Lesson - Elisha Is Mocked

VERSES:   2 Kings 2:23-25

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 2:24   "...go up, thou bald head, go up, thou bald head!"

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Hosea.  Write "Hosea" on small slips of paper and hand out at the end of class.  How are the students doing with their memorization? If they need help, it's always good to stop and review until they are more comfortable with the books.  Sometimes the trouble is with the pronunciation of the names of the books. Make sure everyone knows how to pronounce Genesis through Hosea. Because this is a very short lesson, perhaps more time could be spent with memory work.

PRAYER:   Pray that we will always treat others better than ourselves.

SPECIAL SONG:   Be Patient And Kind  (see April - Lesson - Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him on this blog).  Children, Obey Your Parents (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog).

VISUAL AID:  A large Activity (see below).

LESSON POINTS:

• We remember that now one of the main prophets of God is Elisha. Remember how he picked up Elijah's mantle or cloak when Elijah was taken up into heaven by a chariot and horses of fire? God now spoke to Elisha instead. 
• Elisha walked from Jericho to Bethel, and as he is going by the way, there came a group of young children out of the city. When they saw Elisha, they mocked him or made fun of him. Elisha was bald and the children taunted him and said, "Go up, you bald head! Go up, you bald head!" Was that a nice thing to do? NO! It is not a good thing to do now, but especially in Old Testament times. Back then, there were harsh or strict laws that said that children must obey their parents or they could be stoned and die. Children should always respect older people, especially their parents. Read Ephesians 5:19.
• When Elisha heard the children saying that he was bald in a very disrespectful way, he turned back, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up 42 of them. They should have watched their words and been kind, shouldn't they? There were consequences for being disrespectful.

"Older Student" Tips:

• We need to be careful what we say and how we choose our friends. Our friends can persuade us to do things we normally would not do, but if our friends were good, obedient friends, perhaps they would help us to be good, too.
• If the two bears tore up 42 of the group, wonder how many children there were all together? (The Bible does not say).

                                       

ACTIVITY:   Elisha And The Disrespectful Children
Materials needed:  9" x 12" white construction paper, two tiny scraps of brown fleece or soft material, 1" x 1" scrap of white paper, scrap of green paper, glue, marker, crayons.

1. Hand out white construction paper.
2. Fold 1/3 of paper to the back.
3. Draw picture of Elisha coming down the road with 42 children on the side of the road giving Elisha a hard time.
4. In the middle of the white construction paper at the top, write "Go up, thou bald head!"
5. Draw a speech bubble around the words and pointing to the children.
6. Write "Elisha" by Elisha.
7. Write "2 Kings 2:23-25" at the top of the paper.
8. Open folded paper.
9. Continue the road to the end of the paper.
10. Color the road.
11. Draw simple tall trees. This is the woods.
12. Out of material, cut two bears faces.
13. Glue bear faces towards the bottom of the path.
14. Put of white scraps of paper, cut four tiny circles.These are the bears' eyes.
15. Glue eyes on bears.
16. Draw black dots of the pupils of the bears' eyes.
17. Cut bush out of green paper.
18. Glue bush in front of bears.
19. Write "2 Kings 2:24" on bush.

Lesson - Elijah And The Chariot Of Fire

VERSES:   2 Kings 2:1-18

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 2:11  "...and Elijah went up by a whirlwind of fire."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Review the books of the Old Testament through Daniel until everyone knows them.

PRAYER:   Pray that we might have the zeal and enthusiasm about spiritual things as Elisha had.

SPECIAL SONG:   Elijah (see March - Songs We Sing In bible Class #4 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:  Make a large "Elijah Goes Up To Heaven In A Chariot Of Fire In A Whirlwind" Spinner.

LESSON POINTS:

