Sounds pretty interesting to me. I've never really studied out this topic but it looks like I'm about to. To me I always thought the spirit of God Came upon someone in the old Testament when God was going to use them to accomplish his will here on earth whatever that might be at the particular time.
Then there's Luke 4:18 When Jesus stood up in the synagogue and announced the beginning of His ministry.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Which we know is a quote from Isaiah 61
I know Mormons are real big on the spirit of Elijah.
At any rate as I begin my study that you led me to which I thank you for I found this.
Why You Should Care about 1 Kings
When we place too much faith in national leadership, problems emerge. God may send his prophets to critique us, but will we listen?
Prophets always have a place among God’s people, but the fact that Elijah has to play the role of both prophet and keeper of the religion shows just how many problems there are among God’s people. Elijah has to step in to act like a priest because the priests have failed.
Fact. In 1–2 Kings, we see the very power of Yahweh show up through the work of Elijah. In this regard, Elijah will become a symbol of Yahweh’s presence among his people for years to come—the spirit of Elijah, meaning the power of God dwelling among his people in the same way it dwelt with Elijah. The idea of living in the spirit of Elijah shows up again in the New Testament, with John the Baptist (John 1:19–34; compare Zech 13:1 and Matt 17:9–13).
Prior to Elijah’s time, priests—such as Aaron, Eli, or Ahimelech—played a prominent role among God’s people, but in the narratives of 1–2 Kings, they play only a minor role. When considering worship practices, 1–2 Kings’ direct expression about religious apostasy is telling and the fading of priests to the background of the narrative drives this point home (e.g., the minor roles of Abiathar and Zadok, 1 Kgs 1–2; compare Uriah in 2 Kgs 16:10–16, Hilkiah in 2 Kgs 22–23, and Seraiah and Zephaniah in 2 Kgs 25:18).
John D. Barry et al., eds., DIY Bible Study
