The power of God on Mount Carmel
key words
biblical reference
1 Kings 18:16-39
lesson objective
To help the children learn that God uses his power to answer prayers.
memory verse
“Great is our Lord and mighty in power” (Psalm 147:5a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Within the history of the people of Israel, we can find frequent periods in which they decided to serve other gods. The appeal of worshiping false idols seemed irresistible to them. People were seduced by the worship of the Canaanite god of fertility and other idols who represented natural forces. However, their loyalty was divided. They professed to believe in the Lord, but worshiped idols like Baal.
Elijah called the people to be loyal only to the true Living God. He asked them, “How long will you hesitate between two thoughts? If Yahweh is God, follow him; If Baal, go after him” (v. 21).
This prophet knew very well the answer to his challenge. On innumerable occasions, he experienced the mighty hand of God in his life, and suffered because of the disobedience and idolatry of the people.
What happened on Mount Carmel is an extraordinary example of faith and trust that Elijah had in God. He was Yahweh’s only prophet who was still alive, and he was determined to show the king and the people the immense power of the Lord.
The highest levels of government, including the queen, supported worship of Baal. There were hundreds of his priests and prophets. However, this was not important to Elijah. He served the Living God, knew him well, and knew that it was he who controlled the situation.
Elijah’s faith makes us think he was a hero, and to some extent, he was. But James 5:17 reminds us that “Elijah was a man subject to passions like ours.” This implies that we too can have faith like him, and demonstrate with courage and faith that who we serve is the one true Almighty God.
Preschoolers are interested in learning more about God’s power. At this age, many children readily accept what other people tell them about it.
Some of the children may have heard about other religions, and maybe even some are from families that worship other false gods.
It is very important that, within this whole cluster of new religious expressions that they face, they can be assured of the power of the true Living God. They need to see God in action, and to listen to stories where he shows himself to be God Almighty.
The confrontation of Elijah with the priests of Baal will help them to understand the power and absolute sovereignty of the Lord.
introduce the lesson
Prayer poster
Prepare a poster board and decorate the edges with some pictures. Then hang it in a visible place in the room. Have the children sit in a circle, and prepare them to listen to the Bible story.
Say: “God answers the prayers of his children. He is immensely powerful and can do whatever he wants. When we pray, he always listens to us. Sometimes his answer is “Yes” and other times it is ‘No.’ Sometimes he tells us to ‘Wait.’”
This poster is for writing prayers for the class. When they are answered we will draw a happy face and thank God.
teach the lesson
Study 1 Kings 18:16-39 and be ready to tell the story. If possible use some pictures to illustrate today’s story. Perhaps you can draw some pictures about the story to illustrate it.
Fire from the Lord
Elijah loved God very much and was very sad because King Ahab and the people of Israel were disobedient and did not honor the Lord.
When the king met Elijah, he said to him in an angry voice, “Are you the one causing so much trouble to Israel?”
“I do not cause any trouble to Israel. It is you and your disobedient people who ignore God, and honor Baal,” Elijah replied.
The prophet Elijah knew that the Lord is the only Almighty God, and that he alone has power to answer prayers.
Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to offer a sacrifice on Mount Carmel, and the God who would send fire from heaven would be the most powerful. They would make an altar for their god, and Elijah one for the Lord.
On the day they agreed, many people gathered to see what would happen.
The prophets of Baal and Elijah prepared the animals to offer the sacrifice, and placed them on their respective altars.
The false prophets began to cry out to Baal from very early to very late, nevertheless, they did not obtain an answer. Elijah mocked them and said, “Shout louder, maybe he is asleep.”
Thus it was a long time before Elijah’s turn came. All the people gathered around him while he prepared an altar with twelve stones and made a ditch around it. Then he set the animal on it and poured several jars of water on it. Three times they poured water on the animal and the firewood. Then he prayed to God and asked him to send fire from heaven so that the people would be convinced that there was no god but Yahweh.
Suddenly, a noise was heard, and a ball of fire descended from the sky and consumed the sacrifice of Elijah. God answered Elijah’s prayer!
All of the people recognized that God was unique and all-powerful.
connect the lesson
God sent fire
Prepare pieces of gray, red, and blue colored paper for this activity.
Give your children Student Activity Sheet #42-A and #42-B. Allow them to write their name, and trace the Word of Faith “Power” and the numbers of the pitchers in SAS #42-A.
Then give them time to glue pieces of blue paper at the base of the altar, as if it were water. Cut the gray paper into squares, and place them on the stones. Use the red one for the flames of fire. Review the Bible story while the children work.
Encourage the children to take home the activity sheets to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Use Student Activity Sheet 42-B for a brief review of the memory verse: "Great is our Lord and mighty in power" (Psalm 147:5a, NIV).
Ask parents to help their children remember the memory verse during the week.
wrap-up
Pray
Have a prayer time and remember all the requests they bring. Record them so you can remember to pray for them again later. Lead the children in praying: “O God of Israel thanks for your mercy and power, come to down to us, help us lead us in your Word and the truth, Amen!”
Encourage
Allow time for your children to mention what they liked most in today’s story. Encourage them to thank God for his power and help, as well as to ask him to give them safety and security during the week and help them to come back to class.”
Invite
Say a few interesting things about the next session to encourage them to attend. Then say goodbye with a song that talks about the power of God.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™