• The Bible says that there have only been two people who did not die. In Genesis 5:24, it tells about Noah's great-grandfather whose name was Enoch and he did not die "for God took him." The only other man who did not die is someone we have talked a lot about in our studies--Elijah! Elijah did not die; God took him. But, oh! how God took him is a very interesting story! 
• Remember Elisha? No, not Eli-JAH. Eli-SHA! Their names sound a lot alike, don't they? Remember God told Eliijah to anoint Elisha with oil because Elisha would be taking Elijah's place as a prophet of God. 
• It was close to the time when the LORD was going to take Elijah up into heaven in a whirlwind and Elijah and Elisha were walking from a city named Gilgal. Elijah told to Elisha to wait there because the LORD wanted Elijah to go to Bethel. But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they both went down to Bethel. When they arrived in Bethel, a group of prophets came out to meet them and they said to Elisha, "Did you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?" Elisha replied, " Yes, I know. Hold your peace."
• Then Elijah told Elisha to wait there because the LORD wanted Elijah to go to Jericho. But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they both went down to Jericho. When they arrived in Jericho, a group of prophets came out to meet them and they said to Elisha, "Did you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?" Elisha replied, " Yes, I know. Hold your peace."
• Then Elijah told Elisha to wait there because the LORD wanted Elijah to go to Jordan. But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they both went down to Jordan. When they arrived in Jordan, there were 50 prophets  who watched from afar. Elijah and Elisha stood alone by the river Jordan. Elijah took off his mantle or cloak, wrapped it together, and struck the water. Do you know what happened to the water?? It divided just like when Moses hit the waters of the Red Sea and they divided! Some of the water was on one side and the rest of the water was on the other side, and ELijah and Elisha walked through on dry ground--just like the children of Israel walking through the Red Sea! And who was watching all this? That's right! The group of 50 prophets, but they were watching from far away, but they could see what was happening.
• When Elijah and Elisha had passed over to the other side of the river, Elijah turned to Elisha and asked him " Before I am taken away, what shall I do for you?" That was a nice thing to say! Do you know what Elisha wanted? He wanted a double portion of Elijah's spirit. He didn't want a horse or food or money, all Elisha wanted was twice as much Elijah's spirit as Elijah had! Elijah said that his request was a hard thing to do, but if Elisha saw Elijah go up into heaven then, yes, Elisha would receive a double portion of Elijah's spirit. 
• As the two men walked on, talking, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire that went right between Elijah and Elisha and Elijah went up into heaven in the chariot of fire! Did Elisha see it happen? Yes, he did! Did Elisha receive his request? Yes, he did! Elisha said, "My father, my father! The chariot of Israel and its horses!" And Elisha didn't see Elijah anymore.Elisha was sad that he would not see Elijah anymore and how did people express their sadness and grief back then? They tore their clothes and that is what Elisha did because he was sad. Then Elisha looked down and what did he see on the ground? The mantle! It had fallen from Elijah! He picked it up and went and stood on the bank of the Jordan River.
• Then Elisha did what Elijah did. He struck the waters and said, "Where is the LORD God of Israel?" and the waters divided again! Elisha went across the river on dry ground and guess who was watching? Yes! Those fifty men who standing far away had seen it all! They said, "The spirit of Elijah now rests on Elisha." They went to meet him and bowed before him. The men wanted fifty strong men that were with them to go and search for Elijah, but Elisha said not to go. After much begging by the prophets, Elisha finally let them go, but they could not find Elijah just like Elisha had said. And that's how Elisha's journey began.

"Older Student" Tips:

• What a way to go up into heaven! A whirlwind of fire in a chariot of fire and horses of fire! And Elisha got to see it all! In fact, it went right between Elijah and Elijah. How could he have missed it?? As excited as Elisha was about seeing what had happened, he still was saddened about losing Elijah and, no doubt, missed him. But--there are exciting times ahead for Elisha, as we shall see!
  

ACTIVITY:   The Chariot Of Fire And the Whirlwind Spinner
Materials needed:  4 1.2" x 18" piece of red shiny paper (I used metallic gift wrap), three or four clear transparencies, scrap of blue paper, scrap of tan paper, string, tape, marker, scissors, glue, crayons, hole punch..

1. Hand out one transparency.
2. Cut around and around in a circle without cutting it in to two pieces. This is the whirlwind.
3. Set aside whirlwind.
4. Hand out red paper.
5. Fold red paper in half and in half again, cuting on each fold, so there are four pieces of paper.
6. Cut a horse of fire out of one piece of red paper.
7. Cut another horse of fire out of another piece of red paper
8. Cut a simple chariot of of the third piece of red paper.
9. Fold last piece of red paper in half.
10. Cut on fold.
11. Cut into two wheels.
12. Hand out a second transparency.
13. Cut transparency in half.
14. Glue each horse on a separate half-sheet of transparency.
15. Set horses aside.
16. Hand out a third transparency.
17. Glue the chariot and wheels on the third transparency.
18. Cut around chariot.
19. Set chariot aside.
20. Take small piece of tan paper and cut a small 1" circle. This is Elijah's head.
21. Hand out blue scrap of paper.
22. Cut out a large triangle for Elijah's robe.
23. Glue head on robe.
24. Color Elijah's face and hair.
25. Glue Elijah inside chariot.
26. Tape two horses, a chariot with Elijah in it and tape to transparency that is cut into a spiral. (see top picture).
27. Take a scrap of transparency or paper--whatever is leftover--and write "Elijah goes up in a chariot of fire in a a whirlwind." and "2 Kings 2".
28. Tape words anywhere on clear spiral.
29. Punch a hole through the middle of the spiral.
30. Tie string through hole. 
31. Spinner should go around with a little bit of help from wind or student.

Lesson - Ahaziah Was No Better Than His Father

VERSES:   2 Kings 1:1-18

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 1:8   "And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and gird with a girdle of leather about his loins..."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Review the Old Testament books from Genesis to Daniel.

PRAYER:   When God speaks to us through the Bible, we pray that we may obey what we read. Let us have open hearts to His words.

SPECIAL SONG:   Elijah (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   Make a large Activity (see below) or draw on the whiteboard or chalkboard.

