Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.3 Elijah‘s Contest on Mount ......2 OT12.3 Elijah’s Contest on...

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OT12.3 Elijah’s Contest on Mount Carmel ©Beverly Wilson 2019

Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.3 Elijah‘s Contest on Mount Carmel

Scripture: 1 Kings 18

Lesson Goal: Elijah was the first and most famous of Israel’s prophets. In this lesson we will learn how Elijah asked God to send fire for a sacrifice to show that the Lord is the one true living God. We too can show that we believe the Lord is the only true God by our attitudes and actions.

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: “Contests”

Have you ever entered a contest? A contest is a competition where people are all trying to beat each other to win a prize. One contest might be an art project. These are some pictures that children have drawn for art contests. The contest has a judge who looks at all the artwork and then decides who is a winner. The National Spelling Bee is a contest that is held every year. These students are competing to see who can spell very difficult words correctly! You have to be very smart and study very hard to win this contest! The Soap Box Derby is racing contest. Here the students help build their own car from a kit. The race begins with a ramp and cars roll down the slide to see who can finish first. The cars are gravity powered. This lesson is about another kind of contest. This contest was held to determine which god was the stronger—Jehovah God or the god of Baal. The prophet Elijah prayed to God and asked Him to send fire for a sacrifice to show that the Lord is the one true, living God.

Opening Prayer: “Father, thank You for being our great and wonderful God. Thank you for this lesson about Elijah and the contest on Mount Carmel. Help us to watch out for the idols that we are so prone to put into our lives. Show us when we make anything or anyone more important to us than You. Then help us to turn our heart back again to You, our one and only true God, the maker of heaven and earth. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Deuteronomy 4:39 "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/akMvQdadqxg 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

https://youtu.be/akMvQdadqxg

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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. 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. Miraculously God sent ravens to bring bread and meat to Elijah every morning and evening while he was hiding in the Valley of Kerith near a brook. Then God sent Elijah to the widow of Zarephath where he supplied him and the widow and her son with an endless supply of oil and flour everyday during the famine. The famine continued for three and half years and now God's people were in serious trouble! The streams dried up. The plants died. Everyone was hungry and thirsty. Finally, God spoke to Elijah and told him to go to King Ahab with a message. Elijah left Zarephath and travelled south into the land of Israel where King Ahab had been searching for him. The people in Samaria where King Ahab lived were desperate for food and water. They had prayed to Baal thinking that this false god controlled the weather and the harvests. But it did no good! The famine went on. In the meantime King Ahab was desperate to find some water for his animals. He had many animals and didn't want them to die! He called his palace administrator Obadiah and said to him, "Go throughout the land and look for some water or a little grass or anything to save at least some of my animals." Now King Ahab should have been concerned about all his people who were dying from thirst but he wasn't! He was more worried about his horses and mules than his people. Obadiah was a strong believer in the Lord. He was NOT like his ruler King Ahab. When Queen Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets and replacing them with the false prophets of Baal, Obadiah had been taking the prophets of God and hiding them in caves. He had hidden a 100 of them in two caves with 50 in each one. He had even secretly supplied them with food and water. God had used Obadiah to save many of his people! Now Obadiah’s master was asking him to help him find water for his animals. So they divided the land they were to cover. King Ahab went one direction and Obadiah in another. As Obadiah was walking along looking for water, he saw Elijah the prophet who had told King Ahab that it would not rain for 3 1/2 years. Obadiah stopped Elijah and said, "Is it really you, Elijah?' Obadiah bowed down to the ground. “King Ahab has been looking all over for you. He sent his soldiers out to kill you!" Elijah answered, "I am. Go and tell the king I am here." But Obadiah was afraid to tell the king that he had found Elijah. He thought King Ahab would kill him for not telling him where Elijah was earlier! Obadiah wanted Elijah to know that he was a follower of God. He told Elijah that he had been hiding 100 prophets of God in caves and that he had been feeding them bread and water all during the famine! Obadiah was afraid that Elijah would disappear again. Elijah promised that he would stay there until King Ahab came. So Obadiah hurried to find King Ahab who was still searching for grass for his horses. "Elijah is here," Obadiah breathlessly told the King. "He wants to see you."

