Study Questions for 1 Kings 17-19

Study Questions for 1 Kings 17-19

1. 1 Kings 17:1-16. What did Elijah prophesy and who was it to (v1)? Describe how God took care of him first (v2-7) and then later (v8-16)? Who else did this bless (v12-15) and what was the condition (v13)? What can we learn from this? / Elijah prophesied, in line with God’s progressive judgments against Israel’s idolatry revealed in Deut 11:16-17, that it would not rain on the land except by his word. This prophecy was based on the reality of Yahweh who would uphold this word. It was prophesied to Ahab, who had allowed the idolatries of Jezebel of the Sidonians to infiltrate Israel. God then told Elijah to go to the brook Cherith where the ravens would feed him, obviously a miraculous provision in drought. Once the stream (wadi) dried up the Lord then told him to go to Zarapheth, in Jezebel’s land of Sidon, which was also experiencing drought. There the Lord had commanded a widow to provide for him, very unusual since widows were typically lowest on the “food chain”, having very little. In fact when he arrived and asked her for some water and a piece of bread she told him that she had no bread, but only a handful of flour with some oil in a jar. She was gathering sticks so she could prepare her and her son’s last meal to eat, and then die. Elijah told her to not be afraid to help him, but to make him a bread cake first, and then she could make her and her son a piece. He promised her that her flour and oil would not be empty until rain fell on the land. Thus, when she took him at his word, trusting his God, God blessed not only Elijah with miraculous provision, but her and her son as well. This story teaches us at least two things; first, when we trust the Lord He will provide for us, sometimes miraculously. Secondly, when we support His servants we will be blessed for this as well. A subplot in both of these stories is that God was withholding the rain and fertility that Baal, the god that Jezebel had imported, was supposed in charge of. The true God is able to make it rain or not, but the false god Baal has no power.
2. 1 Kings 17:17-24. What occurred next (v17), how did the woman react (v18), and why do you think she did? What did Elijah do (v19-21) and how is this a good example for us? What were the results of this (v22-23, 24)? / After many days the son of the widow got sick and died. The woman assumed that it was because of a particular sin she had committed and blamed Elijah for bringing this sin to God’s mind for punishment. This is a typical reaction that people have when something bad happens in their lives, although much of the time our tragedy has nothing to do with our sin. This may be the reason, but it is not necessarily the reason; however, because we are all guilty of sin it is easy to make this connection. Elijah responded by asking for her son whom she was holding, took him upstairs, stretched out on him three times, and he came back to life. Before he stretched out on him, though, he prayed and asked God if indeed it was He who had brought the tragedy upon this widow. When the Lord brought him back to life it showed that her sin was not the reason. With the widow’s son once again alive Elijah took him downstairs to her. Elijah is a good example for us in that he didn’t make promises that he could fix it, but he did pray and do what he could. In this situation God miraculously answered his prayer; at other times that might not have occurred, but that wasn’t up to Elijah. All we can do is respond, pray, and do what we can and leave the results to God. Once this happens those who receive an answer from God will be like the widow, knowing that God is real and that we are truly His representatives.
