S U P E R H E RO ?
OR JUST LIKE US
BIBLE
STUDY
101
This is part of a series of short Bible study booklets by
the Forge Community Church. The purpose of this Bible
Study 101 series is to enable you, at home, over a coffee,
with friends or by yourself, to explore further the topics
looked at on Sundays.
This particular study is about Elijah and his life. With ten days of
material, the study gives a brief description of the world Elijah lived in,
the demographics of his time and place, as well as the story of his life as
we see it in the bible. There will be pause for thoughts each day where
you can reflect on what you’ve read, as well as some questions to get
you thinking about it’s application in your life today.
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DAY ONE –
ELIJAH’S CONTEXT
less taxes, and eventually a poorer nation
for Jeroboam.
DAY TWO –
ELIJAH’S BOLD INTRODUCTION
In western modern culture, we
acknowledge that names have meanings,
but we don’t think of names that way
every time we use them. When you
call someone Naomi, you don’t think
about how you’re calling out “Blessing”
and when you yell after a Matthew,
you don’t think about the fact you’re
shouting “a gift from God”.
The power struggle between the two kings
meant that Jeroboam didn’t want all his
people going down to Jerusalem for the
festivals. He was afraid that he would
lose the people from the north down to
the south. So Jeroboam set up temples of
worship in the Northern Kingdom. These
northern temples were equipped with
golden calves as objects of worship, to
reflect some of the pagan customs at the
time. For the Jews in the Northern Kingdom,
it resulted in idol worship, (see Exodus 32)
and eventually over the years, it resulted in
worship of the pagan God Baal rather than
Yahweh, the creator God, and God of
the Bible.
Read 1 Kings 17:1-7
Similarly, Elijah is not only a name, but
whenever someone calls out that name
they are saying “my god is Yahweh”
(Eli = my god, jah= Yah which is just a
shortening of God’s name, Yahweh).
Pause for thought:
1. What does your name mean? Have you
considered what people are saying when
they call your name?
2. For Elijah, when people called his name,
they knew that God was his god. Do you
think your friends, family and colleagues
would know that God was your god?
If so, how?
Context
In 931 BC, following the death of their King,
Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel split
in two. The Southern Kingdom (called Judah)
was ruled by Solomon’s son, Rehoboam,
while the Northern Kingdom (Israel) was
ruled by Jeroboam, one of King Solomon’s
chief superintendents.
Now, in those days, being a Jew meant
offering sacrifices of worship in the Temple
in Jerusalem, in the Southern Kingdom.
There were several huge festivals annually,
similar in scale to the Olympics or the
Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Thousands
from all over the two kingdoms would travel
to Jerusalem to worship and offer sacrifices.
Unfortunately for Jeroboam, many of them,
having travelled South, would decide to stay
and not come back. This immigration of
people from the North, meant less people,
King Ahab & Queen Jezebel
120 years after King Jeroboam, King
Ahab comes to the throne. And like
his predecessors, he’s not known for
his faithfulness to Yahweh. In fact, his
reputation is even worse. He is married to
Jezebel, who is not only not a Jew, but is
well known for her worship and loyalty to
Baal.
And so, it is within this context, this arena
that we find Elijah. 1 Kings 16:28-30 to 1
Kings 17:1-24.
Questions:
1. The world in which we find Elijah is one
where God was no longer the focus or
the centre. He was overlooked as people
chose to worship and follow other things
but Him. Our world around us is much
the same today. People aren’t interested
in God and what He offers them. Instead,
there are lots of things that fight for our
attention and worship. Spend some time
thinking about what those things are in
general, but also what things specifically
distract you from God.
2. Ask God to help you make Him number
one in your life.
Pause for thought:
This is where Elijah is first mentioned in the
Bible, and what an introduction!
This reminds us that, other than being
people of faith who are available to be used
by God, it is never really who and what we
are that count. What really matters is who
God is.
At the start, Elijah is introduced like the
average Joe, just another typical everyday
person. There is no background to who he is,
or what his credentials are.
Knowing who God is, His character, His
faithfulness, should strengthen our faith in
Him so that it affects what we are, what we
say, and what we do.
But then straight away, he is in the presence
of King Ahab and probably Queen Jezebel
too. He confronts them directly, and
declares with boldness a message from
God – that there would be no rain for three
years!
