Bible Stories for Adults

Elijah and the Baal Prophets

1 Kings 18-19

Next Week - Pentecost (Acts 1-2)
Bible Words to Remember:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

What great sin did Jeroboam begin and all other northern kings follow?
1 Kings 12:26-33 = Made their own religion with calves, priests & festivals
How did God punish Jeroboam for this evil?
1 Kings 14:8-11 = Destroyed Jeroboam's household
How would God punish the people of Israel for their part in this great sin?
1 Kings 14:15-16 = Uproot from the land & scatter beyond the Jordan

Who was the most evil king of Israel?
1 Kings 16:30 = Ahab, son of Omri
How evil was he?
1 Kings 16:31-33 = Trivialized J sin, Married Jezebel, Baal Worship

What were Baal and Asherah?
Every pagan locality had its own Baal (lord)
Shrines to Baals were built on high places in the area
Baal of Sidon (Phoenicia) was brought to Israel by Jezebel
Controlled rainfall & fire - Critical to agricultural society
Was happy & gave rain when he mated with his wife Asherah
Temple sex induced Baal & Asherah to mate so it would rain
Sacrifices included children under extraordinary conditions
Priests would dance around altar & slash selves with knives

What did Elijah's name mean and why was it significant?
1 Kings 18:39 = Elijah means Yahweh is God. He came to show this
How would God use Elijah to prove He is God of the rain & all creation?
1 Kings 17:1 = Sent Elijah to Ahab to say He was sending a drought

What miracles did God produce through Elijah in our lesson last week?
1 Kings 17:5-6 = God sent bread & meat via ravens & water in brook
1 Kings 17:15-16 = He kept flour in the jar & oil in the jug
1 Kings 17:21-22 = He restored the widow's son to life
What was the reason that God produced these miracles?
1 Kings 17:24 = To show God's power & build faith

What prompted Elijah to return to Ahab and stop the drought?
1 Kings 18:1 = God came to Elijah and sent him
Who was Obadiah and what had he done out of faithfulness? = Different than prophet Obadiah
1 Kings 18:2-4 = In charge of Ahab's palace; Hid & fed 100 prophets
What task was Obadiah given that took him outside the palace?
1 Kings 18:5-6 = To find grazing land for royal animals in drought

Who did Obadiah run into during his search for grazing land?
1 Kings 18:7-8 = Elijah
Why didn't Obadiah want to tell Ahab that he found Elijah?
1 Kings 18:9, 11-12 = Ahab would have him killed if Elijah was gone
What reason did Obadiah give to convince Elijah not to make him tell Ahab?
1 Kings 18:13-14 = Faithful to God, Hid 100 prophets from Jezebel
How anxiously had Ahab wanted to find Elijah to end the drought?
1 Kings 18:10 = Sent searchers to all nations and made them look

How did Elijah respond to Obadiah's concern and did Obadiah trust him?
1 Kings 18:15-16 = Elijah said he'd stay, Obadiah trusted & went
How was Elijah greeted and how did he use this to explain the real problem?
1 Kings 18:17-18 = The Troubler of Israel, Ahab's unfaithfulness

What did Elijah want Ahab to do before he would end the drought?
1 Kings 18:19-20 = Gather people from all over Israel + 850 Baal/Asherah prophets
What question did Elijah present to the people before ending the drought?
1 Kings 18:21 = Which god will you serve, Lord or Baal? Pick one
What point was Elijah making that Jesus later repeated?
Matthew 6:24 = No one can serve two masters - God/money, God/Baal
Was this concept of serving only one god new to the Israelites? = Commanded from beginning
Joshua 24:14-15 = Choose..whom you will serve...as for me & my house, we will serve the Lord

What challenge did Elijah propose to help the people decide which was the real God?
1 Kings 18:22-24 = Whichever sent fire to altar was real God
How successful were the many Baal prophets?
1 Kings 18:25-26 = Called on Baal all morning to no avail
How did Elijah emphasize Baal's impotence to the people?
1 Kings 18:27 = He taunted the prophets & told them to shout louder
Did they follow Elijah's advice and did Baal finally respond? = Nothing by evening (twilight)
1 Kings 18:28-29 = Shouted louder & cut selves to get Baal's attention

What was significant about the altar that Elijah built?
1 Kings 18:30-32 = Made of 12 stones, one for each tribe of Israel
How did Elijah show the people that only God could light the sacrifice?
1 Kings 18:33-35 = Drenched the sacrifice, wood & altar 3 times

How much yelling, dancing & beating did Elijah need to get God's attention?
1 Kings 18:36-38 = None, just a short prayer; God sent intense fire
What decision did the people make after watching the day's contest?
1 Kings 18:39-40 = The Lord is God! They killed the Baal prophets

How did Ahab and Elijah respond to the events after a day without eating?
1 Kings 18:41-43 = Ahab ate, Elijah prayed 7 times (complete)
How did God answer Elijah's prayers? = Now that the people had repented
1 Kings 18:44-45 = He sent heavy rains and ended the drought
Who was waiting for Ahab when his chariot reached Jezreel?
1 Kings 18:46 = Elijah, Ran by God's power, despite not eating

How did Jezebel respond to Ahab's news of Elijah returning Israel to God?
1 Kings 19:1-2 = Said she would kill Elijah within 24 hours
Did Elijah stand up in faith to Jezebel?
1 Kings 19:3-4 = He lost faith, ran away as far as he could (S of Judah) & asked to die

How did God respond to Elijah's request?
1 Kings 19:5-7 = Sent angel with nourishment for journey in desert
Where did Elijah go & how long did it take him to get there? = God sustained Moses 40d on Sinai
1 Kings 19:8 = Mount Horeb (Sinai), Took 40 days & 40 nights (40 = generation)
What reason did Elijah give God for coming to see Him?
1 Kings 19:9-10 = He came to seek refuge in God's presence & power

How did God reveal Himself to Elijah and why?
1 Kings 19:11-12 = Not wind, earthquake or fire, but whisper. Tho powerful, God is love
How did Elijah respond to the presence of God?
1 Kings 19:13 = Covered his face so he wouldn't look at God (like Moses hid his face)

What instructions did God give Elijah?
1 Kings 19:15-16 = Anoint kings of Aram & Israel (Hazael & Jehu) & successor (Elisha)
What purpose did God have for these new servants?
1 Kings 19:17 = To dole out God's punishment to the unfaithful

Did God agree with Elijah that he was the only faithful left in Israel?
1 Kings 19:18 = No, there were 7000 others. They would be spared