LESSON POINTS:

• Things had not been going well for the new King of Israel, Ahaziah. His father, Ahab, had died, making him king over the Kingdom of Israel, also the nation of Moab had rebelled against him, and painfully he had fallen through a lattice in the upper room of his palace in Samaria, hurting himself. Ahaziah was worried about his health, so he sent messengers to ask an idol, Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, if he would get better.
• But an angel of the LORD said to Elijah, the prophet of God, to go and meet the messengers that Ahaziah had sent out and ask them was there not a God in Israel? Why was Ahaziah seeking Baalzebub's advice when he should have been asking the LORD God about his health. Elijah told them that Ahaziah would not get better and would die.
• The messengers turned right around and went back to the king. When Ahaziah asked why they had returned so soon, they told him that they had met a man that had told them the things that Elijah had said. Ahaziah asked them what the man looked like. They said that he was a hairy man and had a leather belt around his middle. Ahaziah knew who it was. He said, "It was Elijah, the Tishbite."
• The king sent a captain in his army and fifty of his men and told them to bring Elijah to him. The captain found Elijah sitting on top of a mountain. He said to Elijah, "The king said to come down." Elijah answered him and said, "If I am a man of God, let there be fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men." And it happened! Fire came down and burned up those men!
• The king sent another captain and fifty soldiers to bring Elijah to the king. The captain told Elijah, "The king said to come down quickly!" Elijah answered him and said, "If I am a man of God, let there be fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men." And it happened a second time! Fire came down and burned up those men!
• For a third time, the king sent up another captain in his army with fifty men, but this time the captain in the king's army fell on his knees before Elijah and said, "Save my life and the life of my soldiers. I know that fire came down from heaven and burnt up the other two captains and their soldiers. Please spare our lives if you our lives be precious in your sight."
• The angel of the LORD told Elijah to not be afraid and to go with the army captain to meet the king. So Elijah did as he was told. And what did Elijah tell the king to his face? Just what God had said before! Elijah told the king, "Is there no God in Israel that you could have asked about your health? You had to send messengers to ask Baalzebub, an idol in Ekron? Because you have done this, you will not recover from your fall." So Ahaziah, another wicked king of Israel, who followed in his wicked father Ahab's footsteps, a worshiper of Baal and not the LORD, died just like Elijah had said.

"Older Student" Tips:

• The Bible is a wonderful book! The more we read, the more we learn! Do we know a little more about Elijah that we did last time? Yes! We learned he was hairy and wore a leather belt around his waist. The only pictures that are inspired by God in the Bible are "word pictures." All the pictures that you may find in your Bible, men have added and are not inspired.  The men's pictures that you may have in your Bible are just like your pictures that you draw from time to time. Do we KNOW what the Bible characters looked like? Only by what the Bible tells us in words. It is exciting to find out more about what Elijah looked like in this story, isn't it?

ACTIVITY:   
Materials needed:  9" x 12" piece of blue construction paper, 4" x 6" piece of brown construction paper, 5 1/2" x 8" piece of clear lamination or a half sheet of transparency, markers, crayons, tape, scissors.

1. Hand out blue paper.
2. Hand out brown paper.
3. Round the edges off of one end of brown paper to form the top of the mountain.
4. Glue the top of the mountain on the bottom edge of the blue paper.
5. Draw Elijah sitting off pn the mountain, but off to one side of the paper.
6. Draw the captain of the army and a few soldiers bunched up in the middle of the paper. 
7. Draw fifty spears in the middle of the soldiers (see picture above).
8. Color picture.
9. Add rocks and grass if desired.
10. Write "Ahaziah sends soldiers to bring Elijah to him." and "2 Kings 2".
11. On the right side of the paper, write "Elijah only went down the mountain when to angel told him to go."
12. Write "If I am a man of God, let there be fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your 50 men." by where Elijah is sitting.
13. Hand out transparency or clear lamination.
14. Draw orange fire comng down from heaven and engulfing the soldiers on the transparency.
15. Fold top edge of transparency down 1/2".
16. Turn paper over.
17. Tape transparency's edge to back of paper.
18. Before leaving class, make sure all fire is down, covering the soldiers.

Lesson - King Ahab Dies

VERSES:   1 Kings 22:1-40; 2 Chronicles 18:1-34

MEMORY VERSE:   1 Kings 22:34   "And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel..."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Daniel.  Write "Daniel" on small slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class.

PRAYER:  Pray that we will always live godly in this world where there is much wickedness. 

SPECIAL SONG:   Elijah (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   Make a large Activity (see below) or draw picture on the whiteboard or chalkboard.

