As we wrap up this sermon series, we take another close look at Elijah's character as an opportunity to appreciate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although he has been wrongfully complaining that he has been the only prophet of the Lord, Elijah does not welcome his successor with any kind of warmth or love. He is aloof and even cold toward Elisha. If Elijah was really discouraged that he was the only prophet of the Lord (which is not true), should he not have been more welcoming to Elisha?

In this sermon, we focus on how God relates with King Ahab. Although Ahab is one of the most evil kings in Israel's history, God nevertheless is patient toward him, giving him ample opportunities to repent. Because of God's mercy, Ahab experiences God's power in ending the drought and also a military victory against Syria that would not have been humanly possible. Toward the end of his life, we even see Ahab repent…

Soon after experiencing God's miraculous victory, Elijah is running for his life yet he desires to die out of sheer hopelessness. Moreover, Elijah continues to distort the truth by repeatedly claiming that he is the only prophet of the Lord (even though Obadiah explained to him that he himself is a prophet of the Lord and that he has saved 100 other prophets of the Lord). Elijah’s character flaws and sin that were hinted in previous chapters are fully exposed and we see Elijah, though one of the greatest prophets of God, as very self-centered…

In the long-awaited showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, we see Elijah at the height of his boldness and faith. He stages a theatrical contest that not only puts Baal to shame, but that unequivocally proves that the God of Israel is the only God. As a result, all of the prophets of Baal have been defeated, king Ahab is no longer a threat to Elijah, and the drought is over!

After three long years without any rain, Elijah and Ahab finally meet. In the eyes of Israel, Elijah (and God) have been the source of their problem, the enemies of Israel. The land has been devastated and the people have been suffering a severe famine…

God has now proved his power and faithfulness to Elijah and the widow in miraculous ways. He has withheld the rain, fed Elijah through ravens, and multiplied the paltry amount of flour/oil for the widow. Despite experiencing these miracles, we see that the faith of Elijah and the widow is ultimately fickle. When the widow's son becomes ill, the widow immediately blames Elijah (1 Kings 17.18), upon which Elijah immediately blames God (1 Kings 17.20)…

After the miraculous provision of ravens, God sends Elijah to an even more precarious situation. God commands him to go to Sidon, which is known for Baal worship. Moreover, God tells Elijah that he will be fed by a widow (at the time, widows were socially marginalized and had no resources to provide for themselves, let alone others). When Elijah meets the widow and asks for food, she says that she only has enough food for her and her son to have one final meal before their death. Yet, Elijah unashamedly insists that he be fed first! Even more surprising, the widow actually listens to Elijah!

Elijah is a biblical hero and was one of the two people who appeared at Jesus's transfiguration. What makes him so special? As we will see throughout this sermon series, Elijah was a man just like us (James 5.17). It was not he who was special, but it is that God did something special through him. As we will see in this sermon series, Elijah is another window that points us to Jesus Christ and his gospel…

Especially in this portion of 1 Kings, we see God's people in a state of darkness. They disrespect God's Word and have been led to idolatry, especially under the influence of one evil king after another. Despite their miserable state, God still orchestrates redemption for his people, but in an unexpected way…