3. 1 Kings 18:1-16. How did God direct Elijah (v1-2) and what did Ahab command at the same time (v5-6)? Who did he enlist and what was he like (v3-4)? Describe his encounter with Elijah and his fear (v7-14). What did Elijah promise (v15) and what did Obadiah do (v16)? / The Lord directed Elijah that it was time to show himself to Ahab, who, as the passage shows, had been searching for him. He was to tell him that He was going to send rain on the land. At the same time that God commanded this, Ahab commanded Obadiah to join him in search of water and grass to keep their livestock alive. Obadiah, who was over Ahab’s household, was one who feared the Lord so much that he hid a hundred prophets from Jezebel at one time, providing them with bread and water as they hid out by fifties in the caves in which he had placed them. As Obadiah was searching he encountered Elijah who told him to tell Ahab he would come to him, which would have seemed to be a good thing. However, it made him afraid because if he went back and reported to Ahab that he had found him and then God sent him off in another direction he would be in huge trouble. Elijah, though, reassured him that he would indeed appear before Ahab that day, and as before guaranteed it based on the reality of the Lord of hosts. So, Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
4. 1 Kings 18:17-29. When Ahab met Elijah what was his reaction (v17) and Elijah’s response (v18, 19)? What did Elijah tell the people of Israel (v20-21) and how did they respond (v22)? What did he then propose and how did they receive this (v23-24)? Describe what happened with the prophets of Baal (v25-29). / Ahab’s reaction to Elijah was that he was the “troubler of Israel”, a classic case of blame-shifting. As Elijah told him Ahab was the one who had brought trouble on Israel because he had forsaken the commandments of the Lord and (by?) following the Baals. Rather than continue to battle with words, he challenged Ahab to gather all of Israel to Mt Carmel along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the Asherah (Baal’s female counterpart) who ate at Jezebel’s table. Since each of these would represent a sacred site this shows how extensive Baal worship was in Israel. The site chosen, Mt Carmel, was between Phoenicia and Israel, the two lands that represented the two deities. Also, Mt Carmel was regarded to be a sacred dwelling place of Baal, so Ahab probably thought Baal had the advantage with this location. He did as Elijah said, and once they were all together Elijah asked how long they would hesitate between two opinions, the first being that the LORD (Yahweh) was God and the second that Baal was God. It was decision time; if the LORD was God they should follow Him alone and if they believed Baal to be God they should follow him alone – they couldn’t do both. Sadly, although predictably, they didn’t answer him; they weren’t ready to give up their “security” in Baal by wholeheartedly following the LORD. In response to their silence Elijah determined to bring the true God to light with a contest. They were to take 2 oxen, cut them up as a sacrifice, and place them on a stack of wood. They would call on the name of their god and Elijah would call on the Name of the LORD, and the one who answered by fire would be the true God. The people (the Baal worshipers and Israel) agreed to this “sign” (Jesus said later that and evil and adulterous generation seeks – needs – a sign; they didn’t really want to believe because they wanted to follow the Baals), saying it was a good idea. The priests of Baal would especially like this since their god was supposedly the one who could send lightning. Elijah then allowed the Baalists to go first since they outnumbered him 450:1 (he thought he was the only prophet still on God’s side), so they did, calling out from morning until noon for Baal to answer them – but there was no answer (which would have been thunder and lightning since he was considered the god of the thunderstorm). They also leaped around the altar called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered, although in addition to calling out they also leaped about the altar which they made. Elijah then mocked them and told them to call out more loudly since possibly Baal was occupied or gone aside (a euphemism for taking a potty break), or on a long journey or had gone to sleep. So they got louder and even cut themselves until blood gushed out as was customary in their religious rituals. Unfortunately for them there was still no answer, even until the time of the evening sacrifice, since Baal was not real.
