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Elisha and Shunammite Woman (Sunday School Lesson)

Kelly Henderson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:32:59 +0000

This lesson is based on the story where a Shunammite woman provides a room for Elisha to stay. God rewards her kindness by giving her a son. The son dies and God raises him through Elisha. The lesson is prepared for upper elementary age students and can be modified for younger students or used for Children’s Church. Be sure to check out the additional resources linked at the end of this lesson plan.

Target Age: 3^rd-5^th Grade

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:8-37

Learning Objective(s): Students will learn . . .

That showing kindness is something every believer should do. (Romans 12:13, Galatians 5:13, Galatians 6:10, 1 Peter 4:9)
That God rewards those who serve others.
God can bring good out of our difficulties.

Memory Verse: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

Learning Activities: At the end of the lesson there are additional resources for you to personalize activities for your class.

For the memory verse activity you could play charades. Have slips of paper with different activities that show love and place them in a lunch bag. Have students draw a slip of paper and act out what it says. (An example for students: Make bed. After the students guess the action the teacher can include that this act of kindness of keeping their rooms picked up would help their parents if unexpected guests needed a place to stay.)

Elisha and Shunammite Woman Bible Story Lesson

Have a map to show students where Shunem is located.
Have Memory Verse written on the board or a large piece of paper so students can see it. Before beginning the Bible lesson read the verse together a couple of times.

The following is an example of how I would teach the story to my class. Be sure to prepare yourself to tell the Bible story in your own words in a way that will connect with your class. If possible, memorize the key points of your lesson and only use your open Bible for reference.

Today in our story from the Bible we will see an example of people who love God and the proof of their love is seen through their actions.

Let’s turn in our Bibles to 2 Kings 4:8-37. (Make sure each student has a Bible and guide them to the passage of Scripture in 2 Kings 4. It is important for each student to have their Bibles open so they can follow along with you as you tell the story and point out verses for them to volunteer to read.)

How do you know if someone really loves you? Usually people will say that they love you. We know that people really love us by the way they act. If they are saying with their mouth that they love us but with their actions they are being unkind we don’t really feel that loved.

God loves us. He tells us that He loves us in His Word. God has not only told us in His Word that He loves us but He has shown us His great love for us by allowing His Son to die for all of our sins. God backed up His Words with action.

If we believe in Jesus we have received the greatest love the world has ever known. As Christians we have a great gift to share with others around us. We cannot just tell people that God loves them. People need to see God’s love through our actions. If our actions don’t back up our words people won’t know how much God truly loves them.

Our story today is a great example of how love is backed up with action.

In a small village called Shunem lived a woman. (Show the location of Shunem on a map.) She was well known in this small village. Maybe she was well known by some because she and her husband were very rich. Maybe she was well known because she made important decisions in the village. What makes her special and well known to us today is that she was remembered by God and recorded in God’s eternal word for many people to hear about her story. This woman’s importance to God was more than how much money she had or whether she made important decisions in her village. How she lived her life and showed her love for Him was very important. How she used what God had given her on this earth and how she treated others was of great importance to God.

Elisha the prophet of God lived during the time that this Shunammite woman lived. He would travel the dusty roads going from village to village doing the work of God.

One day as Elisha passed through the village of Shunem the Shunammite woman had prepared a meal for her and her husband to eat. When she caught a glimpse of Elisha walking through town she greeted him and invited him to her house for dinner. Elisha was a humble servant of God and did not want to be any extra trouble to this woman so he may have said, “That’s so very kind of you, but I don’t want to be of any trouble to you and your husband.” The woman urged Elisha and said, “Please come, we have plenty to eat and we would love to have you in our home to rest from the heat of the day.”

Elisha accepted the Shunammite’s invitation and joined her and her husband for a delicious meal. They must have spent time visiting and learning about the different things that God had been doing through Elisha as he travelled from town to town.

The kindness of the Shunammite woman by opening her home to Elisha was a gift from God to him. The Shunammite woman and her husband received a gift too. As they visited with this man of God in their home they heard of the work God was doing in the surrounding towns and villages.

Elisha would say good bye and thank the woman for inviting him over for dinner. He would leave their home and continue to travel to share God’s message.

Each time Elisha was in Shunem he stopped in and visited the Shunammite woman and her husband and ate dinner with them. Elisha’s time spent with this family grew into a deep friendship with them.

The Shunammite woman loved to have Elisha visit and it must have been sad to see him leave when it was time for him to go. She must have thought about what his life was like as God’s prophet. As he traveled he didn’t have places to stay unless someone offered him to stay with them. Otherwise Elisha spent the night sleeping on the ground beneath the starry sky. While pondering what Elisha’s travels might have been like the woman had an idea. Before she would make any decisions she took her idea to her husband. He was the leader of her home and she wanted to check with him to make sure what she wanted to do was something he would approve of.

Perhaps, one night as they sat eating dinner alone she looked across the table and said to her husband, “I know that Elisha is a holy man of God. God has given Elisha power to do great things in the towns and villages he visits. We have heard of those great things each time he visits. I have been thinking that we could build a room on the roof of our house so that not only can Elisha eat dinner with us when he is traveling through Shunem but he can also have a place to stay. This would his room with a bed, table, chair and lamp so that he can have a place to study God’s Word and rest comfortably.”

The Shunammite’s husband agreed that they should do that. They called for some workers to come to their house and to build a comfortable room for the man of God.

As Elisha traveled he brought along a helper with him. His helper’s name was Gehazi. As Elisha travelled from town to town Gehazi went with him to help him with whatever he might need.

Imagine Elisha’s surprise the next time he travels through Shunem. He already knows that he will enjoy a sweet time of visiting while he eats a delicious meal with the Shunammite woman and her husband.

As Elisha arrives at the Shunammite’s house he notices something is different. On the top of their already beautiful home is a newly constructed room.

As Elisha entered their house they had smiles of joy as they told him to follow them back outside. They could hardly wait to show Elisha what their surprise was. Outside they took him up a set of stairs and opened the door to the new room on the roof. They stepped back and told Elisha to go in. As he walked through the door he saw a room with a bed, table with a lamp and a chair. “This is for you Elisha. We want you to have your own quiet place to rest and study when you are in Shunem.”

Elisha turned to the couple and thanked them for their kindness to him. He never asked for such a nice place to stay and this kind family provided him a warm, dry place to stay while in Shunem.

The kindness of the Shunammite woman was such a gift to Elisha. Not every one Elisha met treated him with such kindness and generosity.

As Elisha sat in his room he looked over at Gehazi and said, “I would like to do something to repay this woman for her kindness. Could you go and ask the woman if there is anything she needs or if there is anything we can ask the king to do for her?” Gehazi went to the woman and asked her what Elisha could do for her. She said she didn’t need anything. She was content to live with her family in Shunem.

Gehazi returned to Elisha and said, “The woman is content and asked for nothing.”

“She has gone through so much trouble for me. There has to be something I can do to reward her for her kindness,” Elisha replied.

Gehazi thinks out loud, “Well, her husband is quite old and she has no children…”

“That’s it Gehazi! She has no children! If anything were to happen to her husband she would be left all alone and have no one to care for her. Call her here quickly!”

Gehazi brings the Shunammite woman to stand before Elisha. Elisha looked at this kind woman. This woman loved God deeply and it was evident by her generous spirit to him. Elisha knew that what he was about to say was from God Himself because as a man Elisha has no power to do such a thing. With the same excitement the woman and her husband must have had as his room was shown to Elisha, he said, “This time next year you will give birth to a son.”

The Shunammite’s mouth fell open. She gasped and furrowed her brow as she looked at this man of God. “No, please don’t lie to me! You are a man of God!”

This woman had been married for years and each year that her and her husband did not have a child they both came to accept with sadness that they would never have children. For a woman the sadness to know that she would never hold a child in her arms was not easy to accept. This Shunammite woman must have accepted a long time ago that it was not God’s plan for her to have a child. So when Elisha said that she was going to have a child this sounded too good to be true.

Elisha’s words were not made-up man’s words, they were God’s words and when God promises something it always happens.

Many years before it actually happened, God had promised He would send a Savior to the world. Hundreds of years passed and the Messiah had not come. One night in the little town of Bethlehem a little baby boy was born. God kept His promise and sent Jesus as the Savior of the world!

God always keeps His promises and just as Elisha had told the woman she had a baby boy the next year! God is so good! He rewards those who love Him and show His love to others.

This baby brought great joy to the woman and her husband. Whether they knew it or not they had been rewarded for their kindness to God’s prophet Elisha. Their son was a miracle and only God could have allowed them to give birth to this precious gift.

The couple enjoyed watching their little boy grow. As he got older he wanted so much to go with his father to the field where he worked. One day the father took his young son to go with him to the fields. He was not quite old enough to do grown-up work but he was thrilled to be with his father and to see all the men working. As the sun rose in the sky it got warmer and warmer. The little boy began to feel a little sick. His father looked over to check on his son and he saw the young boy with his hands on his head. He began to cry and say, “My head! My head”! The father asked one of his helpers to take him quickly to his mother. The servant picked the little boy up in his arms and moved quickly to the house.

The woman opened the door to see a worker from the field holding her son in his arms. She reached out and took him and went into the house. She sat in her chair rocking her baby boy in her arms.

Imagine what the Shunammite woman must have felt as she rocked her very sick child in her arms. Perhaps tears streamed down her face as she knew he was a gift from God. As she rocked him maybe she prayed to God asking Him to heal her son. Unfortunately at noontime her precious son died in her arms.

The woman was heartbroken. Her son that God had promised to give her was dead. How could this be happening? She carried her son up the stairs and into the room that she had built for Elisha. She went into his room and placed her son’s lifeless body on Elisha’s bed. She left the room and closed the door behind her.

This woman had shown her love for God by showing kindness to Elisha. She had been rewarded for her kindness by receiving a son. Now her son was dead. She was in a difficult situation. God loved and cared for this woman and would still take care of her in her difficulty.

The woman had faith in God and knew that she needed to get to Elisha for help. The woman called to her husband in the field and asked him to send her a servant with a donkey. She told him that she wanted to go to Elisha. He asked her if everything was ok and she said, “It is well.”

Her husband allowed her to go and she left with the servant and the donkey. She told the servant to hurry and not to slow down unless she said. Elisha was up on Mt. Carmel. He could see a rider in the distance approaching quickly on a donkey. As the rider came into focus, Elisha recognized the woman as the woman from Shunem. He turned to Gehazi and said, “Look! There is the woman from Shunem. Run to her and ask her how she and her family are doing.”

When Gehazi got to the woman she told him everything was fine. When she finally reached Elisha she got off her donkey and fell at his feet and held on to his feet. Gehazi came over to hear and tried to push her away from Elisha but Elisha stopped him. He said, “Something is wrong and the Lord hasn’t allowed me to know what it is.”

