Abandoning truth is nothing new. It’s been around since the serpent deceived Eve with the question, “Did God really say…?” (see Genesis 3:1). What’s surprising is that despite the millennia which have passed, Satan’s methods of deception have not greatly changed.
When the kingdom of Israel split into two parts under the reign of David’s grandson, Rehoboam, the tribes separated between the north and the south. In the fallout after the division, the north’s King Jeroboam was concerned that if his people went down to Jerusalem to worship at the temple, they might turn their allegiance back toward Rehoboam. Thus, “The king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” (1 Kings 12:28‑29). In that way, from its inception, Jeroboam institutionalized the abandonment of God in the northern kingdom.
Thirty‑six years after the death of the north’s first monarch, the idol worship there had only gotten worse. It is into this world that a new man of God was revealed. Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. He was not the kind of guy you’d ever hear say to a group of listeners, “Let me tell you my truth.” He was the mouthpiece of the Truth Himself. A sacrificial follower of God, his character and actions had a significant impact when it came to the messianic expectations fulfilled in the New Testament.
Despite Elijah living 2,800 years ago, it’s amazing how similar many of the issues he faced in his world were to the ones we face today. It’s also quite stunning to learn that despite his unique calling, the man was just an average guy with doubts and fears like we have. What made him so usable by God was the fact that whenever the Lord called him to action, Elijah said, “Yes!”
A STRANGER IN A FAMILIAR LAND
Because of Elijah’s brief participation in the overall scriptural narrative, it’s easy to relegate him to being just another Old Testament prophet. Sure, he gets some play in the New Testament, and he did show up with Moses at the transfiguration. But the guy doesn’t even have a book named after him. I mean, even Habakkuk got a book named after him. Instead, if you want to learn about Elijah, you’ve got to go digging around in the books of Kings with a brief mention in Chronicles.
But when you do find him, you’ll find a true treasure. The life of Elijah is one of the best stories ever told, and it’s hiding in plain sight. True, there is so much more that we don’t know about him than what we do. But that just adds to the mystery and intrigue of this great biblical figure.
Many fascinating stories made up Elijah’s life. Royal confrontations, meteorological wonders, a resurrection—you take those remarkable events, mix them together with the subtext of a very complicated and sometimes troubled individual, and we find ourselves facing one of the most biography‑worthy individuals found in the Bible to not have a book named after him. He truly is one of a kind.
Elijah’s legacy is not in his prophetic utterances, but in his struggles, growth, and radical obedience. His challenge to us is not to strive for great successes or daring feats. It’s not about our wise words, the astuteness and wordsmithing of our conversations or our writings. The mandate we receive from this great prophet is to trust God even when you don’t see Him, serve Him even when you’re at your end, risk for Him even when you feel scared or vulnerable, and constantly pray to Him because it’s in that relationship that you’ll find your power.
