Tom Lennie reviews ‘Elijah Men Eat Meat: Readings to slaughter your inner Ahab & pursue revival and reform’, by Joshua D Jones (self-published, 2017)

The story of Micaiah.

In the fourth part of a series which examines the relevance of the message and ministry of the non-writing prophets for today, Campbell McAlpine looks at Micaiah.

The writer to the Hebrews begins his letter with the memorable words – “God who at various times and in different ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets” (AV). How wonderful of God to leave a record of what he said for our learning and encouragement!

Micaiah’s ministry was during the reigns of Ahab, king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. The setting was the meeting of the two kings with much pomp and ceremony. Their characters were completely different. It is written of Ahab, “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel and his wife” (1 Kings 21:25). In contrast, it is said of Jehoshaphat that “he sought the God of his father, and followed his commands” (2 Chron 17:4). The two kings were linked through marriage, Jehoshaphat’s son having married Ahab’s daughter.

During this reunion, Ahab asked Jehoshaphat if he would join with him in war with the king of Syria to recover a city, Ramoth Gilead, which rightly belonged to Israel. He agreed, putting his army at Ahab’s disposal. Then he asked Ahab if they could enquire if there was any word from the Lord. It would have been better if he had asked that before he made his decision!

Jehoshaphat made an agreement with Ahab before seeking God’s approval.

Searching for True Prophecy

Ahab immediately sent for his prophets - four hundred of them. They all brought the same message: “Go…for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand”. To reinforce this message, one of them, Zedekiah, confirmed it with a sign. He had made horns of iron and declared: “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans [Syrians] until they are destroyed.’”

This probably brought great applause, with many shouts of ‘praise the Lord’. However, Jehoshaphat had a lack of peace in his heart (which should never be ignored) and asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can enquire of?" Ahab said there was another one, but he hated him for he never prophesied anything good about him!

It is generally believed that Micaiah was the unnamed prophet who met Ahab returning from a victory over Ben-Hadad, king of Damascus. After the battle, Ahab spared the life of the king of Syria in exchange for certain cities. The prophet said to Ahab, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die. Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.’” This was not good news! (1 Kings 20:42).

The king sent for Micaiah, and asked him if he should go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or refrain. Sarcastically Micaiah replied, “Attack and be victorious…” In other words, isn't that what you want to hear? The king turned on him, and said, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

Then Micaiah said: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.'” Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, “Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me”.

Jehoshaphat had a lack of peace in his heart, which should never be ignored.

“I Saw the Lord”

What made one prophet stand alone, against four hundred? What drained from him the fear of man, in preference for the fear of God? “I saw the Lord.” What were two earthly kings to Micaiah when he had seen the King? Who were four hundred prophets when he had seen the mighty hosts of Heaven standing on the right-hand and the left, around the throne of God?

He had not only seen the Lord; he had heard him discuss Ahab. The Lord had asked the question from his throne: “Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?” Suggestions were made, but the one accepted was from an evil spirit who offered to be a lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab’s four hundred prophets. He could not do that without Sovereign God’s permission, which was given: “You will succeed in enticing him. Go and do it.”

There was no applause for Micaiah when he gave this revelation, rather the reverse. Then, as now, if you don’t like the message, attack the messenger. Zedekiah, who had taken such trouble to make the horns of iron, rushed up to Micaiah, struck him on the face, and said, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?”

Micaiah told Zedekiah that he would find out which had been the true message, when he was running for his life, and trying desperately to find somewhere to hide.

Into the Valley of Death Rode the Four Hundred

Ahab’s response was not only rejection of the message, but also the messenger. He gave orders to put Micaiah in prison, and put him on bread and water rations until his return. “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me” responded Micaiah. Then, turning to the people, he shouted “Mark my words, all you people!”

In spite of his bravado, Ahab decided to go into battle disguised, but asked Jehoshaphat to go dressed in his kingly robes. The Syrian king had given orders to his army to concentrate on killing Ahab. During the battle Jehoshaphat became the target, but he shouted out, and they realised that he was not the king of Israel, so left him alone. Ahab could disguise himself from men, but not from God. During the battle “someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armour. The king told his chariot driver, ‘Wheel round and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.’”