LESSON POINTS:

• For three years, there had been peace between Syria and Israel. The King of Syria, who was a neighbor of Judah and Israel's, had taken a city of Israel's named Ramoth. Ahab, the King of Israel, had asked Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, to help him take back the city. Jehoshaphat had said he would, but to ask the LORD if this was a good idea. Jehoshaphat was one of the few good kings of Israel, so it was his habit to ask the prophets of the LORD if the LORD wanted him to do something or not, but King Ahab did not ask the LORD when he made decisions, but Ahab did as Jehoshaphat wished. 
• Ahab gathered up 400 prophets and asked them if he should go up and take Ramoth back. All 400 prophets said to go and take the city, but still, Jehoshaphat wanted to be sure, so he asked King Ahab if there was another prophet of the LORD they could ask. Ahab told him that there was another, Micaiah, but that he hated him because he never said anything good about Ahab. Do we know why Micaiah never said anything good about Ahab? That's right! Ahab never did anything good!
• Ahab sent a messenger to call for Micaiah and told the messenger to tell Micaiah that 400 other prophets had said good things about Ahab and he should be like the other prophets. But Micaiah was true to God and said that whatever the LORD would say to him, that is what he would tell the king.
• When Ahab asked Macaiah if he should go take Ramoth and Macaiah said Ahab should go, Ahab did not believe him. After much discussion, Macaiah said that that the LORD had spoken evil concerning Ahab. Finally, Ahab and Jehoshaphat went into battle, but Ahab told Jehoshaphat to go into battle dressed in his royal throne and he would go in disguise, not wearing his royal robe. Ahab thought he could trick the soldiers into thinking he was just a regular soldier. Ahab did not know that the King of Syria had instructed his soldiers to only kill Ahab. When the soldiers saw Jehoshaphat's robe, they thought he was Ahab and turned to fight him until Jehoshaphat cried out and they realized they had the wrong king. That's when a soldier randomly shot an arrow into the air and it flew through the air and hit King Ahab in between two hard pieces of armor and made him bleed into his chariot. King Ahab stayed out on the battlefield until the sun set and King Ahab had lost so much blood that he died. 
• When the one who washed the chariots was washing King Ahab's blood from the chariot, the dogs came and licked up King Ahab's blood just like the prophet of God had said. What God said would happen, always happened.

"Older Student" Tips:

• It is so sad when a man's life is over and all people can remember about that person is how wicked and evil he was when he was alive. At the time of his death, King Ahab was compared to Jeroboam who was a very evil man, but Ahab was even more wicked. Sad, indeed. Let us live our lives in a way that would make the LORD pleased and happy like He was with King David.

ACTIVITY:   A Random Arrow?
Materials needed:  9" x 12" yellow piece of construction paper, a scrap of brown construction paper, a scrap of white construction paper, crayons, tape.

1. Hand out yellow piece of paper.
2. Draw a picture of King Ahab in his chariot with his mouth open.
3. Color picture, making sure that there is blood coming from Ahab's wound and going into his chariot.
4. Cut an arrow out of brown paper.
5. Cut a small slit in Kind Ahab's uniform.
6. Stick arrow into slit, so that the arrow is sticking into the air, literally.
   
7. Turn paper over and tape the arrow to secure.
8. Write "King Ahab is wounded by an arrow shot into the air and died." and "1 Kings 22."
9. On small white scrap of paper, write "King Ahab in disguise."
10. Glue small white paper close by Ahab. 
11. Draw arrow from white paper to Ahab.
12. Write "I am wounded!" somewhere on the paper.
13. Write "chariot" on the chariot.

Lesson - King Ahab And Naboth's Vineyard

VERSES:   1 Kings 21:1-29

MEMORY VERSE:   1 Kings 21:12.  "They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Ezekiel. Write "Ezekiel" on small slips of paper for the students to take home after class.

PRAYER:   May we pray for God to forgive us of the wrong things that we do and that we might always do good to everyone because God can see us all the time.

SPECIAL SONG:   Elijah (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 in this blog)

VISUAL AID:   Make a huge letter like the one in the Activity (see below) and see if you can make a seal with wax to seal the letter. (Maybe I had the wrong kind of candle wax, but mine did not work, so I used a sticker like the students will use.)

LESSON POINTS:

• There was a man named Naboth who owned a small vineyard right next door to wicked King Ahab. Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard for his own, so he could grow a garden of herbs. When Ahab demanded that Naboth give him his vineyard, Naboth said he could not sell or trade his land because it was an inheritance of the LORD. 
• Ahab went home to his palace displeased and very sad. He laid down on his bed and turned his face to the wall. He would not eat any food. He was behaving badly, wasn't he? Just like a spoiled child when he doesn't get his way. Shame on Ahab! 
• Wicked Queen Jezebel, Ahab's wife, came into his room and asked him why he was so sad and why wasn't he eating any food. Ahab told her that he wanted Naboth's vineyard, so he could grow a garden of herbs and Naboth had said, "No." Jezebel told Ahab that he was king over Israel! She said to get up, eat, and let his heart be happy. Jezebel said SHE would give Ahab Naboth's vineyard.
• So, wicked Jezebel wrote letters to the elders and the important people that lived in their city, pretending to be King Ahab and sealed the letters with King Ahab's seal. Inside the letters, she had commanded the men to proclaim a fast and to set Naboth on high above all the people. She said to get two men to lie about Naboth and to say that he had said terrible things about God and to stone him with stones until he died. Was this a good thing to do? NO! Jezebel got her way, though. All the men of the city did exactly as she commanded and, in the end, they stoned Naboth and he died. Jezebel will answer to God for doing such wicked and evil things!
• In time, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and had died, she went to King Ahab and told him to get up quickly and take Naboth's vineyard for his own because Naboth was dead. King Ahab did as his wicked wife, Jezebel, told him.
• But...on his way guess who King Ahab met? That's right! Elijah, the prophet of God. Elijah was not afraid of Ahab because Elijah told Ahab that God said that he had done wickedness in the sight of God. God said that He was going to treat Ahab just like Jeroboam and Ahab would die and all of his family would die just like they had died. Elijah said that God said that the dogs would lick up Jezebel's blood as a terrible consequence of her sin.  Elijah said that there was no one like Ahab who had done such wickedness and Ahab would surely pay for his sin. 
• Now, Ahab did something very surprising! Ahab had done many wicked things in his life, but the things that Elijah said made Ahab reacted differently than a person would think! Ahab tore his clothes, put sackcloth on, did not eat any food, and the Bible says he went around softly. God knew Ahab's heart and told Elijah that because Ahab had humbled himself before God that God would not bring the evil in Ahab's days, but He would wait until Ahab's son's days to bring upon the evil to Ahab's house. God was being compassionate to King Ahab because Ahab had humbled himself before God. God knows our hearts, doesn't He?
• We can learn from this story that God knows everything, doesn't He? God knows it all. He knows what we do when no one is around and we think we are all alone. We always need to do good. Always.