He looked at the woman to find out what she was so upset about. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. She said, “Didn’t I tell you not trick me about God giving me a son? The son you asked for is now dead!” (Verse 28)

Elisha must have felt so sad for this woman. He loved her and he had spent a lot of time with her in her home. He had spent many hours teaching her about God. He had spoken about how much God loved her. This woman had been so kind and shared her home with him. Now she was suffering because her son had died.

Elisha knew that he had spoken about God and His love. Now Elisha had an opportunity to really show God’s love. Elisha sent Gehazi on ahead to the boy to lay his staff on his face. The woman would not leave Elisha’s side and they headed back to her house together.

At the house Gehazi found the lifeless boy on Elisha’s bed. He did as Elisha had instructed him and the boy was still dead.

Gehazi met Elisha when he arrived and said, “The child has still not awakened.”

Elisha went by himself up to his room on the room and closed the door behind him. The sight of the lifeless boy must have been difficult to see. He knew that God loved this little boy and his mother. Elisha began to pray to God. He trusted that God could bring good out of this very difficult situation.

After praying, Elisha must have received God’s instructions on what to do. Elisha stretched himself out on the child, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes and his hands on the child’s hands. He could feel warmth returning to the boy’s lifeless body.

Elisha got up and paced around the room. Undoubtedly he was praying and asking God for wisdom in what to do. Then he returned and stretched out on the boy once again. This time the boy sneezed seven times! God had used Elisha to bring this boy back to life again!

Elisha called out to Gehazi and when Gehazi came to the door, Elisha sent him to bring the mother quickly. When the woman came to the room, imagine how thrilled she was to see her boy sitting up on the bed breathing and alive! She knelt down at Elisha, the prophet of God’s feet to show her thankfulness for what God had done. She then went over and picked up her son in her arms and carried him out of the room.

This family must have praised and worshiped God with great joy that day! God had shown His love and power by bringing their son back to life. They were glad they had a friend like Elisha, who not only told them about God and His love but he also showed them God’s love by caring for them and helping them in their difficulty.

Salvation Message:

You may not realize that everyday God is showing His love and kindness to you. Over 2,000 years ago Jesus, God’s promised Savior did not stay that small infant born in Bethlehem. He grew into a man who went from town to town teaching people about God’s Kingdom. He performed many miracles showing people that He was God’s Son. Jesus showed His great love for you and me by being nailed to a cross to be punished for my sins and your sins. Because He died we do not have to be punished for our sins by being separated from God forever. His death paid the price for your sins and mine. Jesus was placed in a grave and three days later God raised Him from the dead. Jesus is alive and is living in heaven with God the Father right now. He loves you and wants you to be able to live forever in heaven. He has shown His love and kindness by dying on the cross. Now it’s up to you what you do with this gift of kindness. Will you take God’s gift and accept by faith that Jesus died for your sins? If you have never received the Gift of eternal life today is the day you can!

Close in prayer.

Review Questions

How did the Shunammite woman and her husband show love for Elisha?
What were some things that were placed in Elisha’s room?
What was Elisha’s servant’s name?
When Gehazi asked the woman what Elisha could give her to show his appreciation, what did she ask for?
What promise did Elisha make for the woman?
When the boy went out to the field with his father what happened?
What did the woman do when her son died?
How did Elisha help the woman?
Who showed love in our story today?
How did Elisha show God’s love?
Why do you think it is important to show God’s love instead of just talking about it?
How have you been rewarded by God for showing kindness to others?
What are some things you are doing to show God’s love to others?

Additional Resources:

Need More Ideas? Check out some Bible coloring pages or find a craft for Sunday School.

Elisha Helps a Widow (Sunday School Lesson)

Kelly Henderson — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:58:02 +0000

This lesson follows in the series about the prophet Elijah. The story picks up where Elisha helps a widow who has no money to pay a debt her husband owed. This lesson was prepared for older elementary students in mind. The lesson can be adapted for younger student and can be used as a Children’s Church lesson. It would also work as a Sunday School lesson about Elisha and the widow. Please leave your feedback in the comment form at the bottom of this post. At the end of the lesson are additional resources to help you plan for the individual needs of your classroom.

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:1-7

Target Age: 3rd-5th Grade

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. this lesson plan

Learning Objective(s):

Students will learn that they can ask God for help in times of need because He is able to abundantly provide for our needs.
Whatever gift or talent students have is not insignificant for God to use in His Kingdom.
Students will learn that as believers God can use them to help others in their time of need.

Memory Verse:

Ephesians 3:20 NIV “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.

Music:
A hymn that could be used along with this lesson is Little Is Much when God is in it.

Elisha Helps a Widow Bible Lesson

(Before beginning the Bible Lesson provide Bibles for the students who do not have one so they can have an open Bible to the passage and can participate when asked to read verses from the passage.)

Activity to introduce lesson:

In a bag have items that would represent difficulties children may face. (Divorce (2 toy houses), death of a loved one (framed picture), death of a pet (stuffed animal), a friend moves away, moving away, sickness, loss of a friendship, unkind children, and not doing well in school are some examples.) As a student comes and draws something from the bag ask the following questions: How do those difficult situations make you feel? Who do you go to for help when you feel sad, angry, or all alone?

God is always available to help us when we are facing a difficult problem. He knows our deepest needs and gives us exactly what we need, unlike anyone on this earth can do.

Let’s open our Bibles to 2 Kings 4. This morning in our Bible lesson we are back in our study on Elisha (See Elijah rides chariot for review if needed). Last week in our lesson God gave Elisha a double portion of Elijah’s spirit when he was taken up in a chariot to heaven.

(Note for teacher: In researching for this lesson I came across sources that indicate that Obadiah may have been the prophet who died. (Here is one of the sources that I read: Josephus) Sometimes it helps draw interest in a story if a character has a name. It is important to emphasize if you choose to say that some believe the prophet may have been Obadiah make sure that you explain that the Bible doesn’t speak clearly on the matter. The students need to know that the Bible is our final authority and since it doesn’t say we don’t know for sure who the prophet in this passage is.

If you want to use Obadiah in the story you could start your lesson by saying, “If you have been studying the life of Elijah with us you may remember Obadiah. Obadiah was a man who worked in Ahab’s palace. He protected 100 of God’s prophets by hiding them in 2 caves and feeding them food and water. Some think the man who died from 2 Kings 2:1 is Obadiah. Since the Bible doesn’t clearly tell us what this man’s name is we can’t be sure. For our story this morning let’s call this man Obadiah.”

(If you choose not to use that method the following lesson doesn’t assume Obadiah as the prophet.)

When Elisha and Elijah ministered together before Elijah went to heaven, they trained a group of men in different places how to teach God’s Word to the people. It was kind of like Bible colleges of our day except it was groups of men who were prophets of that time. These men were called the sons of the prophets (NIV uses company of the prophets). Many of these men had families to take care of as well as learn how to teach God’s Word.

One day something very sad happened to one of these families. The father, one of the sons of the prophets died. He left behind a wife and two sons. They were very saddened by his death. After this man died there was a knock at the widow’s door. It was a man who was looking for money that her husband owed him. Her husband had an unpaid bill with this man. The man wanted his money now. “I am sorry sir, I have no money to pay you the money my husband owed” the widow may have said. “Well, ma’am since you don’t have the money to pay your husbands debts, the law says I can take your two sons as full payment for his debt. I will make them my slaves for the debt your husband didn’t pay.”

How do you think this widow felt at this news? Her husband had just died and now she was going to lose her only 2 sons. What could she do? She had no money and nothing to offer this man to pay the debt that was owed.

She knew that Elisha was God’s prophet. He could help her. When we have a need we should go to someone who believes and trusts in God for help. The widow went to Elisha and said, “Your servant, my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. Now that he is dead the man he owed money to is going to take my sons away to be his slaves!”

“How can I help you?” Elisha asked this sad widow. “What do you have in your home that you could sell to make money?”

“All I have is a jar of oil.”

Sometimes we may feel like this widow that what we have is something that is insignificant for God to use. (Examples: I can’t sing but I enjoy sharing with others what God is teaching me from His Word. I can’t play sports well but I do like to write notes and send them to people I know.) As we learn from this story today listen to how God used what the widow had to see that what we see as little or insignificant is much if God is involved.

(Note for teacher about the value of oil in Biblical times.

“Oil in Palestine, during Elisha’s time, was used both as a luxury and as a
necessity. The Egyptians were known to use oil extracted from vegetables and
animals. The most common type of oil was olive oil. The olives were sometimes beaten (Leviticus 24:2), sometimes trodden (Micah 6:15), but generally crushed in a mill designed for that purpose. Olive oil was used almost every day by everyone. It was expensive because it was time-consuming to make. One olive tree will yield about ten gallons of oil a year.

There were many purposes for the oil. It was used for lighting, medicinal
purposes, cooking, and even for cosmetics and soaps. In the tabernacle, pure
olive oil was used in the golden lampstand. Cuts and scrapes on animals and
humans would be rubbed with olive oil to help the healing process. Priests,
prophets, and the kings of Judah and Israel were anointed with the finest of olive oils. Queens would put it on their body.”

Elisha told the woman and her sons to go around to their neighbors and ask for as many empty jars as they could get. “When you get as many jars as you can, go into your house with your sons and close the door. Take the jar of oil that you have and begin to pour that oil into the empty jars that you have collected.”

The widow went home and did exactly what Elisha had instructed. She and her sons went knocking on their neighbors’ doors and asked them if they could borrow any empty jars that they had. When they had borrowed all the jars that they could find, the widow and her sons went inside and shut the door.

The widow picked up the small jar of oil that she had and began to carefully pour it into an empty jar that she had borrowed. Amazingly the jar filled with oil to the top. There was still oil left in the widow’s original jar. She went to the next empty jar and began filling it with oil. Again she was able to fill that jar with oil and still have oil in her original jar. Imagine how her sons felt as they were watching this miracle happen before their very own eyes! Their mother kept filling each and every empty pot that was in their house and she still had oil in her jar! She finally filled the last empty jar with oil.

The widow and her sons looked around at all the jars filled with oil that came from her one jar of oil. This was a miracle! God had provided in an amazing way! The widow ran to tell Elisha what had happened. He told her to go and sell her jars of oil and pay the debt her husband owed. With the money that would be left over she and her sons would be able to live on for a very long time.

It was a great day for the widow and her sons. They were faced with a very difficult situation and they had no way of getting out of their problem without God’s help.

All the widow owned was one jar of oil and God was able to use that oil and multiply it to meet the widow and her 2 sons’ needs. God takes whatever gift or talent you may have no matter how great or insignificant you may feel it is and use it in a great way to help others to know Him better.

