Often heralded as THE prophet of Israel, Elijah boldly faced the wickedness of Israel. His mission was ultimately fulfilled through Jesu, who was the greater prophet.
Today's Bible verse is 1 Kings 18:37, from the King James Version.
Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.
Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:00
Speaker 1: Let us pray. Answer me, O Lord, answer me that
00:00:05
Speaker 1: this people may know that you, O Lord, are God,
00:00:08
Speaker 1: and that you have turned their hearts back. First Kings,
00:00:12
Speaker 1: eighteen thirty seven. Dear Lord, we ask that you reveal
00:00:16
Speaker 1: yourself mightily in situations where hope seems lost and in
00:00:21
Speaker 1: places where your name is yet to be glorified. Turn
00:00:25
Speaker 1: the hearts of those who are astray back to you, Father,
00:00:28
Speaker 1: and let them experience the life changing power of your love. Father.
00:00:34
Speaker 1: May our lives bear witness to your mighty power and
00:00:38
Speaker 1: boundless love. Let every word we speak, every action we take,
00:00:44
Speaker 1: reflects your glory, so that people may see you in
00:00:48
Speaker 1: us and have their hearts turned back to you. Thank you, Father,
00:00:53
Speaker 1: for your unfailing love and for the privilege of being
00:00:56
Speaker 1: called your children. We pray that our life will continually
00:01:01
Speaker 1: point others to you, and together we will worship and
00:01:05
Speaker 1: glorify your holy name. In the powerful name of Jesus,
00:01:10
Speaker 1: We pray, Amen. Thank you for praying with me today.
00:01:17
Speaker 1: Stay tuned now for another episode of Stories of the
00:01:20
Speaker 1: Messiah with Rabbi Schneider.
00:01:29
Speaker 2: They had come for a spectacle. Thousands gathered on Mount
00:01:33
Speaker 2: Carmel to watch a clash of gods. The nation of
00:01:37
Speaker 2: Israel had become corrupt due to the wickedness of King
00:01:40
Speaker 2: Ahab and the witch queen Jezebel. Under their rule, the
00:01:44
Speaker 2: prophets of Baale tainted the nation with idolatry, evil practices,
00:01:48
Speaker 2: and moral compromise. Elijah, God's devoted prophet, challenged Ahab and
00:01:53
Speaker 2: Jezebel to a test of the power of their gods.
00:01:57
Speaker 2: They enthusiastically accepted the challenge, woeful, unaware of just how
00:02:01
Speaker 2: powerful the Lord of all creation was. Hundreds of prophets,
00:02:05
Speaker 2: adorned in pure white linens around their waists and gold
00:02:08
Speaker 2: amulets around their bare chests, amassed at the summit of Carmel.
00:02:13
Speaker 2: Elijah faced the hundreds of prophets alone. His face was
00:02:17
Speaker 2: resolute and fierce. He stood atop a stone and shouted
00:02:20
Speaker 2: for the crowd to hear.
00:02:22
Speaker 3: You, fickle minded people, you oscillate between two masters, God
00:02:27
Speaker 3: and Bail. Today we end this. If the Lord proves
00:02:33
Speaker 3: himself of a bel you shall serve him and him alone.
00:02:37
Speaker 3: If bel prevails, you shall follow him.
00:02:41
Speaker 2: Elijah pointed at the prophets of Bail with intensity. Are
00:02:45
Speaker 2: you ready to face your way?
00:02:50
Speaker 4: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Jesus Podcast.
00:02:54
Speaker 4: I'm your guide through this journey ethanfrompray dot com. If
00:02:57
Speaker 4: you've been following this podcast and founded the Blessed, follow
00:03:00
Speaker 4: and subscribe so you never miss an episode, and remember
00:03:04
Speaker 4: to download prey dot com to hear the Bible come
00:03:06
Speaker 4: to life. We've been traversing the peaks and valleys of
00:03:10
Speaker 4: the Bible's greatest stories, stories of tragedy, triumph, faith, and failure.
