Elijah's Entertainment

     Prophet Elijah had challenged King Ahab to bring it on. Gather all the "prophets" and spectators, and let's see who is really God. 

     The misguided prophets set a bull on the wood and prayed their hearts out. Hours later when nothing happens, Elijah tells them to shout louder ... maybe Baal can't hear them.  

     Elijah's turn. He builds an altar and trench, flooding it with water three times. With everyone watching, he calls on the Lord. Fire comes from above (no burnable material up there), and consumes even the stones, soil and the water. 

     II Kings. Elijah is still serving. He and his understudy Elisha come to the Jordan River. They probably could have swum across. But Elijah takes his cloak and strikes the water, which divides, and they cross over. 

     The man who never died. 

     As the two walk along, a chariot of fire pulled by horses appears in the sky. Elijah is drawn to it in a whirlwind, headed for heaven.

     Elisha, who insisted on traveling close to Elijah, returns to the river, strikes it (again) and crosses over on dry ground. Who needs bridges?

     In a motion reminiscent of Moses, Elisha throws salt into a spring, saying, This is what the Lord says: 'I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.'   

     We're not sure what some of these miracles did for the nation's purpose, but the Lord obviously wanted them recorded in his scripture.    

     Ahab's son, Joram, became king of Israel in Samaria. He did away with the "sacred stone of Baal." But he did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Tomorrow: Army commander swallows pride