As the widow went to the man to pay her husband’s debt I wonder if she shared how God provided so miraculously to give the needed money and also to have money to live on as well? As the widow and her sons returned the jars to their neighbors did they share God’s miraculous provision?

God went above and beyond what she or her sons could ever imagine! God was glorified through this widow’s difficulty. Everyone was able to see the miracle God performed by providing for this widow. When God helps you in your difficulties it’s important to share with others so they can see how much God loves and cares for His people.

The widow went to the right place to ask for help. She went to God’s servant and cried out for help. That’s true for us today. When we face difficulties in our lives we must cry out to God and ask Him for help. God may send us to a Christian we know who loves and obeys God so they can help us. God is waiting to answer and meet our every need.

If you are a Christian you are God’s servant. He can use you as He used Elisha to help someone who is in need. Will you pray that God will show you how you can help others in their time of need?

Salvation message:

Check this article out for the importance of sharing the gospel with each Bible lesson: Share the Gospel

This story reminds me that we have something in common with the widow in our story. She had a debt she had no money to pay. She was helpless and could do nothing to change her circumstances on her own.

We have a debt that we can never pay on our own. We all have sinned against God and the payment for our sins is death. We cannot do anything to buy our way to heaven. We can’t be nice enough, honest enough, obedient enough or go to church enough to buy our way to heaven. The only way we can pay for our sins is by believing in Jesus. He died and paid for all of our sins with His sinless sacrifice on the cross. God raised Him from the dead and by faith in Jesus we can have the debt of our sin cancelled. Jesus Christ paid a debt that we owed with His own life. Have you trusted Him as your Savior and had your sins forgiven so you can live for all eternity with God? If not today you can by accepting Jesus as your Savior. Please talk to one of us before you leave so we can show you from the Bible how you can be saved.

If you have been saved, whom do you go to when you have a need that cannot be met? When have you seen God take care of your needs? Did He give you even more than you could’ve imagined? Did you thank Him? Will you share this with others so they can see God’s care for you? Do you shared others how God has helped you in your life? Do you show your thankfulness to God for all He has done for you by looking for ways to help others who are going through difficult times?

Close in prayer.

Game Activity for Review: Take a manila folder and divide top flap into 6 equal parts. Cut out 6 jar shapes and color and paste them in the 6 places. Number the 6 jars. Cut to edge the top of the folder making a flap out of each of the numbered jars. On the inside of the folder divide into 6 equal parts. Find 3 unique pot pictures (2 each) or if you are artistic you can draw 3 different jars (2 each) and place them in random order on the inside 6 spaces. How the students will use this is when they answer a question correctly they can come to the front of the class and open two different flaps looking for matching jars. If they find matching jars then leave the flaps open. If the jars don’t match close the flaps and go to the next question. Play the memory game until all the jars have been matched.

Review Questions:
1. Who were the company of prophets/sons of the prophets?
2. What happened to one of the sons of the prophets?
3. Why did a man come to the widow’s house after her husband died?
4. Who did the widow go to for help?
5. What did Elisha instruct the widow to do?
6. What miracle took place at the widow’s house behind closed doors?
7. How did God provide above and beyond for this widow’s needs?
8. How is God honored or glorified when He meets our needs? (We see His power and thank Him, We grow in our faith and walk closer to Him, others see His provision and want to know Him better)

Closing Activity:

Here is a way you can show God that you are thankful for all He has done for you. You can begin by looking for ways to help others in need and remember this acrostic of HELP. Have HELP acrostic on the board and fill in as you discuss each letter.

(Helpless: Unable to help oneself; Lacking support or protection. The definition of helpless makes us realize that there are many people all around us that need help.)

H-Hands to serve someone in need.
(Let students act out ways they can use their hands to help someone in need.)

E-Ears to hear that someone needs help.
(Let students give examples of things they might learn about someone who has a need.)

L-Lips to speak encouragement to those in need.
(Let children share Scriptures that could encourage someone in need. If they aren’t familiar with such verses bring some prepared verses written on pieces of paper that they can look up and read.)

P-Pray for people in need.
(Close this activity for praying for specific people that you and the class know that are in need.)

Additional Resources:

Need More Help? Then try our other children’s Bible lessons or Kids Bible Trivia Questions.

Lesson: The Prophet Elijah Runs Away, Receives Encouragement and Rides Chariot to Heaven

Kelly Henderson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:09:34 +0000

This lesson is the 4th in the series of lessons on Elijah. This story includes Elijah running for his life, Elisha being called as Elijah’s successor and Elijah’s departure to heaven. It was written for upper elementary age children Sunday school class in mind. This lesson can be adapted to younger students or used in Children’s church as well. Additional resources for crafts and activities can be found at the end of the lesson.

Scripture: 1 Kings 19; 2 Kings 2:1-15

Learning Objectives:

Children will learn that God is faithful and can be trusted at all times.
They will learn that God has a purpose for his/her life and that He prepares them and empowers them with the power of the Holy Spirit to do His work.
They will learn to be faithful in the situations they are in until God tells them what to do next.

Memory Verse: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23 NIV

Activity for memory verse: Use a rope and have each of the students find a place to hold on to the rope. Explain that the rope is going to represent our hope in Jesus. As each student and teacher holds on to the rope share an example of a situation that may cause doubt or fear (storm, loss of a loved one, sickness). Be dramatic and act as though the situation is causing you to let go of the rope. Hang on to the rope as tightly as you can and say the verse as a group. Allow students to share circumstances that would cause them to need to cling to Jesus. For older students you can use this activity as a word picture of other believers holding up those who are struggling by hanging on to the rope and helping the student who is falling.

Pre-Bible Lesson Activity:
This activity could be used before starting today’s lesson. Take construction paper and write each of the following attributes of God on them (Strength, Protector, Provider, Powerful, and Faithful). On separate pieces of construction paper write the statements from Elijah’s life that match each of those attributes. Explain to the students what attributes are. Discuss briefly each of the attributes that you have chosen for this activity. Turn the papers face down on the ground/table and have students take turns turning the papers over trying to match the attribute of God and the statement that matches it. The student can help from his/her classmates in deciding if the statement matches the attribute.

Strength: Elijah stood before wicked King Ahab and Jezebel and with courage from God gave them the message that it would not rain for 3 ½ years.

Protector: Elijah was safe from harm when he was hidden by the Brook Cherith and while living in Zarephath with the widow and her son.
Provider: Elijah was fed by ravens by the Brook Cherith and ate bread from a supply of never-ending flour and oil while staying in Zarephath.
Powerful: 1. No rain for 3 ½ years fulfilling the message Elijah gave to Ahab and Jezebel. 2. Ravens to obeyed and brought food to Elijah. 3. A never-ending supply of oil and flour. 4. Fire from heaven burning up Elijah’s sacrifice, altar and all the water in the trench while Baal remained silent and didn’t answer. 5. Rain poured down on a dry and thirsty land as Elijah fervently prayed.
Faithful. God kept His Word to Elijah and did what He said He was going to do.

(Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and Your servant loves them. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.”
Psalm 119:140, 144)

Elijah Runs Away, Receives Encouragement and Rides Chariot to Heaven (Children’s Sunday School Lesson)

Have students open their Bibles to 1 Kings 19. Provide Bibles for students who don’t have one so they can follow along when verses are read from the passage.

As we have traveled with Elijah these past three weeks we know from reading God’s Word that the statements about God in the activity we just took part in are true. Sometimes we know in our heads that something is true and yet there are times that we seem to completely forget what we know is true. It’s kind of like a runner who has run the course so many times he knows it well enough that he could run it with his eyes closed. But one day as he is running he trips over a twig that is on the course and he falls down. Was it because the runner didn’t know how to run that he fell down? No. He had an unexpected obstacle and what he knew changed his course. He could choose to never run again because he tripped and fell or he could get up and be more careful as he runs to watch for obstacles on the course.

We could say that Elijah was on a course with God. God had proved Himself faithful and powerful to Elijah. He proved Himself to be Elijah’s strength, protection and provision. Elijah had no reason to believe that God would fail Him after what he had experienced in the past 3 ½ years of the drought.

Let’s take a peek and see what Elijah is doing in our story today. Let’s imagine we are watching a video of this story. In the clip I am about to show you we see a man running as fast as he can. All we can see his back and his feet hitting the dirt road as he runs faster and faster. As the camera zooms in we recognize the outfit the runner is wearing. It looks just like Elijah’s robe. The camera gives a glimpse of the man’s face. It is Elijah and he looks very afraid.

To find out why Elijah is running let’s turn in our Bibles and read 1 Kings 19:1. Now let’s return to our video and watch what is taking place at the palace.

“Ahab, you are soaked! You are dripping water all over my clean floors! Servants! Dry this man off immediately!”

“Jezebel, what do you think of the rain? Isn’t it a wonderful sight to hear and see?”

“I suppose, but there’s no need for you to come in here dripping like that!”

“Listen to what happened today. You won’t believe what happened on Mt. Carmel. It was amazing! Elijah came to me and told me to gather all the prophets of Baal and the people of Israel and meet him on Mt. Carmel. When we all gathered on top of the mountain Elijah had a contest.”

“What are you talking about Ahab? A contest? You know that for 3 ½ years I have had men searching high and low for Elijah to have him put to death and you are on Mt. Carmel playing silly games?”

“Sorry, dear I wasn’t thinking about that when Elijah told me to gather everyone on Mt. Carmel. Can I finish my story? You have to hear what happened!”

Jezebel rolls her eyes and folds her arms and begins to listen to the story that Ahab tells. He tells her how the prophets of Baal called upon Baal all day long to send fire and he never answered. “Jezebel, it was like Baal wasn’t paying any attention to the prophets’ cries to send fire on their sacrifice.” When it was Elijah’s turn he brought fire down and it burned up the sacrifice, altar and even the water he had poured over the sacrifice.”

My family doesn’t like watching TV with me because I speak out when something is wrong. As we are watching this scene what would you say about Ahab’s story to his wife? He said Elijah did this. Did Elijah bring fire down? NO! Ahab was leaving God out of this story. BOO Ahab!!! Let’s press play and watch some more.

“Everything seemed to happen so fast after the fire fell from the sky. What I saw next was Elijah calling for all the false prophets to be brought to him. The people brought every single false prophet before Elijah and he killed them.”

“Elijah did what? Are you telling me that you stood there as all of the prophets of my beloved Baal were slaughtered? I should never let you go anywhere without me!”

Jezebel orders a servant to come into the room and as he comes in she gives him a message to take immediately to Elijah. The servant writes the message on a scroll, rolls it up and tucks it in his robe. He leaves the palace and finds Elijah.

As the queen’s servant shows up he tells Elijah that he has a message from the queen. He takes out the scroll and says, “This is what her majesty says to you. Elijah, may my gods punish me severely if by tomorrow you are alive. I want you dead just as you killed the prophets of Baal.”

