Heroes Of The Bible: Elijah Series

Heroes of the Bible: Elijah

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 8/29/2021

NOTE: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying the book which includes chapters/sermons on 17 additional Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ

My daughter Ellie’s favorite book is titled My Dad, My Hero. She calls it the Daddy Book. I read it to her upon request just about every night before bed. In fact, the two of us have it almost memorized. I’ll read a line from the book and she’ll make the corresponding sound effects. Narrated by a little boy, the book starts off saying, “My dad is not a superhero…” then, page after page, lists all the superpowers dad doesn’t possess (super strength, flying, web shooters, etc.). But by the end of the book, the child concludes, “Even though he may not be a superhero… he’s really super and definitely my hero.” A child’s first hero is almost always their mom or dad. But, in truth, we never grow out of our need for a hero. People need heroes to inspire us and encourage us to become the best version of ourselves.

Thankfully, the Bible is full of heroes.

For eight weeks now, we’ve been encouraged by the stories of the greatest heroes of the Bible. So far, we’ve been inspired by the stories of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samson, Ruth, and, most recently, David—the hero who had a warrior heart, a worshipful heart, and a wayward heart. Today we’re going to meet another great hero of the Bible—a powerful prophet named Elijah.

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Elijah was one of the most important and most respected prophets in Israel’s history. God used him to bring about a revival in the Northern Kingdom. The Spirit of God flowed mightily through Elijah and God accomplished a number of awe-inspiring miracles through him. He was one of the most significant figures in Israel’s history, along with Abraham, Moses, and David. He even reappeared in the New Testament alongside Moses at the transfiguration of Jesus!

After the death of King Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel suffered a terrible civil war. The kingdom was divided and ruled by a series of wicked kings who led Israel astray, embracing the pagan practices of the surrounding nations. So, God raised up the prophet Elijah to fight for truth, justice, and a return to God’s way. Widely recognized as the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, Elijah’s story is filled with adventure, peril, and conflict. This morning, I’d like to spotlight a sequence of heroic feats from the life of Elijah.

First, Elijah demonstrated heroic supplication.

• SUPPLICATION

Every superhero has an archenemy. Superman has Lex Luthor. Batman has the Joker. Elijah had King Ahab—an evil king who plunged the nation of Israel deep into idolatry and immorality. The Bible says, “He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him” (1 Kings 16:33 NLT). Elijah boldly prophesied against Ahab and his wicked wife Queen Jezebel because they worshiped the false deity Baal. So, King Ahab determined to kill Elijah along with every other prophet of God in Israel. Although the Lord protected Elijah, Ahab stained his royal robes with the blood of many of God’s other prophets.

One day, with no regard for his own personal safety, Elijah marched right up to Ahab’s palace in Samaria and challenged the king to a contest on Mount Carmel to prove whose god was the one true God. The rules were simple: each side would sacrifice a bull on an altar. King Ahab’s prophets would sacrifice to Baal, and Elijah would sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of Israel. Whoever sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice would prove to be the one true God.

Rather than kill Elijah where he stood, Ahab couldn’t resist the challenge. So, Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and all 450 prophets of Baal to meet on Mount Carmel. Standing before the entire kingdom, Elijah announced, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! If Baal is God then follow him!” (1 Kings 18:21 NLT).

For most of the day, the prophets of Baal shouted, danced, and even slashed themselves with swords to get Baal’s attention. The Bible says, “They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response” (1 Kings 18:29 NLT).

Finally, it was Elijah’s turn. But first, he wanted to up the ante. All of Israel crowded around as Elijah built an altar to the Lord. He stacked twelve stones, one to represent each of the twelve tribes of Israel. He dug a trench around the altar, piled the wood on it and place the bull on top. Then he dumped twelve large jars of water onto the altar, saturating the wood and filling the trench. Then Elijah made supplication to the Lord, praying for all to hear, “Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back” (1 Kings 18:36-37 HCSB).