Elijah

Living Securely in an Insecure World

Douglas Connelly

• Publisher: IVP Bible Studies
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780830830282
• eBook ISBN: 9780830863099
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Terrorism. Diseases. Hurricanes.

Every day the news reinforces what you want to forget—you live in an insecure world. Elijah's times were no safer. He faced famine, murder, and corruption—with both courage and fear. In this eight-session LifeGuide® Bible Study on Elijah's life, Douglas Connelly helps you look beyond the insecurity of the world to our sovereign God who reigns forever.

For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions—making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

1

Obeying God in Times of Terror

1 Kings 16:29—17:4

Jesus painted a very realistic picture of what it would mean to follow him in the twenty-first century. “In this world,” he said, “you will have trouble” (John 16:33).

 

Jesus knew that we would live in troubled times. He knew that being his disciple would bring ridicule and opposition and even persecution. Jesus didn’t promise to change our circumstances; he promised to give us strength to face whatever the world throws our way. “Take heart!” he shouts to us in the post-9/11 world. “I have overcome the world!”

 

GROUP DISCUSSION. What recent news story or life experience made you feel insecure or threatened? Why?

 

PERSONAL REFLECTION. Who do you turn to first when you are afraid or feel insecure? Why do you think that is?

Elijah lived in a threatening world. Ahab, the king of Israel, had pushed God’s people deep into idolatry. He had married a foreign wife, Jezebel, and she had taken the lead in promoting Baal as the new god in Israel. The prophets of the Lord were hunted down and killed, while the prophets of Baal were supported at taxpayer expense. One faithful family in the backcountry of Gilead refused to cower in fear. They named their son Elijah, meaning “my God is the Lord”—not Baal, not Asherah his immoral consort, but Yahweh, the true God. Read 1 Kings 16:29—17:4.

1. Using specific phrases from 1 Kings 16:29-33, describe the progress of Baal worship in Israel under Ahab’s leadership.

2. If you had been a follower of God during Ahab’s reign, what pressures and temptations would you have felt?

3. We don’t read of any widespread protest against Baal worship from the population. What does that indicate about Israel’s attitude toward the change in spiritual loyalty?

4. Identify concessions or compromises in our nation today that some people may view as trivial but that you believe provoke God’s displeasure.

5. In his New Testament commentary on Elijah’s life, James says that Elijah prayed that it would not rain and it did not rain (James 5:17). What does Elijah’s announcement to Ahab (1 Kings 17:1) tell you about his confidence in God?

6. God had told his people hundreds of years earlier that, if they began to abandon him for false gods, he would withhold rain from the land (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). Why did Elijah have to pray for something God had already promised?

7. Baal was the god of the storm. Why does Elijah issue such a direct challenge as the withholding of rain?

8. God told Elijah to hide himself in a secluded ravine. Which do you think was easier for Elijah—confronting Ahab publicly or waiting in the obscurity of the ravine? Why?

9. Do you find it easier to do God’s will or to wait for God’s time? Explain what is difficult about each.

10. James also says that Elijah “was a man just like us” (James 5:17). What kinds of situations can you expect to encounter in Elijah’s life if he is really just like the rest of us?

What confidence does that fact give you as you face the routine of your own life?

Admit your fears and insecurities to the Lord. Ask for a sense of his peace.

Now or Later

Find a map in your Bible, in a Bible atlas or online of Israel’s “divided kingdom”—the time period in which Elijah lived. Locate the following places: Tishbe (Elijah’s hometown), Samaria (the capital of Israel), Jerusalem (the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah), Sidon (Jezebel’s home city). Compare the distance from Samaria to Jerusalem (40 miles) and from Samaria to Sidon (100 miles) to the cities in the region where you live. How “big” was Elijah’s cultural world?

2

When the Brook Dries Up

1 Kings 17:5-24

It was one of those “spiritual boot ca...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Getting the Most Out of Elijah
• 1 Obeying God in Times of Terror: 1 Kings 16:29—17:4
• 2 When the Brook Dries Up: 1 Kings 17:5-24
• 3 Standing Alone: 1 Kings 18:1-40
• 4 Prevailing Prayer: 1 Kings 18:41-46
• 5 Defeating Discouragement: 1 Kings 19
• 6 Blood in the Vineyard: 1 Kings 21
• 7 When Mockers Speak: 2 Kings 1
• 8 Heaven Without Dying: 2 Kings 2:1-14
• Leader's Notes
• What should we study next?
• Notes
• About the Author
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press
• Copyright