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When Obadiah told King Ahab the message, Ahab was furious! He stormed out to Elijah and shouted, "Well, if it isn't the troublemaker of Israel! The Elijah stood right before King Ahab and calmly answered. "I haven't caused trouble for Israel. You have! You and your family have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have worshipped Baal. You have disobeyed God and led the people to worship the idol Baal. Now I am here with another message from the living God. We're going to have a contest! Gather all you prophets of Baal and we will meet on Mount Carmel. This contest will prove who the real God is!” So King Ahab sent messengers throughout all the land telling everyone to assemble on Mount Carmel. The 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the false god Asherah were summoned also. A large crowd gathered at Mount Carmel. King Ahab, 450 prophets of Baal, and many people from Israel were there. Elijah said to the people, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him.” The people remained silent. Elijah continued, “"I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal's prophets are four hundred fifty men. Let us see who is God: the Lord God of Israel, or Baal. "Give us two young bulls and let the prophets of Baal choose one and put it on wood with no fire underneath. I will prepare the other bull and put it on wood with no fire underneath. Then your priests can call on the name of your god Baal, and I will later call on the name of the Lord God of Israel. The God who answers by fire, let him be the true God." "Great!" shouted the people. "Let's begin." The people thought that the prophets of Baal would surely win. After all, there were 450 of them. But Elijah had something that the prophets of Baal didn’t have. Elijah had God, and God wanted to show His power. The prophets of Baal went first. They chose their bull, cut it into pieces and placed it on the wood on their altar. Their sacrifice was all ready and they began to call to Baal. From morning until noon they danced around the altar shouting, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no answer! They called louder and louder. Still no voice and no fire came from Baal. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and you need to wake him up!” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, until their blood flowed. Mid-day passed and Baal did not send fire. They became more frantic and continued pleading to Baal until evening. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. Finally Elijah said, "You might as well give up." You've prayed all day without any answer. Now I will talk to the living God." Elijah then gathered the people around him and rebuilt the altar of God that had fallen into ruins. He placed the twelve stones and dug a trench around it. Then he sacrificed the bull and placed the meat on the wood. Elijah then gave a strange order, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood. When they had done that, Elijah ordered them, “Do it again,” and they did. “Do it a third time,” he commanded, and they did it the third time. Altogether twelve large jars of water were poured over the altar and the water ran down to fill the trench. Elijah wanted to make sure that it was impossible for a man to light the fire. At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah prayed, “Lord, let it be known today that you are the God in Israel and that I am your servant doing what you have commanded. Answer me, so that these people will know that you are God and will turn back to You again.” Elijah had no sooner finished his prayer when suddenly the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil. It also licked up the water in the trench. The people fell face down and cried, “The Lord he is God! The Lord he is God!”

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Then Elijah commanded, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let anyone get away!” These evil men had killed thousands of babies and children and they had led the people of Israel away from the true God. So the people of Israel took the false prophets down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there. Now they would no longer be able to mislead the people into evil ways forbidden by God. As soon as the contest on Mount Carmel was over and the Lord had shown His power by sending fire, Elijah told King Ahab, "Go home now. Eat and drink, and get ready for some rain! God will send it soon." Then Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel with his servant and began to pray to God. He bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees and prayed for rain. He asked God to stop the drought and send rain for the first time in three and one-half years! Elijah eagerly waited for God to do as He promised. “Go and look toward the sea,” Elijah told his servant. So the servant went up and looked. But he could not see any sign of rain. “There is nothing there,” the servant reported. So Elijah prayed a second time. The servant was sent to look again. But he returned to say there was still no sign of rain. Elijah prayed for a third time. The servant looked out to the sea once more. But again there was nothing to see. Elijah prayed a fourth time. But still there was no answer to his prayer for rain. Elijah continued to pray for a fifth time. The servant searched the sky again. But there was no sign of rain. Elijah was not prepared to give up. God had promised to send rain when Elijah asked. Was God going to keep His promise? Elijah prayed for a seventh time. The servant climbed up to look out to sea. Suddenly, he noticed a small cloud, about the size of a man’s fist, rising out of the sea. He rushed back to tell Elijah the news. Soon the little cloud got bigger and bigger until the whole sky was dark. Elijah knew God had answered his prayer and had a message for King Ahab. “Hitch up your chariot and go down the mountain before the rain stops you.” The sky grew black with clouds, thunder boomed, the wind began to blow, and heavy rain started falling. The rain came because the people had finally acknowledged the one true God! King Ahab quickly rode off in his chariot. But then God did another miracle! After the rain started God gave Elijah special strength. The power of the Lord came on Elijah and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way down the mountain. He ran so fast that he caught up and then passed King Ahab's chariot and horse! He beat them down the mountain! It was about the same distance as a marathon run. Elijah dared to challenge the prophets of Baal to a contest because he believed that God would show Himself as the one true God. Although the prophets of Baal raged all afternoon, no one answered them. Their god was silent because it was not real. Our God is the only true Lord God. We are to have no other gods besides Him. Our memory verse is Deuteronomy 4:39 "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.” God wants us to worship only Him. We are to recognize His authority over every part of our lives. Then we can choose to obey Him. Let's say our verse again. Deuteronomy 4:39 "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.” God has said, “You shall have no other gods before me.” The gods we may be tempted to follow are not idols of wood or stone, but they are just as false and dangerous because they cause us to depend on something other than God. An idol is anything we worship except God. Beauty, popularity, riches, or having lots material things can become our gods if we spend most of our time chasing after them. But when we reach times of trouble, if