What made one prophet stand alone, against four hundred? What drained from him the fear of man, in preference for the fear of God? “I saw the Lord”.

The battle went on and increased. Ahab was propped up in his chariot mortally wounded, and that night he died. His army returned to their homes like ‘sheep without a shepherd’, all according to the word of the Lord.

The Relevance of this Message for Today

The inspired scriptures are useful for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (1 Tim 3:16). What can we learn from Micaiah’s witness? I would suggest: the importance of judging prophecies.

Today there seems to be a proliferation of prophecies. Unfortunately, many are not ‘judged’ or weighed, sometimes resulting in confusion, disillusionment, frustration and a questioning of the real. What happened to the prophesied revival which was going to take place in May of 1997? As we saw in this story, the oft repetition of the same prophecy doesn’t necessarily make it true. Remember the question Jesus asked Pilate: “Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about me?” (John 18:34).

Many optimistic statements are made which can bring applause from the congregation. I haven’t heard too many cheers when you quote Isaiah 26:9: “When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.” We are not called upon to make people happy, but to help them to be holy, then the two go together.

I remember in the early days of what was called ’renewal', when a prophecy was given, the people were called to silence. The prophecy was considered by the leadership, who encouraged the application of the word - or to correct, if it was not a true word, but just something out of a person's own spirit. That was never for condemnation but for learning.

The oft repetition of the same prophecy does not make it true.

Revelation of and from the Lord

“I saw the Lord.” When Micaiah had revelation of the Lord, then he had revelation from the Lord. One of our greatest needs today is the knowledge of God which is supplied to us mainly through the Bible.

There is the danger of seeking quick guidance, instant revelation, rather than being like Jehoshaphat who ‘sought the Lord’. The danger is following the signs, rather than letting the signs follow. When Micaiah ’saw the Lord’ his desire was to obey God, rather than please men.

When Isaiah ’saw the Lord’ his desire was to be holy, and call others to holiness (Isa 6). When Ezekiel ’saw the Lord’ he was enabled to fulfil his ministry in the most difficult of circumstances (Ezek 1 and 2). When Paul saw the Lord, he was homesick, for Heaven “is far better”. When John ’saw the Lord’ he fell at his feet as though dead and was faithful in receiving and delivering the messages given to him — whether of judgment or of blessing.

Getting Things in the Right Order

As we saw in this story, Jehoshaphat agreed to ally himself with Ahab before enquiring of the Lord. How many times have we sought confirmation from the Lord on what we had already decided to do?

When Jehoshaphat returned to Jerusalem from the battle he was met by a prophet who brought him this question from God: “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is upon you” (2 Chron 19:2). Scary isn't it? Multi-faith, beware!

There is danger in following the signs, rather than letting the signs follow.

Conclusion

Let's thank God for all true prophecy, and all true prophets. Let's pray for people of courage, free from the fear of men. Let's pray for discernment, to know the false from the true. Let's pray for leadership to rightly judge prophecy. Let's pray for hunger and thirst to know God through his word, so that we might ‘see the Lord’.

The full story of Micaiah can be found in 1 Kings 22, and 2 Chronicles 18.

Originally published in Prophecy Today, Vol 14(1), 1998. Revised July 2017.

In the first of a series on the non-writing prophets, Chris Hill looks at Elijah.

Ahab was without doubt the most evil king to rule the northern kingdom of Israel. Nearly one third of I and 2 Kings is devoted to his reign and that of his two sons. A period of 34 years.

Prompted by the influence of his pagan wife, Jezebel, Ahab had led God's people into grotesque idolatry. The Canaanite gods of Baal and Asherah had been installed and were being worshipped as Israel's redeemer.

Yet, strangely, vestiges of the old faith were still around. Ahab had named two of his sons Ahaziah (which means ‘the Lord grasps hold of’) and Joram (‘the Lord is exalted’). The confusion in his own mind had had a knock-on effect in the nation. King and people alike were in a terrible state of indecision (not unlike our own leaders and people today), limping between several opinions as to who was the true God.

The Lord has always hated such syncretism — the ’blending’ of false religion and biblical revelation. He still hates it. Syncretism invites his wrath just the same now as it did then.

