King Ahab with the strong influence of Queen Jezebel had led Israel into idolatrous sin. This led to God using the prophet Elijah too bring judgment on Israel in the form of a drought. At the appointed time Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and Asherah to a contest to determine which god was the strongest. Elijah (by the power of THE GOD ALMIGHTY) won the Smack Down at Mt. Carmel leading to the execution of the pagan prophets. When Ahab reported this to Jezebel, she put out an execution order – a hit on Elijah.
Upon hearing of the contract on his life, the great and mighty, bold and outspoken, victorious challenger, Elijah, turned tail and ran. . . .and ran . . . and ran all the way to Beersheba on the southern border of Judah. However, God did not scold him. Instead, He sent an angel to to mister to Elijah – to get him strong enough to make a trip to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai) where Elijah saw firsthand the glory of God and where he worshiped in response.
Our response to the times when life blows up in our faces should be the same as that of Elijah. 1. Retreat. 2. Establish a healthy routine to give us the physical strength to face the issue. 3. Worship personally – just you and God. 4. And God’s never ending question, “What are you doing here?” 5. Get busy doing the next thing on God’s agenda for you.
Whether in times of great victory (Mt. Carmel) or times of great fear (the road to Beersheba) God is with you. Trust Him!
This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, January 4, 2026. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is How Great Is Our God: Passing the Faith Along. You can find print and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/how-great-is-our-god-old-testament-digital-study-guide/. Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .
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