"Older Student" Tips:

• In the times of the kings, they sealed their letters with hot wax and usually the king's ring or something that was of the king's would be pressed in the soft wax. That way whomever received the letter would know that the letter had been sent by the king and that it had not been tampered with. That is why Jezebel sealed the letters she had written with King Ahab's seal. She meant to deceive the elders and nobles of the city and she succeeded. 

ACTIVITY:   "Jezebel Pretends To Be Ahab And Writes A Letter."
Materials needed:  4" x 12" strip of white construction paper, crayon, sticker.

1. Hand out paper to students.
2. Fold the paper into thirds.
3. On the inside of the paper, write "This letter is from the king. Proclaim a fast and set Naboth up on high. Get two men to tell lies about Naboth, then stone him until he dies."
4. Sign the letter "King Ahab."
5. Fold letter back up.
6. Place a sticker on the letter, so the letter does not open.
7. Write "Ahab's Seal" above and below the sticker.
   
8. One the front side of the letter, write "To the elders and the important men."
   

Lesson - Elisha Takes Elijah's Place

VERSES:   1 Kings 19: 19-21

MEMORY VERSE:   1 Kings 19:19   "...and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle on him."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Jeremiah.  Write "Jeremiah" on small slips of paper and hand out at the end of class, so the students can memorize the next book of the Bible.

PRAYER:   Pray that we are ready for every opportunity that comes our way to speak to someone about the Bible.

SPECIAL SONG:   Elijah (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   A picture of a mantle and a yoke of oxen. Draw a picture on the whiteboard or chalkboard of Elisha plowing in a field, Elijah passing by as he threw his mantle onto Elisha.

LESSON POINTS:   (Since this is a short lesson, perhaps the Bible teacher can review all of the Books of the Bible that the students have learned so far or sing the many songs that the students have learned in Bible class.)

• After God had told Elijah to anoint Elisha to be the prophet who would take his place, Elijah went to find Elisha. Do you know what Elisha was doing when Elijah saw him? He was working and working hard! Elisha was out in the field plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. God always calls busy people and Elisha was busy! As Elijah passed by, he threw his mantle or cloak on Elisha and Elisha knew what that meant!
• That was Elisha's call from God to become a prophet just like Elijah. Many prophets left their homes and families to face the danger of angry kings and queens with always the thought in their minds of being killed by the truth that they spoke. 
• Elisha was ready to follow Elijah, but first he wanted to say goodbye to his family. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah and asked him if he could kiss his mother and father before he left home and followed Elijah. Elijah told Elisha to go back home if he wanted to say goodbye. So Elisha went home, made a feast for everyone, then he got up, and went to follow and help Elijah. 

"Older Student" Tips:

• It was a great honor to follow in Elijah's footsteps and Elisha realized that fact when Elijah threw his mantle on him. There was going to be danger and hard times ahead, but Elisha accepted the job with enthusiasm. What would we have done?
• Definition of 'yoke' - a device made of wood that joins two like animals together when they are working as a team, i.e. a yoke of oxen.
• Definition of 'mantle' -  a loose, sleeveless cloak or shawl.

ACTIVITY:   Elijah's Mantle
Materials needed:   24" x 36" piece of light-colored fleece or a towel or material (any color), marker. (If there are a great number of students and very little money, you might want to think about paper or second-hand materials.)

• In advance, purchase or find long strips of material, one for each student.
• Hand out material.
• There is no cutting or coloring for this project other than the lettering and the initial cutting of the fabric into strips.
• Write "Elijah's Mantle" and "1 Kings 19" in the very middle of one side of the fabric.
• Students wrap cloth around their shoulders as Elijah might have done with his mantle.
• This is a simple lesson, but that the students will it remember for a long time. Seems like the easy lessons are harder to forget!

Lesson - Elijah - The Only One Left?

