12 Miracles of Elijah

1- The Drought: (1K.17).

Elijah appears abruptly on the scene of history to announce to King Ahab that Yahweh had determined to avenge the apostasy of Israel and her king by bringing a long drought on the land that should not cease until he gave the word: Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord , the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word. (1Ki.17:1). And the wonder happened!... and when Elijah predicted again, the rain came back after 3.5 years of drought... Yes, two miracles!.

2- Fed by Ravens: (1K.17).

His message delivered, the prophet vanished as suddenly as he had appeared, and, guided by the spirit of Yahweh, betook himself by the brook Carith, to the east of the Jordan, and the ravens fed him. This is what the Bible says as a miracle, by the order of God Himself, and the Bible is the only document we have describing this episode. 2 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3 "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." 5 So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. (1Ki.17:2-6).

3- Increases the widow's of Serephath meal and oil 1K.17,

Lk.4:26 After the brook had dried up, Elijah, under Divine direction, crossed over to Sarephath or Sarepta, of the Sidonites. There he was hospitably received by a poor widow whom the famine had reduced to her last meal ; her charity he rewarded by increasing her store of meal and oil all the while the drought and famine prevailed.

7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him:

9 "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."

10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?"

11 As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."

12 "As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."

13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.

14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.

16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah. (1Ki.17:7-15).

4- Raises the widow's son (1K.17)

17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.

18 She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"

19 "Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.

20 Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?"

21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!" 

22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived.

23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth." (1Ki.17:17-24).

5- Fire from heaven: Victory over the priests of Baal: (1K.18)

The greatest achievement and miracle of Elijah's life was his victory over the priests of Baal at Mt. Carmel. Having heard that the other prophets of Yahwh were also persecuted, he requested King Ahab to gather the people of Israel, the 450 priests of Baal, and the 400 prophets of Ashtaroth on Mt. Carmel. Then he asked Israel the famous question of 1Ki 18:21: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." or "How long halt ye between two opinions?", meaning, "How long will ye be undecided as to whether ye shall follow Yahweh or Baal?" The people remaining silent. He invited the priests of Baal to a contest, proposing that he and they should each build an altar and lay a burnt offering thereon, and that the God who should send down fire from heaven to consume the offering should be accepted as the true God. After various unsuccessful attempts to get a favourable answer had been made by the prophets of Baal, while they were ridiculed with subtle irony by Elijah, Elijah prayed, and Yahweh sent fire from heaven to consume his offering. Yahweh was recognized by Israel, and the priests of Baal were slain by the people near the brook Kishon (1Ki.18:17-40).

6- The Rain comes back: (1K.18)

On top of it, it started to rain!... 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain."

42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. (1Ki.18:41,45).

7- Fed by an angel, twice (1K.19)

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."

3 Elijah was afraid [a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,

4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."

5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."

6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 

7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."

8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. (1Ki.19:1-9).

8- A gentle whisper of God at mount Sinai, (1K.19):

The anger of Jezebel who had sworn to take the life of Elijah (1Ki 19:2), compelled him to flee without delay, and take his refuge beyond the desert of Judah, in the sanctuary of Mount Horeb. There, in the wilds of the sacred mountain, broken spirited, he poured out his complaint before the Lord, who strengthened him by a revelation and restored his faith. 

Mt. Horeb is identified in scripture as Mt. Sinai, the place where the law was given to Moses. It was there that Yahweh made the covenant of the law with the people (Ex. 24), after which the people committed the first act of rebellion and idolatry in the matter of the golden calf (Ex. 32). It was there that God encouraged a weary Moses by hiding him in a cleft of the rock in order to get just a glimpse of his glory. It is therefore significant that Elijah was driven to this place of such great importance in the history of Israel. He traveled for forty days, in comparison to the forty years of wandering imposed upon the unbelieving Israelites.

As Elijah stood at the mouth of the cave, a mighty wind came that literally tore the rocks apart. Was God there? No, he wasn't. Then came a great earthquake, and a fire, both awe inspiring occurrences of nature. Surely, they represented the might and glory of God. No, God was not in them either. What followed the fire was a gentle whisper (1Ki.19:12). Surely, that wasn't the mighty God of creation, was it? ...The prophet knew beyond a doubt that it was God. (1Ki.19:11-18).

Sometimes, in fact most of the time, God does not speak to us in thunder and lightning and earthquakes. Instead, he chooses to come to us in a way we can know on the inside: that still small voice. A gentle whisper from a loving Father, given to encourage and instruct and, sometimes, to rebuke and discipline.

Yes, the solution of all our problems and the problems of the world is God... to Trust in God... He knows and He is strong, and He knows what is doing... whatever we do is very little, but very important to God.... a gentle whisper of God is stronger than the whole universe... just that still small voice!.

The formula that never fails is do your very best, and then trust it all in God... in fact, the message of every page of the Bible is Trust in God in the OT, and Faith in Jesus in the New.

Are things bad today at home, in the world... just do your best, pray and don't worry... God is in charge!... not you nor I, but God Himself, and He knows and has power... He knows what He is doing!.

There are already Tree Good Lessons for you and me in the life of Elijah:

1- We are never closer to apparent defeat than in our moments of greatest victory (1Ki.19:2-3)

2- We are never as alone as we may feel; God is always there (1Ki.19:3-8)

3- God speaks more frequently in persistent whispers than in shouts (1Ki 19:11-18).

9- The dogs eat Jezebel: (1K.21, 2K.9)

Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, after the massacre of the 450 priests of Baal, wanted to kill Elijah, and the Prophet flees to mount Horeb at Sinai (1K.19)... eventually, Elijah told King Ahab that the dogs would devour Queen Jezebel's body... and they did! (1Ki.21:23, 2Ki.9:30-37).

10- Fire from heaven, twice (2K.1)

In 2 Kings, Elijah sends Fire from Heaven: Judgment of Elijah against Ahaziah because he was sending men to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron... 2Ki 1:10 Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men... and it happened twice! (2K.1).

11- Divides the Jordan River (2K.2)

8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. (2Ki.2:8)

12- Elijah carried by a whirlwind into heaven, following a chariot of fire (2K.2)

Elijah parted the Jordan River with his cloak and then was carried by a whirlwind into heaven, following a chariot of fire (2Ki.2:8-11), leaving Elisha as the main priest of "Israel" (Northern Kingdom) and with twice the prophetic power of Elijah.

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. (2Ki.2:11-12).