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The Prophet Elijah Story | Part 1 - Whiteboard Bible Study In Minutes

Quick & Easy Bible Explanations For 18-25 year olds.

The story of Elijah is of grand importance for us today. Maybe you have heard it as a kid...or maybe you actually never heard it. Let us surprise you of what the story is all about and how it speaks still in our time.

The prophet Elijah is a very colorful character in the Bible and I think so many people can relate to him, because he had his ups and downs and demonstrates victory and defeat, followed by recovery. Elijah knew both - the depths of depression and the power of God.

He was used during extremely difficult time in Israel’s history to oppose the wicked king Ahab and bring revival to the people of Israel.

So what was the issue with Ahab and God’s people ?

The problem really was a question and the question was: Who is the king of the fridge? Meaning who is the one that let’s the economy run and ultimately gives us food.

So here is the context. First there Saul, the beautiful king the people chose, but who turned out to be evil. Then there was King David, the man after God’s heart. Then there was Solomon, and he really made the kingdom of Israel successful as no one did before him. He was an incredible savvy business man through relying on Jehovah, who made him the most thought after king on the planet. During his reign he began also trading with King Hiram I from Tyre in the North of Israel.

Now so far so good. Nothing against good business. But as one said: Money is a good servant, and a terrible master.

So as we know, at the end of Solomon’s life, he messed up. He practically did everything wrong and didn’t walk the talk.

So his kingdom was divided in Judah and the rest of Israel. I fast-forward to the fifth king in Israel, because that’s where our story takes place. So it’s roughly 6 kings after Solomon, around 870 BC and in the Northern Kingdom.  

Ahab is the new King and he is not using money to serve the people, but he falls in love with it and the power it gives him. So this so much that he marries the daughter of the current king of Tyres. That’s like a son of a priest marrying the daughter of a corrupt business man. Now the name of the king is Ithobaal, the first. And this is important Because Ithobaal means “with baal”. The word baal meant "owner, master or even husband," and it became the usual designation of the great weather-god.

Now why is this important? This is important, because Israel has a fundamentally different agricultural logic than the surrounding regions, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Here is how Moses explained it in Deu 11:10

The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.

But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.

It is a land the LORD your God cares for.

So basically in Egypt you get water from the ground through the nile and a clever irrigation system, while in Israel God gives you rain from above so you depend on him.

In Egypt blessing is based on man’s works, in the Land it’s based on God’s Grace.

It’s the last sentence however is key: It is a land the LORD your God cares for.

The Prophet Elijah Story | THE DEPRESSED PROPHET | Part 4 - Whiteboard

Do You Feel Like You Had Your Greatest Victory, But Still Are Down?

The Prophet Elijah Story | MOUNT CARMEL | Part 3 - Whiteboard

QUESTION: Are you sure that God cares for you on a daily basis?

The Prophet Elijah Story | Part 1 - Whiteboard