Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.2 Elijah Raises the … › wzukusers › user-13450458...Without...

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OT12.2 Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son ©Beverly Wilson 2019

Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.2 Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1-24

Lesson Goal: Elijah was the first and most famous of Israel’s prophets. In this lesson we will learn how God performed a great miracle through Elijah the prophet. He raised a widow's son from the dead because she believed in Him. God can do anything even bring people back to life.

Introduction: This lesson is found in the book of 1 Kings. This book tells the history of the kings of Israel and Judah. It is in the second group of Old Testament books called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther

Attention Getter: “Missing”

I thought we might play a game of checkers. Do you know how to play checkers? Good! .....Oh, my! I brought the checkerboard, but I forgot the checkers. Well, I guess we can't play checkers. I know we can play soccer! Do you have a soccer ball? I don't either so I guess we will have to wait to do that! How about a video game? Do you like to play "video games?" But wait, I didn't bring a Nintendo or an x-box or an I Pad. So I guess we won't be playing that!

We couldn’t do any of the things I wanted to because in every case, something was missing. That’s exactly how it is with us. Without faith in God, we cannot please Him. But with faith, we can show our love to Him. In this lesson we will learn how God performed a great miracle through Elijah the prophet. He raised a widow's son from the dead because she believed in Him. God can do anything even bring people back to life.

Opening Prayer: "Father, thank You that You have died on the cross to pay for the penalty of my sin. Help me to have faith in You. I believe that you are the Son of God and I ask you to come into my heart and save me. I love you and will serve you all my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/hV2NBS7lH8c After King Solomon there were many kings that ruled over Israel. King Ahab was a very wicked king who did not honor or obey God. Of all the kings of Israel, he was the worst. He did more to anger God than any of the other kings before him. He married a foreign princess named Jezebel and she got Ahab to build temples for the worship of her false god, Baal.

Thousands of people in Israel began to worship this idol. Jezebel got Ahab to worship Baal too. She wanted to get rid of the worship of Israel’s God so she decided put to death all the prophets of God she could lay her hands on. Now the prophets of Baal were leading the worship and taking over the land of Israel.

Because King Ahab was leading the people away from worshiping God, God called Elijah to be a prophet, a messenger, to warn King Ahab and try to save the people of Israel. God did not want his people worshipping idols! Elijah was so concerned for the people of Israel that he warned everyone to turn away from Baal worship and obey God. The Lord then told Elijah to deliver a message to King Ahab.

https://youtu.be/hV2NBS7lH8c

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Elijah boldly went to the palace where King Ahab was sitting. He said, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be any rain for many years, except at my word.” King Ahab was shocked. He worshiped Baal and he believed Baal was the god who brought the rains that were so important to the people for raising crops. He just laughed at Elijah.

As the days and weeks went by, however, the laughter stopped. For three weeks, there was no rain, and then for a month, and then for three months, four months, six months, a year—the hot sun beat down upon the parched land, and not a drop of rain fell in Israel. No grain or food could grow in the fields. Many people died from hunger and the famine. God was punishing Israel for sinning against him by worshipping the false god Baal.

Many people were angry at Elijah and wanted to kill him for bringing about this terrible famine. Ahab and Jezebel had sent their soldiers out to find Elijah and kill him. But Elijah had faith in God that He would take care of him in this time of drought.

So God told Elijah to hide by the brook called Cherith. It was a lonely place but Elijah knew that God was with him. Out in the wilderness God provided for Elijah in a miraculous way. Elijah drank water from the brook and every morning and evening the ravens flew down and came carrying bread and meat in their beaks. Imagine that! The ravens brought Elijah food!

The famine went on for two years! Every morning and every evening without fail, God sent ravens to Elijah with bread and meat. How did the ravens know to bring the food to Elijah? Why, the God who created them told them to do it!

One day Elijah noticed that the brook was not as wide as it had been. Each day from then on, the water of the brook grew less and less. At last the brook dried up completely. There was no more water to drink. Now what was Elijah to do?