VERSES:   1 Kings 19:1-18

MEMORY VERSE:   1 Kings 19:14.  "...and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life..."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Isaiah.  Write "Isaiah" on small slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class, so they are able to memorize one more book of the Old Testament.

PRAYER:   Pray that we will all be strong believers in the LORD, knowing how much He does for the one who love Him and belong to Him.

SPECIAL SONG:  Elijah (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   A picture of a juniper tree. A map, showing Mount Carmel, Beersheeba, Mount Horeb, and Damascus. Divide the whiteboard into four sections like the last page of the activity (see Activity below and picture above).

LESSON POINTS:

• When bad things happen in the world, there may be times in our lives where we may think that we are the only ones who are worshiping God.  That is what Elijah thought, too. 
• When wicked King Ahab told his wicked wife, Jezebel, what had happened on Mount Carmel, Jezebel was very angry at Elijah. She didn't like it one bit that the LORD God answered Elijah's prayer and sent fire from heaven and burnt up not only the offering , but the wood and the stones and the water and even the dust, proving that the LORD God was the Only God. She should have been angry with her idol, Baal, because the stone statue had not answered her 450 prophets of Baal, but she was angry with Elijah instead! She sent a messenger to Elijah who said what Jezebel was going to do to Elijah what had been done to the prophets of Baal. What was that? What had happened to the prophets of Baal? They had been killed! Jezebel was going to kill Elijah! When Elijah heard that, he ran for his life! He went to a city called Beersheba and dropped off his servant there, but he went by himself out into the wilderness and sat down under a juniper tree.  He was very sad. He asked God to take away his life and he went to sleep under the tree.
• While Elijah was sleeping, an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." When Elijah saw that there was a cake cooking on coals and a container of water close by, he ate the bread and drank the water and laid down back again.
• The angel again touched him a second time and said, "Get up and eat because you are going on a long journey." So Elijah got up and ate the bread and drank the water and the Bible says that the food and drink Elijah ate and drank gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb. Mount Horeb was also called the mountain of God.
• While at the mountain, Elijah found a cave and spent the night there. God spoke to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  Elijah talked to God and told him all about the Israelites forsaking God, how they tore down the altars of the LORD, and killed the LORD's prophets with the sword and how they were trying to kill him, too.
• God told Elijah to go out and stand outside on the mountain because the LORD was going to pass by. So as Elijah stood outside his cave, the LORD passed by and there was a terribly strong wind that broke the rocks apart, but the LORD was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. Then, there was a small, still voice. When Elijah heard the small, still voice, he wrapped his coat around his face and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then the voice asked Elijah, "What are doing here, Elijah?" Elijah again told all the terrible things that the Israelites had been doing and then he said, "And I am the only one left and they are trying to kill me, too."
• The LORD told Elijah to go back by the way of Damascus and anoint three people. He was to anoint Hazael king over Syria, Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha to take over for Elijah. Those that escaped the sword of Hazael Jehu would kill, and those that escaped Jehu Elisha would  kill. Then the LORD said something very surprising to Elijah. The LORD said that there were still 7,000 in Israel that had not bowed and worshiped Baal! 
• Sometimes, we think that we are the only ones who are worshiping God, but just like in Elijah's time, there are others that we do not know about. We must just keep obeying God, no matter if there is 7,000 or just one. We must obey God!

"Older Student" Tips:

• Just like Moses hid his face when God spoke to him from the burning bush and he was afraid to look at God, Elijah hid his face as well, as a sign perhaps of respect.
• God is so smart and knows everything! He told Elijah to go back by way of Damascus because He knew that Jezebel would not find him by going that way. 
• We must always remember that we are never alone; God is always with us.

ACTIVITY:   The Small, Still Voice
Materials needed:  9" x 12" white paper, crayons.

1. Hand out paper.
2. Fold paper in half.
3. Fold paper in half again.
4. On the outside of the paper, completely folded, write " Elijah stood on Mt. Horeb and..." and "1 Kings 19."
5. Open up the paper once and write "The LORD passed by, but..."
6. Open the paper to full size and draw a line on the folded places.
7. In the first box, write "The LORD was not in the wind."
8. Draw the wind blowing in Box #1.
9. In the second box, write "The LORD was not in the earthquake."
10. Draw a picture of an earthquake in the Box #2.
11. In the third box, write "The LORD was not in the fire."
12. Draw a picture of a fire.
13. In the last box, write "The LORD was in the small, still voice."
14. Write "What are you doing here, Elijah?" in a speech bubble in Box #4.
15. Fold paper up to take home.

Words Of Encouragement Along The Way #10 - You Can Feel Good About That!

After many months of teaching Bible class, you now have experience! You have an idea how long it will take to teach the lesson itself, how many songs to sing, how much time to allot for the take-home project, and how long it will take for the students to get the 'wiggles' out! 

While we know that Bible teaching is not always about our own feelings, but more about what pleases God, is there something in which we can be proud, something that may be different now than it was when we first began teaching the Bible to children? What can you feel good about as you look back on your Bible-teaching 'career?'

