great and strong wind rocked the mountain. But G-d was not in the wind. Then came an earthquake; but G-d was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came fire; but G-d was not in the fire.
Then Elijah heard a still, soft whisper, and he covered his face with his mantle and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then G-d instructed him as to his work. Numbers 21 Moses and the Brass Serpent. Deuteronomy 10; 31; 34; Joshua 1; 3—6; 10—11; 21; 24 Joshua the Prophet. Joshua 2; 6 Rahab and the Spies. Judges 4—5 Deborah the Prophetess. Judges 6—7 The Army of Gideon. Ruth 1—4 Ruth and Naomi. Jonah 1—4 Jonah the Prophet.
Isaiah 6—7; 9; 53—54 Isaiah the Prophet. Jeremiah 1—52 Jeremiah the Prophet. Daniel 1 Daniel and His Friends. Daniel 1; 3 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Esther 2—5; 7—9 Queen Esther. The Lord does not place a lying spirit in anyone. Is it requisite again to remind the reader that the Scriptures repeatedly represent God as doing what, in the course of his providence, he only permits or suffers to be done? Nothing can be done in heaven, in earth, or hell, but either by his immediate energy or permission.
This is the reason why the Scripture speaks as above. An ancient warrior was covered with armor. To kill him, an arrow had to pass through the spaces where one piece of armor joined another. The Moabites occupied the territory east of the Dead Sea. They were the descendants of Lot see Genesis Years earlier David had conquered them and their distant relatives the Ammonites, who were also descendants of Lot and who occupied a territory just north of Moab.
The Moabites now saw an opportunity to break connection with the Israelites, and they were determined to make the most of it. More details of the rebellion are found on this stone than are recorded in the Bible. Mesha recorded on the stone the account of hundreds of cities being added to his kingdom and how he built reservoirs, aqueducts, and fortifications. It is the same name Baalzebub as was given to an ancient heathen god. In their rebellion against light, the ancient Jews applied the name Beelzebub to Christ Matt.
McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. But they do not consider that it was no more possible for Elijah to bring down fire from heaven, than for them to do it. God alone could send the fire; and as he is just and good, he would not have destroyed these men had there not been a sufficient cause to justify the act. It was not to please Elijah, or to gratify any vindictive humour in him, that God thus acted; but to show his own power and justice.
No entreaty of Elijah could have induced God to have performed an act that was wrong in itself. Elijah, personally, had no concern in the business.
God led him simply to announce on these occasions what he himself had determined to do. It is clear from this chapter that Elijah and Elisha moved about a great deal during this period. See the accompanying map for the course of their travels. Here is yet another miracle performed by the priesthood Elijah held.
He divided, or unsealed, the waters of the Jordan. He brought this same priesthood power, and the keys to exercise it, to Peter, James, and John on the mountain of transfiguration see Matthew —13 ; Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. The term heaven has more than one meaning. Sometimes it is used to mean the sky; at other times it refers to the celestial glory.
Elijah was taken from this earth as a translated being, but not into celestial glory. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:. Their place of habitation is that of the terrestrial order, and a place prepared for such characters He held in reserve to be ministering angels unto many planets, and who as yet have not entered into so great a fullness as those who are resurrected from the dead.
Wherein then, can it be said a better resurrection. This distinction is made between the doctrine of the actual resurrection and translation: translation obtains deliverance from the tortures and sufferings of the body, but their existence will prolong as to the labors and toils of the ministry, before they can enter into so great a rest and glory.
See Notes and Commentary on 1 Kings The use of salt makes this a greater miracle, since salt normally corrupts rather than purifies water. In verse 24 the idea ends. The assumption that Elisha directed the bears may not be justified. We have already heard of the ferocity of a bear robbed of her whelps; see at the end of [ 2 Samuel chap. Even though Jehoshaphat did not like the counsel he and Ahab received, Ahab still did not want to seek advice from Micaiah, for Micaiah refused to flatter him 1 Kings Because Ahab did not like what any of the prophets had to say about him, he persecuted them.
Is it easier to believe a dead prophet because his counsel applies more directly to another time? Elder Bruce R.
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