The camera zooms in on Elijah’s face and the color drains from his face. As soon as the queen’s servant leaves Elijah grabs his robe and gets out of town as fast as he can.

So now we know why Elijah is running. What is wrong with this scene? Didn’t we begin our lesson today talking about all the things God had done for Elijah? How did this ‘twig in the road’ Jezebel cause Elijah to trip and fall? This wicked woman seemingly caused Elijah to forget all that God had shown Him and he ran for his life. Did Elijah forget that Jezebel’s gods have no power to do anything?

From the Scriptures we don’t see anywhere that God told Elijah to run away. Even though Elijah seemed to forget God could take care of him God knew that Elijah was only a man. Listen to what Psalm 103:13-14 says. “As a father has compassion on His children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”

Elijah ran far away (at least 100 miles) to be safe from Jezebel. (If you have a map show the direction where Elijah ran.) He was so tired when he finally arrived in the desert. He found a tree and went to sleep. As he slept an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” Awakened from his sleep Elijah rubs his eyes and in the middle of the desert sees a little fire with a cake of bread being baked on it. Beside the fire was a pitcher of water.

God showed compassion to his servant and took care of Elijah. Elijah must have been very hungry and thirsty. He ate and drank and went back to sleep. Later the angel came to him and told him to get up and eat again because he would need strength for his journey.

Now Elijah was rested and his strength was renewed. He went on a journey for 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb (for older students ask what they know about this mountain.) Once he arrived in Mt. Horeb he went into a cave.

1 Kings 19:9-13 While Elijah was in the cave, God spoke to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah told him that he had been very zealous (devoted, diligent, and fervent) to stand up for God while Israel had turned to worship Baal and killed all of God’s prophets. Elijah thought he was the only one left and now Jezebel wanted to kill him too.

God called Elijah out of his cave. Elijah came and stood at the opening of the cave and the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake shook the earth, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire came but God was not in the fire. After these three powerful forces God spoke to Elijah in a still small voice. When Elijah heard God’s voice he pulled the hood of his robe called a cloak over his face.

God spoke to Elijah and encouraged him by telling him that he still had a plan for his life. God was in control of his life not Jezebel. He didn’t need to be afraid. God gave Elijah instructions for what he was to do and one of those instructions included going to a man named Elisha who would work with him and be a prophet just like him. God was giving Elijah a companion who would serve God with him. (Read 1 Kings 19:18 to see how many prophets the Lord had besides Elijah.)

After hearing God’s voice and being encouraged that he wasn’t the only one left who loved God and served him, Elijah set out to find Elisha and anoint him to be God’s prophet.

(If you need to break this story up into 2 sessions this would be a good stopping place.)

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:19-21; 2 Kings 2:1-15

When Elijah arrived at Elisha’s home, he him found busy working. He was plowing in his father’s field with 11 other men. Elisha was a farmer. As he was plowing the field Elijah came up beside him and threw his cloak upon his shoulders. (A cloak is an outer robe that is used as a coat.) Imagine what Elisha must have thought when Elijah the prophet came over to him as he worked and placed his cloak on his shoulders. This might seem like a strange custom to us. In those days what Elijah did meant God was calling Elisha to serve Him.

It is always exciting when God calls a person to serve Him. God has a purpose for each person He has created. ( Ephesians 2:10 ) God prepares men, women, boys and girls to serve Him. God had been preparing Elisha’s heart for this important day. Elisha was faithful in his life where God had placed him. He farmed and did his job well because that was the job God had given him at that time. Elisha was faithful to do this work until God told him what to do next. When the cloak was placed on his shoulders, he knew in his heart he was ready to serve God and follow Him. He immediately went to his family and said good-bye and followed Elijah to be God’s servant.

This story reminds me of some fishermen who were busy fixing their nets and when Jesus walked by and called them to follow Him and become fishers of men, they immediately left their nets and followed Him. Matthew 4:19

God has a job for each one of His children. Until we know exactly what He is asking us to do we need to be faithful and obedient in the place He has us. As children you can be faithful in the things you have to do in your life like being obedient to your parents, doing your chores, doing your school work and whatever else you have to do in your life. God is preparing your heart for a future work for Him and as you wait for Him to work out whatever that is, you need to be faithful in your daily walk with Him. It is important to pray and read your Bible every day so that you will be ready when Jesus says, “Come, follow Me”, you will be ready and know it is time.

How will you respond as you wait for God to show you what His work for you will be? When God calls you to a place of service for Him will you be ready? Will you be faithful in the place that you are in until He calls you?

Elisha obeyed the call to follow Elijah. Elijah and Elisha worked together in schools for God’s prophets. Today we would say these schools were like colleges for prophets. Together Elijah and Elisha trained many young men known as the sons of the prophets to serve God. As Elisha worked with Elijah God was preparing him to take over as His prophet when Elijah was taken to heaven. Elisha loved Elijah and tried to learn all he could about serving God from Elijah.

Elijah must have been excited when he knew the time was drawing close for him to go to heaven and live with God forever. The Lord sent Elijah to Bethel and Elijah told Elisha to stay behind so he could go on. Elisha wanted to stay close to Elijah. He loved him very much. When they got to Bethel they met young men from the school of the prophets. These young men knew that Elijah would be going to heaven soon. They said to Elisha, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take away your master away today?” Elisha said, “Yes I know, please be silent!” It must have been difficult for Elisha to talk about losing his friend and teacher.

Elijah went to Jericho and on to Jordan. Both times he went to leave he asked Elisha to stay behind but Elisha would not and was determined to say by Elijah’s side.

When Elijah and Elisha reached the Jordan River, Elijah took off his cloak and rolled it up. He struck the Jordan River with his cloak and the river divided so the two could walk through.

Elijah knew his time to be with God in heaven was really close. He turned to Elisha and asked, “What shall I do for you, before I am taken away?”

If you were Elisha what would you have asked for? Elisha is standing there realizing that this prophet of God who had courage to stand up against evil was now leaving him. He could have asked for lots of money so he could settle down and buy a nice house. He could have asked to be a famous prophet in all the land. He could have asked that he not have to face the danger and trouble that Elijah faced with Jezebel. Did Elisha ask for any of these things? Let’s look in 2 Kings 2:9. Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. This didn’t mean he wanted to be more powerful than Elijah. According to Jewish law a double portion was given to the firstborn son as an inheritance when the father died. The firstborn son had the honor of leading the family when his father died. Elisha was asking for the ability to inherit Elijah’s prophetic ministry and his ability to serve God after he died. Elisha wanted to do great things for God. He wanted God’s power to do a great work for Him. Elisha wanted to do his very best for God.

Elijah had no way of granting Elisha’s request. He knew that only God could give Elisha His spirit. Elijah said, “If you see me when I am taken away, you will receive your request.”

As the two men walked along together a chariot of fire and horses came between them. Elijah was taken into the chariot and whisked off in a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha must have been sad to know he wouldn’t be with his friend any more on this earth. He looked and saw Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him as he went off to heaven.

Elisha took Elijah’s cloak, rolled it up and went back to the Jordan River. He struck the river and just as it had before it divided and he was able to cross over. God had answered his request. He had been given God’s power through His Spirit.

The sons of the prophets in Jericho saw Elisha do this miracle and they knew that God had replaced Elijah with Elisha now that Elijah went to heaven.

God called, trained and equipped Elisha with His Spirit to be His prophet. In the coming weeks we will be learning stories of how God used Elisha to serve Him.

God prepares you and me to serve Him by teaching us His Word. God places parents, preachers and teachers in our lives to help us to understand God and His ways better. When we become His children, He places His Holy Spirit in our hearts and gives us the strength and power to serve Him. How will you allow His Spirit to teach and help you to serve Him better?

Close in prayer.

Review Questions:

Why did Elijah run for his life? (Jezebel threatened his life.)
How far away did Elijah run? (About 100 miles)
Why did Elijah ask God to take his life when he sat under the broom tree? (He was tired and had enough.)
Who woke Elijah up and told get up and eat? (An angel.)
How long was Elijah’s trip to Mt. Horeb? (40 days.)
Name three powerful things that Elijah saw as he stood on the mountain? (Wind, earthquake and fire.)
How did God speak to Elijah? (A still small voice.)
Who did God tell Elijah to call as a prophet? (Elisha)
How many prophets had not bowed their knee to worship Baal? (7,000)
What was Elisha doing when Elijah placed his cloak on his shoulders? (Plowing a field.)
What did Elisha ask for before Elijah left?
How did God take Elijah to heaven? (Chariot of fire and horses)
How did others know that Elisha had been given God’s Spirit? (He used Elijah’s cloak and struck the Jordan and crossed through it.)

Additional Resources for this Bible Story

Chariots of Fire Teacher’s Lesson
Mission Arlington: God Whispers
Mission Arlington: Elijah goes to heaven
Calvary Chapel Activites/Coloring pages:

Need More Help? Then explore our growing selection of free lesson plans for kids Sunday School. We also have a collection of games for Sunday School and kids Bible crafts.

Lesson: Elijah Versus The False Prophets On Mt. Carmel

Kelly Henderson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:08:34 +0000

This lesson plan is based on the Bible story where Elijah gathers the false prophets on Mt. Carmel to have a contest to prove that God is the True Living God. It is written for upper elementary age students yet it can be adapted for younger children or children’s church. At the end of the post there are additional resources to help you adapt to the needs of your class.

Scripture: 1 Kings 18

Target Age Group: School ages 3rd-5th

Memory Verse:

Isaiah 44:6 “This is what the LORD says-Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God.” NIV

Learning Objective(s):

Children will learn that by having the courage to live for God causes others to see what we believe.
Children will learn that there is only One, True God and He alone should be worshiped.
Children will learn that God hears and answers prayer.

Learning Activities:

Bible Lesson Review Game: (This idea came from CEF’s Elijah the Prophet of the Living God lesson series.) Make 12 large gray stones from construction paper and back pieces of flannel or flocked paper. Make one large flame from orange construction paper and put flannel or flocked paper on the back. Place six stones in each of two paper bags. Divide group into two teams. A name or symbol may be drawn on each bag to designate which team it belongs to (I chose The Ravens & The Kings for our class). Alternate review questions between the teams. As a child answers correctly he/she may pull a “stone” from his/her team’s bag and help to build an altar. The team that builds the altar first stands and recites verse together as they place the flame on the altar.

A memory verse activity (idea taken from Gospel Light) that can be used for this lesson is called Verse Web. Students stand or sit in a circle. Place the written verse on a sheet of paper in the center of the circle. One student says the first word of the verse and holds tightly to the end of the string and tosses the ball to another student. That student says another word and while holding the string tosses the yarn to another student. This continues until the verse is completed. (It’s important to set the limits ahead of time so that the ball of yarn isn’t across the room instead of in the students lap.)