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we called out to these so-called gods, there will only be silence. They can offer us no true answers to our problems, no direction in life, and no wisdom to know what to do. God honored Elijah for honoring His name when no one else would. And, God blessed the people when they turned their love back to Him. God will bless us too when we love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and make him first in our lives. Just like Elijah our actions and attitude show what we believe about God. When we obey God, we show that we believe what He tells us to do is important. When we pray to God, we show that we believe that God answers prayer. Remember put God first!

Review Questions/ Game: “Bible Baseball” Preparation: Draw and label a target on a large sheet of paper using the sketch below. Mark a baseball diamond in the room: home plate, first base, second base, and third base. You will also need a bean bag to throw on the target. Procedure: Divide the class into two teams. First child “up” answers a review question and then throws a coin or a bean bag onto the target. If the child gets an “out” he goes to the end of the line, otherwise the child moves around to the appropriate place”: first base for a single, second base for a double, third base for a triple, all the way around and back to home plate for a home run. If a student misses the target completely, he or she may have another chance to throw.

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.)

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2. Who was Elijah? (Elijah was one of God’s prophets. 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. After three and one half years of famine, what did God tell Elijah to do? (He was to go to see King Ahab and deliver a message to him.)

8. Who met Elijah on his way to talk to King Ahab and what was he doing? (Obadiah the king’s chief palace administrator was out looking for grass and water to feed King Ahab’s horses and mules.)

9. What had Obadiah done to show his faith in the one true God? (He had hidden 100 of God’s prophets in caves away from Queen Jezebel who wanted to kill them. He had even given God’s prophets food and water.)

10. What did Elijah ask Obadiah to do and why was Obadiah afraid to do it? (Elijah answered, "I am. Go and tell the king I am here." But Obadiah was afraid to tell the king that he had found Elijah. He thought King Ahab would kill him for not telling him where Elijah was earlier!)

11. What did Elijah promise to do if Obadiah told King Ahab that he was in that place? (Elijah promised that he would stay there until King Ahab came.)

12. What did Elijah say to King Ahab when he was accused of being a troublemaker? ("I haven't caused trouble for Israel. You have! You and your family have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have worshipped Baal. You have disobeyed God and led the people to worship the idol Baal.)

13. What was the message that Elijah had for King Ahab from God? (Elijah said, “Now I am here with another message from the living God. We're going to have a contest! Gather all you prophets of Baal and we will meet on Mount Carmel. This contest will prove who the real God is!”)

14. How is God different from Baal? (God has power and answers prayer. Baal does not. God is real. Baal is not.)

15. What happened when the prophets of Baal tried to bring down fire on their sacrifice? (They prepared their sacrifice and began to call to Baal. From morning until noon they danced around the altar shouting, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no answer! They called louder and louder. Still no voice and no fire came from Baal. They even cut themselves but no answer.)

16. Why didn’t Baal send fire? (He was silent because it is not real.) 17. How did Elijah prepare the sacrifice for the Lord? (Elijah then gathered the people around him

and rebuilt the altar of God that had fallen into ruins. He placed the twelve stones and dug a trench around it. Then he sacrificed the bull and placed the meat on the wood.}

18. What strange order did Elijah give to make the sacrifice more difficult to burn? (Elijah said, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood. When they had done that, Elijah ordered them, “Do it again,” and they did. “Do it a third time,” he commanded, and they did it the third time. Altogether twelve large jars of water were poured over the altar and the water ran down to fill the trench. Elijah wanted to make sure that it was impossible for a man to light the fire.)

