Elijah’s story begins in 1 Kings 17:1-6 and demonstrates that the Lord, not Baal, is the provider for his people. Dillard explores this theme in the first scene in 1 Kings 17.

In Chapter 1 the author wants to encourage Christians to read the Old Testament as part of their heritage. To facilitate the reading and understanding of the Elijah and Elisha narratives, he encourage his readers to take note of at least three different historical horizons that intersect in these narratives. The first horizon is the historical background of the incidents. The next horizon is the historical background of the author. A third horizon is later biblical interpretation (e.g., Matthew 11:14.