00:03:18
Speaker 4: Each episode has showcased a different Biblical hero whose life
00:03:22
Speaker 4: ultimately points to the greatest hero of all, Jesus. We've
00:03:27
Speaker 4: learned how Jesus is the greater Adam, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Boaz, David,
00:03:37
Speaker 4: and Solomon. Now we enter the story of Elijah, Israel's
00:03:42
Speaker 4: most renowned prophet. Elijah's stand off with the Prophets of
00:03:47
Speaker 4: Bail is famous. At this point in Israel's history, corruption
00:03:52
Speaker 4: was at an all time high. King Ahab and Queen
00:03:55
Speaker 4: Jezebel let the prophets of Bail Wreek have it on
00:03:58
Speaker 4: the sons and daughters of Israel. Elijah stood as a
00:04:02
Speaker 4: lone pillar of faith and righteousness. He was a voice
00:04:06
Speaker 4: crying out in the wilderness for people to return to
00:04:09
Speaker 4: their God. We must admire Elijah's ability to remain standfast
00:04:14
Speaker 4: when everyone else seemed to be falling apart. We'll enter
00:04:18
Speaker 4: into this dramatic retelling of First Kings chapter eighteen. When
00:04:22
Speaker 4: the God of Israel is pitted against Bail. It's evident
00:04:26
Speaker 4: to us who will win, but knowing the result doesn't
00:04:28
Speaker 4: make the battle any less.
00:04:30
Speaker 2: Epic winds whistled across the peaks of Mount Carmel. A
00:04:37
Speaker 2: chill came upon the crowd as they watched Elijah step
00:04:40
Speaker 2: forward towards the prophets of Bail. Elijah, moved by a
00:04:45
Speaker 2: burning conviction, challenged the four hundred and fifty prophets of
00:04:49
Speaker 2: Bail to a contest, a contest that would serve to
00:04:52
Speaker 2: prove whose God was the real God. He was a teacher,
00:04:55
Speaker 2: a preacher, and a guide, not a warrior or a showman.
00:04:59
Speaker 2: Yet he found himself thrust out of his comfort zone,
00:05:02
Speaker 2: pushed into a public spectacle of faith where actions would
00:05:06
Speaker 2: speak louder than words. He looked at them with unwavering confidence.
00:05:11
Speaker 3: Bring two poles and build two altars.
00:05:14
Speaker 2: For a sacrifice. Elijah commanded. The contest was simple. Both
00:05:18
Speaker 2: parties would prepare a sacrificial bull and place it on
00:05:21
Speaker 2: an altar of wood, but neither would set fire to it.
00:05:25
Speaker 2: They would call upon their god to send down fire
00:05:27
Speaker 2: from the heavens and consume the sacrifice. The god who
00:05:31
Speaker 2: answered with fire would be the true God. If Elijah failed,
00:05:34
Speaker 2: he would be killed, and the people of Israel would
00:05:37
Speaker 2: continue to live in the shadow of Idolatry. He was outnumbered, outpowered,
00:05:41
Speaker 2: and outmatched in the eyes of many. Yet Elijah had
00:05:44
Speaker 2: an unseen palpable power. Moving on his behalf, wavering his staff.
00:05:49
Speaker 3: He challenged, invoke your God's name, and all call mine.
00:05:54
Speaker 3: The cod that sends fire from the altar is the
00:05:57
Speaker 3: true God.
00:05:58
Speaker 2: He stepped down, his eyes, never leaving the false prophets
00:06:02
Speaker 2: are righteous. Fury smoldering within the prophets began their chance
00:06:06
Speaker 2: and burnt their incense. A sea of people marched around
00:06:09
Speaker 2: the altar, shouting ben answer. Their incantations rang with the
00:06:15
Speaker 2: beat of their ceremonial drums.
