VERSES: 1 Kings 17:8-24
MEMORY VERSE: 1 Kings 17:23 "...and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Review all 22 books of the Old Testament that we have been memorizing.
PRAYER: Pray that we are kind to everyone, but especially to those of the household of faith. Thank God for all the food that we have to eat.
SPECIAL SONG: Elijah (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class on this blog)
VISUAL AID: Oil and a little corn meal in two little bowls. Explain how the woman made a little cake with these two ingredients. Draw a line down the middle of the chalkboard or whiteboard. On one side draw picture much like the picture above. On the other side of the line, draw a picture that resembles the picture below.
LESSON POINTS:
- We remember how Elijah had told Ahab God's message about it not raining for a certain amount of time, then Elijah stayed by the brook Cherith. There, God sent ravens to feed Elijah bread and meat, but the brook had dried up because there had been no rain. God told Elijah to go to the city of Zarephath and stay there. God had already commanded a widow who lived there to give him food.
- So Elijah went to the city and met a widow woman whose husband had died who was gathering sticks. He called to her and asked for a drink of water. As she was leaving to get him a drink, Elijah called to her, "Bring me, please, a small piece of bread." The woman spoke to Elijah and said, "I am so sorry but I do not have any bread. All I have is a small amount of meal in a barrel and a little oil. Right now I am gathering sticks, so that I can cook the meal and oil into a little cake for my son and I, and they we will die." That was all the food they had!
- Elijah asked her to make his cake first and bring it to him, then to go and make a cake for her and her son. Then he gave her good news! Elijah said that God had said that her barrel of meal would not empty and her oil would not fail until the LORD sent rain again on the earth.
- The woman believed Elijah and went and did as he had asked. What God said to Elijah came true! Elijah, the widow, and all of her household ate for many, many days from the barrel and from the container of oil. What God says is always true.
- A little while later, the widow's son got sick and died. She asked Elijah to help in some way. He told her to give him her son. He took him out of her house and carried him up into the loft where he had been staying and laid him on his bed. Elijah then cried to the LORD and asked God why He had sent him to the widow's house where he was staying only to kill her son. Then, Elijah stretched himself over the child three times. The LORD heard Elijah's voice and the the child started breathing again! Her son had revived and was living. Elijah brought the child to the widow's house again and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, "See, your son lives." The woman said, "By this, I know you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD that is in your mouth is truth."
- A very happy ending for a poor woman who had lost her husband, had very little food, and had almost lost her son! Elijah had raised her son to life again!
- A loft is a room or a space directly under the roof of a house which can be used to store tings or someone can live there. That is where Elijah had been staying.
- Only God could have raised a boy to life like He did in this story. Every time a miracle like this happened, there was a reason God did it. Here, we find the reason in 1 Kings 17:24 when the widow says, "By this, I know you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD that is in your mouth is truth." The miracle of bringing the boy back to life confirmed or proved that Elijah was from God. God had sent him. The people did not have a Bible back them and needed to have proof that what was being said or done was from God. Today, we don't need miracles like they did in the Old Testament times or times before the Bible was written because we have the Bible which proves what God says is Truth. All we have to do is read it!
Materials needed: 9"x 12" tan construction paper, 2" x 9" piece of green construction paper, 4" x 5" blue construction paper, 3" x 4" yellow construction paper, scraps of white, brown and dark brown, scissors, glue, markers or crayons, stapler, staples.
- Hand out tan construction paper.
- Fold tan paper in half, lengthwise.
- Fold down one side to meet the bottom edge of the paper. This should make a narrow 'pocket' for the bed.
- Staple folded paper in place, once on each end. (see picture)
- Hand out green paper.
- Glue green paper to folded top of folded edge of tan paper (at top edge of 'pocket.')
- From scraps, cut a little white pillow.
- Glue pillow in place.
- Hand out yellow paper.
- Fold yellow paper in half lengthwise.
- From scraps, cut out a circle for boy's head and two feet.
- This is tricky...glue head INSIDE yellow paper at top.
- Glue feet INSIDE yellow paper at bottom.
- Glue yellow paper shut.
- Color or cut dark brown paper to make hair on both sides of head.
- Draw arm and hand on both sides of yellow paper.
- Add eye and mouth on each side. (One eye should be closed on one side and open on the other.) This is the boy.
- Write 'boy' on both sides of yellow clothes.
- Hand out blue paper.
- Fold blue paper in half, lengthwise.
- From scraps, cut out a circle for Elijah's head and two feet.
- This is tricky...glue head INSIDE blue paper at top.
- Glue blue paper shut.
- Color beard and hair on both sides of Elijah.
- Draw arm and hand on each side of blue paper.
- Add eye and mouth on each side.
- Write "Elijah" on both sides of blue clothes.
- Write "Elijah raises a boy to life" and "1 Kings 17:8-24" at the top middle of the tan paper. (see picture)
- Retell story before leaving class, so students can retell the story to their parents.
- As students leave class, slip both characters into 'pocket.'