Spend some time thinking about God’s
character, about who He is, and what you
know about Him. Ask Him to strengthen
your faith in Him.
Having delivered his message, Elijah then
trusts God, heads East to Kerith brook,
where he stays, drinking from the brook
and eating the food provided to him by the
ravens, just as God promised.
1. In today’s world, we can grow crops in
South Africa, and have them on our table
for tea within months. But in this story, it
is God that provides food for Elijah, day
by day, through the ravens. Where in your
life do you need God to provide for you
today? Can you trust Him to do it?
It sounds pretty incredible right? Food from
the ravens, a three year drought at his word.
But, Elijah was just another guy, nothing
special about him. He wasn’t on the who’s
who list, nor did he have a long list of
experiences and credentials. He simply had
faith in God and was obedient to what God
had told him to do.
Questions:
2. God promises He will provide for us. Think
through the last few months. Where has
God provided for your needs, sometimes
without you even knowing about it?
DAY THREE –
ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW
Read 1 Kings 17: 8 -16
Eventually, due to the drought, the brook
Elijah was drinking from dried up. But God
doesn’t stop providing for Him. He tells
Elijah to go to a village called Zarephath,
where he will find a widow who will supply
him with food.
So off Elijah goes, and as he gets to the
village, he finds a widow just at the gate,
collecting sticks for her and her only son.
Elijah asks her for water and bread, as God
had instructed. But the widow replies that
she has only water to offer; she has no
bread, just a handful of flour in a jar and
a jug of olive oil which she is going to use
to make a final meal for her and her son,
before they resign themselves to death.
Not exactly the bountiful provision that you
initially expect from God, is it? But Elijah,
not doubting God once, responds by asking
her to go home, use what she has to bake
a cake for him, herself and her son. He then
tells her that God will use what she has, and
multiply it; that the jar of flour and the jug
of olive oil would not dry up until it rains!
Yes, the flour and oil would keep going until
the blessing of rain comes. This is good
news, because this means the widow and
her son will survive the drought, they will
have enough to eat and drink until the rain
comes and the crops grow again.
Instead of physical starvation and death
there is now food and life provided daily by
a miracle of God.
God’s provision for Elijah also took into
account the miraculous provision for the
widow and her son. He knew both their
needs, and brought them together to see
them met.
Pause for thought:
Take a few minutes to reflect on the
amazing provisions that God has given to
you. How can you show gratitude to Him
for the things that He has given to you
personally?
Questions:
1. From the story of the widow with the
miracle of daily supplies of flour and olive
oil, how can you trust God on a daily
basis?
2. Think about the things that God has
blessed you with, given to you, how
can you use those to help other people
around you, as Elijah helped the widow?
3. There was uncertainty for both the widow
and Elijah when the drought increased,
and they had no food and water. Where
do you see in your life possible ups and
downs; how can you trust God regardless
of your circumstances?
DAY FOUR THE WIDOW’S SON DIES
Read 1 Kings 17:17-24
The nameless widow living on the daily
miracles of flour and olive oil as she feeds
and cares for Elijah through the drought,
encounters an unexpected tragedy; her only
son gets ill, it gets worse, and he dies. In her
grief she thinks Elijah has come as some
kind of punishment, and that her son died
as a result of her sins.
Elijah, struck by the woman’s grief, carries
the boy upstairs and pleads with God to
give him back his life. And God does. God
hears Elijah’s cry, and the boy comes back
to life. His mother, the widow, responds by
affirming her belief that Elijah is a man of
God, and that he speaks truth. She knows
that it is God who has saved her son, and
that Elijah is his representative.
Pause for thought:
As we experience God’s blessing and
provision, especially after some kind of test
or trial, there is always a subtle temptation
for us to think that everything is going to be
easier from now on. The worst is past. The
storm is over. From here on it’s going to be
smooth sailing. But such an attitude ignores
the truth: this world is full of ups and downs,
and cannot give and provide what it was
originally designed to give.
But God is there with us amidst all the ups
and downs, just as He was with Elijah, the
widow and her son. He is there ready to
bring not only provision, but life and light
amidst each test or trial we encounter.