00:06:17
Speaker 1: The skies remained still.
00:06:20
Speaker 2: Hours passed, and the once enthusiastic crowd began to grumble.
00:06:24
Speaker 2: Elijah leaned against a tree with his arms crossed and taunted.
00:06:27
Speaker 3: Them south louder, he jested, he is called at all.
00:06:33
Speaker 3: Perhaps he's deeping fond, perhaps he's relieving himself.
00:06:37
Speaker 2: The crowd laughed, but the prophets of Bail were not amused.
00:06:41
Speaker 2: Their frantic whales grew more high pitched, and Elijah watched
00:06:45
Speaker 2: as they drew the blades to cut themselves over the altar.
00:06:48
Speaker 2: Blood soaked the ground as the prophets hobbled, danced, chanted
00:06:52
Speaker 2: and prayed. Midday passed, but there was no answer, no fire,
00:06:58
Speaker 2: just silence. Then came Elijah's turn. He rebuilt the altar
00:07:03
Speaker 2: with God, arranged the wood, prepared the bowl, and did
00:07:06
Speaker 2: something no one expected. Come close to me, he shouted
00:07:10
Speaker 2: to the crowd. He made a trench around the altar
00:07:13
Speaker 2: and pointed to a few of the men.
00:07:15
Speaker 3: Fills ford chars with water and pour it over the hole.
00:07:18
Speaker 2: And once everyone murmured, assuming he was joking, Elijah couldn't
00:07:22
Speaker 2: be more serious again, he said, So they drenched the
00:07:26
Speaker 2: altar with the water a second time. Then, to mount
00:07:29
Speaker 2: the odds even more against him than the God of Israel,
00:07:33
Speaker 2: Elijah had been to do it a third time. The
00:07:35
Speaker 2: water overflowed from the altar, the air was thick with anticipation.
00:07:40
Speaker 2: Elijah was putting his life on the line. King Ahab
00:07:43
Speaker 2: and Jezebel were ready to kill him at any moment,
00:07:46
Speaker 2: but he couldn't waver. Now he wasn't just putting his.
00:07:49
Speaker 1: Life on the line.
00:07:50
Speaker 2: Elijah was challenging the beliefs of an entire nation, beliefs
00:07:54
Speaker 2: deeply rooted and fiercely guarded. He was the voice in
00:07:57
Speaker 2: the wilderness, the lone figure against altitude. Elijah bowed before
00:08:02
Speaker 2: the altar for the first time. He felt his knees
00:08:05
Speaker 2: beginning to tremble. Was it fear, was it anticipation. He
00:08:09
Speaker 2: wasn't certain, but he knew his weaknesses didn't amount to
00:08:12
Speaker 2: anything when the God of all creation was on his side.
00:08:16
Speaker 1: Oh Lord, Elijah, whispered.
00:08:18
Speaker 3: God of Abraham, Isaac Jack, let it be known this
00:08:21
Speaker 3: day that you are God, the God of Israel.
00:08:25
Speaker 2: I am your servant. Please. Elijah felt his hands shake
00:08:30
Speaker 2: and his lips began to quiver. Clouds were galloping in
00:08:33
Speaker 2: from the east, dark and foreboding east.
00:08:37
Speaker 3: Answer fromind these people like you are there God.
00:08:42
Speaker 2: His voice began to rise with his increasing heartbeat. Passion
00:08:46
Speaker 2: consumed him, and his faith poured out like rain.
00:08:49
Speaker 3: Turn the hearts back to you, turn them back, Lord, please.
00:08:54
Speaker 2: Out cracked open as Elijah shouted to the heavens that
00:08:57
Speaker 2: lightning struck the altar. Elijah through clack. The entire altar
00:09:02
Speaker 2: was completely consumed in fire. Elijah watched as the offering wood, stones,
00:09:07
Speaker 2: and dust were enveloped in flames. The multitude fell on
00:09:11
Speaker 2: their faces, declaring their praise was music to Elijah's ears. Finally,
00:09:19
Speaker 2: his strong veneer cracked and he began to cry. He
00:09:22
Speaker 2: felt vindicated. God had shown up he always would. Elijah
00:09:27
Speaker 2: turned to the prophets of Bail and shouted.