19. What did Elijah pray to God when the sacrifice was ready? (Elijah prayed, “Lord, let it be known today that you are the God in Israel and that I am your servant doing what you have commanded. Answer me, so that these people will know that you are God and will turn back to You again.”)

20. What happened when Elijah finished his prayer? (Elijah had no sooner finished his prayer when suddenly the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil. It also licked up the water in the trench.)

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21. What response did the people have to this great fire from God? (The people fell face down and cried, “The Lord he is God! The Lord he is God!”)

22. What did Elijah tell the people to do to the prophets of Baal? (They were to seize them and kill them.)

23. After the contest on Mount Carmel, what did Elijah tell King Ahab was going to happen? (He told King Ahab that it was going to rain.)

24. Where did Elijah go to pray for rain? Who did he take with him? (He climbed back up on Mount Carmel with his servant and prayed.)

25. What did he ask his servant to do? (Elijah told his servant to go check by looking out at the sea to see if it had begun to rain yet.)

26. How many times did Elijah have to pray for the rain to begin? (He prayed seven times and asked his servant to check for rain seven times.)

27. After the rain started, what did Elijah tell King Ahab to do? (He told him to get in his chariot and go back to his home before he got caught in the rain.)

28. What special miracle did God do for Elijah after the rain started? (After the rain started God gave Elijah special strength. Elijah tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way down the mountain. He ran so fast that he caught up and then passed King Ahab's chariot and horse! He beat them down the mountain!)

29. What lesson can we learn from this story? (The prophet Elijah prayed to God and asked Him to send fire for a sacrifice to show that the Lord is the one true, living God. God wants us to worship only Him. We are to recognize His authority over every part of our lives. Then we can choose to obey Him. We should always put God first.)

30. What are some idols that we are prone to make in our lives? (We replace God with TV, toys, beauty, lots of friends or things.)

31. What are some things you can do to show what you believe about God? (Obey His commands. Tell others about Jesus. Be kind to others. Read the Bible.)

32. What is the memory verse? (Our memory verse is Deuteronomy 4:39 "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”)

Memory Verse Activity: “String It Up”

Our memory verse is Deuteronomy 4:39 "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read it together several times.

Say: “This verse says that God wants us to worship only Him. We are to recognize His authority over every part of our lives. Then we can choose to obey Him.” Preparation: You need swim noodles with holes in the center, utility knife, permanent marker, 2 jump ropes, and tape. Cut the swim noodles into 3 inch pieces. Write one word of the memory verse on each of the noodle pieces. Create two sets. Create a starting line using the tape. Procedure: Place noodles at the end of the playing area. Form two groups. Guide the teams to stand behind the starting line. Explain that one word from the memory verse is written on each piece of the noodle. The object of the game is to thread the words in the correct order on your jump rope. One person from each team will jump rope to the words, locate the first word, and slide it onto the rope. He or she will then jump rope back to their team, and pass the jump rope to the next person. That person will then jump rope back to the words, add the next word, and jump rope back. The game will continue until both teams complete the verse. Read the verse aloud. Replay the game encouraging the children to remove one word from the rope each time. Say: “Does God want us to worship only Him? How will believing in God change how we act? What are some things that can take the place of God in our lives?”

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Group Learning Activity: “Build an Altar” (Grades K-3) Purpose: Students will review the lesson using key words printed on brown paper bag “stones.” Preparation: You will need 12 large brown paper grocery bags, markers, stapler, old newspapers, and scissors. . Crumble up the newspapers to fill the brown paper grocery bag. Fold the top of the bag down in a roll and staple shut to form a large brown “stone.” Write the following words one on each bag: King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, God, prophets, Obadiah, Elijah, Baal, Mount Carmel, Altar, Fire, Water, Yahweh

Procedure: Write the following definition of a poster board or the white board in your classroom. “Prayer is not only talking to God, it is also listening to God. Distribute the stone brown paper bags to various students in your class. Say: “Today we will discover how God demonstrated His power by answering Elijah’s prayer. I am going to tell our Bible story of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal. Some of you have bags with words on them. When I say the word on your bag, bring it to me. We are going to build an “altar” with the bags.” Open your Bible to 1 Kings 18. Tell the Bible story in your own words. Use the following sample as a guide to your story telling. Be sure to emphasize when you say the bold words. Allow the children to come forward with their stone to put on the altar at the appropriate spot in the story. Stack the bag “stones” to make an altar.

