2/20/2024 0 Comments Bible study questions on elijahThe Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel. But even the people of Judah refused to obey the commands of the Lord their God, for they followed the evil practices that Israel had introduced. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land. The entire northern kingdom of Israel is conquered by Assyria.īecause the Lord was very angry with Israel, he swept them away from his presence. They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the LORD’s command not to imitate them.Īt last, God pronounced His judgement. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the LORD their God. Obey my commands and decrees-the entire law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through my servants the prophets.”īut the Israelites would not listen. Repent, or die.Īgain and again the LORD had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah: “Turn from all your evil ways. God and His judgment are near, so they must choose. But prophets like Isaiah and Elijah came specifically to convince them otherwise. Many of the Israelites (especially in Jerusalem) believe that as God’s people they were immune to judgment. Time and again, God sends to prophets to urge Israel to turn back to God. With each new generation the suspense builds and the question lingers, “For how many generations will God’s immense patience and mercy toward His people cause Him to withhold His just judgment?” When God rescued Israel from Egypt and established them as a nation, He gave the the choice… Blessing, or cursing. This 470-year period of Israel’s unfaithfulness builds tension in the narrative. God sent these prophets to help Israel, but they were largely rejected. Elijah and other men were prophets sent by God to passionately and authoritatively call Israel back to faithfulness. The place where the body was left unburied was also the place where Elisha was laid to rest.In the book of Kings, we once again see the familiar pattern of bad kings of Israel rejecting the covenant with God, leading to idol worship and false gods. One day, some men were burying a man in a cave when a gang appeared and caused them to flee. God's power, however, showed through him even after his death. He dressed like the people of his day and generally succored the people.Įlisha, after sixty years of service as a prophet, died in his own home (2Kings 13:14, 20). His successor, however, stayed as a visitor in the homes where he went. He then followed his mentor until the day God took him away by a chariot of fire.Įlijah was rough shod and hairy and thundered his denunciation of kings. However, he apparently knew what it meant when his mentor's mantle was cast over him, since when it occurred he simply said goodbye to his parents (verses 20 - 21). John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus before his ministry began, preached in his spirit and power (John 1:19 - 23, Matthew 17:10 - 13).Įlisha, on the other hand, was a humble farmer (1Kings 19:16 - 19). The service to God of Elijah was so exemplary that he represented all the Old Testament prophets when Jesus was transfigured and in a vision is seen talking to him and Moses (Luke 9:28 - 36). Elisha's request for a double portion of God's spirit (2Kings 2:1 - 12) is granted. He is taken, after completing these tasks, away from the area on a miraculous fiery chariot sent by God. He is commanded, after fleeing death threats from Queen Jezebel, to anoint two kings and make Elisha his successor (1Kings 19). God even gave him the power to OUTRUN the chariot of Ahab (who also had a head start) to the entrance of Jezreel (1Kings 18:46)! He also had a major confrontation with Israel's false prophets on Mount Carmel, which ended in the execution of 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah (1Kings 18:18 - 40). He raised a widow's son from the dead (1Kings 17:2 - 24). This prophet led what we might call today a "dynamic life." He was a prophet who warned and punished the Kings of Israel for their sins.
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