00:09:30
Speaker 3: Seize them. Did none of them mistake?
00:09:33
Speaker 2: The prophets were slaughtered, the monuments to Bail were torn down,
00:09:37
Speaker 2: and the sickness of sin was still in their hearts.
00:09:40
Speaker 2: Israels still wouldn't completely turn from their wickedness. They needed
00:09:44
Speaker 2: liberation from a greater prophet.
00:09:50
Speaker 4: Elijah's story is rich with lessons. This standoff between Elijah
00:09:54
Speaker 4: and the prophets of Bail was a demonstration of standing
00:09:58
Speaker 4: up for what one believes, regardless of the opposition. Elijah
00:10:02
Speaker 4: stood alone against hundreds of prophets of Bail, the king
00:10:06
Speaker 4: and queen, and the popular culture of the time. Elijah
00:10:10
Speaker 4: stood alone against hundreds of prophets of bail, the King
00:10:14
Speaker 4: and Queen, and the popular culture of the time. Elijah
00:10:18
Speaker 4: was a minority voice speaking out against what he saw
00:10:22
Speaker 4: as the moral and religious decay of his society. He
00:10:27
Speaker 4: could have been killed for speaking out, but stood his
00:10:29
Speaker 4: ground with unwavering courage in the face of opposition and
00:10:34
Speaker 4: potential danger. Elijah was committed to his faith and convictions.
00:10:40
Speaker 4: His example serves as a lesson in courage, integrity, and
00:10:43
Speaker 4: the willingness to stand alone if necessary for our faith,
00:10:48
Speaker 4: and the willingness to stand alone if necessary for our faith.
00:10:54
Speaker 4: This event underscores the importance of not allowing societal pressures
00:10:59
Speaker 4: or threats to sway us from our core values. Yet
00:11:03
Speaker 4: there's a hidden tragedy in this story that came afterward.
00:11:06
Speaker 4: You see, even after the people of Israel witnessed fire
00:11:10
Speaker 4: descend from heaven, they still had difficulty turning from their idolatry.
00:11:15
Speaker 4: That's a sad reality, but an important lesson. We often
00:11:20
Speaker 4: think that if we just saw a miracle, we would
00:11:22
Speaker 4: fully understand God and put our unwavering faith in him. However,
00:11:28
Speaker 4: Elijah's faith was not built on signs and miracles. His
00:11:31
Speaker 4: faith was built on intimacy, connection, and the knowledge of
00:11:35
Speaker 4: the word of God. Just because you see a miracle
00:11:39
Speaker 4: doesn't mean everything becomes clear. Romans chapter ten tells us
00:11:43
Speaker 4: that faith comes by hearing God's word. It doesn't come
00:11:47
Speaker 4: by witnessing miracles. It comes through understanding the heart of
00:11:51
Speaker 4: God and then acting upon that understanding. That is why
00:11:55
Speaker 4: James tells us that faith without works is dead. When
00:11:59
Speaker 4: our conviction match our actions, our faith comes to life.
00:12:04
Speaker 4: The apostle Peter got to witness miracles in his life.
00:12:07
Speaker 4: He got to see Jesus give sight to the blind,
00:12:09
Speaker 4: calm storms, cast out demons, and walk on water. He
00:12:14
Speaker 4: even saw Jesus's glory transfigured before him on a mountain.
00:12:18
Speaker 4: Yet even still, Peter struggled to understand. He struggled to
00:12:23
Speaker 4: have unwavering faith. Like Elijah. His testimony should be a
00:12:29
Speaker 4: warning to all of us. Just because we see something
00:12:32
Speaker 4: with our eyes doesn't mean we understand it in our hearts.