A song that goes well with this lesson is Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus. (Stanzas 1 and 3)

The Contest on Mt. Carmel Bible Lesson

Introduction:
Standing up for Jesus means you obey God and do what He tells us to do in the Bible even when everyone around is not. Have you ever had to stand up for God? (Allow students to share a time when they took a stand for God.) It isn’t always easy to stand up for God but when you trust God and take a stand for Him, He gives you the strength and courage to do it. When you take a stand for Jesus everyone around you will see that you have faith in God.

In our story today we will see Elijah stand up for God. We have been learning about Elijah these past two Sundays. (See Elijah confronts Ahab and Elijah and Widow) We have seen Elijah boldly stand before wicked King Ahab and his wife Jezebel and tell them that there would be no rain for 3 ½ years because of the sin of idolatry. Ahab, his wife and the Jewish people in the Northern kingdom were worshiping the false god Baal.

Sin must be punished and God punished Ahab and all Israel by not sending rain for 3 ½ years. When God punishes His people His purpose is to turn their hearts back to Him. He wants His people to turn away from their sin and repent and return to Him living a life that pleases Him. (Ezekiel 18:32, 2 Peter 3:9)

Story:

Let’s turn in our Bibles to 1 Kings 18. (Supply Bibles for students who do not have one so they can follow along when verses are pointed out.)

During the 3 ½ years of drought, Elijah had to live in God’s witness protection program. His life was in danger because wicked Queen Jezebel was so angry that Elijah had brought God’s message to them saying there would be no rain. She was so angry that she took her anger out on all of God’s prophets. She began to send her people through the land killing God’s prophets. She really wanted to kill Elijah as well, but God had him hidden safely in Zarephath with a widow and her son.

As each month passed and not one single drop of rain fell from the sky, all the plants and grass dried up and died. Rivers and streams that once were flowing with water had now dried up and all that could be seen were cracks in the ground. As the water dried up and the gardens didn’t grow many people most likely starved to death. Animals would die too because all the green grass for them to feed on would be gone.

Each day King Ahab and Jezebel must have grown angrier and angrier with Elijah. They searched everywhere for him. They sent servants to the surrounding countries and asked if they had seen Elijah. When they said “no”, Ahab made them promise that they had not seen him.

When you and I are surrounded by people disobeying God it feels like we are surrounded by darkness. We can trust God to help us when sin and evil is all around us. Even in the most wicked, dark times God always has a light in that darkness.
In our story today there is a character that gets a few lines in the passage we are reading. We don’t want to overlook him. His life is important to teach us to stand up for God even when everyone else isn’t. The man in our story besides Elijah who stands up for God in the midst of wickedness is Obadiah. Let’s look at verse three and learn about Obadiah. Obadiah was in charge of Ahab’s house, he was a governor for Ahab. Obadiah worked in an environment that was not friendly to anyone who believed in the One true God. We learn from this passage of Scripture that Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. In verse 4 we see that as Jezebel was having the prophets of the Lord killed, Obadiah was hiding 100 of God’s prophets in 2 caves. He placed 50 in each cave and secretly brought them bread and water so Jezebel would not kill them. Would you say that Obadiah is standing up for God? Obadiah could have been so afraid that he might get caught for hiding these prophets and be killed himself. He could have chosen to do nothing so his life wouldn’t be in danger, but he chose to stand up for the Lord and do what he could do in a very dark and wicked time.

Ahab was getting very concerned about the remaining livestock he had. He desperately needed green grass for his animals. He asked Obadiah to go out with him and search for food for his animals. Remember God’s punishment should cause us to seek Him. Ahab wasn’t in search for God but in search for grass.

Ahab and Obadiah split up and went into two directions looking over the land trying to find grass. As Ahab walked through the dry, cracked dusty land you would have thought that he would be convicted of his sin of idol worship and realize that his sin caused this famine. We don’t see anywhere that he had any of those thoughts.

Obadiah was walking along in his part of the land and Elijah appeared to him. Obadiah immediately fell on his face and said, “Is that you my lord, Elijah?” Elijah told Obadiah that he needed to go and tell Ahab that he was in the land and that he was ready to speak with him.

Obadiah was really scared at what Elijah was asking him to do. He was afraid that Elijah would disappear and Ahab would kill him instead.

Elijah assured Obadiah that he would not disappear. Obadiah went and told Ahab where he could find Elijah.

When Ahab showed up the first words out of his mouth were, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” I don’t think Ahab felt any responsibility for his and Israel’s sins that caused this punishment.

Elijah looks at Ahab and points right back at him and said, “I haven’t troubled Israel but you and your family have. You have disobeyed God’s commands and worshiped Baal. What I want you to do is gather the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah and bring them to me at Mt. Carmel. Also gather all of Israel and bring them here too.”

Ahab agreed he would do this and went back and gathered the false prophets of Baal. Ahab, all Israel and the false prophets of Baal came to Elijah on Mt. Carmel.

Elijah, a true prophet of God was standing before the Israelites who had been worshipping a false god. This was sin. Also before Elijah were the false prophets that were leading the Israelites to worship Baal. Elijah said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? Either the Lord is God, or Baal. You need to choose who the true God that you will follow is.”

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Elijah said there would be a contest that would prove who the true God was. The prophets of Baal would present a sacrifice to him and Elijah would present a sacrifice to the Lord God. The prophets of Baal would call on their god and Elijah would call on the Lord God. Whoever answered by fire would be the True God.

The people agreed to the contest.

The prophets of Baal took their bull and prepared it as a sacrifice on an altar. They began to call out to Baal. “Oh Baal hear us!” They cried out to Baal until noon and there was no answer. They leaped and danced around, still no answer. At noon, Elijah began to tease the prophets of Baal and said, “Cry louder, maybe he is busy meditating or is on a trip. Maybe Baal is asleep and needs to be awakened!”

The false prophets cried aloud and began to cut themselves with knives as they did in their worship of Baal. Not a spark came from anywhere to light their sacrifice on fire. They continued doing this until the evening and still no answer. A god that is made out of stone cannot hear and answer prayer.

When there was no answer, Elijah called them to him as he prepared the sacrifice before the Lord. He repaired an altar that had been used to worship the Lord a long time ago but had long since been forsaken since the people worshiped Baal. He took twelve stones that represented the 12 tribes of Israel and built an altar. Elijah made a trench around the altar and filled it with seed. He put the wood on the altar and the cut up bull on top. Next, Elijah asked for 4 water pots to be poured on the altar. He asked them to pour these 4 water pots on the sacrifice 3 times. That is 12 pots of water on the sacrifice. Why do you think he poured water on the sacrifice? Fire doesn’t burn wet things very well. Elijah wanted the people to see that the Lord is God and he wasn’t doing any magic tricks to start the fire.

When the sacrifice was ready Elijah spoke in the hearing of the Lord, “Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” Elijah didn’t shout and dance. He didn’t cut himself or anything else. He just spoke this simple prayer to the Lord.

Immediately fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice. The Lord’s fire was so powerful that it not only burned up the bull, but it burned up the wood and stones. All the water in the trench was gone. The One True God showed His people that He alone is God and there is no other.

When the people saw God’s amazing power, they all fell on their faces. They said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” They had seen that Baal could do nothing, but the Lord heard and answered prayer.

Elijah told them to kill all the prophets of Baal and not to let one of them escape. All 450 prophets of Baal were killed that day. (God told His people that false prophets were to be put to death. Deuteronomy 13:5, 18:20 )

As soon as all the people had returned to their homes and Elijah was alone on the mountain, Elijah knelt down with his face between his knees and prayed, “Please, O God, send rain to our people. The people now realize that You are the One, True God.” Elijah prayed knowing that God hears and answers prayer. After Elijah prayed he would send his servant to go and see if he could see any rain clouds in the sky. His servant came back and said he could not see any. Elijah would pray again and send the servant out again. The servant came back and said he saw no rain clouds. This happened 7 times. On the seventh time the servant came back with the news that there was a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising up from the sea. Elijah told his servant to go and tell Ahab the news.

Elijah trusted God and even though he prayed 7 times, God heard every prayer and waited for His perfect timing to answer that prayer. Elijah’s example teaches us that we should never give up praying. We need to continue to pray and have faith that God will answer our prayers in His way and in His time.

The servant went to tell Ahab Elijah’s message. As he went the sky became black with clouds and wind and the heavy rains came. Ahab got in his chariot and began to ride home to Jezreel. God gave Elijah power and he tucked his robe in his belt and began to run toward Jezreel. God had given him so much power that he ran faster than Ahab’s chariot and beat him home to Jezreel!

God had answered Elijah’s prayer and rain finally came after 3 and ½ years. God showed everyone that He is the One True God. He alone is to be worshiped.

We can learn from both Elijah and Obadiah that in all situations we can stand up for Him because He is powerful and He will take care of His children.

Salvation Message:

If you had to give an answer to Elijah’s question “Who is the god/God you are following?” could you say that you are following the One, True God? If you believe that Jesus is the Only Way to have a right relationship with God because He died for your sins and was raised from the dead, you do believe in the True God. If you believe that there are many ways to be able to go to heaven, such as being good, helping others, going to church etc. then you do not believe in the True God. Today you can pray and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and He will save you. When He saves you, you will be righteous (forgiven of all sin) before God and will have eternal life. Please talk to us (teachers) and we will show you from the Bible how you can be saved today.

Questions:

1. How long was the land of Israel without rain?
2. Who was angry about the drought?
3. What did Jezebel do because she was angry?
4. Who was in charge of King Ahab’s house?
5. How did Obadiah show he was a devout believer in the LORD?
6. What did Ahab say to Elijah when he came to him?
7. Who came to meet Elijah at Mt. Carmel?
8. What was the contest that Elijah was setting before the people?
9. Who answered the prophets of Baal as they offered their sacrifice?
10. How many stones did Elijah set up on his altar?
11. How did God show His power when Elijah prepared his sacrifice?
12. How can you stand up for God this week?

Additional Resources:

Need More Help? The browse our craft ideas or children’s ministry games.

Lesson: God provides For Elijah And Widow

Kelly Henderson — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:42:29 +0000

This lesson plan is next in the series following Elijah confronts Ahab. After the brook dries up God lead Elijah to the widow in Zarephath where He provides a never-ending supply of oil and flour. This Bible lesson is targeted for an older elementary Sunday School class, but could be used in other ministry settings with some modification. See the list of related resources at the end of this post for crafts and other activities.

