ELIJAH 1

LESSON 9

By: Bec CDO/Philippines

AIM: To look at the first recorded experiences of Elijah and recognize that God is in control and is working out His purpose in times of disaster and suffering as well as in times of abundance and peace.

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KEY CONCEPT: God hears and answers our prayers.

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READING: 1 Kings 17 (Read later in the lesson as a play)

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REFERENCES: 1 Kings 16:31-33, 1 Kings 18:3,4, Matt 6:31-33, Rev 21:4

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These actions are explicitly mentioned in 1 Kings 16:31-33 as the reasons for Ahab's sin and God's anger.

• Marrying Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians.
• Setting up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal.
• Setting up an Asherah pole.
• Serving Baal and worshipping him.
• Doing more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.

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Narrator: Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab.

Elijah: As the Lord God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.

Narrator: Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah.

The voice of God: Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.

Narrator: So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and drink in the evening, and he drank from the brook. Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him.

The voice of God: Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.

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Narrator: So he went to Zarephath. When he came down to the town gate, a widow was there gathering firewood. He called to her and asked...

Elijah: Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink? And bring me, please, a piece of bread.

Widow: As surely as the Lord your God lives, I don’t have any bread - only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it - and die.

Elijah: Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first, make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then bring something for yourself and your son. God says, “This jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.”

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Narrator: She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour and the jug of oil didn’t run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. Sometime later the son of the widow became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah,

Widow: What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?

Elijah: Give me your son.

Narrator: Elijah took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord.

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Elijah: O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?

Narrator: Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the Lord.

Elijah: O Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him.

Narrator: The Lord heard Elijah’s cry and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said,

Elijah: Look, your son is alive!

Narrator: Then the woman said to Elijah...

Widow: Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.

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Project Goals

“THEREFORE DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW WILL WORRY ABOUT ITSELF. EACH DAY HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE OF IT’S OWN”

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MATTHEW 6:34

MEMORY VERSE

Who was Elijah, and where did he come from?

• Elijah was a prophet of God who came from Tishbe in Gilead.

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Who was king over the northern kingdom of Israel when Elijah was prophesying?

• King Ahab was the ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel during Elijah's time as a prophet.

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Why did this king do more to provoke God to anger than any other of the kings of Israel before him?

• King Ahab provoked God to anger by worshiping Baal, building a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria, and following the evil practices of his wife, Jezebel, who led Israel into idol worship.

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What did Elijah prophesy to King Ahab?

• Elijah prophesied that there would be neither dew nor rain for the next few years except at his word, as a punishment for Ahab’s wickedness.

• Ahab: He was a wicked king who turned away from God and led Israel into idolatry. We can learn that turning away from God and following evil leads to destruction.
• Jezebel: Ahab’s wife, who strongly influenced him to worship Baal. She symbolizes the danger of influencing others toward sin. We can learn about the consequences of leading others astray.
• Elijah: A prophet of God who stood firm in his faith, even when facing opposition. We can learn the importance of trusting God and boldly proclaiming His truth.
• Widow of Zarephath: She showed faith when she obeyed Elijah’s instructions, even when resources were scarce. We learn the value of faith and obedience to God’s word, even in difficult circumstances.

Thank You