00:12:36
Speaker 4: Let's move from Elijah to Jesus. In this cinematic retelling
00:12:40
Speaker 4: of Matthew chapter seventeen, Jesus is going to reveal himself
00:12:45
Speaker 4: to Peter, and Peter is going to struggle to understand.
00:12:50
Speaker 2: Dawn stretched across the sky, adorning the valley in brilliant
00:12:54
Speaker 2: hues of orange. Peter stirred from sleep just as the
00:12:58
Speaker 2: light rose above the hill. The air held the pure,
00:13:02
Speaker 2: refreshing chill of a new day, and a faint light
00:13:05
Speaker 2: began to tease the distant hilltops. Jesus sat beside him, alert,
00:13:11
Speaker 2: his lips curled in a quiet smile. His finger rose
00:13:14
Speaker 2: to his lips, silently instructing Peter to be quiet. His
00:13:18
Speaker 2: gaze led Peter to the mountain base, where John and
00:13:21
Speaker 2: James eagerly awaited. Peter rose and joined Jesus on their
00:13:25
Speaker 2: journey towards the peak. Peter observed Jesus navigate the rugged terrain.
00:13:30
Speaker 2: He admired his teacher. He was strong from years as
00:13:33
Speaker 2: a stonemason. The mountain's challenge heightened, the incline growing steeper.
00:13:39
Speaker 2: Jesus was far ahead of them, disappearing into the clearing
00:13:42
Speaker 2: at the mountain's summit. As they scrambled upward, a surge
00:13:45
Speaker 2: of light exploded from the peak, painting the dawn in
00:13:48
Speaker 2: hues more surreal than any sunrise they had ever experienced.
00:13:53
Speaker 2: They initially thought it was the sun radiating light, but
00:13:56
Speaker 2: it was none other than Jesus himself. His body was
00:14:00
Speaker 2: enveloped in a brilliant so pure that it dwarfed the
00:14:03
Speaker 2: morning sun. His humanity seemed to peel back, revealing the
00:14:07
Speaker 2: divine essence underneath. Awe and fear came upon them all.
00:14:13
Speaker 2: Jesus was transfigured before them, the fullness of his glory
00:14:17
Speaker 2: on display. Suddenly, two or more flashes of light streaked
00:14:21
Speaker 2: from the heavens, crashing to earth. The figures were Moses
00:14:24
Speaker 2: and Elijah, joining Jesus in conversation, yet they didn't engage
00:14:29
Speaker 2: him as an equal. Instead, Jesus spoke to them with authority.
00:14:33
Speaker 2: They acknowledged him as their lord and revered him as God.
00:14:37
Speaker 2: Peter's heart pounded in his chest. He stood in the
00:14:40
Speaker 2: presence of the three most extraordinary heroes God had ever sent.
00:14:44
Speaker 2: Overwhelmed with excitement, James and John watched as Peter sprinted
00:14:48
Speaker 2: towards them. He jumped and shouted, Lord, it's wonderful that
00:14:52
Speaker 2: we're all here.
00:14:53
Speaker 3: Erect three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and
00:14:57
Speaker 3: one for Elijah, and then we ken.
00:14:59
Speaker 2: Before he could complete his thought, a whirlwind of light
00:15:02
Speaker 2: descended upon them, engulfing them like a cyclone. The disciples
00:15:06
Speaker 2: trembled as a cloud of divine lights surrounded them. Peter
00:15:10
Speaker 2: shielded his eyes, curling into a feet of position on
00:15:13
Speaker 2: the ground. A voice erupted from the storm, This is
00:15:16
Speaker 2: my son.
00:15:17
Speaker 1: In whom I am world pleased hear him and only him.
