PRIMARY
AGE: 6 - 7
YEARS
STANDARD
(GRADE): I & II
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LESSON – 18
PROPHET ELIJAH FED DURING FAMINE
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There was a king called Ahab who ruled Israel. King Ahab did
not follow the commandments of God. He disobeyed God and his reign brought
terrible times for the Israelites. His wife was Jezebel and she was a wicked
queen. They worshipped false gods and
built altars and places of worship to Baal and other gods. Jezebel tried to
kill the prophets of the God of Israel.
There was a man of God in Israel named Elijah who did not
like the things that King Ahab and Queen Jezebel did. Elijah was a prophet of
God. He was a from a small place called Tishbe. A prophet is someone who has a
special message from God. God would give the message to the prophet and he had
to convey it to the people. Once, God sent Prophet Elijah to King Ahab to warn
him. Prophet Elijah told King Ahab that because of all the evil things he was doing, there
would be no dew or rain for several years in Israel until he gave the word for
rain.
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We know that plants are a major source of food for both
humans and animals. Adequate rainfall is very important for the proper growth
of crops. Drought is a period of dryness that happens when there is no rainfall
or low levels of rainfall. If there is no rain even for one year, people will not
be able to raise crops. This will lead to lack of food called as famine. People
as well as cattle, sheep and other animals would die of starvation if there are
no plants to provide food.
In this case during Ahab’s reign, there was no rain for
three and a half years. Rains stopped and there was a severe drought just as
Prophet Elijah had told them. The rivers dried up and the land was parched. Because
Elijah had told Ahab and Jezebel that there would not be any rain until he gave
the word, they thought he was responsible for the drought. They hated Elijah
and wanted to harm him.
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But God sent Prophet Elijah to a safe place. God told
Prophet Elijah to go to a brook named Kerith located on the eastern side of the
Jordan River. A brook is a natural freshwater stream smaller than a river. Prophet
Elijah lived in a cave near the brook. He had enough water to drink. God even arranged
for some birds to bring him food every day. Every morning and evening ravens brought
him bread and meat to eat. (Ravens are birds that are black in colour and look
similar to crows, but they are larger than crows and they are a completely
different species) (1). After some time, the Kerith brook dried.
God told Elijah to go to a city called Zarephath and that he had instructed a woman there to feed him. Prophet Elijah went to the city of Zarephath and found a woman collecting sticks for firewood. He asked the woman for a drink of water. The woman turned around to get him some water. Prophet Elijah asked the woman if she would bring him a small bread also.
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The woman told
him that she only had a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil
in the bottom of the jar, just enough to make one last meal for herself and her
son. She had come there to gather some firewood to cook their last meal, after
that, they would not have anything left to eat and they would die.
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Prophet Elijah told the woman not to be afraid. He told her
to go ahead and cook her meal, but asked her to make a small bread for him
before that. Because God had sent him to her with a special message that, as
long as the drought lasted, she would have enough oil and flour to make bread
for him and for her family. There will always be flour and olive oil left in her
containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow
again in Israel.
The woman did not doubt the word of the Prophet. She went ahead and made a bread for Prophet Elijah and brought it to him. Then she made a meal for her son and for herself and miraculously she had enough flour and oil. Then the miracle continued and she had enough to make more bread the next day, and the next, as long as the drought lasted. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through his Prophet Elijah. Even though there was no rainfall and there was a severe famine throughout the land, God provided for his prophet, Elijah, and the poor widow and her son who were willing to share their last meal with the Prophet.
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Reference:
(1)
Raven. The
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. James
Strong and John McClintock; Harper and Brothers; New York; 1880.
Bible Reference: I Kings 17: 1 - 16
Memory
Verse: The
eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season (Psalm 145:15).
ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITIES
Answer the following questions:
1. Who was the wicked queen who wanted
to harm Prophet Elijah?
......................................................................................
2. What is the name of the brook where
God sent Prophet Elijah?
......................................................................................
3. What did the ravens bring for
Prophet Elijah?
.......................................................................................
4. What was the Zarephath woman
collecting?
......................................................................................
5. What was left in the bottom of the
jar at the Zarephath woman’s house?
.......................................................................................
Match the best answer
1. Elijah - Widow
2. Kerith - Bread and Meat
3. Zarephath - Brook
4. Ravens - Tishbe
5. Ahab - Brook
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