1 Kings 17-19 Sunday School Lesson
What things stood out to you this week as you studied? What did you learn or discuss as a family?
If I had to pick one FAVORITE OT story, widow of Zarephath would be in my top 2 favorites. So I am so excited we get to talk about it today. And I love the prophet Elijah and he is important to us today.
A few things about Elijah/historical background. Northern Kingdom: 10 tribes have split from Southern Kingdom: Judah (and Benjamin). Ahab and Jezebel rule over the northern kingdom. And they are wicked. They have instituted Baal worship and grove worship and all that entails (including a lot of immorality and likely even human sacrifice.) Elijah is the prophet of the northern kingdom and asks for a drought and God listens and sends a drought.
Elijah’s name means Jehovah is my God. Elijah is eventually translated (in next week’s readings), he is with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-3), resurrected with Christ (D&C 133:54-55), appeared in Kirtland Temple (D&C 110). He has the sealing power.
We’re going to do things a little differently today. There are 3 chapters with 3 main stories about Elijah and Israel. I’d like you to pick one of the chapters, reread it and be ready to tell us about it. Be ready to share the overall story, a favorite verse, and something you learned. We’ll also have a discussion and answer some questions about each story. You can choose which chapter you’d like to reread and tell us about. (Check that at least a few people are going to read each chapter. Have instructions on board: be ready to retell the story, share a favorite verse, share something you learn from this story or a personal application.) 1 Kings 17, 18, 19
Give everyone about 5 minutes to read and prepare.
Have people retell the story...Elijah is fed by ravens. When brook dries up, he is told to head to Zarephath and a woman there has been commanded to feed him. He finds widow and asks her for water (scarce due to the drought!) and then asks for food. She says she is gathering two sticks because all she has is a tiny bit of meal and oil and she and her son will eat their last meal and then die. Elijah asks her to prepare him a cake first. She does and her meal and oil don’t fail. Later her son dies and Elijah restores him to life.
*The widow of Zarephath is asked to give ALL she has. Her last morsel of food for the prophet. And it’s not just herself that will suffer, but her beloved son (type of Christ!) if she gives up all she has. We, too, will be asked to give all that we have. To make an Abrahamic sacrifice. Why? (Emily Freeman on church history trip. They were at Haun’s Mill and discussing why such hard things happen to people of faith. A man said, “Life is hard. It is meant to be. If everything worked out we would not long for home. And in the midst of all that is wrong, God will provide a refuge.”)
*Woman Carine Clark on All In podcast. I loved this discussion on why hard things happen. The interviewer, Morgan Pearson says: “You talk a lot about how you came to know God through this experience, and to rely on Him more and how you came to know Christ. And specifically speaking of Heavenly Father, you said, He will never enable us to be weak. And you were referring to why He allows us to go through hard things. I think that's one of the biggest questions that people have in this life is, why does a loving God allow us to experience difficult things? How would you answer that question now.”
So I know this more profoundly, because I have children now. So I have this phrase that I use, that I am trying not to pave the jungle for my children, because I need them to be self-healing, I need them to be resilient, I need them to be strong. And I need them to know that I know they can do it. So that's why I don't take away hard things from my kids. Because I need them to know that I know they can do it. And so when I think about that, from God's perspective, we saw how awful things were gonna be and how great things were going to be. And we said, Yep, I can do that. How do I know that? Because we're all here on the planet. The third that we're like, no, out right? There didn't come to the planet. And so when we ask God, please take this away from me. Don't be surprised when he doesn't, because He knows that we can do it. And He's given us everything that we need to be able to do it. He's given us prayer. One of my beliefs is that the prayer for strength is always answered immediately. Always. And no one could give it to me otherwise, the other prayers he can answer when he wants, but when you ask for strength is given to you instantly, He's given us the Holy Ghost, He's given us repentance, He's given us the atonement, he has given us every single thing we need to do, to get through every single thing that we have. So I don't ask him to ever take anything away, because I trust him. And I trust that, whatever I gotta get through, I'm gonna move through it as straight a line as I can. And it's not usually a straight line, it's usually a jagged line. But he gives me things to get me through it every step of the way. And he's not going to enable us to be weak, he's going to enable us to be strong, because he knows we can do it. Because he knows we come out through the other side, we're refined. And he knows that we come out to the other side, that we can do all the things that he needs us to do.
*What does it mean to be “All in”? Elijah clearly is. So is the widow of Zarephath...who lives in a land that has adopted idol worship and yet she follows the prophet and clearly has a believing and trusting heart. **For me it means God has my first and utmost loyalty...I’ve given him my whole heart.
*Probably took faith and courage for Elijah to ask for such a significant sacrifice! But Elijah understood that blessings come when we sacrifice.
Quote #1 Elder Lynn G. Robbins said, “Now doesn’t that sound selfish, asking not just for the first piece, but possibly the only piece? Didn’t our parents teach us to let other people go first and especially for a gentleman to let a lady go first, let alone a starving widow? Her choice—does she eat, or does she sacrifice her last meal and hasten death? Perhaps she will sacrifice her own food, but could she sacrifice the food meant for her starving son?
Elijah understood the doctrine that blessings come after the trial of our faith (see Ether 12:6; D&C 132:5). He wasn’t being selfish. As the Lord’s servant, Elijah was there to give, not to take....One reason the Lord illustrates doctrines with the most extreme circumstances is to eliminate excuses. If the Lord expects even the poorest widow to pay her mite, where does that leave all others who find that it is not convenient or easy to sacrifice?