The Lord has always hated syncretism — the ’blending’ of false religion and biblical revelation. He still hates it.

To look at Israel in the ninth century BC, you could be forgiven for thinking that Jezebel’s annihilation of the Lord’s prophets and servants had been so thorough that there was no voice of protest left in the land. That would be a mistake. 1 Kings 18:4 indicates that one man alone, Obadiah, had sheltered a hundred of the Lord's prophets from these purges. The Lord himself later says that there were seven thousand people in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18).

These are extraordinary statistics. To see the state of the nation, you would never have dreamt these anonymous people existed. They must have been active at some level, in spite of the prevailing conditions, but their impact upon society was nil. No-one heard the word of the Lord because the Lord's people refused to speak it out.

It took a man of singular faith to change things. That man was Elijah from Tishbe on the eastern side of the Jordan river.

The Representative Prophet

EIijah was more than ‘an average prophet’. It is significant that when our Lord was being prepared for his passion (Luke 9:31), he was ministered to by Moses (representing the law) and Elijah (representing the prophets). It was not Isaiah or Jeremiah, Ezekiel or Joel, but Elijah. This would seem to be confirmed by the attitude of the angel towards John the Baptist, who came "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). A view later reflected in our Lord's own words (Matt 11:14).

Thousands of the Lord’s people remained in pagan Israel – but no-one heard the word of the Lord because they refused to speak it out.

It is important, at this point, to note that there is no biblical warrant for saying that the ministry of prophecy in the New Testament is any different from that in the Old Testament. Consequently, the ministry of Elijah, who we may regard as the 'representative prophet’, should act as an indicator of the nature of prophecy today.

In common with his fellow prophets, Elijah was a communicator of the mind, will and heart of God. He was, we might say, a ’law enforcement officer’ and a ‘guardian of the covenant’. He spoke forth the word of the Lord to his people, and his heart beat with the heart-beat of the Lord for his people.

We see this demonstrated in three ways.

1) Elijah was jealous for the Lord (1 Kings 19:10)

The Hebrew word may be translated as ‘zealous’ or ‘jealous’. Both were true of the genuine prophet. To be filled with zeal for the Lord is to be wholeheartedly for Him. Elijah was jealous for the Lord. Jealousy is a virtue and not a sin. Otherwise, the Lord could not reveal himself as "a jealous God" (Ex 20:5).

To be ‘envious’ is to want what belongs to someone else, but to be ‘jealous’ is to want something back that is truly mine, but which has been taken away from me. Elijah felt what God felt. His heart beat with God’s heart-beat. He put God’s interests above his own, even though it would threaten his very life.

The true prophet of the Lord is not interested in his own reputation or the popularity of his message because he values God above all else. He is the messenger of the Lord and in consequence communicates the heart of God as well as his word. When God's prophet brings a blistering tirade to God's people, he does so with tears - tears for the people and tears for God. God's prophet longs to see repentance and reconciliation where there is rebellion and estrangement.

Elijah felt what God felt. His heart beat with God’s heart-beat and he put God’s interests above his own.

2) There was a reason for Elijah's confident prophesying (1 Kings 17:1)

It takes a remarkable kind of faith to enable a man to stride into the audience chamber of a pagan king and state unequivocally that it will not rain for the next few years. We can but wonder at the profound certainty (or folly) of such a move. It seems to leave Ahab speechless. The question is: how did Elijah know that God was actually saying this? How did he know he had a prophetic word to give?

ln these ‘enlightened’ times we might suppose that Elijah had an 'inner witness’, a nervous twitch, or maybe a sudden sense of warmth and an increase in heart-beat. Perhaps he had an uncontrollable urge to rush into the king‘s presence and say the first thing that came into his mouth.

None of these is correct. There is only one reason why Elijah spoke those fateful words. It may be found in Deuteronomy 11:16-17, which states:

Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them [an apt description of Israel under Ahab and Jezebel]. Then the Lord's anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.
(emphasis added)

Elijah’s confident announcement was made on the basis that he was thoroughly familiar with his Bible (or rather those parts God's word which had been committed to writing in his day). He knew that the secret of prophecy is simply this: if the conditions fit the situation, God is saying now what God has always said in his word.

