THE MINISTRY OF ELIJAH  -  James 5:17; 1 Kings 17

1)   ELIJAH’S EARLY LIFE AND UPBRINGING

He is described as Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, and as his name means “God is my strength”, this may indicate that he had godly parents. We can be sure, however, that God had been preparing him all through his early years. Elijah was the man God chose for those critical times.

2)   ELIJAH LIVED IN A DAY OF SPIRITUAL DECLENSION AND APOSTASY

A succession of seven wicked kings had reigned over Israel: (1) Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:28-33); (2) Nadab (15:25-26); (3) Baasha (15:27-28); (4) Elah, a drunkard and a murderer (16:8-9); (5) Zimri, guilty of treason (16:20); (6) Omri (16:25-26); and (7) Ahab (16:28-33), with whom must be linked his notoriously wicked wife Jezebel.

Worship of the true God had all but ceased; Baal-worship had become the national religion. Only 7000 Israelites remained true in heart to the Lord, and these were fearful and had hidden their testimony (1 Kings 19:18). A floodtide of idolatry, superstition and evil had overwhelmed the nation; never had God’s favoured nation sunk so low spiritually and morally.

3)   ELIJAH WAS A MAN JUST LIKE OURSELVES

We tend to regard men like Elijah, Moses, Daniel and the other O.T. ‘heroes’ as men who walked on heights inaccessible to us. But who was Elijah? James 5:17 tells us: a man with a nature just like yours and mine. A man not an angel - a man who at one point failed badly. A great man but no different from ourselves. Elijah is just an ordinary man like us.

1. A Man of Passion – James 5:17
2. A Man of Prayer – 1 Kings 17:20; James 5:17
3. A Man of Power – 2 Kings 2:14,15
4. A Man of Patience – 1 Kings 17:5-7
5. A Man Protected by God – 1 Kings 18:10