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One-sentence summary: Elijah kills the prophets of Baal and then runs for his life; while he is hiding in a cave, the Lord speaks to Him in a still, small voice, and Elisha follows him.
Elijah says to Ahab that there will not be rain except at his word. Then, the Lord tells him to leave and head east and hide by a brook that flows into the Jordan, to drink from it, and that He has commanded the ravens to feed him, and so he does. They bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he drinks from the brook. After a while, it dries up, as there has been no rain, and the Lord tells him to arise and go to Zeraphath and dwell there- that He has commanded a widow there to provide for him. A widow is at the gate, gathering sticks, and Elijah asks her to bring him water in a cup to drink and also a morsel of bread. She responds that she has only a handful of flour and a little oil of jar, that she is gathering sticks to prepare it for her and her son that they may eat it and then die. He tells her not to fear, but to make a small cake for him first and then for her and her son. He tells her the Lord says the flour will not be used up or the oil dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth, and they eat for many days, and it does not dry up. Later, her son becomes sick, and he dies, so she speaks to Elijah, referring to him as a man of God, asking if he has come to bring her sin to remembrance and to kill her son. Elijah asks for the boy and takes him to the upper room and lays him on his bed. He cries out to the Lord, asking why He has brought tragedy on the widow by killing her son. He stretches out on the boy three times asking for his soul to return. The Lord hears, and the boy revives, and he returns him to his mother. She says she now knows that Elijah is a man of God and that the word of the Lord in his mouth is true.
The word of the Lord comes to Elijah in the third year telling him to present himself to Ahab, that He will send rain on the earth. There is a severe famine in Samaria, and Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. He was a God-fearing man, and when Jezebel had killed the prophets of the Lord, he had taken 100 prophets and hid them in two caves and given them bread and water. Ahab told him to go into the land to the springs and brooks to find grass to keep the livestock alive, and they both explore the land. On his way, Elijah meets him and recognizes him, and he falls on his face and calls Elijah lord. Elijah tells him to tell Ahab he is here, and Obadiah says Ahab will kill him (Obadiah.) He says Ahab has looked for Elijah everywhere, and that the Lord's Spirit will surely take Elijah away, and when Ahab can't find him, he will kill him. He says he has feared the Lord from his youth and reminds Elijah how he hid the Lord's prophets. Elijah promises that he will present himself to Ahab that day, so Obadiah tells the king, and Ahab goes to meet Elijah. When he sees him, he calls him a troubler of Israel, but Elijah says he is the one who has troubled them in forsaking the Lord and following Baal. He tells him to gather Israel on Mt. Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table, and he does. Elijah says to all the people, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal is God, follow him." And no one answers. Elijah says he is the only prophet left. He asks for two bulls, one for him and one for the "prophets," and to lay them on the wood with no fire. Then, Elijah will call on the Lord and they on their "gods," and whoever answers by fire, then He is God. Elijah tells them to go first. They call on Baal all morning until noon, but no one answers. Then, they leap about the altar, and at noon, Elijah mocks them and says Baal must be meditating, busy, on a journey, or sleeping. They cry aloud and cut themselves until the blood gushes out as is their custom. In the afternoon, they "prophesy" until the time of the evening sacrifice, but it says no one answers or pays attention. Then, Elijah tells all the people to come near, and he prepares the altar of the Lord that was broken down; he takes 12 stones for the 12 tribes of Israel, and he builds an altar for the name of the Lord. He sets the wood and the bull on it and tells them to pour water on the sacrifice and the wood, three times, and the water runs all around the altar. Then, at the evening sacrifice, Elijah calls on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, saying may it be known that He is God and that Elijah is His servant. He asks Him to turn the people's hearts back to Him. Then, the fire falls, and it burns the sacrifice and licks up the water. When the people see, they fall on their faces and declare the Lord is God. The command to seize the prophets of Baal, and Elijah brings them down to the brook and executes them. Then, he tells Ahab to eat and drink, "for there is the sound of an abundance of rain." Elijah goes up to Carmel and bows down with his face between his knees and tells his servant to look toward the sea. At first, he sees nothing. Elijah sends him seven times, and on the seventh time, the man says there is a cloud the size of a man's hand rising from the sea. Elijah tells the servant to go tell Ahab to prepare his chariots and go down before the rain stops him. Meanwhile, the sky is becoming black with clouds and winds, and there is a heavy rain. Ahab rides away, and the hand of the Lord comes on Elijah, and he runs ahead of him. Ahab tells Jezebel all Elijah had done, and she sends a messenger to him, vowing he will be dead by the next day. He arises and runs for his life into the land of Judah, a day's journey into the wilderness, and he sits under a tree, praying to die. Lying there sleeping, an angel touches him and tells him to arise and eat. He sees a cake baked on coals and a jar of water. He eats and drinks and lies down again. The angel comes a second time and tells him to arise and eat, because the journey is too great for him. And that food lasts him 40 days and 40 nights, and he goes to the mountain of the Lord in a cave and spends the night there. The word of the Lord comes to him and asks what he is doing there. He says that he has been zealous for the Lord, but Israel has forsaken His covenant, torn down His altars, and killed His prophets, and that he alone is left, and they are seeking to kill him. The Lord tells him to go and stand on the mountain of the Lord. Then, the Lord passes by, and a strong wind tears into the mountain and breaks the rocks into pieces. But it says the Lord is not in the wind. Then, there is an earthquake, but the Lord is not in it either. Then, there is a fire, but the Lord is not in it. After that, there is a still, small voice. When Elijah hears, he wraps his face in his mantle and stands at the edge of the cave, and he hears the Lord ask again what he is doing there, and he answers the same thing as before. The Lord tells him to go to the wilderness of Damascus and anoint Hazael as king over Syria and Jehu as king over Israel and Elisha as prophet in his place. He says whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill, and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. But He says He has reserved 7,000 in Israel whose knees have not bowed to Baal nor their mouths kissed him. Elijah leaves and finds Elisha plowing in the field with 12 oxen, and Elijah passes by him and throws his mantle on him; Elisha leaves the oxen and runs after him. He asks if he can kiss his father and mother first, and Elijah says yes. Then, Elisha kills the oxen and feeds the people. Then, he follows Elijah and becomes his servant.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
You hear "the devil is in the details," but really, God is in the details! He speaks in a still, small voice, and His move starts small- in this case, with a cloud. Never despise little things!
God is very merciful and knows when we are just plain tired!