Elijah knew the secret of prophecy: that if the conditions fit the situation, God is saying now what God has always said in his word.

True prophets have a deep understanding of Scripture. They understand that to test what they believe God is wanting them to say, they must be entirely convinced that this is in complete accord with his word. They understand that without a profound grasp of the scriptures they must not dare to speak out as it they have a word from him.

The prophet recognises with holy awe that if any part of his (or her) utterance is not in accordance with the Bible then to that extent he is prophesying falsely. Such a challenging matter should not deter but rather drive him to read the word.

3) Elijah prayed earnestly (James 5:17)

It is inconceivable that a true prophet could be anything less than a 'prayer warrior’. The question is how did Elijah pray?

James 5:17 says that in consequence of his praying it did not run for “three and a half years”. The reference in 1 Kings 18:1, however, appears to indicate only three years of drought. There is a six-month difference. What are we to make of this?

It looks as if there was already a six-month drought before Elijah prayed that it would not rain. In other words, Elijah prayed that the situation in the land would get worse.

This is odd. Most of the modern ’prophets’ prophesy nice things, and this is what we are used to. Any ‘prophet’ prophesying and praying that things in the nation (or church) might get worse would be considered in most Christian circles as unloving, insensitive, and not communicating God's word, let alone his heart!

The truth is that Elijah prayed the way he did because he loved the people and wanted to see them brought back to the Lord. It broke his heart to see the estrangement between God and Israel. He prayed that the drought would continue in order to bring the people back to their faithful God.

Most modern ’prophets’ prophesy nice things - any who prophesy that things might get worse would be considered in most Christian circles as unloving or insensitive.

What does the Lord think about us? What does he feel about us? What does he want of us and how does he want us to be? These are the matters which Elijah dealt in, the essence of the prophetic ministry.

The well-known prophecy of Joel 2:28-32, quoted in Acts 2:17-18, indicates that the last days will see a release of the prophetic ministry. As surely as John the Baptist spoke the word of the Lord at his first coming, so we shall see the release of the 'spirit and power of Elijah’ as his return approaches. Many believe we are well into those days. Jesus is coming soon. The mantle of Elijah will cost us what it cost him — complete faithfulness to God because we love him and complete faithfulness to his people because we love them. Courage to tell it like it is — in love, integrity and vibrant faith — come what may.

First published in Prophecy Today, 1997, Volume 13(4).

Edmund Heddle continues his series on prophecy by looking in depth at the ministry of Elijah.

The religious life of Israel reached an all time low during the reign of Ahab (873-851 BC) and the Bible's verdict on him reads, "he did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all that went before him" (1 Kings 16:30).

Prosperous Times

Politically, Ahab was one of Israel's strongest kings. Whilst he reigned, Israel was at peace with Judah, Moab paid large sums of tribute money regularly and he twice defeated Benhadad, King of Syria. Internally, it was a time when prosperity and materialism flourished. In the excavation of the site of Ahab's palace archaeologists unearthed items of furniture made of ivory encrusted with gold.

Disastrous Marriage

Bur while in these ways his reign was successful, from the point of view of the worship of Yahweh, it was a time of unmitigated disaster. Ahab's father, Omri, had arranged that he would marry a heathen princess, Jezebel, daughter of the Zidonian king. No sooner had Ahab come to power than Jezebel, with the help of 450 heathen prophets, set about introducing into Israel the idolatrous worship of the Phoenician god Melkart, better known to us as 'Baal'.

Ahab was one of Israel's strongest and most prosperous kings. But in God's eyes, his reign was disastrous."

And as if this was not enough, she also brought over from Sidon four hundred more prophets to perform in Israel the licentious orgies of the goddess Ashtoreth. In her determination to establish this heathen religion she persecuted the followers of Yahweh and did not hesitate to kill numbers of his true prophets.

Wicked Queen

"Everything we know about Jezebel shows her to have been a woman born to dominate, a very fountain of burning energy, passionate, self-willed, determined, stopping at nothing to effect her ends. To all this was added a religious devotion bordering on fanaticism".¹ She was determined to promote the worship of Baal and took advantage of the fact that in an agricultural country like Israel, a god who was said to bring good harvests would have a special attraction.