• You have taught your students the Books of the Bible! Think back to that first Bible lesson. How many Old Testament books did the majority of your class know by heart? How many do they know now? You can feel good about that!
• Perhaps you have heard your Bible students spontaneously singing a Bible song as they completed the art project. Did you teach them that song? Did you write that song? You can feel good about that!
• Do you have a student who had never darkened the door of a Bible class before they came to your Bible class? Did they continue to come? You can feel good about that!
• Maybe you have very young students and everything they know about God and the Bible is what you have taught them. Do they know the answers to simple, foundation questions? You can feel good about that!
• Or perhaps you have older students who never knew even one memory verse before being required to learn one in your Bible class. How many can they quote now? You can feel good about that!
• Do you teach multiple age groups in your Bible class? What a difficult, time-consuming job it can be creating age-appropriate material for each age group! Are they learning?You can feel good about that!
• Now you look at children through different eyes. You see their potential and the possibilities of their spiritual growth if you only had the opportunity of teaching them the Bible. You have acquired the eye of a Bible teacher! You can feel good about that!
• Remember back to that first day with your students. Remember how they were nervous and anxious about a new teacher. They did not know you well. How do they feel about you now? Do they look forward to Bible class? Do they participate in class? Are they happy to be right where they are--learning the wonderful stories of the Bible? You can feel good about that!
• Have you, personally, developed good study habits since you have begun teaching a Bible class? Have you grown in your own personal Bible study, preparing to teach others? Do you know more Bible lessons and verses than you have in your entire life? You can feel good about that!
• Can you say that God is pleased with your efforts? Could He say that you are walking in the steps of his faithful servant, Moses or David or Elijah? Is your heart where it should be? Are you doing your best? You can feel good about that!

There are many, many blessings in teaching God's Word! We need to look for the good in this life and pursue every opportunity that comes our way to teach His ways to others. Keep on keeping on! (John 8:31, 32).

Extra Helps #7 - To Laminate Or Not To Laminate?

To laminate or not to laminate, that is the question.  We all have those special projects, pictures, and children's art work where we wonder whether we should laminate them or not. This is also true with Bible lesson material, whether it is a visual aid, a TV scroll (see February - Visual Aid #1 on this blog), or completed students' attendance charts. 

Because lamination can be expensive (some stores charge $1.00 a linear foot), you might consider some of the thoughts below before heading to the school supply store or print shop.

Here are some pros and cons of laminating your Bible maps, 9' 9" picture of Goliath,and, of course, that one beautiful picture of a camel that finally came out right! May these suggestions serve only as a guide to help. Ask these questions to answer the ultimate question: Should I laminate or not?

ADVANTAGES OF LAMINATING:

1. Do you want to keep this item forever? 
2. Do you want your item to have a polished and professional look?
3. Do you feel like you need to protect your item from moisture of any kind?
4. Do you want to improve the overall appearance of your item?
5. Do you want to make the colors in your item richer, deeper, or brighter?
6. Do you ever want to reuse this item?

If you have answered, "Yes!" to any of the questions above, then lamination may be just what you are looking for!

DISADVANTAGES OF LAMINATING:

1. Will you only be using your item for a short period of time?
2. Can your item be easily replaced?
3. Will you be tossing your item in the trash at some point?
4. Will laminating your item change the thickness of your item, so that it will not be able to be used in the same way again?
5. Will laminating your item devaluate your item?
6. Will it not make any difference at all if this item is laminated a month from now?

If you answered, "Yes!" to any of the questions above, then lamination may not be what you are looking for!

Hope this has helped in some way.

Lesson - Elijah At Mount Carmel

VERSES:   1 Kings 18:1-40

MEMORY VERSE:   1 Kings 18:39   "...The Lord, He is the God,; the LORD, He is the God."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Review the 22 books of the Old Testament until you are confident that your Bible Students have memorized the books well.

PRAYER:   Pray for rain.

SPECIAL SONG:   Elijah (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   TV Box #1 (see February - Visual Aid #1 on this blog). This a great visual lesson with great drama. By using the TV Box, you can prepare the pictures in advance, tell the lesson more quickly, without leaving out any of the amazing details, and you  can tell it with 'drama' in your voice. It only takes preparation for a good lesson and your students will remember this one for their entire lives. 

LESSON POINTS:  (Notice that this is a longer lesson than some of our other lessons.)