Then the Lord told him to go to a place called Zarephath in Sidon where a widow lady would provide for him. A widow is a woman whose husband has died and she is now a single mother. Widows were usually very poor, because they had no husband to support them. How could a poor widow feed him in this terrible time of famine? Besides that this widow lived in Sidon which was the hometown of Queen Jezebel where her father was the king. But Elijah knew better than to question God so he obeyed by going to the town.

When Elijah came near to the city, he found a widow woman gathering sticks by the gate. Elijah asked her for a drink of water. She gave it to him. Then he asked for some bread. This woman must have thought Elijah was crazy. Didn’t he know there was a drought going on? Then she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar. See, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son that we may eat it and die.

Then Elijah said to her, “Do not worry; go and make me a small piece of bread from it first and then bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. God has told me that the bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’”

It might sound selfish for Elijah to ask the woman for food and water in a time of drought but he knew that if she was willing to give the bread to him first, God would bless her in many other ways. This was a test of faith for this woman.

The woman obeyed the Lord and He did provide! God’s provision of flour and oil never failed during the whole drought. The famine lasted for three years and every day God miraculously put oil in the jar and flour in the bin! What an amazing miracle!

The widow woman of Zarephath must have been very happy that Elijah had come to her home. Not only did she have enough food for herself and her son, but she also learned about the one true God. God cared for Elijah too and protected him from King Ahab. God had promised to provide what Elijah needed, and God always keeps His promise!

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One day, the widow's son became very sick. The poor woman was frantic. She had lost her husband, and now would she lose her son, too? He was all she had! She watched in horror as her son gasped for breath and then died.

The widow ran to tell Elijah! In her sorrow, she cried out to Elijah: "You have only come to this place to remind me of my sin and to put my son to death!" The widow realized that she had done things that were wrong and she thought God was punishing her.

Elijah said to the woman, "Give me thy son." It must have been difficult for her to let loose of the dead body of her only son and give him to God's servant, but she obeyed. Elijah gently took the dead boy from his mother's arms and carried him to his upstairs room. Then he laid the body on his own bed and began to pray.

"Lord," Elijah cried, "disaster has come on this woman who has been providing for me. You have allowed her son to die!" Elijah stretched himself on the child's body and prayed earnestly, "0 Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this child's life return to him." Elijah rose and looked at the boy, but the child lay still and cold.

He stretched himself over the child again, and again Elijah prayed, but nothing happened. Then the third time, Elijah stretched himself over the boy and prayed, "0 Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this child's soul come into him again." Elijah rose up and watched as the boy opened his eyes, blinked a little, and then sat up in bed, as alive and well as if nothing had happened!

When Elijah brought the boy down to the widow woman, he said, "See, your son is alive." How happy the mother was! The woman took her son in her arms and said to the prophet, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that God's word is true." In other words, the widow woman believed with all her heart in Elijah's God. That was an even greater thing than her son's being raised from the dead.

When God sent Elijah to Zarephath, He was not only planning to provide for the prophet through the widow woman, but He was also planning to save the widow woman through Elijah's teaching! Now the widow had faith in the one true God! She believed and trusted in Him!

If you know God and obey Him, then you, too, like Elijah, can experience God's guidance, provision, pro-tection, and strength all through your life. Do you know God personally, or do you only know about Him?

If you understand that you have sinned and believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins, you can open your heart to God right now.

Jesus stands at the door of your heart, waiting to enter. Ask Him to come into your heart and He will give you the gift of eternal life in heaven.

Let's pray "Father, thank You that You have died on the cross to pay for the penalty of my sin. Help me to have faith in You. I believe that you are the Son of God and I ask you to come into my heart and save me. I love you and will serve you all my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Remember have faith in God!

Review Questions/ Game: “Pick a Brick” Preparation: You will need a giant Jenga game for each group of 3-4 students. Label each brick in the Jenga game with a different number: 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100. Procedure: Divide class into smaller groups of 3-4 children each. Give a set of Jenga blocks to each group. Play a game of Jenga where players pick a brick without the tower collapsing. Ask the children a review question from the list below before they can pick a brick. When the players have collected their brick you can count up the points to find out the winner. (You can also just play a game of Jenga for fun!) Jenga Rules: 1) taking one block on a turn from any level of the tower (except the one below an incomplete top level), and. 2) placing it on the topmost level in order

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to complete it. The game ends when the tower falls -- completely or if any block falls from the tower (other than the block a player moves on a turn).