Questions:
1. When you hit difficult times, who do you
normally blame? Yourself, others, God?
How do you normally get through it?
2. God promises that He will take care of
us, even though tough times will come.
Elijah’s life is proof of God’s amazing
miraculous provision. Spend some time
asking God to help you trust in that
miraculous provision, and where you are
facing a tough time, ask Him to be with
you, and provide for you within it.
DAY FIVE ELIJAH CONFRONTS AHAB
Read 1 Kings 18:1-18
After three long years of drought, Elijah and
Ahab finally have a long awaited face to
face meeting.
It’s an incredible meeting; Ahab accuses
Elijah of being a national trouble maker,
but Elijah counters that accusation back
saying Ahab and Jezebel were the real cause
of trouble because of the false gods they
worship and have caused the nation to
worship.
Pause for Thought:
Elijah, having been told by God to go, travels
to speak to Ahab, the King of the Northern
Kingdom of Israel.
The country has been in drought after
Elijah’s last conversation with him; the King
is not happy, and we soon learn, that Ahab
has been looking all over for Elijah.
A terrifying prospect returning to such a
man isn’t it?
And yet, Elijah is still faithful and obedient
to God, even when faced with a terrifying
situation.
And amidst that situation, he discovers he is
not alone. Obadiah, a man working closely
with Ahab is also remaining faithful and
obedient to God, despite the risk of his
own life.
God asks us to be obedient to Him, no
matter what we might face.
Both Elijah and Obadiah knew that and
were obedient, whether it was facing an
angry King, or choosing to deliberately hide
God’s prophets when they were in danger.
For them, it was more important being loyal
and committed to God and what He wanted
than it was staying safe.
Questions:
1. Where do you need to be braver in your
commitment to God? Are there areas
where you feel you compromise, because
the reality of the people around you and
what they say or may do scares you? Ask
God to give you the courage to stand up
for Him.
2. Just as Elijah discovered when he travelled
to meet Ahab, that he wasn’t alone
(Obadiah was also fighting for God and
His people), who do you have around
you who can support you as you face
potential conflict because of your faith?
Ask God to provide you with someone
to stand with you; someone who can
encourage you as you choose to put
God first.
DAY SIX GOD VS. BAAL
Read 1 Kings 18:19-40
So having accused Ahab and Jezebel of being
the trouble makers, Elijah suggests a faceoff; a challenge; Elijah vs Ahab and Jezebel’s
450 prophets of Baal.
So Elijah, and the prophets of Baal meet
on Mount Carmel for the show down of all
show downs.
There are hundreds of people there, after
all, this is the place that people will get to
find out who’s god is really God – Baal or
Yahweh. People from all over Israel are there
to witness Elijah’s challenge – to build an
altar and ask their god to provide fire for the
offering. And the loser’s penalty? Death!
Baal’s prophets spend all day offering their
sacrifices and praying to their god for fire to
fall from heaven and burn up the sacrifice.
They cut themselves, shout and dance, all
day, and nothing! And Elijah doesn’t exactly
stay quiet. He mocks them, jeers, tells
them to shout louder. He mocks the idea
of Baal, asking if he’s deep in thought, away
travelling. But nothing works.
Later that evening it was Elijah’s turn, he
set up his sacrifice on the altar and ordered
it to be absolutely drenched with water so
that the odds were completely against it
catching fire. He prayed to God asking God
to show that He is the One and only true
God. And suddenly a ball of fire comes from
heaven and the sacrifice was consumed with
flame, not a drop of water was left! Elijah
wins, and as a result, Baal’s prophets were
Pause for Thought:
Take time to reflect on the magnitude of
this event, and how this fits into your daily
life and today’s culture. Elijah put his neck
on the line for God’s calling. He didn’t know
how it would all turn out, but he knew God,
he trusted God, and it was enough for him
to be obedient to God.
How can you face your daily choices
between what the world offers and what
God offers? How have you compromised
in the past? How can you not compromise
today?
Questions:
1. How much are you willing to put on the
line for God?
2. What small steps can you take this week
to trust God in, to step out and believe
that He can do miraculous and amazing
things in your family, friends, work,
church, community?
