Materials Included
• 3 Sessions of Learner’s Materials
• 3 Sessions of Teaching Materials
• 4 Handouts

Scriptures
1. 1 Kings 18:1-18
2. 1 Kings 18:20-39
3. 1 Kings 19:1-15a

Brief Description

Elijah the prophet is one of those so-called “crusty” old figures from the Hebrew Scriptures that most of us would just as soon forget. He is like the in-your-face street preacher who won’t take no for an answer. Elijah has a mission, and he intends to fulfill it. Unruffled by the pointing fingers of bureaucracy and religiosity, in these sessions the prophet stomps his way through the pages of the Old Testament and into our lives.

In one sense, the prophetic voices in the Old Testament were all unique. In other words, they each carried a message that was to be delivered to a particular people. Yet each of the prophets shared some similar characteristics as well, not the least of which was a powerful message granted to them by God. Prophets are rare these days. Preachers in pulpits and in books are talking about the silence of God in recent years, claiming that no real prophetic voice has proclaimed the word of God in centuries. Not that pastors today are unfaithful or that they are not prophetic in some way, but the voice of God as delivered by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Elijah certainly has been silent in recent times.

Some have proposed that one reason God’s voice is silent is that we as a people are not yet ready to listen. In fact, here we have yet another characteristic the biblical prophets shared. They came on the scene during a time when the people were ready—or nearly ready—to listen. Clearly, timing seems to be of the essence. Besides, why waste a good prophetic voice on ears that are not ready to hear or on eyes that cannot see?

Truly, the people during the days of Elijah’s tenure were stubborn, but not nearly so much as he. The voice of Elijah was sometimes strong, sometimes faltering, but always proclaiming the message of God to the people of ancient Israel. This four-session unit will delve into issues of discerning whom we really serve as a people, what it means to commit ourselves to God, and what it means to serve God in fearful times. If we will listen carefully, this old prophet may just have something to say to us as well.

by Gary Light

User License
The purchaser of this file has permission to print twenty copies of this Learners Study Guide. Neither the file nor the printed contents may be sold copied or transferred to another person or church. The purchaser may make a backup copy of the file.

The purchaser of this file has permission to print one copy of this Teaching Guide. Neither the file nor the printed contents may be sold, copied or transferred to another person or church. The purchaser may make a backup copy of the file.

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