An 8th Century BC carving from Syria depicts Baal as a weather-god holding an axe and a thunderbolt.

Crisis Prophet

To deal with such a situation, God brought on to the scene the prophet Elijah, considered by many to be the greatest of the prophets. Very little is known about his antecedents. He is introduced in Scripture as "Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbeh in Gilead" (1 Kings 17:1). We have no exact date for his birth, his appearance in Israel or his translation to heaven, but he must have prophesied for at least twenty years in the reign of King Ahab.

This man who emerged from the rough pasture lands bordering the wilderness came to be recognised by his garment of hair with a leather girdle (2 Kings 1:8). He spent much time in solitude with only occasional visits to the peopled cities. He appeared and disappeared with such startling suddenness that no one knew where to find him at any particular time (1 Kings 18:10, 12).

Elijah spent much time in solitude, appearing and disappearing very suddenly according to the leading of the Spirit of God."

However, when Ahab's steward, Obadiah, expressed his exasperation at Elijah's sudden disappearances, his words reveal that Elijah's movements were to be traced to his direction by the Spirit of God. It was the Spirit's direction that ensured that at every critical juncture Elijah was always at hand, ready to go into action as the conscience of the nation.

False Religion

With a name like Elijah (meaning Yahweh is God!), it was inevitable that he would find himself on a collision course with Jezebel, Baal and his false prophets. In fact he precipitated this by praying that God would fulfil his threat to withhold rain from the land of Israel, seeing his people had turned to idolatry (Deut l l:16, 17).

Prayer for Disaster

If we had only the Old Testament record, we would assume that when Elijah told Ahab that there would be no rain on Israel for three years he was merely passing on a direct revelation from God. It is the New Testament which reveals that this situation had come about in answer to Elijah's prayer (James 5:17).

In one sense, Ahab was right when he referred to Elijah as the 'troubler of Israel' (1 Kings 18:17), though Elijah rightly pointed out that the real cause of the drought was the disobedience of Israel's kings and their idolatry in Baal worship. Elijah is not the only prophet who has been blamed for an event because he prophesied it would happen!

Elijah actually prayed for disaster to befall Israel because of her disobedience."

Carmel Confrontation

Elijah then proposed that a public demonstration be staged on Mount Carmel to prove whether Baal, the Zidonian weather-god or Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the real god. By challenging Ahab and the prophets of Baal to such a confrontation, Elijah joined the ranks of prophets like Samuel, Nathan, Gad and Shemaiah who had the courage to confront kings who were acting contrary to God's will. But Elijah did so in such a way as to instigate the classic encounter for all time between Yahweh and all idol gods.

Carmel, meaning 'garden', or 'park', is proverbial in Scripture for its natural beauty and majesty (Isa 35:2). It was on its wooded headland that rose high above the Mediterranean Sea that Elijah challenged the people to choose once and for all between Yahweh and Baal. The nature of the challenge focussed on the preparation of two bulls for sacrifice with the understanding that no fire should be kindled by the worshippers. Elijah gave first place to Baal's prophets and they cried out to their weather-god to ignite the fire by "fire from heaven"- i.e. lightning (Gen 19:24; 1 Chron 21:26).

Elijah instigated a classic encounter between Yahweh and idol gods, challenging the prophets of Baal to prove his existence."

Religious HysteriaStatue of Elijah / see Photo Credits

Although they cried from early morning till noon there was no response. At this point Elijah began to mock them for their failure to get any response from Baal. "Pray louder!" he suggested: "Maybe he is day-dreaming or relieving himself, or perhaps he's gone on a journey! Or maybe he's sleeping and you've got to wake him up!" (1 Kings 18:27 TEV).

This provoked them to a continuous ranting and raving which went on until the middle of the afternoon; meanwhile they cut themselves with their lances and tried to appease their god with the shedding of their own blood. But all to no avail as the Scripture states pathetically: "no-one answered, no-one heeded" (1 Kings 18:29).

Prayer Answered

Then came the turn of Elijah, but first he ordered that the sacrifice and wood were to be soaked with water. All eyes must have keen riveted on the lone prophet as he quietly prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel and offered three reasons why he should answer by fire.