1. Who was the evil king of the northern kingdom and what sin did he commit? (King Ahab of Israel committed the sin of worshipping false gods and marrying the evil Jezebel from the Phoenician city of Tyre. He built a temple to worship Baal and even killed the true prophets of God and replaced them with prophets of Baal in the place of worship.)

2. Who was Elijah? (Elijah was one of God’s prophets from Tishbe in Gilead. A prophet is a messenger from God who is sent to preach God’s Word to save the people from their sins. Elijah warned the people to turn away from Baal worship and obey God.)

3. What message did God send Elijah to tell King Ahab? (“As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be any dew or rain in the next few years, except at my word.”)

4. Where did God tell Elijah to hide during the famine? (God had a hiding place for Elijah in a ravine that had a small brook known as Kerith. It was a lonely place out in the wilderness.)

5. How did God provide food for Elijah in this wilderness valley? (God provided for Elijah in a miraculous way. Elijah drank water from the brook and every morning and evening the ravens flew down and brought bread and meat in their beaks.)

6. When the brook Kerith dried up, where did God tell Elijah to go? (God said, “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.”)

7. Why was going to the country of Phoenicia so amazing? (This was amazing because Phoenicia was a foreign country that did not worship God. It was also the home country of the wicked Queen Jezebel!)

8. Where did Elijah first meet the widow of Zarephath? (He saw her gathering sticks at the city gate as he entered.)

9. What did Elijah first ask the widow? (He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me some water in a jar to drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And please bring me a piece of bread.”)

10. What did the woman say to Elijah in response? (“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread. I only have a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a last meal for myself and my son that we may eat it and die.”)

11. Why did Elijah ask her to give him bread first before feeding herself and her son? (Elijah knew that if she was willing to give the bread to him first, God would bless her in many other ways. This was a test of faith for this woman.)

12. How did God provide for Elijah and the woman and her son? (God says, “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land again.” And it happened just as God said it would.)

13. What happened to the widow’s son? (The widow's son became very sick and died.) 14. Why did the widow woman blame Elijah for her son’s death? (The widow realized that she had

done things that were wrong and she thought God was punishing her.) 15. What did Elijah do when the widow woman told him her son had died? (Elijah carried the son

upstairs to his room and began to pray to God that He would raise the son back to life.) 16. How many times did Elijah lean over and earnestly pray for the boy? (Elijah leaned over on the

boy three times. Elijah was praying with great desire and earnest!) 17. What did Elijah say in his prayer to God? (,"Lord," Elijah cried, "disaster has come on this woman

who has been providing for me. You have allowed her son to die! 0 Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this child's soul come into him again."

18. After Elijah prayed, what happened to the boy? (The boy opened his eyes, blinked a little, and

then sat up in bed, as alive and well as if nothing had happened!) 19. What did the widow woman say when she saw that her son was alive? What did these words

mean for her? (She said, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that God's word is true." In other words, the widow woman believed with all her heart in Elijah's God.)

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20. What lesson can we learn from this story? (If we know God and obey Him, then we, too, can experience God's guidance, provision, protection, and strength all through our lives. We can receive the gift of salvation by believing and trusting in Jesus as our Savior.)

21. What is the memory verse? (Our memory verse is Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.”)

Memory Verse Activity: “Faith Rock”

Our memory verse is Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read it together several times.

Say: “This verse says that God has all power, all wisdom, and He loves you! He wants us to trust him and have faith in Him. Jesus is our Rock of Salvation and if we believe and trust in Him He will give us eternal Life. We are going to make a reminder of our memory verse today and then use it to tell others about Christ.” Preparation: You will need a large, smooth rock and a brightly colored marker for each child. Procedure: Have each child write the memory verse on the rock or the word “Faith.” (Adult helpers assist as needed.) If there is room, encourage the children to decorate their rocks. The children can take their rocks home and show them to their family. Later they may want to give them to someone for a gift. Tell them to tell that person the memory verse (Hebrews 11:6) as the rock is given away. Also, say that this gift is to remind the one receiving it to trust in the Rock (Jesus).