DAY SEVEN THE COMING STORM
Read 1 Kings 18: 41-46
Elijah declares an end to the drought and
then, having climbed to the top of Mount
Carmel, he gets down on his knees, and
prays to God for rain.
Unlike superheroes in the 1980’s and
1990’s, it doesn’t rain straightaway. In fact,
Elijah has seven prayer sessions, each one
separated by a ‘go and check the weather’
period. Each of the six times he has the
weather checked, there is no sign of change,
no sign of rain, no sign of a cloud in the sky!
Elijah is persistent in his reverent prayer
to God asking for rain, and on the seventh
weather check a tiny cloud is spotted over
the sea. Tiny! Elijah sends message to Ahab
to let him know, a storm is coming.
Pause for thought:
Sometimes God doesn’t respond straight
away like He did with Elijah and the fireball.
Sometimes, God responds to our prayers
after a while. With the rain, Elijah didn’t give
up after his first session of prayer. He knew
God was with him, and that God would
respond. He knew God had promised that
it would rain. So, his conclusion was, keep
praying till he gets a sign for the answered
prayer. And in this case, the sign was the
tiniest of clouds on the horizon. When he
saw it, he was filled with God’s spirit and
sprinted on ahead.
Questions:
DAY EIGHT - ELIJAH RUNS
Questions:
1. How do you tend to expect God to
answer your prayers?
Read 1 Kings 19:1-8
1. Have you ever gotten fed up with life? In
the light of Elijah’s story, how would you
respond to being fed up with life now?
2. What do you do if you don’t get a
reply first or second, or third time?
3. How can you trust God more, knowing
that God can and wants to answer
your prayers?
4. What do you do when God answers
your prayers?
Elijah has just had the most amazing victory
over 450 religious adversaries that wanted
him dead. He has proven to all that God is
who He says He is and it finally rained in
answer to his prayers! He should be on a
high right, enthusiastic and excited for God?
But no. All that went out of the window
when he heard Jezebel’s threats. Queen
Jezebel was furious that her 450 prophets
were executed, so she sent message to
Elijah promising she would execute him
by way of retaliation.
So Elijah ran! He got scared and ran for
his life, until he couldn’t run any more. The
prophet that had just seen God burn up a
soaking wet offering, the prophet who saw
an answer to prayer that rain was on it’s
way, the prophet who had been provided
for by God through ravens, widows, and had
seen a boy come back to life in answer to
prayer. That Prophet runs, and runs, until he
finds himself in the desert. He finds a tree,
rests in its shade and prays to God that he
would just die. He was fed up with life!
Pause for Thought:
Have you ever had times when you were on
a real God high in your life, then suddenly
find yourself at a real low point? Can you
recall any examples? Do you think God
withdrew Himself from your life or did
you change?
Elijah was exhausted, physically and
mentally drained. He fell asleep under the
tree branches, and was woken up by an
angel to find a baked cake and a bottle of
water by his side. He ate and drank, then
went back to sleep. The angel appeared a
second time and Elijah ate and drank again.
He was now in full strength. Then the
angel instructed him to head out on his
next journey.
2. If you were at a low point in your life
like Elijah, do you think God would still
reach out to you in different ways like He
reached out to Elijah?
3. What do you think of how God first cares
for Elijah’s needs, rest, food and drink,
before sending him on his next journey?
How does this change or reconfirm your
beliefs in God’s goodness towards you and
His personal interest in your wellbeing?
DAY NINE ELIJAH FINDS GOD
Read 1 Kings 19:8-18
Elijah travelled 40 days and 40 nights to a
region called Horeb, otherwise known as the
mountain of God. When he arrived, he found
a cave and stayed there for the night.
The Bible says here that God’s word came
to Elijah; this is how the Bible sometimes
describes God communicating to someone.
This could be in the form of audible words,
through distinct feelings, the bible, verses
you read, through a messenger, such as
someone you know, or maybe, like Elijah,
possibly even an angel.
God asked Elijah why he was there, and
Elijah, having travelled across the country
and seen the state of affairs, responds by
saying that the government has killed all
those that love God, and that all that is left
are those that don’t care about God. Elijah
himself is a man that loves God so this
grieves him, furthermore, the government
wants Elijah dead too!