00:15:22
Speaker 2: The next instinct, everything returned to normal. Blinking open one eye,
00:15:27
Speaker 2: Peter looked around. Moses and Elijah had vanished. Jesus, no
00:15:33
Speaker 2: longer transfigured, stood alone. He extended a hand to Peter,
00:15:38
Speaker 2: helping him up, and led the disciples back down the mountain.
00:15:46
Speaker 4: It may not seem like it, since most of us
00:15:49
Speaker 4: probably haven't witnessed Jesus, Moses, and Elijah hanging out on
00:15:53
Speaker 4: the same mountain top, but Peter's experience matches our own
00:15:58
Speaker 4: in many ways. Peter saw Moses, Elijah, and Jesus and
00:16:04
Speaker 4: immediately thought that each of them should get their own temple.
00:16:08
Speaker 4: Peter wanted to freeze this divine moment in time and
00:16:13
Speaker 4: create monuments to these three biblical heroes. But there's one problem.
00:16:18
Speaker 4: One of those three men was far greater than the
00:16:21
Speaker 4: other two. Moses was considered the giver of the law.
00:16:25
Speaker 4: He led Israel out of bondage and into freedom. Elijah
00:16:29
Speaker 4: was considered the greatest prophet. He stood up to corruption
00:16:32
Speaker 4: and fought for the heart of Israel. Yet both of
00:16:35
Speaker 4: these men's greatness combined paled in comparison to Jesus. Jesus
00:16:42
Speaker 4: was the fulfillment of the Law and the ultimate prophet.
00:16:45
Speaker 4: Moses and Elijah were both great, but ultimately failed in
00:16:49
Speaker 4: turning people's hearts back to God. Jesus, however, was greater
00:16:54
Speaker 4: than both. As we've already learned, Jesus is the greater
00:16:58
Speaker 4: Moses who led us into greater liberation. Jesus is also
00:17:03
Speaker 4: more significant than Elijah. While Elijah facilitated miracles, Jesus was
00:17:09
Speaker 4: a miracle. The Transfiguration was the prime example of that.
00:17:14
Speaker 4: Jesus was God incarnate, come to earth to cleanse the
00:17:18
Speaker 4: corrupt hearts of God's people. That was something that, despite
00:17:23
Speaker 4: facilitating miracles, Elijah could not do. God rebuked Peter in
00:17:27
Speaker 4: a whirlwind to emphasize that Jesus was not on an
00:17:30
Speaker 4: equal footing with Moses and Elijah. The Lord declared to Peter,
00:17:35
Speaker 4: this is my son, hear him. It's not that we
00:17:40
Speaker 4: don't listen to Moses or Elijah. Rather, everything they had
00:17:43
Speaker 4: to say pointed forward to Jesus. So we are convinced
00:17:47
Speaker 4: in this way that Jesus is the greater Elijah. Next time,
00:17:53
Speaker 4: we'll turn our attention to another prophet. While Elijah mostly
00:17:57
Speaker 4: dealt with outer conflict corrupt kings and gods, this prophet
00:18:02
Speaker 4: dealt with inner conflict. His disobedience, prejudice, and bitterness gets
00:18:07
Speaker 4: him swallowed up in the belly of a giant fish,
00:18:10
Speaker 4: but a redemption story is coming. Join us in our
00:18:13
Speaker 4: next episode to witness how Jesus is the greater Jonah.
Related Episodes
A Safe Haven
Mary travels to the hillcountry of Judah to be with her cousin, Elizabeth. There, she seeks comfort from the swirling doubt within her. Today's Bible verse is Galatians 6:2, from the King James Version. Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Tes...
The Forerunners of Christmas
God chooses two humble and faithful people to be the bridge that gaps the old and new covenants. Today's Bible verse is Hebrews 4:16, from the King James Version. Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories. Pra...
Mary is Chosen
In this episode, we meet Mary, the quiet and humble hero of God, chosen to bear God’s chosen redeemer. Today's Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9, from the King James Version. Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible ...