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal—Based on 1 Kings 18:1-39 King Ahab had ruled for many years. His wife, Queen Jezebel, did not love God. Ahab and Jezebel did everything they could to destroy any reference to and worship of God. They even went as far as killing God's prophets (people who spoke for God). As a result of their actions, God allowed a drought and famine to occur in Israel. Obadiah, the man in charge of the palace, loved God and did everything he could to serve Him. Obadiah hid one hundred prophets in caves so they would be safe from Ahab and Jezebel. One day, while searching for grass to feed the animals, Obadiah met Elijah. Obadiah immediately recognized Elijah. Elijah told him to go and tell Ahab he was here. Obadiah was scared that Ahab would kill him. However, Obadiah reported to Ahab he had found Elijah. Ahab went to meet Elijah and accused Elijah of destroying Israel. Elijah said it was not his fault for the drought and famine, but Ahab's because he and his family worshiped the false god, Baal. Elijah instructed Ahab to have all the people of Israel, including the prophets of the false gods, meet him at Mount Carmel. Elijah challenged the people to decide, once and for all, whom they would worship. Then Elijah put forth a challenge to the prophets of Baal. Elijah told the prophets to prepare a sacrifice to Baal. He told them to build an altar, to place the sacrifice on it, and to call on Baal to start the fire. The men did just as Elijah instructed. They called on Baal from morning until noon, shouting "Baal, answer us!" However, there was no answer. The prophets danced around the altar, but there was still no answer. Elijah mocked the prophets. He told them to shout louder. He said maybe Baal was thinking things over, or maybe he had gone for a walk, or perhaps he was sleeping. The

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prophets shouted louder, and did other things to try to get Baal to send fire. All afternoon they tried, but there was no answer, sound, or fire from Baal. Elijah repaired the altar which was designed to worship God. He took 12 stones and built an altar. He dug a trench around the altar, arranged the wood on the altar, and placed the sacrifice on it. Then he instructed people to pour water on the offering and the wood. Water was poured on the offering and wood three times. There was so much water that it filled the trench. Then Elijah called on God. He said, "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known that You are God and I am your servant. Answer me so these people will know You are God." Fire came down from heaven and burned the offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and dried up the water in the trench. When the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, "Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!"

Say: “How did the words on the bags relate to the story? (The words were the people and key things that happened in the story.) Why do you think we had twelve bags? (Elijah used twelve stones to build the altar in the lesson. The twelve stones represented the twelve tribes or families of Israel.) What did the people learn about Baal? (Baal is not a real god and has no power.) What did the people learn about God? (God is the one true God and has all power.) What is our memory verse? (Deuteronomy 4:39 "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”) What are some important ways can we show that we believe in the one true God? (We can pray. We can tell others about God. We can be kind. We can obey God’s commands. We can give and share with others. We can give our offering to God.) Close in prayer and encourage children to share their Bible lesson with their parents.

Group Learning Activity: “Answered Prayers” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a Bible. Procedure: Distribute Bibles to every student. Have students locate and read aloud the Say: "In this lesson we learned that God answered Elijah’s prayers. God sent the fire in answer to Elijah’s prayer. God sent the rain in answer to Elijah’s prayer. There are many stories in the Bible telling how God answers prayers. Let’s see if we can find some examples in scripture.” Have students locate the following scriptures and read aloud. Discuss who the person was and the answered prayer.

Jonah 2: 1-10--Jonah prayed in the belly of the fish for God to rescue him and God answered his prayer!

Daniel 6:10-24—Daniel prayed three times daily. When he was falsely accused he asked God for help. God rescued him from the hungry lions by sending an angel to shut their mouths.

Acts 16:25-34—Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God while they were in prison. God answered their prayers by sending an earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison. The doors were loosed and their chains fell off. Paul and Silas stayed in the prison to witness to the jailer who became a believer.

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Acts 10:1-24—Cornelius was praying and God answered his prayer by sending an angel to tell him to send two men to Joppa to get Peter. Peter was praying on the rooftop and God answered his prayer by giving him a vision of the sheet coming down from heaven with clean and unclean animals. This vision helped Peter know that he should accept Gentiles like Cornelius as fellow believers. God answered prayer by sending the Holy Spirit to the new believers.

Acts 12:1-17—The church was praying for the release of Peter from prison. God sent an angel to the prison and a bright light. The angel woke up Peter and caused the chains to fall off. The angel led him out of the prison onto the streets of the city. Peter went to the house where the church was praying and they were astonished.