*Have you ever acted in faith and then received a significant blessing or miracle that you would be willing to share?
Quote #2 Elder Holland spoke of the widow of Zarephath in a talk in 1996. He said, “Then this understated expression of faith—as great, under these circumstances, as any I know in the scriptures. The record says simply, “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah.” Perhaps uncertain what the cost of her faith would be not only to herself but to her son as well, she first took her small loaf to Elijah, obviously trusting that if there were not enough bread left over, at least she and her son would have died in an act of pure charity. The story goes on, of course, to a very happy ending for her and for her son.1
This woman is like another widow whom Christ admired so much—she who cast her farthing, her two mites, into the synagogue treasury and thereby gave more, Jesus said, than all others who had given that day.2
Unfortunately, the names of these two women are not recorded in the scriptures, but if I am ever so privileged in the eternities to meet them, I would like to fall at their feet and say “Thank you.” Thank you for the beauty of your lives, for the wonder of your example, for the godly spirit within you prompting such “charity out of a pure heart.”3
He then went on to remind us that we have a scriptural duty to care for the poor and the widows, to lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees.
*How has following the prophet blessed your life?
In Women of the Old Testament, Camille Fronk Olson writes: “The Lord loved and cared for this widow in Zarephath. He went to great lengths to show her that she was known by Him, that she had a unique mission to accomplish for Him, and that she was just as precious in His sight as His prophet. If God knew her—a woman without title, without status, without believing lineage, and without a name recorded-He certainly knows each of us. His promise to her is also given to all those who become His children. “Fear thou not,” the Lord tells us, “for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Summary: Elijah meets Obadiah, a righteous man. “How long halt ye between two opinions?” Elijah goes to Ahab and has him gather all the prophets of Baal and they build altar and pray to Baal to burn their sacrifice. Nothing happens. Then Elijah rebuilds altar...12 stones. Pours water over all the wood, completely soaking it. Prays and fire comes down from heaven, burns the sacrifice, laps up the water, everything consumed. People say Jehovah is their God. Elijah says rain will come...and it does.
What stands out to you from this story/what personal applications does it have?
*How long halt ye between two opinions? Joshua 24:15 We have to make a decision. Elder Maxwell said, “Let us once and for all establish our residence in Zion and give up our summer cottage in Babylon.” How do we halt between two opinions today?
*Vs. 1...after many days... I think sometimes we pray and expect an answer to come immediately. BUt even Elijah (and other prophets) had to wait upon the Lord. We have to exercise faith and patience.
*One person can make a big difference. Obadiah saved 100 people through his efforts and sacrifice.
*God is a god of miracles!!!
Summary: Jezebel isn’t converted and threatens to kill Elijah. Elijah flees to Beersheba. He goes into the wilderness, sits under a juniper tree and asks to die. When he awakens from a sleep, an angel is there with a cake. And the angel tells him to eat and that “the journey is too great for thee”. Elijah eats and then travels to Horeb, 40 days. Lives in a cave and God speaks to him...in a still, small voice. Elijah is discouraged and the Lord responds by giving him 3 assignments: Anoint king for Syria, anoint king for Israel and anoint prophet to take his place. He goes and does as he has been instructed and meets Elisha.
*Often when we are discouraged or struggling, the Lord gives us a job! Something to help us be anxiously engaged in a good cause.
*The Holy Ghost speaks to us in a still, small voice.
*We are never truly alone. And when we feel like we are, we are in good company with Elijah, Moroni and others.
*Angels both earthly and heavenly.
Elder Holland gave beautiful talk on angels called The Ministry of Angels. I’d like to share a few quotes from this talk.
Quote #3: Elder Holland said, “From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children. ...
Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times.”
Quote #4: Elder Holland said, “I ask everyone within the sound of my voice to take heart, be filled with faith, and remember the Lord has said He “would fight [our] battles, [our] children’s battles, and [the battles of our] children’s children.”10 And what do we do to merit such a defense? We are to “search diligently, pray always, and be believing[. Then] all things shall work together for [our] good, if [we] walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.”11 The latter days are not a time to fear and tremble. They are a time to be believing and remember our covenants.”
Quote #5: Elder Holland said, “I have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.”
Quote #6: Elder Holland said, “My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. “[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.”13 On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.
May we all believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise as contained in one of President Monson’s favorite scriptures: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, … my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”14 In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and “the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.”
I LOVE this reminder that WE can be angels and minister to one another...and that we can have heavenly help. We DO have heavenly help, even though this help is often not seen.
I mentioned earlier that All In podcast with the cancer survivor Carine Clark. She said another thing that I loved. While she was going through cancer she decided that if she died, she didn’t want to get to the other side and have no one there to “show her around” and no one to help her if she were to get lost. SO she decided to do family history work. She gave up tv completely and any time that she would have spent watching tv, she instead spent doing temple work and family history work and she has now found thousands of family members. She said this, “so there is a stake in heaven that hopefully some of them will show up, but I'm counting on them to protect my children and my grandchildren, I'm counting on them to be a force of influence for good for them in their lives, just like people administered to me when I was at my lowest. And all it took for all that was a sacrifice of time, because I only gave up one thing, I only gave up television. And I did build a downline of people in my ecosystem to help me so I didn't do all those myself.... the thing that people don't understand about Family Search and family history is that it's really not for them. It's really for you to be able to build an army of people that will be a protection, and will be miracles for your family when you can't be there. And I think if people understood that, it would be like, during COVID, where you have to sign up for spots. So you're like waiting in line for the temple like you would for a movie.”
