Heroes of Israel / Text of the Hero Stories with Notes and Questions for Young Students

So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.

And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and they two made a league together.

B. THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

And it came to pass in the fourth year of Solomon's reign, in the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord. And the house was sixty cubits in length, twenty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height. And the house was built of stone made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.

And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: and he covered the floor of the house with boards of fir.

And he built an oracle, even the most holy place, in the midst of the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he drew chains of gold across before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold. Also the whole altar that belonged to the oracle he overlaid with gold.

And in the eleventh year, in the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

C. THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the children of Israel, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house.

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; and he said, "O Lord, the God of Israel, who keepest covenant and lovingkindness with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! Yet hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest, forgive."

D. THE BENEDICTION

And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, "Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers."

And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.

§80. The Greatness of Solomon (I Kings 10:1-10, 13, 23-25)

A. THE VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.

And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not.

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, "It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore he made thee king, to do justice and righteousness."

And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

B. HIS WEALTH AND WISDOM

So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, and armor and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

290. We are to study the story of the man whom the Hebrews loved to think of as one of their heroes, because of his great wisdom and wealth. He was the most splendid of all their kings. To be sure he laid very heavy taxes upon the people to raise money for his magnificence, but the later ages forgot all that in admiration of his glory.

291 (§78). When David died he left a throne to his son that was secure from all enemies. The young king had a great opportunity to be a noble ruler. Read carefully the story of the young man's dream. What offer did God make to him in the dream? In what spirit did Solomon reply? When he says he is a little child he means that he is young and inexperienced. Remember that one of the important duties of an eastern king was to hear cases, as a kind of chief justice. What quality did Solomon ask for? Why was the Lord pleased? What did he give Solomon?

292 (§78). It is often true that the young man who desires above all things to fit himself to do his duty, without thinking of honor or wealth, actually obtains those also. Washington never sought greatness, but what do we think of him? Tennyson wrote of the great Duke of Wellington,

Learn these lines.

293 (§79A). One of David's great hopes was that he could build a noble house of worship. He had been unable to do so, partly because of his many wars. Solomon therefore decided to carry out his father's plan. But the Hebrews were not skilful as artists or mechanics. They were at that time mostly farmers and shepherds. Solomon therefore decided to secure the help of the people of Phoenicia, called the Sidonians, who lived on his northwest border. Locate the country. What are its two chief cities? Who was the king who sent to congratulate Solomon on his succession to the throne?

294 (§79A). Read carefully Solomon's message to Hiram. What proof does he give that he is able to build the temple? What trees does he ask for? These were the noble trees that grew in the mountains of Lebanon. Locate this region to the north of Israel. What reason does Solomon give why the Sidonians (that is, the people of Sidon) should cut the trees?

295 (§79A). Read Hiram's reply. Notice the plan of getting the timber to Jerusalem. The lumbermen from Tyre and Sidon would cut it in the mountains. It would be hauled by the nearest route to the sea. Note on the map where that would be. Then how was it to be taken by sea to the port nearest to Jerusalem? This port was probably Joppa. Locate it. What then was to be done with it before it was hauled up the steep roads to Jerusalem? It was a hard job in those days when they had no railways. How different from the way our lumber trains carry the great timbers! What was Solomon to give Hiram in exchange? This is a very old story of trade between nations.

296 (§79B). When did Solomon begin to build? The building itself was not very large. A cubit is rather less than two feet, so the structure was about 100 feet long, 35 feet wide, and 50 feet high. Do you know any building about that size? Inside, one-third of the space was partitioned off for the ark. How was this room ornamented? How long did it take to finish the work?

297 (§79C). What solemn procession was held? How was the glory of the Lord shown? Read carefully the prayer of Solomon and see that it is reverent and trustful. What is his great hope that God will do for the people when they pray? We are quite sure that God will do that. Read I John 1:9.

298 (§79D). Who pronounced the benediction upon the people? What does he feel that God has done for them? What does he hope that God will do for them?

299 (§80A). This is one of the stories showing the fame of Solomon. Sheba was in Arabia. Note how much information the story gives us of the products of those times. Tell the story of the visit.

300 (§80B). What does the story tell us finally of Solomon's wealth and wisdom?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Recall the lines about the Duke of Wellington and write them in your notebook. Find out if there is any man in your own state of whom that would be true. Find someone in politics or business or in one of the professions who has been more anxious to do his duty than for anything else and to whom reward has come. Write an account of it.

TWO PROPHETS

THE STORY

§81. Elijah and the Drought (I Kings 16:30-17:24)

A. THE STARTLING PROPHECY

Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab did yet more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."

B. ELIJAH AT THE BROOK

And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, "Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there."

So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

C. THE WIDOW'S CAKE

And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee."

So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow woman was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, "Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."

And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, "Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand."

And she said, "As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

And Elijah said unto her, "Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.'"

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

D. THE WIDOW'S SON

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, "O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my sin to my remembrance, and to slay my son!"

And he said unto her, "Give me thy son."

And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord, and said. "O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?" And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, "O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again."

And the Lord hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, "See, thy son liveth."

And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth."