Say: “God always hears us when we pray. Sometimes God answers our prayers with “yes,” sometimes “no,” and other times with “maybe.” God wants what is best for us and He has a greater plan that we might not always see at the moment. God may not always answer our prayer as we would like, but we can know that God does answer prayers. Let’s thank Him for this.” Close in prayer. Have students record what they have learned about answered prayer in their spiritual journals.

Group Learning Activity: “Role Play Ways God Answers Prayer” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to show that God hears and answers our prayers. God knows our needs and does what is best for us. Preparation: Print out the “cube” below onto cardstock. Cut apart and assemble. Or you can purchase plain large wooden cubes. Write yes, no, and wait on the sides of the cube. Write each of the situations below onto individual note cards.

Say: “Does God hear us when we pray? (Yes, He does.) In what ways does He answers our prayers? (Allow for various answers that students have experienced.) Sometimes God answers our prayers with “yes,” sometimes “no,” and other times with “maybe.” God wants what is best for us and He has a greater plan that we might not always see at the moment. We are going to role play some different ways God may answer our prayers.”

Procedure: Show the children the cube with various answers of yes, no, and wait printed on the sides. Distribute the note cards with the various situations written on each card. Explain that one person will act out a situation and roll the cube.

Say: “We will pretend the word on the cube is how God answered the prayer. Then we will talk about what God’s response means and how it can impact the outcome of the situation.”

Read and discuss the following situations. Note the importance of emphasizing that God has a plan for each of us and He always wants what is best.

Situation: Jeffrey is upset. His parents just informed him his dad got a job promotion, and they will have to move to another state. Jeffrey does not want to move. He likes his school, his friends, and his church. Jeffrey prays that God will help his dad find a new job. God says __________ to what Jeffrey asks. (roll the cube) If yes—God understands Jeffrey’s needs and He has answered his prayer by not having to move. If no—God wants Jeffrey to meet new people and have new opportunities. God understands that Jeffrey will benefit by this move. If wait—God wants Jeffrey to learn to trust him. The coming of a new job may take some time and Jeffrey will need to learn to pray and trust God for answers.

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Situation: Joyce Ann’s mother just received a phone call from her sister. Joyce Ann’s uncle was in a car accident and is in serious condition in the hospital. The doctors do not know if her uncle will live or not. Joyce Ann’s mother is preparing to go to the hospital. Joyce Ann goes to her room and prays for her uncle. God says __________ to what Joyce Ann asks. (roll the cube) If yes—God understands the uncle’s physical needs and He has answered his prayer by healing him. If no—God wants the uncle to come to heaven to be with him. God will give peace and comfort to the family. If wait—God wants many people to learn to trust him. The nurses, doctors, family, and friends will see how God brings healing in His time. His uncle can use the situation to witness to others.

Aimee was adopted from China when she was a baby. Now that she is older, she would like to visit China and learn some things about where she was born. Aimee decides to pray and ask God to help her be able to visit China. God says __________ to what Aimee asks. (roll the cube) If the answer is “yes” God is allowing her to know more about her family and how good it was to be chosen by her adopted family. If “no” God knows that learning about her physical family may be painful or not what Aimee expected and He is protecting her from harm. If “wait” God knows that she will be able to handle the situation better when she is older and more mature. God wants her to trust Him and His timing.

Darnelle’s birthday is only three weeks away. She cannot wait to turn seven. Darnelle has planned the perfect birthday party. She wants to have six of her friends spend the night with her. She plans for the girls to watch videos, eat junk food, and stay up really late. Three days before her birthday, Darnelle’s sister gets sick. Darnelle’s mother tells Darnelle that unless her sister is better, they will have to cancel the party. Darnelle prays for her sister to get better. God says _________ to what Darnelle asks. (roll the cube) If the answer is “yes,” God has answered her prayer and she can have the party and her sister is well! If the answer is “no” God is showing Darnelle that her sister and her health is more important than having fun. While having a birthday party is good, it is not as important as her sister’s needs. If “wait” she should be more concerned for her sister and her getting well. Perhaps she can have a party later when her sister is well.

Alberto is nine years old. For several years, Alberto has wanted a brother or a sister. His parents have told him someday they hope to have another child. Alberto prays for a new brother or sister. God says ___________ to what Alberto asks. (roll the cube) If the answer is “yes” God is pleased with Alberto’s desire and has granted his request. If the answer is “no” God knows about other things such as the desire of Alberto’s parents, the health of his father or mother, or the financial needs of the family that Alberto does not understand. If the answer is “wait” then perhaps some of the other situations that would be that now the things that prevented the family from having another child have been resolved. Now God can grant the request.