Activities for learning and discovery for this Lesson:

Depending on your class schedule you can do these activities to have the children participate in activities that meet their learning styles. In our particular class schedule we have activities prepared for the children as they arrive. Not all the students arrive on time so we prepare our class schedule to provide activities at the beginning so students do not miss out on the Bible Lesson. For this lesson the teacher can prepare coloring pages, word puzzles or activity sheets that allow students to have something to write on or color as they visit with each other. Another idea for this particular lesson that I prepared for our class was a Power Pictionary Game. I printed up different categories such as Objects, People, and Nature. In those categories I put appropriate examples of something that is powerful (example: Object: dynamite, People: President, Nature: Tornado). I put the names on construction paper that were color coded to the category. The students would play pictionary with one student drawing a card and drawing the picture and having the other students guess what he/she is drawing.

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:7-16

Target Age: 3rd-5th Grade

Learning Objective(s):
Students will learn:
• God’s power never fails.
• Miracles are something only God can do.
• Obedience to God allows us to see His miraculous provision and care.
• When others see God’s power in our lives they may put their faith in God too.

Memory Verse:
Psalm 77:14 “You are the God who performs miracles; You display your power among the peoples.”

Memory Verse Activity:

For the Memory Verse Activity I typically do at the end of the lesson after we have the review questions. What I had in mind for this activity was the tribes on separate mountains (Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal) Deuteronomy 27:11-12. I divided the verse in two parts and wrote the words on pieces of construction paper. The students would be divided in half. They would stand in a line facing each other. Each side would hold the words of the verse so the other side could see and they would read the verse. The other side would then read the second part of the verse and all the students would say the address. The sides would switch so they could say the section of the verse that they had not said yet.

God Provides For Elijah and Widow Bible Lesson

(In our class we make sure each child has a Bible in their hands. Most bring their Bible from home but we have Bibles for those who forget or don’t have one. We want our students to actively follow along as we are teaching the Bible Lesson. Students can participate throughout the Bible story by volunteering to read a verse that the teacher asks to be read aloud.)

Last week we heard about how God hid Elijah from the wicked King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Does anyone remember what happened that caused Elijah to hide?

Queen Jezebel was very angry with Elijah’s message from God. Since she couldn’t find Elijah and have him killed she tried to have all the prophets of God killed. A man named Obadiah who worked for King Ahab was a true believer in the One True God. When he learned that Jezebel was having God’s prophets killed he planned a way to protect some of them. He took 100 of them and put 50 in one cave and 50 in another and brought them food and water so they could live.

Meanwhile as Queen Jezebel tried to have all the prophets killed, Elijah was safe and sound in God’s care by the Brook Cherith (Kerith Ravine). God provided protection for His servant and daily provided food and water. Does anyone remember from last week how God provided food and water for Elijah?

Each day it didn’t rain, the land got drier and drier. Any water that was available began to evaporate making it more difficult to find water to drink. As Elijah drank from the Brook Cherith he must have noticed it began to dry up as well.

Elijah’s message to Ahab was that there would be no rain for 3 ½ years. As Elijah saw the brook dry up, he now had no water. Although the brook dried up, God’s power did not. When Elijah saw that there was no more water to drink he must have wondered how God would provide for this very important need in his life. Elijah had experienced a miracle when he was fed daily by the ravens. He knew that God could be trusted to provide. Elijah had the faith to believe that God would take care of him even if he didn’t know how.

1 Kings 17:8-9 says, “Then the word of the LORD came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.” A widow is a woman whose husband has died and she has not remarried.

What a privilege it is that God would speak to His servant Elijah! We have that same privilege today. When we believe in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, God’s Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts and speaks to us through the Words in the Holy Bible.

This part of Elijah’s story is funny if you fully understand what God has told him to do. Remember who wants to have Elijah killed? (Jezebel) Let’s look on this map together. Ahab married a wicked woman that was not an Israelite woman. She came from this land (show on the map). Where did God tell Elijah to go? (Zarephath) Do you think it is interesting that God would send His prophet Elijah to the area where Jezebel was from? Do you think it was because Jezebel would’ve never thought to look for Elijah in her own land where everyone worshiped Baal?

Even though it may have seemed strange to Elijah to go to the land where people worshiped Baal, when he heard God’s words, He arose and went to Zarephath. When God speaks to us we need to obey Him immediately and not delay.

God provides for His people in miraculous ways. The widow in Zarephath most likely worshiped Baal and not the One True God. It might seem strange that God was going to use a woman who did not believe in Him to feed His servant. Just as God had power to cause the ravens to obey Him, He has power to work in an unbeliever’s heart to use her to help His servant.

Elijah traveled to Zarephath which was 100 miles away. He hopped on his motorcycle and zoomed out of town….no that’s not right there were not motorcycles back in the time of Elijah! Elijah tied up his sandals and began his long hike to Zarephath. The Bible doesn’t say but let’s guess how long you think it took for Elijah to walk a distance of 100 miles? However long it took him to get there, he must have been very thirsty unless he was able to find some trickling water along the way.

When Elijah arrived in Zarephath he must have wondered how he would recognize the woman God said would provide for him. God said she was a widow so that would be the best place to start looking. Where would Elijah find a widow in this place? As he arrived he saw a woman gathering sticks. Elijah asked the woman, “Could you bring me some water in a jar that I may have something to drink?” The woman turned to go and get him some water. Her quick response to his request for a drink caused Elijah to realize this must be the widow God had sent him to. As she was going to get his water, he asked her if she would bring him some bread to eat.

From our passage of Scripture I wonder if Elijah introduced himself to the widow as a prophet of God because of the way she responded to him. She said to Elijah, “As the Lord your God lives, (she didn’t refer to God as her Lord) I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

“Don’t be afraid, go home and bake a small cake of bread for me first. Then bake some bread for your son and for yourself” Elijah said. Elijah could speak with boldness to the widow because the Lord said, “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.”

Because the woman said the ‘Lord your God’ let’s assume that this woman wasn’t a believer in the One True God. She was not a Jew (one of God’s children who had been taught His laws) and most likely worshiped Baal. A man of God has been sent to her with a message from the Lord God saying that she would have a never-ending supply of water and oil. This would be a miracle because no one could have a never-ending supply of flour and oil. (A miracle is something only God can do.) Baal couldn’t do this. Baal who was supposed to be a rain god couldn’t even send rain to the very dry land around them. The widow must have wondered if Elijah’s God could do this.

She went back to her house and did exactly what Elijah told her to do. She took a few spoonfuls of flour and placed them in a bowl. Poured a little oil into the flour and mixed it together and made a little patty of dough and placed it in a pan to cook for Elijah. Next she took some flour and oil to make bread for her son. Finally she made bread for herself. What should have been an empty jar of flour and an empty jar of oil was a jar with flour and a jar with oil. Her ingredients had not run out as she expected they would. This was a miracle! Only God could keep her oil and flour from running out. Imagine how excited she was when she took the bread and gave Elijah some to eat and told him about how there was still flour and oil left!

Elijah stayed with the widow and her son that night. The next day when the widow went to prepare the bread she still had ingredients left over when she made the bread. Each time she prepared the bread, she always had more flour and oil in their jars that she didn’t replenish by going to the market to buy. This was an amazing miracle! God’s power had caused the poor widow to have a never-ending supply of flour and oil!

God had once again provided for Elijah in a miraculous way. Not only had God provided for Elijah, His servant, He provided for a poor widow from Zarephath and her son.

When God showed His power to Elijah by providing a never-ending supply of oil and flour for the widow He was allowing this Baal worshipper to see that He was the One, True God.

God loves all people and wants them to put their faith in Him. Matthew 5: 45 “He makes His sun rise on the evil an on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” God is merciful to all people. He allows good thing to happen even to people who are doing sinful things. Romans 2:4 “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance.” God was kind to this widow from Zarephath and her son.

Nothing is too hard for God. God is powerful and He is able to take care of His children. When God shows His power in our lives others may see His power and come to believe in the One, True God too.

In the world that we live in there are many people who have not yet believed in the Lord Jesus as the Savior. God wants all people to be saved from sin. Sin leads to death and separation from God for all eternity. God has provided Jesus to save us from our sins. It is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that God has power to save us from our sins.

Maybe you are like the widow from Zarephath. You have experienced God’s kindness and have not yet believed in the Lord Jesus. Today you can call on Jesus and be saved from your sins. What you must do is believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

If you are a believer then this story is a helpful reminder that God has power to take care of you in any kind of circumstance. Nothing is too hard for Him to help you overcome. Will you pray and ask Him to help you in your difficulty? Will you watch for how He shows His mighty power in your most difficult situations? As others see God helping you in your difficulties will you have the courage to share your faith in Jesus? Will you pray that those who around you who don’t yet believe in Jesus will see God’s power in your life and that will cause them to believe in Him?

Close in prayer. (Teacher: pray for those that have not been saved to see that God has made provision for them to not be separated from Him for all eternity. If they are hearing God calling them they can place their faith in Jesus today. Pray for the students who are saved to be obedient to God and trust Him to work in their lives in powerful ways. Pray that they will have eyes to see the unbelievers in their lives that God can reveal Himself to through their faithful obedience.)

Questions:

• Where did God send Elijah when the brook dried up? (Zarephath)
• How far away was Zarephath? (About 100 miles)
• Who grew up in the area of Zarephath? (Jezebel)
• What did Elijah ask the widow in Zarephath? (a jar of water to drink)
• Why did the woman think she was going to die? (she only had enough oil and flour for one last cake of bread for her and her son)
• How did God show that He cared for Elijah, the widow and her son? (He miraculously provided never-ending oil and flour)
• What difficulty can you trust God to take care of you in?
• Can you share a time when God took care of you and your family in a difficult situation?
• (Personal question does not need to be answered out loud) Can you think of an unbeliever in your life that may be watching you in your difficult situation? Will you pray for that person to see God’s power in your life so they can believe in Jesus?

Additional Resources & Related Bible Lessons:

Need More Help? Browse our Sunday School lesson page or try one of our games for Sunday School.

Lesson: Elijah Confronts Ahab

Kelly Henderson — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:00:23 +0000

This lesson plan is based on the story where Elijah confronts Ahab in 1 Kings. It was originally written for an upper elementary Sunday School class. It could be modified for younger children or children’s church, especially using the list of related resources at the end of this post. These include links to crafts, worksheets, and supplemental lesson plans about Ahab and Elijah.

Scripture: 1 Kings 16:28-34; 17:1-6

Learning Objective(s):

Students will have an understanding God provides for those who are obedient to Him and He punishes those who disobey His commands.
For children who aren’t familiar with Old Testament teaching they will be introduced to the concept of God’s promises to Abraham’s descendants and the divided kingdom in Israel.
When we choose to sin we are influencing others to follow our sin.

Memory Verse: Luke 11:28b: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (NASB)

Target Age Group: School ages 3rd-5th

Elijah Confronts Ahab Bible Story Lesson

Lesson Introduction: What are some instructions we need to follow every day? (Allow students to respond.)

