Mention the contrast between God's people marching in to and out of the land. What was the cause of their final disaster? Lesson 10 Elijah. Old Testament Division--Fourth Period (Concluded) LEADING PERSONS Ahab and Jezebel, and Ahaziah, rulers; Elijah and Elisha, prophets. See Lesson 8. #Notable Events# in the life of Elijah. Challenged Ahab (1 Kings 17:1). Sought solitude at Cherith (1 Kings 17:2-7). Dwelt with the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-24). Entered great contest with prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:1-40). Offered a prayer for rain (1 Kings 18:41-46). Took flight in despondency to Beersheba (1 Kings 19:1-8). Received revelation from God at Horeb (1 Kings 19:9-21). Rebuked Ahab and Jezebel for unlawfully taking Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-29). Declared judgment upon Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:1-18). Carried from earth in a chariot of fire, his prophet's mantle falling upon Elisha (2 Kings 2:1-18). Reappears on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36). #TIME.#--925 B. C. to 900 B. C. #PLACES.#--Samaria, Brook Cherith, Zarephath, Mt. Carmel, Beersheba, Horeb, Mt. of Transfiguration. [Illustration] #SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS.#--The contest of true religion with heathen beliefs is brought to a sharp focus in Elijah's time; and the battle-line there drawn so sharply has ever been a challenge for Christian courage in later days. Elijah, the Great Speaking Prophet #86. Elijah's Mission.#--All the prophets spoke, though some of them wrote as well, like Isaiah and others. We call Elijah a speaking prophet because we have but one record (2 Chron. 21:12-15) of anything that he wrote. Elijah was sent by God to the Northern Kingdom at the time of Ahab and Jezebel, to try and stay the tide of idolatry that was threatening to overwhelm the land. Ahab and Jezebel had established the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, two nature divinities of the heathen world. To turn back this tendency God sent this man of the desert. Of his early life we know nothing. He appears before us suddenly, as a man in the full tide of life. He was from Gilead, and a man of action, most emphatically. To get a good idea of the man, we may set him forth as seen in six notable scenes. #87. First Scene:# Elijah and Ahab.--This is where he meets the king, and announces that as the God of Israel lives, there shall not be dew or rain in all the land, excepting at the word of the prophet. Note here the significant nature of this challenge. The two divinities that the people were now forced to worship were supposed to preside over the processes of nature. Just in their realm of influence, therefore, Elijah challenges them, and claims that his God has given to him power over the forces of nature, such as neither Baal nor Ashtoreth possessed. Then Elijah disappears, no one knows whither.