The Life of the Prophet Elijah...
A Person Just Like Us
Individual lessons & Bible Study Guide
1 Kings 17:1-15. We know nothing about the Prophet Elijah other than he came from the town of Tishbe in Gilead. No one knows about his family or his education, all we do know is that he was rather an odd character! But his life teaches us that God knows how to raise up leaders when they are needed, and that He can use anyone — even a person from absolute obscurity — to do His will!
1 Kings 17:12-18:40. Elijah knew that nothing is impossible for God. In his encounter with the prophets of Baal we learn the truth that all religions are not the same and that enthusiasm and great activity are not always signs of spirituality! The prophets of Baal were no doubt sincere in what they believed, but it is possible to be sincerely wrong! People can have faith, but what truly matters is the object of that faith!
1 Kings 18:40-19:18. As Christ followers, we know that the extremes of life teach us to trust Him, they draw us closer to Him, and conform us to His likeness. Elijah shows us what to do when those dark moments happen in our lives. God is never going to forget us! In fact, the Lord often uses those valleys to take us on to higher places, if only we will put our trust in Him and obey His Word.
1 Kings 21:1-28; 1 Kings 19:19-21 and 2 Kings 2:1-15. Elijah was an incredible man of prayer. He knew what it was like to persevere even when he was hated and rejected for his relationship with God. Choosing not to see it as the end of his usefulness to God, he was willing to see God’s bigger picture and humbly invest in the life of his successor, Elisha.