Elijah

ELIJAH

Objectives:

Children 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.
Children should identify Ahab and Jezebel as an evil king and queen of Israel.
Children should identify Elijah’s student and disciple, Elisha.

Possible Lesson Plan:

Open with prayer.
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 children 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. At the end of the page, see a synopsis of the kings and prophets of the northern and southern kingdoms for the teacher's reference.

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

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?

Make a “Fire from Heaven”

Stained glass window: Give each child a piece of wax paper 18 inches long. Cut out an altar from black construction paper and place in the center of the waxed paper. Cut out flames from yellow, orange, and red tissue paper (in the cabinet) and lay all around and over the altar. They can overlap a little. Take to the teacher. Place another piece of waxed paper over the whole picture, and iron on low to melt the wax. Hang in your window.

Close with prayer.

KINGS AND PROPHETS: a reference for teachers for a difficult and confusing period in Jewish history

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