The Kingdom Period

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The Kingdom Period

• Class 5
• 1st Kings 17-22

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1 Kings 171

• Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers
  of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of
  Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there
  shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except
  by my word."

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ISRAEL
Gilead
JUDAH
4
James 517

• Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he
  prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it
  did not rain on the earth for three years and six
  months.

Why would Elijah pray such a prayer?
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Deuteronomy 1116-17

• Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and
  that you do not turn away and serve other gods
  and worship them. 17 Or the anger of the LORD
  will be kindled against you, and He will shut up
  the heavens so that there will be no rain and the
  ground will not yield its fruit and you will
  perish quickly from the good land which the LORD
  is giving you.

6
1 Kings 172-4

• The word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3 Go
  away from here and turn eastward, and hide
  yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of
  the Jordan. 4 It shall be that you will drink of
  the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to
  provide for you there.

• Protection from Ahab
• Preservation in the Famine
• Preparation of Faith

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1 Kings 175-6

• So he went and did according to the word of the
  LORD, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith,
  which is east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens
  brought him bread and meat in the morning and
  bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink
  from the brook.

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1 Kings 177-9

• It happened after a while that the brook dried
  up, because there was no rain in the land. 8
  Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9
  Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon,
  and stay there behold, I have commanded a widow
  there to provide for you.

9
Sidon
?
?
Zarephath
?
Tyre
ISRAEL
10
Elijah is fed by ravens
71-7
Elijah is fed by a Gentile widow
78-16

• In both cases, Elijah is fed by that which was
  considered by the Jews to be unclean

11
1 Kings 1710-11

• So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he
  came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was
  there gathering sticks and he called to her and
  said, Please get me a little water in a jar,
  that I may drink. 11 As she was going to get
  it, he called to her and said, Please bring me a
  piece of bread in your hand.

12
1 Kings 1712

• But she said, As the LORD your God lives, I
  have no bread, only a handful of flour in the
  bowl and a little oil in the jar and behold, I
  am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and
  prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and
  die.

13
1 Kings 1713-14

• Then Elijah said to her, Do not fear go, do as
  you have said, but make me a little bread cake
  from it first and bring it out to me, and
  afterward you may make one for yourself and for
  your son. 14 For thus says the LORD God of
  Israel, The bowl of flour shall not be
  exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty,
  until the day that the LORD sends rain on the
  face of the earth.

14
1 Kings 1715-16

• So she went and did according to the word of
  Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for
  many days. 16 The bowl of flour was not
  exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty,
  according to the word of the LORD which He spoke
  through Elijah.

15
171
Command to Elijah
Concealment by the brook Cherith
174
Promise
175
Response Faithful Obedience
177
Test Dried-up brook
178
Command to Widow Woman
Concealment in the land of Zarephath
1713
Promise
1715
Response Faithful Obedience
1717
Test A lifeless son
16
1 Kings 1717-18

• Now it came about after these things that the
  son of the woman, the mistress of the house,
  became sick and his sickness was so severe that
  there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said
  to Elijah, What do I have to do with you, O man
  of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity
  to remembrance and to put my son to death!

17
1 Kings 1719-20

• He said to her, Give me your son. Then he took
  him from her bosom and carried him up to the
  upper room where he was living, and laid him on
  his own bed. 20 He called to the LORD and said,
  O LORD my God, have You also brought calamity to
  the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her
  son to die?

18
1 Kings 1721-22

• Then he stretched himself upon the child three
  times, and called to the LORD and said, O LORD
  my God, I pray You, let this child's life return
  to him. 22 The LORD heard the voice of Elijah,
  and the life of the child returned to him and he
  revived.

19
1 Kings 1723-24

• Elijah took the child and brought him down from
  the upper room into the house and gave him to his
  mother and Elijah said, See, 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 in your mouth is truth.

20
Messiah Motif
Picture of a prophet who comes and

• Asks a Gentile woman for a drink
• Feeds the hungry with a miraculous supply of food
• Rises from the dead

21
1 Kings 181-2

• Now it happened after many days that the word of
  the LORD came to Elijah in the third year,
  saying, Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will
  send rain on the face of the earth. 2 So Elijah
  went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was
  severe in Samaria.

In chapter 17 Elijah had been told to hide
himself. Now he is ordered to show himself.
Each action required faith on his part.
22
1 Kings 183-4

• Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household.
  (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly 4 for when
  Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the LORD,
  Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by
  fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread
  and water.)

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One Hundred Prophets
One Prophet - Elijah
A Prophet of God
Prophets of God
He had been hidden by the brook Cherith and in a
widow's home in Zarephath
They had been hidden in a cave
The Lord had provided him with food and water
Obadiah had provided for them bread and water
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1 Kings 185-6

• Then Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land
  to all the springs of water and to all the
  valleys perhaps we will find grass and keep the
  horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some
  of the cattle. 6 So they divided the land
  between them to survey it Ahab went one way by
  himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.

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Ahab
Obadiah
Feared the Lord
Worshiped Baal
He had been concerned with hiding the prophets of
the Lord
He was concerned about keeping horses and mules
alive
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1 Kings 187-8

• Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah
  met him, and he recognized him and fell on his
  face and said, Is this you, Elijah my master?
  8 He said to him, It is I. Go, say to your
  master, Behold, Elijah is here.

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Elijah
Obadiah
When Elijah told him to call Ahab, he hesitated
and questioned.
When God told him to do something, he did it
without question.
He was a man of fear, but ready to believe.
He was a man of faith and courage.
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1 Kings 189-11

• He said, What sin have I committed, that you
  are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to
  put me to death? 10 As the LORD your God lives,
  there is no nation or kingdom where my master has
  not sent to search for you and when they said,
  He is not here, he made the kingdom or nation
  swear that they could not find you. 11 And now
  you are saying, Go, say to your master, Behold,
  Elijah is here.

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1 Kings 1812-13

• It will come about when I leave you that the
  Spirit of the LORD will carry you where I do not
  know so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot
  find you, he will kill me, although I your
  servant have feared the LORD from my youth. 13
  Has it not been told to my master what I did when
  Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, that I
  hid a hundred prophets of the LORD by fifties in
  a cave, and provided them with bread and water?

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1 Kings 1815-16

• Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts lives, before
  whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him
  today. 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told
  him and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

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Is this you, you troubler of Israel?
Ahab
I have not troubled Israel, but you and your
father's house have
Elijah
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Ahab
Elijah
Prophet of God
King of Israel
A man of the Word
A man of the world
Walked dependently on the Lord in humble
submission
Walked independently of God in open rebellion
Bold and effective.
Angry and frustrated.
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1 Kings 1817-19

• When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, Is this
  you, you troubler of Israel? 18 He said, I
  have not troubled Israel, but you and your
  father's house have, because you have forsaken
  the commandments of the LORD and you have
  followed the Baals. 19 Now then send and gather
  to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with
  450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the
  Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.

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So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of
Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount
Carmel. (1 Kings 1820)
Carmel
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