In just a few weeks, summer will be over and everyone will go back to school. Carmen is not looking forward to going back to school. She will have to attend a different school than most of the children she attended with last year. Carmen knows the teachers give a lot of homework and the pressure to study will be really hard. Carmen talks with her parents and tells them how she is feeling. Her parents tell her to talk with God and ask for strength to do well in her new school. God says __________ to what Carmen asks. (roll the cube) If the answer is “yes,” God understands her needs and will give her success. If “no”, God wants her to learn to trust in Him when things are hard. If “wait” God may answer her prayer later with a different teacher or even a different school.

Conclude by have a group prayer request time and praying for each child’s need. Ask God to do what is best for each situation. Express faith in God’s ability and power to answer prayer.

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Group Learning Activity: Books of the Bible “Hang Man” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: This activity helps students to recognize and spell the names of the History books so they can become confident when reading these names and locating the book in their Bibles. Preparation: You will need Bibles for each child, a large sheet of poster paper or white board, and markers or dry erase pens. Procedure: Distribute the Bibles to students. Have students find the Table of Contents of Books of the Bible. Have students find the name of the Bible book we studied today. (1 Kings) What section is the book in? (Books of History). What are the names of the books of History? (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.) As students name the books of History print the names of the books in order on the large sheet of poster paper or write them on the white board. Place the poster paper where all can see. Each student chooses a book to find in his or her Bible. Lead the students to play a game similar to Hangman. Draw blank lines for each letter in the name of the Bible book. Students are to guess the letters of the alphabet. Print the correct letters on the appropriate blank letters. Print an incorrect letter to the side of the blank lines and print one letter of the word “Bible.” Students try to guess and find the correct book in their Bibles before the word “Bible” is completed. Student who correctly guesses the word secretly choose a different book of History and draws lines for other students to guess the letters. Continue until all the History books have been guessed.

Craft Learning Activity: “Rain Cloud Craft” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a paper plate, cotton balls, glue, raindrop shape template, watercolors, blue construction paper and white cardstock, light blue yarn or string, and tape. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Elijah prayed that God would send rain to the land of Israel. God answered his prayer and sent a major thunderstorm. The rain covered the land. Today we are going to make a picture of the rain cloud to help us remember this story.” Procedure: Cut the paper plate in half. Have students glue the cotton balls to the paper plate covering the entire area. Print the raindrop onto the white card stock. Using watercolors have children paint the raindrops and allow to dry. Once dry, cut the raindrops out and hang from the cloud (plate). We used tape to attach one end of a piece of yarn to the back of each raindrop and the other end of the yarn to the back of the paper plate, so that the raindrops are hanging from the cloud. We used slightly different lengths of yarn for each raindrop. Mount the cloud and raindrops on to blue construction paper. Say: “What do we need in order to live? (We need food, water, a place to live, and people who will take care of us.) We can ask God for what we need. Elijah sent his servant to look for storm clouds. How many times did the servant go look for a cloud? (He went seven times.) Elijah knew that God would send rain. God gave Elijah and the people what they needed.” Encourage children to retell the story while working and to use their picture to tell others how God answers prayer.

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Craft Learning Activity: “Rain Sticks” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a sturdy empty cardboard tube (aluminum foil wrap tube) for each child, tempera paint, a large brown paper grocery bag, yarn, rubber bands, scissors, pipe cleaners or craft wire, and beads, rice, beans, or other material for inside the rain stick. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Elijah prayed that God would send rain to the land of Israel. God answered his prayer and sent a major thunderstorm. The rain covered the land. God wants people to pray to Him. We can ask God for help. We can ask God for what we need. Today we are going to make a rain stick to help us remember this lesson.” Procedure: Have students paint the cardboard tube. You can paint the tube ahead of time a plain color like tan or blue. Have students cut out two circles from a large paper grocery bag. Crumple the paper up to make it look worn. Cut some fringe around the outside of the circle. Attach one circle to each end of the cardboard tube using a rubber band. Fill your rain sticks with a variety of different materials to make different sounds. (Twisted pipe cleaners along with dried beans make a unique louder sound.) After filling the rain stick, rubber band the other paper circle to the opposite end. Cover the rubber bands with yarn strings.

