Elijah walks into the story without a family tree. He tells King Ahab that it will not rain until he says so, and then he disappears (1 Kings 17:1-3). For years he lives on what ravens and a poor widow give him.
He is bold enough to face 450 prophets of Baal alone. Yet after his greatest victory he runs for his life and asks God to take it (1 Kings 19:3-4). James says he was a man with a nature like ours (James 5:17). That is the comfort of his story.
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How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him
Name means
My God is the LORD
Home
Tishbe in Gilead
Role
Prophet to the northern kingdom during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel
Read in
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Elijah's story
Under the broom tree
Beginning
No rain
He confronts Ahab and announces a drought by the LORD's word.
High point
Ravens and a widow
God feeds him in hiding. He raises the widow's son at Zarephath.
High point
Fire on Carmel
He calls Israel to choose. Fire falls, and the people cry that the LORD is God.
Low point
Asks to die
Jezebel threatens him. He runs into the desert and asks God to take his life.
Turning point
A low whisper
God feeds him, meets him at Horeb in a quiet voice, and tells him 7,000 have stayed faithful.
Ending
Taken up
A chariot of fire parts him from Elisha, and he goes up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Starts as a lone voice against a king. Ends as a worn-out prophet God carried home.
Where Elijah lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.
How Elijah is wired
The Challenger
Enneagram 8, Enthusiast wing
To confront evil head on and not be controlled by it.
This one is debated. Here's why we land here.
At their best, toward 2 Under stress, toward 5
Why we think so
1
Confronts power. He tells Ahab to his face that Ahab is the one troubling Israel. ()
2
Sets the terms. He calls the contest on Carmel and makes it harder for himself by soaking the altar. ()
3
Names sin plainly. He meets Ahab in Naboth's vineyard and pronounces judgment. ()
His mocking of Baal's prophets has a quick, theatrical energy. ()
The Helper. He gives tender care to a grieving widow and carries her son upstairs to pray. ()
The Investigator. He withdraws, hides in a cave, and goes over the same complaint twice. ()
The case for 1
His zeal for what is right is strong. He says he has been very jealous for the LORD, and his anger is about faithfulness, not control.
Other lenses
Big Five. Read from what is recorded in Kings and the prophets.
ReservedOutgoing
SteadyReactive
ChallengingAccommodating
SpontaneousDisciplined
TraditionalCurious
DISC style: fearless, all or nothing
Strengths & struggles
What's good in Elijah
Courage, clarity, deep prayer, willingness to stand alone, plain speech to kings (; ).
Where Elijah struggles
Sees himself as the only faithful one, crashes after highs, isolates when afraid ().
What Elijah wanted most
For Israel to turn back and know that the LORD is God ().
What Elijah feared most
That his work had failed and he was left alone ().
Elijah went up to heaven and left his spirit on a disciple, and Jesus ascended and poured out his Spirit on his church.
God promised to send Elijah before the day of the LORD (), and Jesus said John the Baptist was that Elijah (). Elijah raised a widow's son, and Jesus raised a widow's son at Nain (). Where Elijah sank under the broom tree, Jesus did not run from his hour.
Questions to sit with
1
When do your strongest moments leave you most exposed?
2
Where might God be speaking in a quiet voice you have been too tired to hear?
Study Elijah with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