Group Learning Activity: “Trust Walk” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: No materials are needed. Procedure: Lead the children on a walk around the classroom or outside. Along the way ask the children to do various things like sit on chairs, lean against the wall, and stand in the grass. When they are doing the action, ask them questions like: “Do you trust the chair to hold you up?” or “Do you trust the ground not to open beneath you?” Many different simple actions are possible, like standing on one foot or looking at the sky and asking them if they trust the colors they see—use your imagination. When finished return to class for a discussion. Say: “What are some things we can trust God for in our lives every day? What are some things that He does for us that we might not always recognize? (Talk about the air we breathe, gravity of the earth, the shining sun to give us warmth.) God loves all of us so He provides all these things for us even when we don’t ask for them.” Say: “Just like Elijah did, we can trust that God will listen to our prayers and answer them in His time. God wants to help us get through the difficult times in our lives. He looks out for us and makes a plan for our lives that is better than anything we can imagine. Just as Elijah trusted in God to bring the widow’s son back to life, we too can trust in Him to do great miracles if it is according to His will and is we ask earnestly through prayer.”

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Group Learning Activity: “Pleasing God” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a Bible and a large area for students to gather. You will need a copy of the “Acts of Kindness” coupon sheet for each child. Say: “People pay special tribute to other gods in different ways around the world. People in other parts of the world pray, give offerings, light incense or candles and pray or wish for eternal life, a happy family, good fortune, good health, and other desirable things. In Thailand, people buy a piece of gold paper to put on their idol, covering the entire idol with gold. They believe this pleases the gods. In India, people throw coins to the idol by the highway so their journey will be safe. All these ways of worship are false because the god they are worshipping has no power to change things. “In many countries, people worship their dead ancestors. On a certain day each year, they bring that person’s favorite food to the cemetery and burn a paper model of a house, believing this pleases the dead. Vietnamese families, for instance, create shrines in their homes in honor of deceased loved ones, offering food and flowers each year at that time. Japanese Buddhists clean their homes and prepare special foods. Cemeteries and streets are ablaze with the light from lanterns and bonfires, which are meant to show the spirits the way. In Mexico the dead are honored with a festive holiday. Families take picnics to the cemeteries where their relatives are buried. Funerals in Ghana are also happy occasions. It is believed that the dead look after the living, which is cause for rejoicing.” Worshipping our dead loved ones does not have any power to change the things in our life. How is our God different from these gods? (We don’t have to perform rituals or give Him something to make Him like or love us. We don’t worry that bad things are caused by angry gods.) Do we have to earn the favor of our God? (No) The things God gives us are His free gifts to us. God is all powerful and controls all the details of life. He loves us and gives us what is best. Christianity is the only religion in the world that doesn’t require people to earn their salvation or to earn favor with the gods. Read aloud 1 Peter 1:8, 9. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.’ This verse tells us that we worship God who even though we cannot see Him, He is giving us the greatest gift ever—eternal life. Our worship is one of faith and love. Even though bad things may happen, I know that God loves me. Procedure: Form two groups. Have one group call out bad things that may happen, such as: “I fell down and cut my leg.” The other group calls out something positive, such as: “Someone cleaned the cut and took care of it.” Change groups every fourth thing so that each group calls out both bad and good things that happen to children. Say: “Does God want bad things to happen to us? (No) God said that no rain would fall. Why did the rain stop? (King Ahab and the people were worshipping idols.) Bad things happen because sin is in the world. God doesn’t want anything bad to happen, but even when it does, He still loves and cares for us.” Pass out the “Acts of Kindness” sheet one to each child. Say: “God shows his love for others through us. Here are some suggestions for offering a kind deed to someone who may be having a bad day or having a serious personal problem. What are some ideas for personal services that you could do for others? (Read through the suggestions. Allow response time for students to discuss how they could show God’s love.) Think of someone that you could give an act of kindness.”