Let’s pretend we are going to explain how to wash our hands to someone who has never washed his hands. What are the instructions (allow students to give the steps to hand washing)? What would happen if your friend forgets what you said and just uses soap and lathers up his hands and wipes them on a towel? Suppose he forgets to use soap and just put his hands under the water and dry them off with a towel? What if your friend thinks it’s ridiculous to wash his hands and a terrible waste of his time?

This was a simple example of following instructions. Instructions are important because when followed we will have the best results for what we are doing. You and I wouldn’t want to put together a bike without instructions because the bike might be very dangerous to ride without the pieces being put together properly and tight enough. The results from not following instructions properly whether it’s hand washing or putting a bike together could both result in physical harm. Choosing to not wash your hands can cause illness due to the germs on your hands. Riding a bike that wasn’t properly put together could cause you to fall and hurt yourself.

God has given us very important instructions in His Word, the Bible. When we follow the instructions He has given us we will live a life that pleases Him. God’s instructions are for our protection in this life and preparation for the life we live after we die. Following God’s instructions will bring peace and joy to all who obey what He has commanded. (Go over Memory Verse that has been written on the board where students can see.)

In our story today we are going to hear about some people that didn’t follow God’s instructions and as a result they did not experience God’s blessings and peace.

Bible Story Lesson About Ahab & Elijah

Let’s turn in our bibles to 1 Kings 17:1.

When God promised Abraham he would have many descendants (family members), those family members as a group of people have names that are used to identify them throughout the Bible. Abraham’s descendants are known as God’s children, Hebrews, Israelites and also they are known as Jews.

God had been given many promises to His children. He gave them their own land and gave them laws to follow so that they could be His special people. God promised the Jewish people that if they would obey Him their lives would be blessed. Because God is holy He also told them that if they chose to disobey His commands He would have to punish their sins.

The Jewish people are humans just like you and me. They were born with sin so to disobey came very naturally to them. They had the One, True, Living God as the God whom they worshiped and yet they chose to be a rebellious and disobedient people. When the Jewish people lived in the land God gave them they wanted to be like the people around them who did not obey the One, True Living God.

The people living in the countries around them had kings as their rulers. God’s children decided they wanted a king to rule them. God was their King but since they thought they should be like the wicked, sinful people around them, He allowed them to have a king. One of the kings God gave to His children was David. David was a good king. The Bible tells us that he was a king after God’s own heart. After David died his son Solomon began to rule the people of Israel. Solomon disobeyed God’s laws and married many pagan women and worshiped their false gods.

There are always consequences to sin. After Solomon died God divided Israel, the land the Jewish people were living in into two kingdoms. They are called the northern and southern kingdoms. A king ruled the southern kingdom and the northern kingdom was ruled by a king. The king of the southern kingdom ruled the area called Judah. The king who ruled over the northern kingdom ruled the area called Israel. (Show map of the two kingdoms.)

All through the history of the two kingdoms, the northern kingdom had wicked kings. Judah had many kings who loved and pleased God.

In our story today the king who is ruling over the northern kingdom is King Ahab. Let’s read what kind of king he was.

Read 1 Kings 16:30. King Ahab was a wicked king. Ahab married a Sidonian woman. She was not a Jewish woman. God told His people that they should not marry women who do not worship the One, True God. The woman that Ahab married was named Jezebel. Jezebel had not been taught in her home to worship Jehovah God, but she had been taught that Baal was her god. Baal was a stone god that the people worshiped. They offered their infant children as sacrifices to their god. Baal was not a god; anyone who worshiped Baal was worshiping Satan himself.

King Ahab who never should have married Jezebel in the first place brings her into his family and makes her his wife. As the leader of his family he should have never allowed her to bring her Baal worship into their home. But since he didn’t make a good first choice and married a woman who didn’t love God, he made a second bad choice and allowed her to worship Baal in their house. This was a very wicked thing. Let’s read 1 Kings 21:25-26 and see what kind of influence Jezebel had on Ahab. This is why we should never marry a non-believer. We might think we will be an influence on them but the truth of the matter is that evil usually has more influence over good. Obey God’s commands and do not marry an unbeliever.

Because God loved His people He sent messengers called prophets to warn them that they needed to turn away from their sin so they would not experience His punishment. In our lesson today the prophet God has sent is a man named Elijah. Elijah’s name means ‘my God is Jehovah’.

Elijah, God’s prophet must have been sad because of the evil influence that Ahab and Jezebel were having on God’s people. Do you think Jezebel’s evil influence stayed in the palace? No, it didn’t. The people of Israel began to follow their leader’s example and many people in Israel began to worship Baal. We cannot miss this important point. This was a terrible sin! God told the Jewish people in the 10 commandments that they were to have no other gods besides Him. God was their God. They had no need for any pretend gods. The bad influence of Ahab and Jezebel affected the Jewish people and many people sinned as a result.

Elijah knew that God must punish sin. God had told the people what would happen if they disobeyed Him. Read Deuteronomy 11:16, 17.

God hates sin because He knows it brings death. He doesn’t hate people but He hates the sin that they commit.

We don’t know what Elijah prayed to God when he saw all the Baal worship in the land. James 5:17 tells us some of what he did pray. We might think it is strange that Elijah would pray this. Elijah knew that God punishes sin. God’s people were worshiping gods that were not real. Elijah knew that Israel had the One, True God who was living and was able to care for his people. He also knew that difficult circumstances cause people to cry out to God. This could be one reason Elijah prayed this prayer.

Following God’s instructions is not always easy. What Elijah does next took God’s strength and courage. He went straight to King Ahab and said, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will neither be dew nor rain in the next few years, except at my word.”

Imagine what that scene must have looked like. What do you think King Ahab and Jezebel did as this messenger from God stood before them?

It’s not written in the Bible, but based on what Elijah did next we can only imagine that they threatened his life. Elijah needed God’s help. Elijah would trust God to take care of him.

In1 Kings 17:3-4, God told Elijah to go hide by the Brook Cherith by the Jordan River. He told him that he could drink water from the brook. He also said that He had commanded the ravens to feed him there.

Elijah showed that he trusted God by obeying His word. He could have questioned God by saying, “What? You are going to feed me with food carried by unclean ravens?” (Ravens are animals that eat garbage and unpleasant things which make them an unclean animal to God’s people.) Instead Elijah trusted and obeyed the One, True God.

When Elijah got to the brook he had plenty of water to drink. Just as God had said, every morning and every night God sent ravens with bread and meat for Elijah to eat. I couldn’t help picturing these obedient ravens swooping down on someone’s picnic and grabbing a hamburger or hotdog for Elijah to eat! Even the ravens obeyed God.

The drought came just as Elijah said it would. God’s people were being punished for sinning against Him. Elijah was God’s obedient servant and God was taking care of him (read the Memory verse again).

As time passed with no rain, the brook began to dry up and there was no more water for Elijah to drink. God had taken care of him this far, would God continue to help Elijah? Next week we will see how God helps Elijah in his time of need.

Bible Lesson Review Questions

Optional Activity: Play musical chairs and when the music stops the student left standing answers a question.

1. Who were God’s special people? (Jews, Hebrews, Abraham’s descendants)
2. Why did God make the Jewish people have two kingdoms? (Solomon’s sin)
3. Who was the king over Israel in our story? (Ahab)
4. Who was Ahab’s wife? (Jezebel)
5. How did Jezebel influence the land of Israel? (She worshiped Baal)
6. What is a prophet? (God’s messenger)
7. What did God say would happen if the people chose to worship other gods? (God would cause a drought in the land)
8. What did Elijah pray? (That it would not rain for 3 ½ years)
9. What did Elijah tell the King and his wife? (There will be no rain except by his word)
10. How did God take care of Elijah? (brook for water, ravens brought food)
11. If you want a blessed life what must you do? (Obey God’s commands)

Additional Resources & Related Bible Lessons:

Need More Help? Then check out our Bible games, Sunday School crafts, and children’s Bible lessons. You could also throw in a Bible Trivia Quiz to keep the kids involved.

Children’s Bible Lesson: Jesus Turns Water Into Wine

Nicole VanderMeulen — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:23:49 +0000

This Bible lesson for children is from John 2: 1-11 where Jesus changes water into wine. This lesson is the first lesson in a series of five that explore the theme “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” through Bible stories that each involve the sharing of a meal.

This lesson would work for Sunday School or Children’s Church. The introduction or story section could each be used alone as a children’s sermon. Estimated length, is 45-60 minutes.

By contributing writer, Nicole VanderMeulen, Children’s Ministry Coordinator at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Renton, Washington.

Learning Objectives:

Children will learn about Jesus’ power and the abundance he brings to our lives through exploration of the story of Jesus turning water to wine.
Children will compare and contrast magic and miracles by exploring several magic tricks and stories of Jesus’ miracles and then discuss the similarities and differences.

Target Age Group: Children age 5-12 years

Bible Story: John 2:1-11 Jesus Turns Water Into Wine

Explanation: The big idea is that when we gather together around food and drink, Jesus is with us too, and this unites and strengthens our Christian community. For churches that regularly observe the sacrament of Holy Communion, each of these Bible stories and lessons can be connected to the story of The Last Supper and the belief that Jesus told us to eat bread and drink wine together and remember him.

The story explored in this lesson, Jesus turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana, tells of the first of Jesus’ miracles, and is significant because it shows how Jesus revealed his power to the people, as well as how he brings abundance to our lives. Jesus is truly all we need and can always fill our void.

When teaching young children about miracles, the use of magic tricks can provide valuable examples. Miraculous things do in fact seem magical to us! However, it is important to distinguish that Jesus wasn’t a magician doing tricks. He really does have the power to make miracles happen.

Items Needed:

Birthday Supplies (party hat, gift bag/box, noise maker, balloon)
Two Pitchers (one clear and one opaque)
Water
Powdered Drink Mix
Bible
Miracle Coloring Pages
Crayons or Markers
Magic Trick Supplies (may include glass, paper, coin, playing cards, toothpick, handkerchief, water, soap, pepper, and cups)

Introduction: Ask the children what we would need to have if we were going to have a birthday party. After some discussion, use your “birthday supplies” and say something like, “I think I have everything I need here to throw a great birthday party. I have a present and I have favors, like this hat and noisemaker. I can use this balloon for decorations. Wow, I am ready to go! Do you think I have everything I need?” Listen to what the children think might be missing and validate their answers. Hopefully, someone will think of cake. If this answer isn’t offered, lead them in that direction by “wondering” if you need food or maybe dessert. Then say, “Hmmm…the party definitely seems incomplete without cake. This reminds me of today’s Bible story. It’s about a party too, not a birthday party, but a wedding party. Listen closely to hear if you can find out what was missing at this party.”

