The Miracles of Elijah and Elisha -- #3 Quiz

Answer: Both Elijah and Elisha

Both Elijah and Elisha parted the water of the Jordan River when they struck it with a cloak. The two partings of the river took place in a short period of time. In other words, it was almost a case of back-to-back instances.

2 Kings 2:8 tells of Elijah parting the Jordan River when he struck it with his cloak. Shortly after this incident, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind as Elisha, his understudy looked on.

Verses 13-15 go on to tell of Elisha taking the same cloak and striking the Jordan River with the water miraculously parting once again.

Going strictly by Scripture, this was the first miracle Elisha performed.

Answer: An army of allies

After Elisha's servant saw a massive Syrian army surrounding them, Elisha prayed his servant's eyes would be opened and he would see things completely differently. 2 Kings 6:16-17 tells of Elisha praying his servant's eyes would be opened so "he may see". Sure enough, the passage tells of Elisha's servant looking a second time in the mountains and seeing an army of angels. Or as Verse 17 states in the NKJV, "and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

No name is given for Elisha's servant. He is simply described as a "young man".

(Rather than stating army surrounding Elisha was Syrian, the NIV uses the designation Arameans from Aram.)

Answer: True

Elijah was miraculously fed on two different occasions, according to Old Testament Scripture.

1 Kings 17:1-7 tells of Elijah going into hiding by the Brook Cherith where ravens fed him daily. For water, he drank from the brook. (Rather than Brook Cherith, the NIV states Elijah went into hiding in the Kerith Ravine.)

Meanwhile, 1 Kings 19:1-8 tells of an angel of the LORD appearing to Elijah and providing him with food. According to the passage, Elijah had fled into the wilderness after Ahab and Jezebel sought to have him killed. After the unnamed angel provided food to Elijah, "he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God."

Answer: The kings of Israel, Judah and Edom

The kings of Israel, Judah and Edom is the correct answer, as per 2 Kings 3:9-20. The passage tells of the kings of Israel, Judah and Edom being united in war against Moab when Jehoshaphat met with Elisha who requested a musician be brought to him.

When the musician was brought and performed for Elisha, the prophet of God told of miraculous things about to happen.

In Verses 16-18, Elisha is quoted as saying: "Thus says the LORD: 'Make this valley full of ditches.' For thus says the LORD: 'You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.'"

That morning, when the grain offering was offered, "suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water." When the Moabites saw the water from a distance, they thought it was blood as the sun shined on it in a certain way. The image of blood gave the Moabites the impression it was an opportune time to attack as they thought the Israelites had basically killed each other.

Scripture goes on to tell of the Israelites scoring a spectacular military victory over the Moabites.

According to Wikipedia, Edom means 'red' and its inhabitants were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob.

Answer: 3.5 years

While exact details are not given in the Old Testament as to the length of the drought that afflicted Israel during the days of Elijah, Luke 4:25 states there was no rain for three years and six months. Details about the length of the drought was given by Jesus in an exchange with people in Nazareth, His hometown.

Old Testament Scripture backs up what Jesus said. 1 Kings 18:1, for example, tells of the word of the LORD coming to Elijah in the third year saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth." While the verse states rain came in the third year, it does not mention the month the drought ended.

1 Kings 17:1 tells of Elijah proclaiming the start of the drought.

Answer: False

False. It was the other way around. Elijah made a miraculous appearance on Mount Transfiguration with Moses and Jesus while Elisha commanded an axe head to float on the Jordan River.

Details about Elijah appearing on Mount Transfiguration can be found in Matthew 17:1-13 while 2 Kings 6:1-7 tells of Elisha commanding an axe head to float on the Jordan River.

According to Scripture, Elijah appeared on Mount Transfiguration with Moses and Jesus while Peter, James and John -- three of the original Twelve Disciples -- looked on.

Just after commanding the axe head to float, Scripture tells of Elisha blinding the Syrian army. (In the NIV, it states the Aramean army.)

Answer: 100

2 Kings 4:42-44 states Elisha fed no less than one hundred men with twenty loaves of barley bread and some newly ripened grain in his knapsack. According to the passage, the men had a full meal and there was food left over.

No details are given about the size of the barley loaves, however, it is believed by many the loaves were quite small. Verse 43 tells of an unnamed servant expressing concern the amount of food was insignificant for such a large number of men.

Answer: Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel was the scene of the miraculous event Elijah is most often associated. 1 Kings 18:20-40 tells of Elijah facing off against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal to see who could successfully call on a higher power to ignite a sacrificial offering on the famed mountain. While the four hundred and fifty prophets called on Baal, Elijah called on God.

The passage tells of the prophets of Baal cutting themselves and dancing in a wild frenzy for hours with no success. And while this was taking place, Elijah was taunting them. In Verse 27, he is quoted as telling the prophets of Baal: "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."

However, when Elijah called upon God, there was an instantaneous response with his sacrificial offering fully ignited.

According to Wikipedia, Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea toward the southeast.

Answer: He gave them their sight back

After blinding the Syrian army and leading them to Samaria, Scripture states Elisha gave them their sight back. According to 2 Kings 6:20-23, the king of Israel wanted to take advantage of the situation and kill the Syrian soldiers. Elisha, however, saw things completely different. The prophet of God ordered
a "great feast" for the soldiers.

Verse 23 states after the feast, the soldiers returned home and "the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the land of Israel."

In the NIV, the soldiers are described as being Aramean rather than Syrian.

Answer: Jezebel

Jezebel, of course, is the correct answer. Elijah may have defeated four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal in a showdown on Mount Carmel and he may have raised a child from the dead, as well as perform numerous other miracles, but Jezebel remained steadfast in her bitter opposition.

Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, king of Israel, and is generally regarded as the most wicked woman in the Bible. She tried unsuccessfully to orchestrate the murder of Elijah, but was responsible for the deaths of a number of other prophets of God.