§82. Elijah's Victory (I Kings 18:1-46)

A. THE SEARCH FOR PASTURAGE

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth." And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab.

And the famine was sore in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly: for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, "Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts."

So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

B. ELIJAH'S CHALLENGE TO THE KING

And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is it thou, my lord Elijah?"

And he answered him, "It is I: go, tell thy lord, 'Behold, Elijah is here.'"

THE STORY

§83. Elijah's Discouragement (I Kings 19:1-21)

A. THE BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time."

And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers."

And he lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him, "Arise and eat."

And he looked, and, behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a bottle of water. And he did eat and drink, and laid himself down again.

And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee."

And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

B. ELIJAH COMFORTED AND INSTRUCTED

And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, "What does thou here, Elijah?"

And he said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord."

And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, "What doest thou here, Elijah?"

And he said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

And the Lord said unto him, "Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: and Jehu shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet will I leave me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him."

C. THE CALL OF ELISHA

So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed over unto him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee."

And he said unto him, "Go back again; for what have I done to thee?"

And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

§84. Elijah and the Tyrant (I Kings 21:1-24)

A. AHAB COVETS NABOTH'S VINEYARD

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, "Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money."

And Naboth said to Ahab, "The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee."

And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, "I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers." And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, "Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?"

And he said unto her, "Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, 'Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it': and he answered, 'I will not give thee my vineyard.'"

And Jezebel his wife said unto him, "Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

B. JEZEBEL'S PLOT

So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in the city, and that dwelt with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: and set two wicked men before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, 'Thou didst curse God and the king.' And then carry him out, and stone him, that he die."

And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And the two wicked men came in and sat before him: and the men bare witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth did curse God and the king." Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth is stoned, and is dead."

And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that she said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead."

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that he rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

C. ELIJAH'S STARTLING SENTENCE

And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?' and thou shalt speak unto him, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.'"

And Ahab said to Elijah, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?"

And he answered, "I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away, and will cut off from Ahab every man child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and hast made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel.' Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat."

§85. The Old Prophet and the New Prophet (II Kings 2:1-15)

A. THE FAREWELL OF THE OLD PROPHET

And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, "Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me as far as Beth-el."

And Elisha said, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."

So they went down to Beth-el. And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day?"

And he said, "Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace."

And Elijah said unto him, "Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho."

And he said, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."

So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said unto him, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day?"

And he answered, "Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace."

And Elijah said unto him, "Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan."

And he said, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."

And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken from thee."

And Elisha said, "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me."

And he said, "Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so."

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof!"

B. THE NEW PROPHET

And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" and when he also had smitten the waters, they were divided hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

And when the sons of the prophets which were at Jericho over against him saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

313. How did the great day close after Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal? How do you think Ahab felt about it? Elijah probably hoped to see a complete return of the people to the Lord and he expected the wicked queen Jezebel to be prevented from interfering with the prophets of the Lord.

314 (§83A). What did Ahab do when he returned home? What did Jezebel decide? Was she willing to give up her power? Elijah saw that nothing had been gained, for the wicked queen was still in control. Where did he go? Follow his journey on the map. Mention all the circumstances that would make Elijah tired out. His discouragement was largely due to his exhaustion from hunger and travel. What kind thing did the Lord do for the tired prophet?

315 (§83B). Where did Elijah go? Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai. Do you remember what great hero led the people to Sinai? (§40A.) Elijah wanted to go back to the mountain where his people had heard of the Lord. Tell the story of what happened at the cave. The Lord would show Elijah that the people could not be saved by great contests, but by gentle means. He also told him that it would take time to get rid of the idolatry. He told him three important persons would all have a part in the work, even after he was dead: who were these?

316 (§83B). Elijah was mistaken in thinking that he was the only faithful man left. How many were there? There are often more good people than we think.

317 (§83C). Tell the story of the call of Elisha.

318 (§84A). Locate Jezreel on the map. We found it before, near Mt. Carmel. King Ahab had a fine palace there, though his capital was in Samaria. But the king needed some more land to make a garden. How did he try to get it? Why would not the man sell it? We must remember that in those times a farm would sometimes remain in one family for centuries. How did Ahab behave? What did Jezebel say that she would do?

319 (§84B). A king of Israel could not do as he pleased. He was bound to respect the rights of his people. Jezebel therefore thought out a plan to have Naboth killed. What was the plan and how did it work?

320 (§84B). When Jezebel heard of the success of her plot she told the king. What did he do? What ought he to have done?

321 (§84C). The king and queen had forgotten all about Elijah. How did he suddenly appear? Imagine how frightened the king must have been when he saw the stern prophet coming to meet him in the garden. So conscience suddenly speaks when we have forgotten it. What did Elijah say?

322 (§84C). We have seen Elijah the champion of pure religion, now we see him the champion of justice. There was no one else who dare speak against the king's tyranny. Do you think he was brave? Why did not Ahab kill him?

323 (§85A). Tell the story of the last journey of Elijah and Elisha. Follow the journey on the map. Imagine the fearful mountain storm on the east of Jordan in the midst of which Elijah was carried away. Is it not a grand story of the end of such a stormy life?

324 (§85B). How did the new prophet begin his work?