Elijah the Prophet People thought Elijah was a

Elijah the Prophet People thought Elijah was a good man. He was a prophet, which means people believed he listened to God and passed on his special messages to others.

King Ahab was married to Queen Jezebel. They were not good rulers. King Ahab did not look after his people and he did not love God. Ahab, Jezebel and their people worshipped a stone statue, which they called Baal.

Elijah’s Message Elijah had a message from God for King Ahab so he went to see him. “You must love God, ” he said. “If you do not, there will be no rain and your people will go hungry. ”

Drought King Ahab did not listen to Elijah. He carried on worshipping Baal and thinking of no one but himself. The rain stopped. There was no rain for weeks and people began to get worried.

An Angry King People went to see King Ahab. “You must help us, ” they said. “We are hungry and thirsty. If it doesn't rain soon, we will die. ” King Ahab was furious. “Send for Elijah at once!” he demanded. “This is his fault. ”

God’s Message When Elijah saw King Ahab, he had another message for him. “I will prove that your God is not a real God, ” said Elijah. He spoke to the crowd that had gathered. “You cannot have two Gods. We must prove which is real. Build two fires: one for Baal and one for God. ”

Proof Two fires were built. Both were piles of stones with wood and meat on top. “The real God is the one who can light the fire and cook the meat, ” declared Elijah. Baal’s people asked Baal to light the fire. Nothing happened. They danced and shouted but still, nothing happened.

Fire “My turn now, ” said Elijah. He poured water on top of his pile of wood. “That will never light now, ” the people said. Elijah began to talk to God. He didn’t shout or dance or sing. He just talked. Just then, the fire began to burn. It burned well and cooked the meat. The people were amazed. “This is the real God!” they cried.

Rain Just then, the rain began to pour. The drought was over at last. Everyone realised that Elijah had been right all along.