The Spirit of Elijah — Elizabethton Church of Christ

The Spirit of Elijah

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”     Luke 1:13–17

The angel declared that John would go before the Messiah “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). Because the coming of one in the spirit of Elijah had been foretold (Malachi 4:5–6), the scribes encouraged the Jews to be looking for him (Matthew 17:10–13), but, as was the case with the Christ, they did not recognize him since he came in a form they had not anticipated (Matthew 3:4). From his dress to his unconquerable zeal, John indeed resembled Elijah in many ways. Though little is recorded about the lives of these two men (Elijah’s entire ministry is covered in five chapters), they were characters of paramount importance. They carried the same charge: to turn the people back to God. Like Elijah who openly rebuked Ahab, John was not afraid to censure Herod Antipas, the man who eventually took his head (Matthew 14:1–11). John baptized in the same location from which Elijah ascended to heaven (John 1:28; 2 Kings 2:8–11). Elijah’s name means “My God is Jehovah,” and surely no greater epitaph could have been chosen for him at the end of his life than the name that was given him when he was born.

Elijah demonstrated a strong faith in his God. Although he needed water like everyone else, he prayed for a drought (James 5:16–17) to convince Israel to return to his God. He trusted God to sustain him by the brook (1 Kings 17:1–7) and in the home of the widow (17:8–16). He trusted God to raise the widow’s son from the dead (17:17–23)––an unprecedented marvel. His faith compelled him to obey God’s every command. When God told Elijah to hide himself (17:3), Elijah hid (17:5). When God told him to show himself (18:1), Elijah did (18:2). His every action showed who his God was.

Elijah was jealous for his God. He rebuked powerful and ruthless Ahab (1 Kings 18:17–18). He defied the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19–20). He challenged the people to look at the evidence God would provide (18:21). He renounced false doctrine and showed the power of his God (18:23–38). At the conclusion of this demonstration, the people were convinced that that Elijah’s God was indeed “the God” (v 39).

Like John, we should go forth in the spirit of Elijah. Like Elijah, we must trust God to give us the things needful for this life (Matthew 6:25–33; 2 Peter 1:3). We need to demonstrate the faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6) by rendering obedience to God’s commands. We must call false doctrine by its rightful name: a trouble. We must challenge people to weigh the evidence and reject what is false. We must show them the power of God, and do so with boldness (Ephesians 6:20). Because of Elijah’s preaching, Ahab humbled himself, and God spared him from seeing the evil that came upon his household (1 Kings 21:27–29). Who can tell what effect our teaching might have on the most sinful man!

Elijah left no question about who his God was. When he left this life, he offered to grant his successor whatever he desired, to which Elisha responded, “Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me” (2 Kings 2:9). We need the spirit of Elijah upon us. When this life ends for me, may others be able to say with all confidence, “His God was Jehovah!”

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