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Lead students in prayer that God will help them to show someone that God loves them because even though bad things may happen, we know that God loves us.

Group Learning Activity: “Fill the Flour Bin!” Relay (Grades 2-5) Purpose: To help students understand that the Lord miraculously filled the flour bin everyday so Elijah and the widow woman and her son could eat. Say: “In this lesson we learned the Lord miraculously provided flour and oil for the widow woman so she could bake bread for Elijah, her son, and herself. God is our provider. He meets our needs. The greatest need we have is salvation. We can trust Him as our Savior. We are going to play a game that will help us remember how God provided for Elijah, the widow and her son. We are going to see how fast we can fill a jar with flour.” Preparation: You will need two bowls, two small spoons, two small jars that are the same size, and flour. Procedure: Split your class into two equal teams. Set up a table for each team. On each table, set up a bowl filled with enough flour to fill one of the jars. Place one jar and one spoon on each table. Have the two teams line up behind each table. Make a starting line with masking tape. Set the spoon next to the bowl. When you say “go,” the first child in line will go to the table, get the spoon, and take one spoonful of flour and place it in the jar. Then they will set down the spoon and return to the line tagging the next child to proceed to do the same. The next child may not go until their hand is tagged. This will continue until one team has their jar completely filled (teacher will be the judge of “completely filled”). You may want to declare a winner and award small prizes.

Group Learning Activity: “Carry the Widow’s Son” Relay (Grades 2-5) Purpose: To help students understand that the Lord used Elijah to miraculously bring the widow’s son back to life. Say: “In this lesson we learned the Lord miraculously used Elijah to bring the widow’s son back to life. We are going to play a game that will remind us of God’s power to work in our lives.” Preparation: You will need objects to set up an obstacle course in your room or outside. You will also need a beach towel and a baby doll. Procedure: Divide the children into teams of four. One team will run the obstacle course at a time. Give the first team a beach towel and a baby doll. The baby doll will be the widow’s son. The four children will work together to carry the widow’s son though the obstacle course by each holding a corner of the towel. Since the widow’s son is ill, the children must carry the baby doll through the obstacle course back to the starting line. Then pass the baby and towel to another team and so on until everyone has had a turn. Time each group and the group with the fastest time wins. Say: “In this lesson we say that Elijah carried the Widow’s son upstairs and then prayed to God for Him to bring the boy back to life. When the widow saw that her son was alive and she confessed that Elijah must really be God’s prophet since her son has been healed. The woman was very surprised to see that her son was alive again, but Elijah was not. Elijah knew what God was capable of. We need to know too that God uses ordinary people like me and you to make wonderful things happen. Elijah was a great man of God but he didn’t have any power on his own. God used Elijah and specifically his prayer to bring the widow’s son back to life and show the widow what God can do. If you are willing to trust God, he will use you to do wonderful things too!”

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Group Learning Activity: Scripture: “ABC’s of Salvation” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a Bible. Optional: Print color sheet of ABC’s of Salvation. Procedure: Distribute Bibles to every student. Have students locate and read aloud the scriptures associated with the ABC’s of salvation. Say: "Today we are going to study the scriptures to find out more about the ABC’s of salvation. These are the scripture references that are good to keep in mind when sharing Jesus with someone.” Admit: “Confess to God that you are a sinner. Repent or turn away from your sin.”

Romans 3:23 “ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus

our Lord.”

1 John 1:9 “f we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”

Believe: “Trust that Jesus is God’s Son and that God sent Jesus to save people from their sins.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Confess or Commit: “Give your life to Jesus and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior.”

Romans 10: 9, 10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Romans 10:13 “for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

Have students record the ABC’s of salvation in their spiritual journals or use ABC color sheet as a review of points.