Craft Learning Activity: “Stamp Word Designs” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need drawing paper, rubber stamps in the shape of alphabet shapes, washable ink pads, blank index cards, and markers. Stamp the following words on individual index cards: food, water, family, and home. Multicolor plastic stamps are available from craft stores and Amazon online. Say: “"Elijah prayed and asked God to send rain. God heard Elijah's prayers. God sent rain. What do we need in order to live?" (Encourage responses.) We need food, water, a place to live, and people who will take care of us. We can ask God for what we need. God hears our prayers. (Point to the word cards on the table. Read aloud each word.)” Say: "These words are things we need to live. We are going to use these cards to help us stamping these words onto drawing paper.” Procedure: Assign a word to each child or have them choose a word. Give each child drawing paper. Demonstrate how to use rubber stamps to spell the words. Stamp the letters or shapes. Take turns with the stamps. You can stamp more than one word." When he finishes stamping the word, suggest he switch the word card with a friend. Have students draw a picture about the word. Lead children to clean the area and wash their hands. Close in prayer.

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Craft Learning Activity: “No Idol” Magnets (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a printed copy of the “No Idol” template below printed on red cardstock for each child. You will also need glue, scissors, clear contact paper, and magnetic strips with adhesive backing. (Or you can cut 3 ½” diameter circles and have children write the word IDOLS with a cross line through the word.) Procedure: Distribute one printed copy of the “No Idol” template to each child along with other supplies. Have students cut out the circle along the outer rim. Using clear contact paper, stick a covering over the front and back of the craft. Next, place a small strip of magnet with the adhesive onto the back. Say: “God sent Elijah to the people to turn their hearts back to God and to keep them from the sin of worshipping idols. The question is “Who will we choose to serve? Will we serve God or the idols of this world. Will we walk in the ways of God or the ways of the world?” The things of the world can seem fun and exciting for a little while; but they, will not bring fulfillment, true love, or lasting happiness. Only God can make our lives worthwhile. The world’s gods are powerless, but our God is awesome and powerful. God has sent Jesus to turn our hearts back to God. He wants all our love and worship. Jesus paid the price for our sins and became our sacrifice. If we ask Jesus to come into our hearts and forgive us for our sins, He will; and He will always be with us, now and into eternity. Truly, “the Lord is God, follow Him!”

Craft Learning Activity: “Flame Banners” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need two to three feet lengths of crepe paper streamers for each child and a dowel rod stick that is approximately 24” inches long. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Elijah prayed to God for Him to send fire to burn the sacrifice. God answered his prayer by sending a bolt of fire from heaven. The fire destroyed not only the sacrifice, but the rocks of the altar, and the water in the trench around the altar. God answered in a miraculous way. Today we are going to make some Flame Banners to praise God for His awesome power and glory. We want to worship the one true God.” Procedure: Cut off two to three feet lengths of crepe paper streamers. Use red, yellow, and orange crepe paper streamers. Staple them together at one end and cut the ends to a point at different lengths. Tape and staple the streamers to a craft stick. Have the children use the banners while singing a song.

Snack Learning Activity: “Mount Carmel” Bites (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need Caramel or Karo syrup and pecans or cashew pieces. Procedure: Have the students coat pecans or cashew pieces with the sticky syrup and enjoy Mt. “Carmel” bites. Optional: Another idea is to bring muffins or cupcakes and let the kids decorate the “altar” with candy. Another food craft is to bring bread (for the rocks), and jerky for the bull. Put ketchup on the jerky to symbolize the fire. Then eat it up! (It’s gross but kids love stuff like this!)

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Life Application Challenge: “Light the Candle” Preparation: You will need a small table and a candle. Procedure: Gather the children around the table and light the candle. Say: “It is impossible for us to light the candle without matches or a lighter, just as it was impossible for the prophets of Baal to light the fire that would burn their sacrifice. But nothing is impossible for God. It was God who sent the fire and burned Elijah’s sacrifice when Elijah prayed.” Ask students for prayer requests. Pray together and praise Him for His power and thank Him for His gifts to us. Offer a short prayer.

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Elijah’s Contest on Mount Carmel

Deuteronomy 4:39

"Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”

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Print page on white cardstock. Color the pictures and slide show viewer. Cut the two slits on either side of the altar to allow the pictures go slide through.

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Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.3 Elijah‘s Contest on Mount ......2 OT12.3 Elijah’s Contest on...

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Transcript of Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.3 Elijah‘s Contest on Mount ......2 OT12.3 Elijah’s Contest on...