Elijah

Elijah is one of the most important and dramatic figures in the Bible. He appears suddenly in the First Book of Kings, during the reign of King Ahab of Israel, around the ninth century BCE. This period was marked by political instability and widespread idolatry in the northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab, influenced by his wife Jezebel, promoted the worship of Baal, a Canaanite storm and fertility god, leading the people away from the covenant they had with the Lord. Elijah, whose name means “My God is the Lord,” was chosen by God to confront this apostasy and call the nation back to faithfulness.