Often
the kings of Israel forgot God and his
Covenant. But God kept the Covenant. He sent the kings and the people men who
spoke in his name – the prophets.
King
Ahab was one of those who worshipped the god Baal. Elijah was a prophet of
God. He went to King Ahab and said: I serve the God of Israel. He is the
mighty God. You will see his might, and the whole land along with you, for
from today no more dew will fall from the heavens, and no rain either. The
drought will last as long as I command it to.
Elijah
feared the anger of the king. He fled across the border to Phoenicia. There he lived in the
house of a poor woman. She was a widow and had an only son. Her son fell ill
and died. Then the woman complained to Elijah: You are a man of God. You live
in my house. So God looks at me. He sees my sins and punishes me. Elijah
lifted up the dead child and laid him on his own bed. Then he bent over the
young boy and prayed: Lord, my God, give this child back his life. God heard
the prayer of his prophet. The child came back to life. Elijah took the boy
by the hand and brought him to his mother.