How God responds is very interesting:
“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the
mountain in the presence of the Lord, for
the Lord is about to pass by.” 1 Kings 19:11
Pause for Thought:
Notice anything weird in verse 11?
The Lord is telling Elijah to stand in the
presence of the Lord because the Lord is
about to pass by.
What? But the Lord is already there! Or
is He?
This is one of those verses that displays the
three persons of God; if we were to read this
in the New Testament (Jesus’ time), it would
probably read like this:
“Jesus told Elijah to stand in the presence
of the Holy Spirit, as God the father is
coming.”
DAY TEN ELIJAH AND ELISHA, THE EXIT PLAN
After the Lord spoke these words, four
events happened:
1. A strong wind blows across the mountain,
but Elijah knew God wasn’t in that wind
2. An earthquake hit the area, but Elijah
knew God wasn’t in that either.
3. Fire swept the place, but Elijah knew God
wasn’t in the fire.
4. This was all followed by a gentle whisper,
and Elijah knew that he had a found God
in the whisper moment.
Now what’s interesting is that people in
these days believed in the gods of the four
winds, they believed earthquakes were
punishments from the gods, and that fire
was a powerful display of the gods. But
because Elijah did what the Lord instructed
him to do, that is, he stood in the presence
of the Lord (what the New testament
describes as “being filled with the Holy
Spirit”), he was able to discern what was
from God and what wasn’t.
Questions:
1. Have you ever felt like God has been with
you in a strong way? Can you think of any
examples?
2. It’s interesting in this account that God
asks Elijah the same question twice “what
are you doing here Elijah?” The first time,
He told Elijah to wait in a location where
He would meet with Him. The second
time, He met with Him, and He gave him
an instruction, something to do. When
you are feeling weary and burnt out, do
you go to God to find refreshment? And
are you willing to listen when He says, I
have something for you to do, again?
3. Elijah was able to discern what was God
and what wasn’t. How have you been able
to discern what is from God or not?
Read 1 Kings 19:19-21
What does any good leader do? They pass
the baton on to the next generation. They
find an apprentice who can learn to do what
they do.
When God appears in the gentle whisper on
the mountain He instructs Elijah to go East,
to the desert of Damascus and anoint two
men, Hazael king over Aram, and Jehu king
over Israel. Both men become kings of their
respective territories years later. God also
instructs Elijah to seek out Elisha and anoint
him (apprentice him) to pick up the work
that Elijah has been doing.
Elijah went and found Elisha, he did as God
told him to do, and he invited Elisha to
become his apprentice.
Pause for Thought:
Have you considered being apprenticed or
apprenticing someone?
Is there anything you’d love to do, but need
to learn how to? Who could you ask to
apprentice you in that role?
What steps can you make to find someone
who you can train to do what you do?
Questions:
When Elijah asks Elisha to leave his home
and come with him, Elisha does. In fact,
he goes back to his home, kills his oxen,
burns all his ploughing equipment and gave
everything else away. There was no going
back for him.
1. Are there things that you are still holding
on to that are holding you back from
being the person, playing the role God
has for you?
2. What do you need to get rid of
completely to follow God more fully,
and His plan for your life?
The End of Elijah, a man just like us or a
superhero?
Now this isn’t the end of Elijah’s life. There is
much more to it, as he journeys with Elisha
training him to do what he did. And in fact,
Elijah has one of the most extraordinary exit
stories in the history of the entire universe,
so it’s well worth reading on.
If you want to read more of the life of
Elijah, other than what we have looked
at over these ten days, then check out
2Kings 1 and 2.
But one thing is for sure, Elijah’s story is
one of momentous events. But in James
5:17, we’re told that he was a man just
like us. Hard to believe isn’t it, given all
that we’ve been reading?
But it’s true. The miraculous nature of
Elijah’s life has nothing to do with who
he was, but everything to do with who
God is. And God is still the same God
today, as He was then.
So the challenge for us, as we come to
the end of this series is… are we brave
enough to be people just like Elijah;
people sold out for God; people who
trust, listen, and obey what we hear
God saying to us.
And as we do that, maybe, just maybe,
we will see God do things in our lives like
He did in Elijah’s.
If you want to explore other stories or
people of the bible, simply email Emily@
forgechurch.com for other material to
follow.
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