Elijah

ELIJAH

Objectives:

  1. Students should be able to tell the story of Elijah – his feeding by the ravens, the widow of Zarephath, his confronting the prophets of Baal, and the fiery chariot.
  2. Students should identify Ahab and Jezebel as an evil king and queen of Israel.
  3. Students should identify Elijah’s student and disciple, Elisha.

Possible Lesson Plan:

  1. Open with prayer.
  2. Scripture Reference: 3 Kingdoms/I Kings 17:1-18:2, 18:17-46, 4 Kingdoms/II Kings 2:1-13. This would be the time to discuss with the students the split among the Jewish people that occurred around 900 BC, dividing the land into Israel in the north with its capital of Samaria and Judah in the south with Jerusalem its capital. Elijah lived in the north and Ahab and Jezebel were king and queen of Israel. I have included an outline of the Kings and Prophets of the 2 kingdoms; refer to them as often as you have need. This is a very confusing time in the history of the Jewish people!

 

  1. Learning Game: Egg Carton Jumble – Take an empty egg carton. In each of the pockets, write the name of something from the story. Place a small button or pebble in the egg carton and close it. Let each student in turn shake the egg carton and open it. He must tell the story of the word where the button has landed. Pass to the next student. If the button lands on a word already used, take another turn.

Chariot           mantle             raven        rain              bread              son

Baal                 Mt. Carmel      fire            prophet       Ahab               altar

 

  1. Discussion: Elijah was a prophet of God. What is a prophet? He spoke the words God gave him to say. Many times those words did not make the hearer very pleased. Who else had to say things for God that did not please his audience? (Balaam, Samuel). Review their stories. What are the differences between a prophet of God and a prophet of Baal? Would you have been willing to go to the king if you had been in Elijah’s place? Why or why not? Elijah was willing to stand up for what he believed in. What happened? Have you ever had to stand up for what you believe in? What happened?

  1. Make “Elijah’s Raven”: Cut wings and bird body from black poster board. Slip wings through slit in body. Use black feathers to decorate. Draw in the eyes and a tiny piece of orange felt can be the beak.
  2. Close with prayer. Pray for the strength to stand up for what we believe in.

 

 

 

 

References for a confusing time in Jewish History:

KINGS AND PROPHETS

DATES         KING OF ISRAEL                    KING OF JUDAH                             PROPHETS             OTHER KINGS

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933BC    Death of Solomon; division into northern and southern kingdoms       Ahijah            Shishak (Egypt)             

933 BC   Jeroboam (22 years) – Bad       Rehoboam (17 years) – bad                 Shemaiah

915 BC                                                      Abijah (3 years)–bad mostly

912 BC                                                      Asa (41 years) – good

911 BC  Nadab (2 years) – bad

910 BC  Baasha (24 years) – bad

900 BC  Rise of Assyria to world power                                                                                  Assur-nasipal II

887 BC  Elah (2 years) – bad

886 BC  Zimri (7 days) – bad

886 BC  Omri (12 years) – horrible                                                                                         

875 BC  Ahab (22 years) – the worst                                                              Elijah                   Shalmaneser II

874 BC                                                      Jehoshaphat (25 yrs.)–good                                     Ben-hadad (Syria)

855 BC  Ahaziah (2 years) – bad                                                                    Elijah                   Mesha (Moab)

854 BC  Joram (12 years) – bad mostly                                                          Elisha                  Hazael (Syria)

850 BC                                                      Jehoram (8 years) – bad                                      

843 BC  Jehu (28 years) – bad mostly        Ahaziah (1 year) – bad                  Elisha

843 BC                                                      Athaliah (6 years) – horrible

843 BC                                                      Joash (40 yrs.)-good mostly           Joel

820 BC  Jehoahaz (17 years)—bad                                                                               

806 BC  Joash (16 years) – bad                      

803 BC                                                      Amaziah (29yrs)–gd mostly

790 BC  Jeroboam II (41 years)-bad                                                                Jonah

787 BC                                                      Uzziah (52 years) – good               Amos

749 BC                                                      Jotham (16 years) – good              Hosea

748 BC  Zechariah (6months) – bad                                                                Isaiah

748 BC  Shallum (1month) – bad                                                                    Micah

748 BC  Menahem (10 years) – bad                                                                                   

741 BC                                                      Ahaz (16 years) – wicked                                             Rezin (Syria)

738 BC  Pekahiah (2 years) – bad                  

748 BC  Pekah (20 years) – bad                                                                                                     Tilgath-pileser II

730 BC  Hoshea (9 years) – bad                                                                                                     

721 BC  Northern Kingdom Fell.                                                                                                   Sargon II

726 BC                                                      Hezekiah (29 years) – best                                           Sennacherib

697 BC                                                      Manasseh (55 years) –worst                                         Esar-Haddon

641 BC                                                      Amon (2 years) – the worst                                           Assur-banipal

639 BC                                                      Josiah (31 years) – the best               Zephaniah

608 BC                                                      Jehoahaz (3 months) – bad                Nahum

608 BC                                                      Jehoiakim (11 yrs) –wicked               Jeremiah               Necha II (Egypt)

607 BC  Fall of Assyria and Rise of Babylon                                                      Habakkuk             Nabopolassar

597 BC                                                      Jehoiachin (3 months)–bad                                            Nebuchadnezzar

597 BC                                                      Zedekiah (11 years) – bad                 Obadiah

586 BC                                                           Fall of Judah.

606-536 The Captivity                                                                                     Daniel                     Belshazzar

                                                                                                                             Ezekiel

536 BC  Fall of Babylon and Rise of Persia                                                                                      Cyrus (Persia)

536 BC  Return from Captivity

                Joshua                                                                                                 Haggai

                Zerubabbel                                                                                         Zechariah              Darius I

485 BC                                                                                                                 Esther                   Xerxes I

457 BC  Ezra                                                                                                                                    Artaxerxes I

444 BC  Nehemiah                                                                                              Malachi