5. 1 Kings 18:30-46. List the details of Elijah’s actions in the competition (v30, 31, 32-35) and their significance. Outline his prayer (v36, 37, how God answered (v38), and the results (v39, 40). What did Elijah tell Ahab then (v41), what did he do (v42-43), and what happened (v44)? What was Elijah’s next move (v46)? / The first thing Elijah did was to call the people near to him, and then he repaired the torn down altar of the LORD. This shows the violence that the prophets of Baal had committed against the true God. We can’t follow other gods without mistreating God. He then took twelve (not ten) stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel whom God had named when He changed Jacob’s name from “one who supplants” to “one who struggles (with God) or perseveres”. Next he built the altar in the name of the LORD, made a trench around it large enough to hold two and half gallons of seed, arranged the wood, cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. He told them to fill four pitchers of water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood not once, but three times, so that the offering and wood were drenched and water flowed into the trench around the altar. This would prove that there was no trickery involved, but that when God answered by fire it was truly a miracle from Him. At the time of the evening sacrifice Elijah prayed to “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel”, the historical way to refer to Yahweh, bringing to their attention that this was the God who had redeemed them and preserved them throughout their history as a people. He prayed that that day it would be known that He was God in Israel and that Elijah was His servant, having done everything at God’s command. He asked Yahweh to answer him so that the people would know that He was God and that He had turned their heart back again to Him. God responded with fire from heaven that consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and the water that was in the trench. This caused the people to fall on their faces and proclaim that “The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God.” Elijah then directed them to seize the prophets of Baal so that none would escape, and then he took them down to the brook Kishon, killing them. This shows that true faith in God always involves abolishing the old gods (repentance) that we previously served. After this Elijah told Ahab to go back home and eat and drink, because a heavy rain was on the way. He did this, but Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees. Telling his servant to look toward the sea, he reported that there was nothing the first six times. But on the seventh he saw a cloud the size of a man’s hand. So Elijah told him to tell Ahab it was time to go back home to Jezreel. At that point the skies grew black with clouds and wind and there was a heavy rain. As Ahab rode to Jezreel Elijah, in the Lord’s strength, outran him to Jezreel.
6. 1 Kings 19:1-14. How did Jezebel react (1-2) and how did it affect Elijah (v3-4)? Describe God’s response (v5-7) and the result for Elijah (v8)? Put his conversation with God in your own words (v9-10) and what God told him to do (v11). What happened and what do you think God was teaching (v12-14)? Apply. / Jezebel determined to take Elijah’s life by tomorrow at the same time for his slaughter of the prophets of Baal and voiced this aloud, reaching the ears of Elijah. Although he had killed the 850 idolatrous prophets, facing Jezebel, who had killed the prophets of the Lord earlier, caused so much fear in him that he ran for his life to Beersheba, about a hundred miles away. This was the southernmost end of Judah, but when he arrived there he left his servant and went a day’s journey further into the wilderness. He then sat down under a juniper tree and asked God that he could die, saying what he had done for God was enough and that he could die like his forefathers who had served the Lord because he was not stronger than them. The attack of the enemy after a great victory and the depletion of our emotional strength are both very predictable, so while Elijah’s response was wrong, it was easy to understand, and one to which we should pay attention. However, God was not through with him; as he lay down an angel came to him with a bread cake baked on hot stones and a jar of war, and prompted him to arise and eat. This ministered to both of Elijah’s needs, strength and spiritual renewal as God reaffirmed His power through this miracle (which resembled His miraculous provision earlier). This part of the story shows that there is a connection between fatigue, fear and falling away from our commitment. We tend to focus on the problems rather than on God and His power, as the rest of the story shows. The angel/God knew he needed renewal through strength and rest, so after he lay back down he caused him to arise and eat again so he would have strength for the journey His Spirit was about to send him on to Horeb. This was a forty day’s journey and the provision that the Lord had given him sustained him for it. When he arrived at went into his cave the word of the Lord came to him, asking him what he was doing there. Elijah told him that he had been zealous for the LORD because Israel had forsaken His covenant, torn down His altars, killed His prophets, and that he alone was left – and they were seeking his life. “They” in this case refers to Jezebel, who he apparently was equating with Israel. In response God told him to go and stand on the mountain before the Lord, and as he did the LORD was passing by. A strong wind that tore up rocks, an earthquake, and a fire all occurred, but the Lord was in none of them. However, after this there was a sound of a gentle blowing, so Elijah felt it was safe to come out. Again a voice asked Elijah what he was doing there, reminiscent of the three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. God often repeats the question to us until we really get honest about what is going on in our lives. Elijah repeated his previous answer, setting the stage for him to realize how specifically God would deal with each of his objections to continuing in His service. God was teaching him, as well as us, that He is sufficient against any power, since His power is greater than any natural phenomena. However, we must listen to Him to understand this; His Word will declare what He will do and it will be carried out. The next part of the story reinforces this.