In First Kings, chapter seventeen, verse one, Elijah was a prophet in the northern kingdom during the reigns of Ahab and his son Ahaziah. The name Elijah represents the unshakable conviction of Elijah’s life in chapter eighteen, verses twenty-one and thirty-nine, respectively. The principal narratives about his life are found in First Kings, chapters seventeen through nineteen, chapter twenty-one, verses seventeen to twenty-nine, and Second Kings, chapters one to two, accordingly.
Elijah’s life centers around the conflict between the worship of the Lord and the honoring of Baal. His mission was to awaken the Israelites to their apostasy and to call them back to loyalty to the God of Israel as in First Kings eighteen, verse twenty-one, and verses thirty-six to thirty-seven, respectively. Therefore, Elijah was the restorer and the reformer who sought to reestablish the covenant.
The Old Testament ends with the prophecy that Elijah would appear again “Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” as in Malachi four, verse five. The prophecy partially reaches fulfillment in the appearance of John the Baptist, as in Matthew eleven, seven through fourteen, Luke one, verse seventeen, which may have future achievement before the return of Christ, as in Matthew seventeen, Revelation eleven, three to six, accordingly. Elijah’s unwavering devotion to God and His covenant makes him forever an example of faith, courage, and loyalty to God in the face of intense opposition and persecution and an example of faithful persistence in opposing false religion and false prophets.
Believers today face similar situations to Elijah in those that oppose God and His people. Christians will encounter folks with different religions and beliefs frequently in life. The difference between the children of God and others is the target and attention of the followers of Jesus Christ. Satan uses the opposition to seek, kill, and destroy the relationship between God and His creation. Therefore, for those who oppose God, the enemy will not hinder them because they are on his side but will test the godly like the prophet Elijah at any opportunity available.