1 Kings
Introduction In 1 Kings 18-19 we are introduced to one of the most magical men in the Bible, and to one of the greatest miracles. Along with Moses and Jesus, Elijah is among the great miracle workers of the world. Elijah used miracles to bring Israel up out of shambles, if just for a moment. He also showed extreme faith and perseverance in the face of great odds. But the true character of Elijah lies in his name, which literally means, “Yahweh is my God (Anderson 246).”
Prelude to The Contest
In order to understand chapters 18 and 19 of 1 Kings, one must get some background on its main character. In 1 Kings 17, we are first introduced to Elijah. At the time, Israel is at one of its lowest points. King Ahab and
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Elijah tells Obadiah to go to Ahab and tell him that he wants to meet with him. When the meeting occurs, Ahab refers to Elijah as “the troubler of Israel (1 Kings 18:17).” Elijah responds by saying that Israel has brought the trouble upon themselves by worshiping Baal. This is the first statement of the reason that Elijah has been sent on this mission. Ahab is then instructed to gather all of his people and the “prophets of Baal” at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19).
It is at this point that we come to one of the most dramatic events in the entire Old Testament. One man, Elijah, challenges the most powerful king in the land and his prophets to a contest of faith. He declares that the worshipers of Baal will cut a bull into pieces and set it upon the altar of Baal. As the lone representative of Yahweh, Elijah will then cut up a bull and set it upon the altar of Yahweh. The prophets are then to call upon Baal to strike the altar with fire. Elijah will then call upon Yahweh to strike his altar with fire. The true god could then be determined.
The prophets do as instructed and call upon Baal to ignite their altar. They call out and dance, but nothing happened. All the while Elijah is taunting them, asking them why Baal is not responding. The failure of Baal to react is made even more dramatic when one recognizes the fact that Baal is the supposed god of weather,
The Once and Future King, or King Arthur, is a legend that is, despite its age, known by all. Everyone has heard of King Arthur and his loyal knights that make up the Round Table, but the rest of the famous legend is less known. If asked about Arthur’s parentage or birthplace, most people would not know. How many people can name off Arthur’s knights? Everyone knows Arthur’s name, but the details are less defined. Arthurian legend has many parts, the first being how Arthur came into being, then the most well-known part of the legend, but there is also his famous knights, the possibility of a historical Arthur, and how the legend has evolved over the ages.
In the book, “All The King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren, the character of Jack Burden gradually evolves into a person with a deeper comprehension of the world around him. Jack grapples with many new concepts, including the concept of whether or not knowledge is power. Jack’s profession involves digging into the past to discover information about others, which often, he will later use to blackmail them. So naturally Jack believes knowledge holds great power. However, as the book carries on, Jack struggles with the idea that his knowledge may have a much deeper effect on society than the original purpose of the information. Throughout this novel Jack demonstrates that knowledge is power, but he eventually realizes
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“Amos is the third of the minor prophets. His name is usually taken to signify ‘Carrier’, but is better interpreted ‘Heavy’ or ‘Burden’, in allusion to the grievous message which he had to deliver.” Before he
Adam Stanton grew up as the best friend of Jack Burden, and the son of
When a little boy is born an heir to the throne, the correct process is to grow up and take the place as king. For Hamlet, the protagonist in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, that process is shockingly interrupted. "For he was likely, had he been put on, / To have proved most royal" (V.ii.390-391). This quote was said by Frontinbras saying if Hamlet had lived he would of proved to be a great king. Throughout the play, Hamlet has shown that he had all the qualities that would have made him a remarkable king. Hamlet was an intelligent, rational, clever person who had good morals. His intelligence lead him to outwit his enemy, his rationality lead him to make good decisions, his cleverness lead him to seek the truth and his morals kept him
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The nation of Israel was set apart as holy to the LORD. But they When the children of Israel demanded a king, they did so to be like the other nations. The first three kings were Saul, (outwardly tall, handsome and strong—a seemingly good choice for a king, but inwardly arrogant, proud and unrepentant—not God’s choice), David (a man after God’s own heart who repented of his sins and as such was God’s choice), and Solomon (the wisest man who ever lived, but because of covenant disobedience became the catalyst for the division and ultimate exile of Israel.
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It all began when King Ahab, and his deceitful wife Jezebel demanded for their kingdom to worship the false God of Baal. As a result, they ordered all the prophets of the Lord to be put to death. Elijah was the only one to survive this horrible purge and went to confront King Ahab. He told the King that a three-year drought would be brought upon Israel. This was to challenge the people’s false prophet, Baal and eventually teach them a very valuable lesson in whose God was real.
Isaiah’s terminology when describing God as “The Holy One of Israel”, not only shows reverence by admission of God’s holiness, but also emphasizes the point of the great offenses that the Israelite nation committed against God. As a holy God, he cannot allow sin in his presence, and therefore, must bring effect to the cause. With God’s ultimate goal of reconciliation, punishment is used to its effect while the Servant’s main role was making it available to the people.
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The book of 1 Samuel, a part of the Old Testament, sparks the dawn of the United Kingdom of Israel by telling of its first king, Saul. Samuel is one of the first talked about pre-literary prophets in the bible perhaps because he anointed the first king of the United Kingdom. He is a prophet by definition because he possessed the ability to converse with the almighty Yahweh. Samuel and Saul are key players to the rise of the kingdom but Saul runs into trouble and disobeys God, which leads him to his own inevitable demise.
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To speak of the Hebrew Scripture is to speak of story, a story stretching from the very beginning of time to only a few centuries before the beginning of the Common Era. It is to speak of richness of content, of purpose and of reality and to engross oneself in an overarching narrative that, depending on your personal convictions, continues to the present day. Within this richness is found a wide variety of different events and experience, told through a series of genre ranging from foundational myth to apocalypse, law giving to poetry, genealogy to wisdom and many more. Within this diversity however, three broad sections can be discerned that speak to a shared purpose and content, these are the sections of Law, Prophecy and Writings. It