Story: Read the story of Jesus turning water to wine from John 2: 1-11 in the Bible. You could also use a children’s Bible like The Beginner’s Bible published by Mission City Press. After you finish the story ask, “What was missing? Did you find out?” Continue the discussion with questions like: “So what happened? How did Jesus do that? What did the people find out about Jesus?” During the reading of the story or while you are asking discussion questions, pour water from a clear pitcher into your second pitcher. Prepare the second pitcher in advance, by putting powdered drink mix in the bottom. Pour the water back into the clear pitcher to show the change in color. Discuss, “Did I just do a miracle or was it more of a magic trick? When Jesus changed water to wine, was it a miracle or magic? What’s the difference?” Say something like, “Wow! Jesus really made up for what was missing. He always seems to make up for what is missing and he really showed the people his power.”

Activity: Provide several magic tricks and several different coloring pages with pictures showing Jesus’ miracles for children to explore. Depending on group size, you may want to create several stations and split the children into smaller groups, having each one learn one magic trick and color one coloring page. It will work best to have a copy of the magic trick directions and an adult or older child to demonstrate at each station. If time allows, each group may show and teach their magic trick and tell about their coloring page. Rotate around during and make sure each group knows what their miracle picture is about. Refer to the stories in a regular or children’s Bible if needed. Following the activity, make sure to review the difference between magic and miracles and explain that Jesus did miracles to show the power he was given from God and to serve others. The things he did were real, not tricks. Here are three possible magic tricks and links to several coloring pages, but you could certainly use others.

Magic Tricks:

Disappearing Coin http://www.kidzone.ws/magic/coin_trick.htm
Disappearing Card http://www.kidzone.ws/magic/card_trick_5.htm
Moving Pepper http://www.kidzone.ws/magic/pepper_trick.htm

Miracle Coloring Pages:

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand - http://ourpreciouslambs.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/feeding5000_2.jpg
Jesus Heals A Blind Man - http://www.sermons4kids.com/healing_blind_man.gif
Jesus Calms The Storm - http://www.kidz-under-construction.com/stories/story2b.gif

Snack Option: If you include a snack time in your lesson, provide children with cups of water, powdered drink mix, and spoons and let them transform their own water into something new.

Communion Connection: Jesus fixed the problem at the wedding. He turned water into wine. Jesus fixes us when we are broken too. He forgives us when we sin and become far away from him. When we share Communion at church, we remember Jesus and are reminded of his forgiving power.

Prayer: Consider using a “repeat after me prayer”. Pause between every few words, allowing the children to echo what you have said. Dear God/Thank you/for giving us Jesus/with all of his power/to give us everything/we really need/Amen.

Need lesson ideas? You can browse free Sunday school materials and games for children’s ministry.

Lesson: Jesus’ Final Instructions and Ascension

Kelly Henderson — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:45:10 +0000

This lesson plan is written for a Sunday School class of 3rd – 5th grade students. With a little work it could be modified for younger students or taught in children’s church. At the end of this lesson there are links to other teaching ideas for this Bible story. Please leave feedback in the comment box below.

Learning Objective: Students will desire to be obedient to Jesus’ instructions to share the Good News and will want to be found faithfully working for Him when He returns.

Memory Verse: Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples (group picture of stick figures) of all nations (picture of all nationalities), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Target Age Group: School ages 3rd-5th grade.

Bible Story & Class Discussion:

How many of you have had a parent or teacher say, “I am going to be down the hall taking care of something. While I am away I want you to clean your room or complete your homework?” Some of us get to work right away and follow the instructions that we have been given. Others put off the instructions and do what we want to do and think we have plenty of time until the person will be back to check on our work. When the parent or teacher returns which person do you think is not going to be embarrassed? Which one will be found disobedient?

It’s always important to obey the instructions we have been given immediately. We should not put off what we know we are supposed to be doing. In the case of parents and teachers we may suffer punishment for our disobedience.

If you have been saved you belong to Christ. He has given His followers many instructions. If you are obeying His instructions you will be rewarded for your obedience. Disobeying Jesus’ instructions will cause you to miss out on the blessings and rewards God has for you in this life and one day in heaven.

For our story this morning we will be looking at Acts 1:1-11 and Matthew 28:16-20. Let’s turn in our Bibles to Matthew 28 and put a slip of paper there to mark our place. Now let’s flip over to Acts 1 and hold our place there.

The disciples had experienced many emotions in their lives since the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross. How do you think they must have felt when Jesus was arrested and nailed to a cross where He would die? (Sad, confused, scared) Three days after Jesus died news of His resurrection spread quickly among those who loved Him. How do you think the disciples felt at the news that Jesus was alive? (Surprised, skeptical, excited)

Let’s turn to Acts 1. Who would like to volunteer to read Acts 1:3? (Choose a volunteer) After Jesus rose from the grave how many days did Jesus show others that He was alive? (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 Shares names of people and groups that Jesus appeared to.) During these forty days Jesus proved that He was really alive and He taught about God’s Kingdom.

Let’s flip over to our place in Matthew 28. In verse 16 we see that eleven disciples are gathered at the Mount of Olives because Jesus had told them to meet Him there.
How many original disciples did Jesus have? (12) Why does this passage say there are only eleven? (Judas betrayed Jesus and hung himself).

The disciples obeyed Jesus’ instructions and waited for Him at the Mount of Olives. This was a public place so it is possible that there are many other people around as well. As the disciples are gathered together, Jesus appears to them. Let’s read verse 17. The people in that crowd reacted in 2 ways. What were their reactions? (Worship/doubt)

In every crowd there are those that believe in Jesus and they worship Him. In that same crowd there are those people have not believed in Jesus so they had doubts about who He really is. Without answering this out loud, which group do you fit in? Do you believe in Jesus and are here to worship or are you in the other group where you still doubt? At the end of the lesson we will be available to talk privately with you about those doubts and share with you from the Bible how you can be saved from your sins.

As Jesus meets with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, He knows that His time to return to His heavenly Father is close. He will be leaving this earth soon so He gives His disciples some very important final instructions.

Let’s read Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus instructed His disciples to go out and share the Good News about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day. The disciples were also to teach people how to be followers of Jesus and to obey His commandments.

Since Jesus knew that the disciples could grow discouraged when He returned to heaven He gave them a promise that followed His instructions. Read the last part of Matthew 28:20. What did Jesus promise (that He would always be with His disciples to the end of the age)? If Jesus was going to leave the earth soon and return to His heavenly Father how could He always be with His disciples? Jesus had promised the disciples that God was going to send the gift of the Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit would live inside the heart of each of Jesus’ disciples. With the Holy Spirit living inside of believers, Jesus’ presence would always be with them wherever they went.

Let’s flip back over to Acts 1:8. Jesus also knew that the disciples could not follow His instructions in their own strength. Doing God’s Work would require His power. Jesus told His disciples that God was going to send the Holy Spirit and He would give each of them the power to obey Jesus’ final instructions.

The disciples must have listened so attentively to every word Jesus said. As they looked at their Savior and listened to Him they saw Him begin to float up in the air. As Jesus was taken up, a cloud hid Him from their sight. Imagine the look on the disciples’ faces. As they looked up in the sky their mouths would have dropped open and they may have shielded their eyes so they could watch as their Savior disappeared out of their sight.

What do you think it would have felt like to be one of the disciples as you stood and watched Him disappear out of your sight? (Sad, wished you could go with Him, confused)
As the disciples stood gazing up into the sky looking for where Jesus went, 2 men dressed in white stood beside them.

Let’s read Acts 1:11 to see what they said to the disciples. These men gave the disciples a promise that one day Jesus would return to the earth just as He left.

With that promise what do you think the disciples needed to do? Do you think they decided to get a blanket and lay on the ground gazing up into the sky waiting for Jesus to return?

Jesus had given His disciples clear instructions before He left them. They had work to do and it was important that they obeyed Jesus’ instructions so when He came back they would not be embarrassed or ashamed that He found them not doing what He told them to do.

You can find out what the disciples did after Jesus returned to heaven in the Book of Acts. You can read this in your daily quiet time if you would like to learn about more about how the disciples lived their lives after Jesus returned to heaven.

The same instructions Jesus gave to His disciples before He returned to heaven are for His followers today. If you and I are believers we need to be sharing with others the Good News about Jesus. We need to obedient to what God’s word teaches us so we can share that with others. We have the Holy Spirit living in us giving us the power to God’s Work until He returns. Are you being obedient to Jesus’ instructions? If not, will you ask Him to forgive you and ask Him to help you be obedient to share the Good News with others?

If you have not believed in Jesus you can not obey His instructions. You are separated from God because of your sins. Jesus made a way for you to have your sins forgiven so you can be saved and be in a right relationship with God. If you have questions you would like to ask us, please come to us and we will provide a safe place where you can have those questions answered.

Lead the children in prayer.

Review Questions

Use these questions to review the Bible lesson. You can be creative and use a game format to help the children maintain interest.

How many days did Jesus stay on the earth before returning to heaven? (40)
Where did Jesus tell His disciples to meet Him? (Mount of Olives)
What were the two reactions when Jesus appeared at Mount of Olives? (Worship/doubt)
What instructions did Jesus give to His disciples? (Go to all people and share the Good News and teach them how to obey God’s Word)
What did Jesus promise His disciples? (He would be with them always)
How would the disciples have the power to obey His instructions? (God was going to send the Holy Spirit to live in their hearts)
Where did Jesus go after He finished giving instructions to the disciples? (Back to heaven)
Who told the disciples that Jesus would return the same way He left the earth? (Two men)
How can you share the Good News with someone this week?
What changes do you need to make in your life that will help you be prepared for Jesus to find you obedient when He returns?

Suggested Resources

Here are some websites with coloring pages, activities or devotionals that might help with this lesson plan. These are all free Sunday School resources that can be downloaded and printed for use in your church.

Praise Factory Sunday School: Free Curriculum from Capitol Hill Baptist Church

Tony Kummer — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:03:14 +0000

I want to point out a new Sunday School curriculum that is free to download and use in your church. The Praise Factory family of curriculum is the creation of Connie Dever, wife of Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC.

You may have heard of Mark Dever from his book and ministry that share the name 9 Marks. If you are looking for a 9 Marks Sunday School curriculum for children, this is as close as you’ll find.

Praise Factory Sunday School Curriculum

Designed to teach Systematic Theology for children
Free to download
Complete scope & sequence for 2 – 5th grade
check out their toddler, preschool, and elementary school options

This will be a great resource for hundreds of church who want biblical lesson plans for Sunday school that will challenge kids to grow in their understanding and love for God. From what I’ve seen these are very God-centered Sunday school lessons that use good educational practice.

What do you think?

If anyone has used the Praise Factory Sunday School Curriculum, leave a comment below and share your thoughts.