These were that all present might know (i) that Yahweh was God in Israel, (ii) that Elijah was his servant and had acted in obedience to his instructions, (iii) that God had turned their hearts back to their true God. In striking contrast to the day-long screaming of Baal's prophets, Elijah prayed quietly and at once the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice...the wood...the stones...and the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said: Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!

Courage Rewarded

What Elijah accomplished on Mount Carmel must never be underestimated."

After such an exposure of the futility of idolatry, the false prophets were put to the sword. For Elijah there could be no compromise. To him, the spiritual life of the nation was at stake and he, to his eternal credit, had been willing to stand alone as the only effective opposition to the evil religious policies of the royal court. What might have happened if Jezebel had been allowed to go on unchallenged, no one can say.

What Elijah accomplished on Mount Carmel must never be underestimated. It was at the risk of his own life that he stood up for the true God. If he had failed that day on Carmel, his fate would have been the same as that meted out to Baal's discredited prophets.

A Man Like Us

Whatever may be our reaction to Elijah's subsequent panic-stricken running away to escape the threats of Jezebel, we must not let it for one moment detract from our admiration of his courage on Carmel. Rather, we must let the fact that Scripture tells us that he was a "man with human frailties like our own" (James 5:17 NEB) deepen our appreciation of both his outstanding courage and his temporary lapse into gripping fear.

Elijah was 'a man just like us', with weaknesses as well as strengths, moments of failure as well as moments of success."

Naboth's Vineyard

Having seen how Elijah dealt with the false religion of Baal, we turn to see how he dealt with the evil acts of Jezebel and Ahab in the matter of Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21). In Jezreel there was a vineyard owned by a citizen named Naboth. Because it was so close to the palace, King Ahab wanted it and planned to make it his herb garden. He approached the owner with a fair offer of purchase or exchange, but Naboth refused and Ahab went back to the palace in a fit of the sulks. Jezebel found him sulking and soon discovered why.

It is important to notice that Naboth was not just being awkward. From the law of Moses it is clear that Israel was considered to be God's land. The Israelites were his tenants and one of the conditions of their tenancy was that their allocation of land must remain in the possession of their family. In cases of extreme necessity they might have to part with it temporarily, but even then only until the year of Jubilee. Naboth knew that once the King got hold of it, he would never see it back and so he refused the king's offer.

Wicked Frame-Up

When Jezebel discovered the reason for Ahab's sulking, she scornfully asked him who was ruling Israel and before he could reply she had arranged a frame-up which resulted in the execution of Naboth and the confiscation of all his property, on a trumped up charge.

Flushed with success, she bade Ahab go and take possession of the vineyard he so much wanted. As he didn't go he was confronted by a well-known figure and Elijah quickly pointed out that Jezebel's action had outraged the principles of justice laid down by Moses for Israel. He said that such a crime had sealed their doom and Jezebel and Ahab would die along with all their posterity - a threat that was carried out to the letter (1 Kings 21:21-22; 2 Kings 10:1-11).

In the matter of Naboth's vineyard, Elijah was responsible for prophesying the doom of both Jezebel and Ahab."

Yahweh's Council

Elijah was distinguished from the rest of men by his special relationship with Yahweh. He stood before him as a trusted official (1 Kings 17:1) listening to what he was going to do and discovering what his part in carrying it out might be. This is the picture behind the frequent mention in the Elijah stories that the word of the Lord had come to him (1 Kings 17:1-2, 8; 1 Kings: 1; 1 Kings 21:17, 28-29). Both his movements and his messages were dictated by Yahweh.

Elijah to Come

The closing words of the Old Testament promise that Elijah was to come again to prepare the way for the Messiah. The Gospels show that this promise was a frequent topic of conversation during the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 17, 10-13). Zechariah had been told that his son, John the Baptist, would minister in the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).

Although Jesus regarded John the Baptist as a fulfilment of Malachi's prophecy, his words seem to leave open the likelihood that there will be other Elijahs in the future. If ever there was a day when an Elijah witness was needed in the nations of the world it is surely today!

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 2 No 2, March/April 1986

References

1 Fleming, J,1950. Personalities of the Old Testament, Charles Scribner's Sons, p171.