Group Learning Activity: “Spell the Historical Books of the Old Testament” Preparation: You will need Bibles and at least two sets of wooden letters from a game of Scrabble. Scrabble tiles may be ordered online or obtained from art and craft stores. You may also choose to use poster size letters printed in two sets. Have students open Bibles to the Table of Contents page. Say: “Find the name of the book our lesson was from today. (This lesson is found in the book of 1 Kings.) What section of books is 1 Kings in? (It is in the second group of Old Testament books called the

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historical books. This book tells the history of the kings of Israel and Judah). What are the names of the other books of History? (These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther.) Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Even though many of the people forgot God and His Laws during the time when the events in the books of History took place, God still took care of them. Who was the one person from our lesson who remembered God’s laws and whom God helped with His great power? (Elijah) Procedure: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a set of scrabble letter tiles to be divided as evenly as possible among team members. The teacher or leader calls out “I Kings.” Students on each team holding the appropriate letters line up in order so that they spell the book name correctly. Students may use the blank cards or letter tiles for duplicate letters and refer to the Bible contents page to check spelling. When team members think they have the letters in the correct order they call out the name of the book they have spelled. The other team must freeze in position. If the book is spelled correctly the team gets one point. If the book is not spelled correctly the other team unfreezes and continues lining up in order to spell the book name. Repeat with the other books of History as time allows. At the end of the playing time, the team with the most points wins.

Craft Learning Activity: “Homemade Play Dough” Preparation: You will need 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, a couple of bowls and small zip lock bags. You can adjust this recipe up or down based on how many children you think you might have. Say: “Not only is flour and oil good for food, but can also be made into something fun to play with. We are going to make some homemade play dough.” Procedure: Mix all of the ingredients together. Add the water and the cooking oil. Next, knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. The kneading will make the dough smooth and shiny. Flour your hand to prevent the dough from sticking. As an option you can bring food coloring to make the dough a certain color. Give a little bit of dough to each child with a small zip lock bag to take home. Say: “When you play with your play dough, remember how God provides for you just like He provided for the widow and her son.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Get Well” Cards (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a sheet of 81/2” X 11” paper for each child, crayons, markers, stickers, or other decorations. Each child will need a supply of band aids and wiggly eyes. Say: “In this lesson the widow’s son got sick and died. God used Elijah to miraculously bring the boy back to life. When was a time that you were sick and Jesus helped you recover?” (Tell about a time that you as the teacher have been helped by Jesus He might have helped you by getting special medicine from the doctor, being able to get more rest, drinking lots of water, etc.) Ask the children to share similar experiences. Allow several children to tell about their illnesses and about getting well. Say: “How does it feel when you are sick? Who takes care of you? Being sick isn’t fun and it’s wonderful when our parents take care of us. Someone else is taking care

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of us, too. Who do you think it is? We can trust Jesus to hear our prayer when we ask Him for help. We need to help others when they are sick. We are going to make get well cards to send to people in our church or class that are sick.” Procedure: Distribute to each child a sheet of 81/2” X 11” paper. Ask the children to fold the paper into fourths to form a greeting card. Have children tape the band aids to the card to be like people. Glue wiggly eyes to the band aids for the face. Draw the happy face on the band aid. Write “Get Well Soon!” or “We Miss You” on the card. Suggest that the students draw flowers, balloons, hearts, rainbows, bears or butterflies on their cards to encourage others, if desired. Say: “How would you feel if someone made a card and sent it to you while you were sick? How do you think the person we are sending these cards to will feel about getting them? Do you think they will know that we care about them? Will they know that God is watching over them? Does God answer the prayers of sick people?

Life Application Challenge: “What Can You Do” Say: “In this lesson we learned that God used Elijah to show his love and power to the widow woman. The widow woman believed in the Lord God that Elijah served. We too are to be like Elijah to tell others about God’s power to save. What kinds of things God can use you to do? For example, God can use you to tell others about God, invite others to church, or help a friend who is discouraged or sick to feel better. When you are older, God can use you to be missionaries or pastors or anything else that God needs you to be.” Have the class work together to decorate a poster board titled “God Works Through Me.” On the poster board they will write or draw the things that God can use them to do. When they are finished hang the poster board in your classroom so that they will be reminded of what God can do through ordinary people. Challenge the class to pray that God would use them every day. Lead the children in a prayer of commitment to trust in the Lord with all of their hearts and to give any problems or difficult situations to the Lord. If there are any children who have not yet responded to the Gospel, give them opportunity.

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Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.

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Acts of Kindness

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