• At the time of our lesson today, Samaria is going through a severe famine. Do we remember what a famine is? Yes, it is a time that there is no food. Do we remember why there might not be any food in Samaria? That's right! God told Elijah to tell the most wicked king of Israel, King Ahab, that it was not going to rain for a long time, so that meant there was no rain for the crops or the cattle. It was a long, dry time because we know when God says something, it is Truth.
• King Ahab had a good servant named Obadiah who loved the LORD God. He had done good things for the LORD. One time when Jezebel, who was King Ahab's wicked wife, was doing great harm to God's prophets, Obadiah, at great risk to his own life, went and hid 100 of God's prophets in caves and fed them with bread and water. 
• King Ahab told Obadiah that they would go out and look for water, so the horses and mules would not die. They divided the lmand between the two of them. Obadiah went one way to look for water and King Ahab went the other. As they are looking for water, Obadiah met Elijah. Elijah told Obadiah to tell King Ahab that he was there to meet with him. After much discussion, Obadiah did as Elijah had asked him to do.
• When Ahab saw Elijah, he asked him, "Are you the one who is troubling Israel?" Elijah told him that Ahab was the one to blame for all of their trouble because of Ahab and his father's wickedness. Elijah said that Ahab had forgotten the LORD God and was following Baal. Elijah told Ahab to send for all the children of Israel, the 450 prophets of Baal that ate at Jezebel's table, and the 400 prophets of the groves and they would all meet at Mount Carmel. 
• The first thing Elijah said to the children of Israel was, "How long are you going to stand between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow Him; if Baal be god, follow him." Do you know what the people said? Nothing. No one said one word! 
• Elijah told the people that he was the only prophet of the LORD, but Baal had 450 prophets. So, then Elijah told them why they were there. They had two bullocks that they would sacrifice. He would take one and Baal's prophets would take the other one. They each would kill one bullock and fix it up and lay it on the wood, but they would put NO fire under it. Then the prophets would call to Baal and Elijah would call to the LORD God and the God that answered with fire, then He would be the true God. The prophets of Baal thought that was a great idea.
• So, the prophets of Baal took their bullock and did just as Elijah said. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, but there was answer from Baal. At noon Elijah mocked them and said that maybe Baal was sleeping or maybe he had gone on vacation. That made the prophets cry out even louder, then they started cutting themselves like their habit was which was a terrible thing to do. Soon, they carried on until the evening, and, still, there was answer from Baal.
• Finally, Elijah told the people to come close and they did. He repaired the altar of the LORD that the prophets had broken down. He took twelves stones, one for every tribe of Israel and built the altar in the name of the LORD. Then he did something odd. He made a deep trench all around the altar. He put the wood in order, put the pieces of the bullock on the wood , then he said to fill four barrels with water and to pour the water all over the sacrifice and the wood. Then he said to do it again!! Four more barrels of water! Then he said to do it again! Another four more barrels of water poured all over the sacrifice and wood. How many barrels all together? 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 barrels of water! There was so much water that the water filled up the trench all around the altar! 
• Maybe we should talk about water and fire and wood. Does fire burn wood that has water on it? Why do firemen put water on burning houses? That's right! To put the fire out! Let's find out what Elijah is going to do with all that water and wood.
• At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah got close and prayed to the LORD God to let it be known that day that the LORD God was the God in Israel and that Elijah was His servant and that Elijah had done everything that day like God had instructed him. He asked God to hear him, so that the people would KNOW that He was the LORD God and that they may turn their hearts to Him.
• And then do you know what happened????  Fire from the LORD came from heaven, burnt up all the sacrifice, burnt all of the wood, burnt up all the stones, burnt up all the dust, burnt up all the water that was in the trench!!! It was amazing!
• And what did the people do? When they saw what happened, they fell on their faces and worshiped who? Baal? NO!! They worshiped the LORD God and found their voices and said, "The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, He is the God!"  Then they rounded up all those prophets of Baal down to the brook Kishon and Elijah killed them there.
• The great lesson in this true story is that the LORD God is God over all heaven and over all of the earth. It didn't take God all day to answer a prayer. He wasn't sleeping or didn't go on a trip. He answered Elijah's prayer instantly and completely! He didn't simply burn up the sacrifice, but he burned up everything--the sacrifice, stones, wood, water, even the dust! How powerful God is!!

"Older Student" Tips:

• Elijah exaggerated the sacrifice, didn't he? He wanted to make certain that no one could say "that it just happened" or maybe that it had been a trick. With twelve barrels of water, EVERYONE knew that the LORD was God. There was no room for doubt in this lesson.

ACTIVITY:   Elijah On Mt. Carmel
Materials needed:   12" x 18" white piece of white construction paper, 12 barrel-shaped brown pieces of brown paper, 12 rounded rock-shaped pieces of gray paper, red scraps of paper, long scraps of brown paper, crayons, markers, scissors, glue.

1. Because this is a rather lengthy lesson with much to tell, the Bible teacher may want to have barrels and stones pre-cut before the students come to class.
2. Hand out white paper.
3. Make two brown curved brown lines on each of the twelve barrels.
4. Glue barrels around three sides of white paper.
5. Number the twelve barrels with a dark crayon..
6. Glue three rows of four rocks tp make altar, leaving room for blue trench. (see picture)
7. Glue six pieces of brown strips of paper on top of altar. This is the wood.
8. Cut 6 or 7 pieces of red paper scraps. 
9. Glue red paper on top of wood.
10. Draw blue water around the bottom of the altar. (see picture)
11. Write "Elijah On Mount Carmel" and "1 Kings 18" at the top of the white paper.
12. Write " v. 37 'Hear me, O LORD, hear me that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. The the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench." on the white paper.
13. Underline in red all the of the things that were burned up from the fire of the LORD. (see picture)